Samsung SGH-D307
Average Ratings
Best Device, Worst Operability
When I first saw this device I thought "Finally! The perfect device for me." But oh the heartbreak when I opened the box. I owned this phone for three weeks then bought a sidekick.
I believe some of the complaints about this phones features stem from a misclassification in people's minds. I'll call it a "semi-smart" phone. It has more advanced features than your basic handset (except for the camera), but lacks a full blown OS and expansion features of an actual smart phone.
Philosophically I fall somewhere in between a UI's intuitiveness vs. needing the manual. However, I can sum up my experience with this phone's UI with two anecdotes. First, after I bought this phone when I was looking to replace it I went in to both a Verizon and a T-Mobile store. I played with working models of the SK and also Vz's new LG qwerty phone. When I picked these devices up I began playing with them and they "just worked". Their UI's were so intuitive i could just walk in and understand the interface in a matter of seconds. With the D307, even hours later I still kept the manual nearby because I would get stuck often. The second anecdote: When first learning the 307, I kept muttering "that's dumb" and "why would they do that?" When I got the sidekick, i kept saying "no way!", "sweet!" and "holy crap!"
The point is, aside from simply being confusing, there is zero interoperability between the various apps on the 307. The way things work just doesn't make any sense for a device of the "semi-smart" class. For example the addressbook acts completely differently when in the SMS app, vs the Email app, vs phone mode. Thus (in landscape) there's no straightforward way to call someone who just texted you. See "cons" list for more.
Pros:
Size
Form Factor
Cons:
No PC/Bluetooth addressbook sync!!!!!
Horrible interoperability between apps
Confusing UI navigation/config
badly placed volume controls
no IMAP or POP3 email
mail client is just a few webmail providers
why bother?!
this phone was pushed as an innovative cell phone with many positives. i saw one--qwerty keyboard. the speakerphone was atrocious, i couldn't hear out of the earpiece unless it was jammed in my ear. i couldn't even use the phone while in the car--i would have caused an accident over confusion. i was not very happy. the cingular salesman said, "you did know this was made by samsung, right?"
it's basically your 30$ samsung flip phone with a qwerty keyboard.
PROS:
loud when ringing
plays mp3s out of the box
CONS:
signal was marginal
volume at loudest was soft
speakerphone not designed well
interface is confusing
keyboard is awkward
it does have EDGE, but web interface was atrocious
i was not very pleased.
No Thank You
Just traded Verizon for Cinguler and although I love the company this phone is awful! Great display but keys are too small and very very confusing. Returned for the LG smartphone.
Thank You,
Glenn
Buggiest phone in the world!
Can't enter contacts while in landscape mode
Can't browse the net while in landscape mode
I did the 'check my minutes option' and the phone kept crashing everytime I would receive the SMS stating my usage from Cingular.
I usually like samsung products (never tried their phones before... and never will again)
I wish you could rate below a 0
So So
a good phone... interesting design but lacks a camera which is disappointing... great resolution and clarity LCD...querty keyboard is a good idea but top row of keys not as easy to press as expected...very confusing menu system for an average user and keyboard buttons are not easy to figure out which button does what...all in all a good phone but not very user friendly
