Samsung SGH-S105 / SGH-S100
Average Ratings
All around good phone
I switched from Verizon to T-mobile. This is my first GSM phone and it works great. Better then expected. The colors canât get any better (65K) Very bright and clear. I read someone mentioned that they had to pay for new ringers and wallpapers but i bought the data cable and I download then for free from various web sites which is very awesome. The build n games arenât bad either. The reception is good and weight is awesome. I would have liked to see voice dialing cause I never had it but other than that i would recommend the phone 100%. Also I dont know if this is standard practice with T-mobile but it came with an Extra battery and headset which is really cool !
S105 - Reviews need a little more objectivity
While the S105 is a pretty sexy package, there are some shortcomings. I have had and used the phone for just over a week and have realized the following....
Volume on phone is very low (at max setting). Difficult to hear with any background noise at all. The earpiece volume is much better but you need to hold it with one hand to keep it in the ear. It is made of too slick of material, no rubber or anything to improve grip. Samsung suggested swapping the phone to see if there is any improvement in volume - will do tomorrow.
No synchronization software included or even available. Samsung tech support cannot confirm plans for any in the future. If you know of something or plans in the works, let me know. What good is a phone that can hold 500#s plus another 250 in the SIM if you have to manually enter them.
The phone allows you to attach pictures for an incoming call but there is no means (software, etc) to download them. You can, however, download pictures from tmobile for 99 cents a pop.
The functionality of the wap software operates in a wierd fashion, needs multiple keystrokes to accept an entry. The Motorola V66 got it right. I might also add that the V66 has software available and the volume is adequate but no color displays.
Samsung did tell me to call back in a coupole of weeks to see if there was any new firmware available. Sounds like they knew the phone was lacking something when it went out the door but I guess they had to meet the release date. The only question is whether or not they'll improve the phone, accessories, etc or just move on to another model and leave us holding the bag, waiting for the ultimate phone. I do realize that creating the ultimate phone is a stretch but the S105 is missing, or has difficulties with some basic functionalities.
Excitement - Disappointment - Relief
First 2 or 3 days I was thrilled with the phone. After a week or so I realized that:
1. I have to pay $1 for each stupid wallpaper and ringtone that I download from T-Mobile.
2. No Bluetooth.
3. No Voice Dialing.
4. No MMS.
5. Fails to download any .jad (Java Games basically...) files.
Yet after another two weeks of use I got really acustomed to my phone and I found out that:
GOOD NEWS:
1. You can download wallpapers in a form of gif/jpeg files by simply typing in the URL into the browser. And yes - it's free :) (best size ~ 120x140 pixels)
2. Similar story with the ringtones - 16 channel polyphonic ringtones are downloaded in form of .mmf files. These files can be generated by converting midi files using a special MIDI-MMF converter (http://ray1.net/mmf). MIDI files could be generated by using utilities to sort of "analyze" WAVs or MP3s. It's an interesting process, really.
3. Java 2 Mobile Edition (J2ME) is a world's favorite discussion topic. As I have noticed on the European forums - it became very popular and there are tons of stuff (.jad+.jar files) to download. The phone does indeed support it, but the bottleneck here is that T-Mobile does not support J2ME apps delivery yet - they promised to be ready with that in Q1 2003.
4. I actually noticed that I miss a Copy/Paste capability (like in a PC). What it means is that I subconsciously treat it like a lil PC :)
5. There actually exists software for S100 which is an electronical twin of our S105. Download that software and get yourself an IrDA cable ($20 on eBay). You'd be able to download images and ringtones, and synchronize the phone book. Pretty neat.
BAD NEWS:
1. I still miss the MMS (not so much the Bluetooth and the Voice Dialing)
2. Wap Push settings wouldn't be released by T-Mobile (unless you're a "Premiere Partner").
Other than that - it's a terrific phone! I believe that this phone is one of the best on US market!
Unbelievably Awesome!
This is my 6th cell phone and recent upgrade from the Sony Ericsson's t68i, and this phone outclasses it by far. It has a much larger and sharper and vibrant display, and better reception compared to the t68i. It may not be bluetooth enabled but that feature is not commonly used for most people. The audio quality is one of the best I have ever heard. I would equate this phone to a color mini-palm although it is Java app powered. It even comes with 2 lithium ion batteries, one extended and one slim. Battery life is average compared to other phones, but very good considering how bright the display and backlight are.
My only qualms about it is how there is a removable plug that covers the charging socket that can be easily lost. Charger connector is thin and flat consistent with most flip phones. A phenomenal deal considering I paid 100$ for this phone before a 50$ mail in rebate! Email me where!
Definitely one, if not the best phone around in terms of price, features, and quality. Get one!
Anxiety to slight disappointment.
I really think that Samsung rushed when they released this product. Many of my friends love my phone, however they do not own it. Before I got the S105, I had the Nokia 3390, which was absolutely perfect for me. Now, T-Mobile sent me this so-called fantastic phone, which I eagerly anticipated, and it was nothing like I expected. Granted, the screen and the polygraphic ring-tones are great, but the selections are awful. Another thing that annoyed me is that you can't put your name on the phone's banner. Another very very annoying factor of the phone is the VOLUME and that irritating earpiece that comes with the phone. Don't get me wrong, it's a very pretty, flashy, impressive phone, but if functionality is more important, I do not recommend this phone. The T-Zones (Wireless Web) component is fine, though I rarely use it. The alarm clock SUCKS! If you use your phone for the simple things, this is not the phone for you. The clock doesn't show when you're on the phone, the word wrap on text messages is stupid, the characters carry over regardless, which can look really messy. The T9 input is ok, but it dosen't have the automatic case adjustment, it doesn't have a 'Spell Mode' or a dictionary like the Nokia. The phone book is ok, but it doesn't display the names of incoming and outgoing calls based on one entry (An area code issue). I find that to be annoying. As a new phone, I would think that all I's would be dotted and all T's would be crossed, but it seems as though it is the complete opposite. Maybe they were concentrating on this bright, super color background, and those amazing kiddy ringtones, that they forgot about the important things. As much as this phone costs, all of this should have been taking into consideration. It is similar to having a beautiful box with nothing inside. I am a critical cell phone user, and this phone just did not do it for me.
Sexy at First. Disappointment Later.
After seeing my friend's Sprint Samsung A500, I was all excited about getting Samsungs next GSM model. I ordered it on the first day it was available. Now, I am considering taking it back.
It's a fine phone, but WAY less sophisticated than the Sprint model.
- The color screen is not TFT Active Matrix as on the Sprint model (and therefore is much less brilliant)
- There is no PC link for synching to Outlook or for software updates (Samsung tech support says they may or may not provide one at a later date)
- There is no means to input your own photos -- either with a camera or with a WAP site download.
But the real killer for me is the selection of ringtones. If you're a 13 year old girl, you might like having pop or classical songs as your ringer. But if you are a professional, you are left with about 3 choices from the 20 they provide: the T-Mobile theme (T-jingle), doorbell chimes (Clear Sound) and a recording of an old phone bell (Buzz). Otherwise, its songs like Feliz Navidad or Carmen. Worse yet, if you go to the T-Mobile website to download melodies, you'll have to pick from things like Cher's Believe or Madonna's Like A Virgin.
I honestly cannot imagine being in my office and having that phone ring. It's embarassing!
The Best Phone I have ever owned!
I am not easily impressed with many cell phones but have to say that Samsung hit a home run with this model. First off, the color screen is the best of any phone available to date. Reception and sound quality are far superior to most GSM phones. Keypad layout and menu selection is very nicely done. Polyphonic ringtones offer so many possibilities that I can't begin to explain but it is safe to say that it has the best ring tone on the market. One might ask what it is missing, well...it doesn't have bluetooth or voice dialing though that option may be available with the next firmware upgrade. What you do get is reception and sound quality that is second to none. I own a Ericsson T68i and did some tests to measure reception and clarity, with the Samsung I could make calls that were crystal clear where the T68i could not even make the connection. Some may say that the Ericsson has more features such as bluettoth but what good are they if they don't work. I have owned or currently own several phones including the Motorola V60, Siemens S46, Ericsson T68i, several Nokias, Kyoceras, amongst others and rate this Samsung the best.
Read this before buying this phone!
I loved the look of this phone which originally attracted me to it but have had serveral problems with it in the past year and a half that I have owned it. Less than a year after buying it a speaker blew out in it which led to the problem of others not being able to hear me. I could hear them when I made a call but they couldn't hear me. That led to a 6 week fight with my carrier, T-Mobile, because the phone was still under warranty and I was out of a phone for almost two months, but was offered an oh-so-generous 75 free minutes for my troubles.
I paid over $400 for this phone and it was one of the worst investments that I have ever made. It doesn't have many features for it's price such as no camera, no speaker phone, no voice dialing.
CONS:
1) For some reason, I couldn't use any other hands free set for it other than the Samsung one that was designed for it so after losing the hands free set twice, I had to order them on-line for $25 a piece.
2) The ring-tones are horrible! Very few decent ring-tones. Most of them are classical songs in monophonic. All the downloadable ring-tones from the Internet are pop songs and many of them don't even sound like the song.
3)It gets terrible reception and I have lost service at least 50 times or more. I know its not just the carrier because I had a Motorola phone with the same carrier and had few problems.
However, there are a few good things about it, but the pros do NOT outweigh the cons:
1)Easy to navagate through menus.
2)Large, great full color screen.
3)Long length battery, I didnt have to charge it much.
For everyone thats thinking about buying this phone, I would look into some other options.
good until screen blacks out
I Love this phone, it was perfect for me- i used every feature, the calender the alarm clock texts etc... and it would still be great except for one major problem, i have the exact same problem another reviewer wrote about (Apocrypha) the screen blacks out... at first it was just the outside one but now its the inside too and its every single time i open or close the phone, and its getting worse now it sometimes takes 3 or 4 restarts before the screen will work again. Tmobile told me i have to buy a new phone, no one would even look at it for me. I like tmobile but i hate the fact that they dont have any extended warrenties on their phones. i just bought a motorola v600 and am waiting for it to arrive, we'll see how this one goes but from the reviews i've read i'm about to cancel the order.
Good features
PROs: various features, color screen, polyphonic sound, funcionality, good battery life (way over 3 hours talk time), external display and button
CONs: average reception, laggy
Conclusion: good phone if you only need a phone that makes calls and some web features. Reception not as good as other phones I've had.
