Samsung SCH-A790 / SCH-A795 / IP-A790
Average Ratings
A790 for sprint pcs
I got this phone (3)weeks ago.This is the best phone that i ever owned.The sound quality of the calls are very clear.the signal strenght is very good.I traveled to London and Paris and i had no problems at all.The web browser is very fast and the ringers are very loud.The vibrating mode is very strong and easy to feel while in the holster.The only downside of this phone is the external picture caller ID.The pictures are very small and it reminds me of the Motorola razor as far as the front screen is concern.Other than that,there is nothing wrong with this phone at all.It is also very easy to download ringers to this phone.Of course i don't believe in pros and cons for phones.If you desire a phone with bluetooth,
external speaker,walkie talkie etc than of course this phone is not for you.If you just want a simple phone that can be used in yhe USA and abroad,than this is the phone to have.The camera and camcorder take very good pictures as well.The price is a little steep
however this is the 21st.century and we just have to go with the flow.Way to go samsung and sprint with an awesome phone.
OVERALL THE PERFECT SPRINT GSM PHONE...
Iâm a dealer for sprint and Iâve had this phone for about a month now; Iâve been to Spain and Paris and its just works great.
The smartest thing to do is get it about a day or two before you leave abroad and you have like 14 days to try it out.
The size of the phone does kind of get in the way of the new small cute phones but who cares itâs a CDMA-GSM phone! Features and all are great... I upgraded from a Sanyo 5500 and I thought Iâd never use Samsung but all in all itâs the perfect phone in and out the United States... battery life is great, pictures are great.
Well I hope my review helps, and about the blue tooth ârelax" just buy the adapter and you'll be fine. Thanks E
Good overall but some imp cautions
For the last couple of years I've kept a verizon phone for domestic and a tmobile for abroad. The tmobile service is unacceptable in california where I live, but excellent abroad. When Verizon 790 came out with a dual use phone, I jumped at the chance to dump my tmobile. I ended up returning the 790 though. My experience:
Pros:
-Incredible screen- clarity, graphics, visibility in sunlight, all first rate.
-Liked the software and key-pad layout.
-Sturdy build quality.
Cons:
-A deal breaker for me: only one headset option. You have to use the one that comes with the phone, and its an ear-bud. Besides it not fitting my ear, you have to hold the microphone wire close to your mouth for good clarity. No other options, including adapters, are available. It says its a 2.5 jack on the specs, but as the manual will tell you, only the ear-bud included with the phone will work. If you prefer headset use like I do, this phone is not for you.
Other cons:
-Big and heavy.
-A lot of software freezes.
After Frustrations A Great Global Roamer
Iâve very successfully used this phone in Italy, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Poland, in rural and urban areas. There was a seamless handoff crossing borders. Inbound and outbound calls in GSM, although $1.29 per minute, were very clear and easy to make. Same for CDMA.
The design is somewhat awkward to hold or stick in a pocket. There are other minor detractions mentioned elsewhere here. If you travel abroad regularly and desire seamless accessibility, the benefits outweigh the detractions.
There's no reason to own this phone unless you travel overseas regularly and feel the need to be easily accessible at a single, consistent number. Renting a separate GSM phone is an option, but you have a different number. Another option is a US GSM provider, but CDMA is a clearly superior option in the US.
WARNING: There are apparently some seriously defective models of this phone out there. I received one and went through great difficulty getting a replacement, all along receiving denials of defects from several Samsung and Verizon reps. Elsewhere on this forum is a post from another person with an identical experience to mine, where in CDMA mode the phone was seriously dysfunctional, sending and receiving only about 50% of calls. (See post of âherkdrvrâ on August 9, 2004.) My replacement model seems flawless.
Customer service for these phones is quite problematic. Verizon presently sells the phone to regular customers only through local stores, but apparently provided no training to local reps. I spent a total of over 8 hours getting the first (defective) phone to work and getting it exchanged, with much of the time on the phone myself (with both Verizon and Samsung) or watching local reps on the phone with national reps, just as frustrated as I. Calling Verizon for support you must advise that you want to speak with the global phone support people or you get no valuable information. Some donât even know there is a global phone support group.
Best from Samsung - Verizon doesn't know what to do with it
I am very pleased with this phone. It has everything you'd expect from a top of the line cell. The most positive thing I can say about it, is the enhanced voice kit that allows you to both speak the digits of the phone number you're trying to call, OR, actually program the persons name to be connected with their phone number. Also, it's not as big as people say it is. It's pretty thin, but not all that light. The only complaint I have is the lack of speakerphone and bluetooth features.
A word to the wise: You need a Corporate Tax ID to be able to activate the A790 and the regular Verizon customer support is horrendous. You need to dial Verizon's business channel, directly, if you want help from those that would know anything at all about this phone. It's a little known number that harldy anyone knows about, and that Verizon tries very hard to hide. So I'm going to give it to you: 1-866-837-0022. Otherwise, forget about it. You'll be transferred around until doomsday.
Good luck, I'm very happy, get it if you can.
Great job!
Got this phone myself from some time! Finally the phone that I was looking forward to has arrived!
For:
* Great camera. pictures are one of the best that I have seen in recent times, better than the recent 6000VX that I was using!
* Voice quality is good.. no complaints there.
* The voice kit is a good feature. Always liked to call a number by uttering the name, than pressing all those keys.
* Can use one phone across the world, which is awesome for a CDMA phone.
* Good graphics and user experience.
Against:
* Bulky.
* The design is wierd, takes sometime to get used to, especially the keyboards.
* GSM doesn't have many of the features, like brew, web, mms and my fav, voice kit.
Overall, its a great phone for the international customer. But if you are not in a hurry, I'm sure you can wait for more such great products from Samsung, which hopefully will be getting a product out with similar feature set in both GSM and CDMA.
a790 - ring tones
I travel all over the world. So far, I've used this phone in Brazil with no real service problems...but the one thing that drives me crazy about this thing is the fact that it does not have standard ring tones!
Even in the "outdoor" mode, I can barely hear them and have missed several calls because of this. And the tones that are provided are, frankly, pretty dopey sounding.
I haven't been able to find standard ring tones on Get It Now, either.
If I can't get this corrected, I am taking this back for a refund and going back to Verizon in the US and T-Mobile everywhere else.
Corporate Phone
Recieved mine 2 days ago
Overall pleased with unit
Pro's
World Travel capability at last !!
Improved reception over previous Verizon
phone ( LGVX10 - no choice - corp phone ) esp in buildings etc.
Sound quality - voice excellent
Smart looks
No issues with voice mail or connection
(so far)
Con's
No data transfer capability/bluetooth
Little heavy and bulky but OK
Poor ring tone selections
Verizon sub contact this connection to
outside supplier. Local shop no knowledge.
My priority is having global communication with business/personal travel one phone one number. My real issues are with Verizon network on why it took so long to have this capability and lack of support.
They almost got it right
Got mine Tuesday. I'm all business and travel intl frequently. I always travel with 4 devices: phone, laptop, pda, mini-camera. I travel light and the only cords I need are power cords for the phone and laptop. Comm between devices is either wireless or direct USB for mini-cam and pda.
My company moved to Verizon so I had to give up my GSM Nokia 6310i for the Samsung A790. Here's my comparison:
On the upside:
Nice camera, flash is more like a flashlight
Sturdy solid feel
Good looks
Very nice graphics
Has external speaker
Reasonable handsfree set
Good Verizon Biz support
Minutes cheaper than ATT outside USA
Downside:
Heavier, wider, and thicker than 6310
Shorter battery life with std battery
HD battery too heavy and large
No IR or Bluetooth--unbelieveable
Need wire to connect to other devices
No way to use camera for business--cant get images from phone to laptop or pda
Can't use GSM in USA
Outside front screen should be recessed, as it is easily scratched
Slippery feel, needs rubberizing for grip
main keys pivot and not suited for big fingers
Keys are tough to find when driving (one-handed)
Give this bluetooth and a way to get photos out and it's a winner.
I don't have a choice with this new phone, but if I did, I would never spend my own $ on this unit. If big color and sending photos between phones is your thing, it's a pricy winner. If you travel outside USA, consider a GSM-only phone like the newer Nokia units. I had my 6310 unlocked and bought local sim cards outside USA.
If you are a road warrior, you'll be disapponted with lack of wireless comm options like IR or Bluetooth.
JMHO
A790 A Good Phone With Small Kinks
This phone is a solid performer -- as a phone. In the US, it is reliable. In Europe and elsewhere where GSM must be used there are many imperfections that Verizon is still evolving.
I have had this phone for the past two years. When I first had it in Europe, caller ID and Call Waiting did not work. On a recent trip to Europe, it did work -- So Verizon is responding, but to a point.
The phone is extremely limited because you cannot utilize all the functions of the phone very well. It is not easy to transfer contacts to the SIM card. You have to make separate entries. There are many occasions in which the phone just cannot find a network. In Europe it defaults to Vodafone to such a point that if Vodafone coverage is poor, it does not secondary default to the next carrier. Instead it will seek out the bad Vodafone signal. If you want another carrier, you have to manually select the carrier and the phone goes through a warm-boot to get there.
The large, brilliant display is fantastic, except in bright light or sun, where the glare and screen saturation pales the display. You will have no problem lighting up your hotel room late at night...
Verizon customer service is hit or miss. Whatever you do -- call the general phone number via 611 and ask for global services immediately. They are knowldgable and will do everything possible to assist you. Otherwise, if you don't ask for a global services person, you will get a representative that knows very little, will try hard, but can do little to help.
I am waiting for a decent global PDA -- Maybe Verizon will get smart and come out with a PDA Global Phone that is better than the cheezy I830. The I830 uses an old browser in a high tech phone... go figure! It will be a flop like the Treo 600.
C'mon Verizon -- give me what I want!
