Go to Windows 7 Insider GuideSamsung Exclaim SPH-M550 - blueberry (Sprint)
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: SPHM550ZKS
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- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Samsung Exclaim is a welcome addition to Sprint's handset line. Its dual-slider design, feature set, and good call quality more than compensate for its shortcomings.
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CNET editors' review
Samsung Exclaim SPH-M550 - blueberry (Sprint) price range: $49.99
- Reviewed by: Kent German
- Reviewed on: 06/26/2009
- Released on: 06/22/2009
The good: The Samsung Exclaim has an accessible dual-slider design with easy-to-use navigation controls and a comfortable keyboard. It offers a media-friendly feature set and admirable call quality.
The bad: The Samsung Exclaim has a nonstandard headset jack and small menu text. The external speaker is unimpressive and the frame size of the streaming video player is tiny.
The bottom line: The Samsung Exclaim is a welcome addition to Sprint's handset line. Its dual-slider design, feature set, and good call quality more than compensate for its shortcomings.
Dual-slider phones like Sprint's new Samsung Exclaim SPH-M550 may not be very common, but they've won their fair share of attention because they're so peculiar. With both a standard alphanumeric keypad and a full QWERTY keyboard, they offer the best of both worlds. And it's rather fun to figure out how they're put together. Similar to the Pantech Matrix and the Helio Ocean 2, the Exclaim offers messaging and media features in a "conversation piece" design. Call quality is decent and it makes for a good alternative to other Sprint messaging phones, such as the LG Rumor2 and Samsung Rant. You can get it for $79.99 with a two-year contract and a mail-in rebate.
Design
Dual-slider phones tend to be large and the Exclaim is no exception. At 4.45 inches by 2.24 inches by 0.67 inch and 4.69 ounces, it still fits in a pocket, but it borders on smartphone size. The trade-off is a solid, weighty feeling in the hand and the relatively sturdy slider mechanisms appear. You can get it in raspberry (red) or blueberry (do we need to say it?); we reviewed the latter, but the features are the same on both models.
A large phone also means you get a sizeable display. The Exclaim's 2.6-inch screen is certainly expansive and it supports 262,000 colors (320x240 pixels). Colors are vibrant and bright and photos and graphics are sharp. You can change the brightness level and the backlighting time. The menu interface is intuitive and the Exclaim also supports Sprint's One Click interface, which we continue to like for its shortcut options (see our Samsung Highnote review for a full description of One Click). Our only complaint is that you can't alter the menu font size, which is rather small. People with visual impairments should take note.
The navigation array is spacious and well-designed. You'll find a four-way toggle with a central OK button, two soft keys, a Back key, a speakerphone shortcut, and the Talk and End/power button. The soft keys and calling buttons are flush, but the other controls are raised. Slide up the Exclaim to expose the alphanumeric keypad. Though it is flat, we were able to dial by feel thanks to thin ridges that surround the individual buttons. We also appreciate the keypad's large size and bright backlighting.
You can type messages using the keypad, but we'd prefer to use the Exclaim's full keyboard. To get there, tip the phone on its left side and slide up the front face. We approve of its spacious design and comfortable feel, which let us write messages quickly and accurately. Alphabetic keys share space with numbers and symbols, but that's quite common on messaging handsets. The backlit keyboard also features a Back key, shift and function buttons, four navigation arrow controls, shortcuts for the messaging application, and emoticons and a large space bar in the middle of the bottom row. On either side of the keyboard are soft keys for the commands on the display. And speaking of which, the display automatically changes from portrait to landscape when you open the phone.
The volume rocker sits on the Exclaim's left spine. It's thinner than we'd like, but we could locate it easily when we were on a call. The microSD card slot, Micro-USB port, and a camera shutter sit on the right spine. We thank Samsung for adopting the Micro-USB standard for the charger and for not stashing the memory card slot behind the battery cover. On the other hand, the camera shutter isn't in the best place--all too often we pressed it accidentally when holding the phone in our left hand. We also have to knock the Exclaim for featuring a 2.5mm headset jack. If you want to use a standard 3.5mm headset, you'll need an adapter. On the rear side of the phone are the camera lens and self-portrait mirror.
Features
The Exclaim has a 600-contact phone book with room in each entry for six phone number types, an e-mail address, an instant-messaging handle, a URL, and notes. You can assign callers to groups and pair them with a photo and one of 20, 72-chord polyphonic ringtones. And for safekeeping, you can use Sprint's Wireless backup service to store your contacts on the carrier's servers. Other essentials include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, a tip calculator, a calendar, an alarm clock, a world clock, a calculator, a memo pad, a speakerphone,and a stopwatch. Beyond the basics, you'll find full Bluetooth with a stereo profile, voice dialing and commands, a voice memo recorder, instant messaging, and USB transfer and MSS storage.
We welcome the Exclaim's integrated apps for MySpace, NFL Mobile Live, Nascar Sprint Cup Mobile, Sprint Social Zone, Facebook, Sprint Navigation, Sprint Family Locater, and Google services like maps, search, and YouTube. If you wish, you can add other Google services including docs, news, and photos. The Exclaim offers an application manager and rudimentary multitasking that allows you to send applications to the background.
Like the Samsung Instinct, the Exclaim supports POP3 e-mail syncing for services like Yahoo and Hotmail and Gmail. You also can access IMPAP4 e-mail using Outlook Web Access and sync Outlook contacts and calendar. For what it is, the service performs well. We had no trouble setting it up and accessing the mail that we needed. Sure, it has a few quirks, but we much prefer it over a clunky Web-based application.
As an EV-DO phone, the Exclaim supports Sprint Radio, Sprint Movie, and Sprint TV. The TV interface is similar to that on other Sprint TV phones. The music player (MP3, AAC, AAC+, WMA formats) also is standard--you get album art, but features are limited to repeat and shuffle modes, and you can't use MP3 files as ringtones. You can access the Sprint Music Store for simultaneous downloads both to your PC and wirelessly to your phone. The airplane mode turns off the phone's calling functions for listening to music while in-flight.
The Exclaim's 2-megapixel camera takes pictures in five resolutions and three quality settings. Other editing features include a self-timer, 10 frames, a 3x zoom, multishot and divided shot modes, five color tones, adjustable brightness, a night mode, spot metering, five white-balance settings, and four shutter sounds, plus a silent option. The camcorder offers a similar set of editing options. Clips meant for multimedia messages are capped at 10 seconds, but you can shoot for longer in standard mode.
When finished with your clips and shots, you're awarded a plentiful set of options for sharing your work. Besides saving pictures to the phone, you can upload them to an online Sprint album, send them to a friend via Bluetooth or a multimedia message, transfer them to a printer using Sprint's PictBridge application, and send them to a participating retail outlet for printing. You even can upload shots directly to MySpace, Photobucket, YouTube, Facebook, and Flickr. The Exclaim has about 586MB of shared memory. We'd suggest using a microSD card for even more room; our review phone came with a 512MB card, but the Exclaim's card slot will accommodate cards up to 8GB.
You can personalize the Exclaim with a selection of screensavers and alert sounds. You can download more options, and additional ringtones, from Sprint using the WAP 2.0 Web browser. The handset comes with demo versions of three games--Brain Exercise, Clue, and Lego Indiana Jones--you'll have to the full versions for extended play.
Performance
We tested the dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) in San Francisco using Sprint service. Call quality was quite satisfactory. We enjoyed clear conversations with loud volume. Voices sounded natural and we encountered no static or interference from other electronic devices. Occasionally we heard some background noise, but it wasn't too troubling.
On their end, callers said we sounded fine. A few mentioned some background noise, but here again it wasn't a big problem. Most could tell we were using a cell phone, but that's fairly common. Automated calling systems could understand us with few issues. Speakerphone quality was slightly less sharp. The volume is a tad low and the audio quality on our end was muffled. Also, we had to speak close to the phone in order to be heard.
The Exclaim's EV-DO speeds are zippy. Pages loaded swiftly, even if the browser's WAP design doesn't lend itself to frequent surfing. We also downloaded data files in just a few seconds--a 3.78MB song took about 45 seconds to load onto the phone.
Multimedia quality was average. We cruised through the Sprint Music Store and Sprint TV app quickly and videos took little time to load. Video quality was decent, though the size of the frame is much too small, even on the display's landscape orientation. It's suitable for watching short clips, but we wouldn't want to bother with a movie or full TV program. Music over the phone's external speaker is unimpressive. The speaker had a weak output and our tunes had an echoed effect. Headphones will offer a better experience.
The Exclaim has a rated battery life of 4.75 hours talk time. We received a talk time of 5 hours and 5 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the Exclaim has a digital SAR of 0.78 watts per kilogram.
User reviews
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Not Reliable
by jpfitz0316 on July 27, 2009
Pros: Dual Slide
Cons: Screen does not always rotate and freezes up, top row of keys on keyboard hard to use, receive "not enough available memory" when internet surfing, text messages come in garbled at times. Back light does always stay on to set time.
Summary: Returning second one in two weeks for same issues which also occurred at the Sprint store when experienced reps were trying out phone (not just me). Recommend waiting a year ...
Summary: Returning second one in two weeks for same issues which also occurred at the Sprint store when experienced reps were trying out phone (not just me). Recommend waiting a year to see if phone is still sold by Sprint or any other carrier.
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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I LOVE THIS PHONE!!
by CiCiNicola on July 5, 2009
Pros: Qwerty key board makes txting fast and easy
Dual sliding keyboards
Beautiful Screen
I love the facebook and myspace apps
Sprint navigation is awsome
Camera is pretty goodCons: Size - would like the phone a little smaller or at least make the screen bigger
Battery life- using all the cool apps tends to drain the battery
Only ones I found so far!!Summary: I love this phone. I switched from a palm centro to the exclaim and I'm so happy I did. Some said I was downgrading but Nah, complete upgrade for ...
Summary: I love this phone. I switched from a palm centro to the exclaim and I'm so happy I did. Some said I was downgrading but Nah, complete upgrade for me. The exclaim is soooo much easier to use. Plus the centro had a lot of features I just didn't need. I love the feature set of the exclaim. I'm a facebook addict and being able to update my status from my phone is awesome. I love the camera, even thou I think they could of easier gave us one with more mega pixels. Call quality is good, the speakerphone is loud and clear.
Its an awesome phone for the price. Love it!2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Lots of Returns for problems
by roadlife on September 2, 2009
Pros: Teenager appeal
Cons: Very poor reception, fragile, no touch screen, non standard audio jack, poor battery life, blocked ring tone import, freezes and crashes on included programs and standard java apps such as google maps
Summary: Had this phone for three weeks for my daughter who formerly had a rant. Firstly the phone is very poorly built and one can tell their is no interior aluminum ...
Summary: Had this phone for three weeks for my daughter who formerly had a rant. Firstly the phone is very poorly built and one can tell their is no interior aluminum frame as it was already stressing.
The next thing was the reception. I am not talkign about the bars shown which can be meaningless but rather the ability to receive calls. This handset would not get a signal in the same place as other sprint phones we have. At the sprint store they told me this was a big complaint with this handset, and offered a free airave. we already have an airave at home, and the phone was simply not working at my daughter's High School school campus when other sprint phones were.
Battery life is abysmal for a non touch screen. Wont go through a single day.
Contrary to the advertising and pitches this is NOT a good handset for music listening. it has a non standard jack, a 2.5 whcih is no longer used, as opposed to most current phone with 3.5 which is the same jack as ipods and all music players (IE you can walk it a cvs and get a 3.5 headphones for $5 and you wont find 2.5 there.
Importing ringtones is LOCKED out. Most phones this is not the case.
Last the phone's interface is terrible. there is an apparent $0.50 savings on memory by samsung and it runs out of memory all the time1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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My first Sprint phone. Really happy so far.
by huskyyeti on June 15, 2009
Pros: Great display
Fantastic social networking with Facebook, My Space
Dual Slider design gives the best of both worlds - regular dialing and full QWERTY
Highly customizable.
Fast with EVDO.Cons: It's a little on the heavy side. There are SOOO many cool data features that they tend to chew up battery a little bit.I
Summary: I bought two of these phones at Radio Shack. As far as I could find it's not available anywhere else yet, even on the Sprint site. It's a ...
Summary: I bought two of these phones at Radio Shack. As far as I could find it's not available anywhere else yet, even on the Sprint site. It's a great deal, with powerful web, email, social networking, messaging, and email wrapped up in a really great dual slider design. I've used a touch screen (LG Dare from Verizon) for the last year or so and this phoone is just a lot more user friendly and cost less.
Finally it's worth saying that I was a die-hard Verizon guy forever but Sprint has really exceeded my expectation in terms of what you get in the plans. So far so good.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Lots of pluses at a great price
by Catholic_Dad on June 24, 2009
Pros: double slider is fun.
fairly good camera. easy to take good picks compared to my old Q.
easy to use interface.
Fast OS.
Easy to use keyboard
Very nice app to track web email at 2 clicks to access new emails.
has micro USB link to computerCons: Not a brand name OS, so finding apps you like and need will be harder.
has small micro sd card (512mb)
GPS turn by turn is nice, but does not provide lat and long.
A little thick and heavy.
2.5 mm head jack vs. normal 3.5mmSummary: Fun phone at good price. Paid 99$ at radio shack, but might take back since I can get it for 79$ now.
also, check out monoprice.com for cable. Mall ...Summary: Fun phone at good price. Paid 99$ at radio shack, but might take back since I can get it for 79$ now.
also, check out monoprice.com for cable. Mall kiosk wanted $25, vs. 98 cents.1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Needs to be wiped and reloaded every 4 months
by paddyman316 on November 16, 2009
Pros: Dual keyboard, good apps, great for texting, and good quality pictures.
Cons: Have had to get the phone software "up-graded" and "wiped and reloaded" twice in five months to correct picture mail/screen issues.
Summary: Good phone if dont mind spending an hour or so every couple of months to get the software issues corrected. This problem may have been corrected(?) with the latest software "...
Summary: Good phone if dont mind spending an hour or so every couple of months to get the software issues corrected. This problem may have been corrected(?) with the latest software "upgrade"; time will tell.
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Great Phone.....When It Works
by BSLIONS on November 11, 2009
Pros: Is a great phone when it decides to work.
Cons: Has way to many software problems.
Summary: I've had my Exclaim for about 4 months. During that time I've got through at least 5 of them. With the first one I went download crazy with ...
Summary: I've had my Exclaim for about 4 months. During that time I've got through at least 5 of them. With the first one I went download crazy with Myxer ringtones and the Sprint lady said that caused it to crash. With the others all I used was Internet, NFL Live, and other web features. All the other phones crashed just like the first one.
It starts with the one click software acting buggy then shuts down completely leaving me with a gray screen. It seems as though it just can't handle the features it has, its a great phone when it works but I've had enough. The sprint store is letting me exchange it for something else thank god. -
love it!:)
by aanniieex14 on October 18, 2009
Pros: Pretty much everything!
Cons: It's kind of big and chunky, and the keys on the QUERTY keyboard are kind of hard to press, but it's not a huge problem at all. It fits in my pocket, and the keys are manageable. It really is a great phone, though.
Summary: Best phone I've ever had! I had the Rumor a while ago, and I found it annoying and lacking in good features.
But i LOVE this phone. It slides ...Summary: Best phone I've ever had! I had the Rumor a while ago, and I found it annoying and lacking in good features.
But i LOVE this phone. It slides one way to call and the other way to text, and the camera quality is amazing. It has tons of great preset backgrounds. -
Love this Phone! Very convenient!
by wanimoon on August 18, 2009
Pros: Dual slide
easy to use
Great camera phone
Sprint Navigation is great
Great for social networking
full QWERTY KeyboardCons: a little on the heavy side
could be a little thinnner
no flash for the camera
sometimes takes a second or two to show screen once you slide out the keyboard
Battery drains too quickly while using GPS -
Great phone, battery could be better
by techman818 on August 13, 2009
Pros: dual slide, color blue isnt too girly for a guy, big screen, easy texting with keys that are spread out far enough, feels durable, removable micro sd chip, call quality is good even if i have only 1 bar.
Cons: screen scratches easily, battery, lots of unusable tiles if you dont have a data plan.
Summary: battery will drain within about a day and a half if you dont have power save mode on and backlight all the way down and if your constantly searching for ...
Summary: battery will drain within about a day and a half if you dont have power save mode on and backlight all the way down and if your constantly searching for signal if you live in a bad reception area (me). I tried turning off the roaming setting which might save battery unless i need to make a call. Otherwise its a fun phone that looks nice even for a guy (phone isnt nearly as neon blue as the picture looks). I also wish i could upload my own songs and use at ringtones, but still trying to figure out a way around that.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: SPHM550ZKS
- Description: You like to call and you like to text. And you like to do it all as fast as possible. That's exactly why Samsung created the Samsung Exclaim. This stylish dual-slider has a dedicated numeric keypad, plus a full, slide-out QWERTY keyboard. That means, whether you're calling, texting or updating your Facebook page, you're doing it as quickly as your fingers or thumbs can take you. That's the beauty of the Exclaim; it's the best of both keyboards.
General
- Product Type Cellular phone With digital camera / digital player
- Service Provider Sprint Nextel
- Width 2.1 in
- Depth 0.7 in
- Height 4.4 in
- Weight 4.7 oz
- Body Color Blueberry
Cellular
- Technology CDMA2000 1X
- Phone Design Dual slider
- Antenna Internal
- Vibrating Alert Yes
- Polyphonic Ringer Yes
- Conference Call Capability Yes
- Voice Recorder Yes
- Caller ID Yes
- Speakerphone Yes
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth
- Additional Features TTY compatible, E-911 compliant, Intelligent typing (T9)
Messaging & Data Services
- Short Messaging Service (SMS) Yes
- Internet Browser Yes
- Platforms Supported Java MIDP 2.1
- Included Services Sprint TV
- JAVA applications Yes
- EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) Yes
- Messaging / Data Features Text messages, E-Mail
Multimedia Features
- Downloadable Content Music
Digital Camera
- Camera highlights With a resolution of 2 megapixels, this model will give you higher quality pictures than other phones.
- Sensor Resolution 2 megapixels
- Still Image Resolutions 1600 x 1200
- Self Timer Delay Yes
- Features Video recording
Organizer
- Alarm Clock Yes
- Calendar Yes
- Reminder Yes
- Calculator Basic
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Display Resolution 240 x 320 pixels
- Color Support Color
- Color Depth 18-bit (262000 Colors)
- Display Languages English, Spanish
Miscellaneous
- Hearing Aid Compatible Yes
Power
- Type Power adapter
Battery
- Technology - Lithium ion
- Talk Time Up to 285 min
Product series
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Samsung Exclaim SPH-M550 - raspberry (Sprint)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: Up to 285 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.7 oz
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Samsung Exclaim SPH-M550 - blueberry (Sprint)
Manufacturer: Samsung
Specs: Up to 285 min, With digital camera / digital player, 4.7 oz
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Samsung
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Samsung products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://www.samsungusa.com/
- Address:
105 Challenger Road, Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660 - Phone: 1-800-726-7864
- Fax: 1-973-601-6001
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