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2
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SCH-A950 Review- Phone Misses the Mark. Software is poorly implemented.
by matthoff
on
November 9, 2005
Pros: Stereo Speakers, 1.3MP camera, Nice looking, basic calling functions work
Cons: MP3 software, interconnectivity, overall usability, user interface, bluetooth support lacking
Summary: Samsung SCH-A950 Review by Matt Hoffman
The Samsung SCH-A950 is one of the worst implemented pieces of technology I have seen in recent years. The hardware has a whole list ...
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Summary: Samsung SCH-A950 Review by Matt Hoffman
The Samsung SCH-A950 is one of the worst implemented pieces of technology I have seen in recent years. The hardware has a whole list of nice features including stereo speakers, 1.5 megapixel camera, and bluetooth, but the software has been hobbled and poorly implemented by Verizon and Samsung.
As a phone, it works fine. It receives calls, it makes calls. Reception is acceptable (though not as good as the Samsung SCH-A530). The antenna is buried in the head of the phone which can be cool unless you hold the phone too high up and block the signal. This review will concentrate on those features which separate this phone from the run-of-the-mill $50/free cell phones.
User Interface
The user interface is very minimal with pull down menus instead of a graphical user interface. Many of the menu items are not in logical places. For instance, the menu for playing mp3 files is buried two levels down under a menu called, for no logical reason, "Get It Now". The user must go to this illogically named menu then into a submenu called "Get Tones & Tunes" then into a sub sub menu called "My MP3s". Alternately, you can go into the main menus, then into "Settings and Tools" and then to "Tools" and then to "MP3 Player". The MP3 playing feature is essentially hidden from the user on a phone that Samsung calls the "MP3 Maestro". There is a button on the outside of the phone that can be held down for two seconds to play MP3 files, and it allows you to use the jog wheel to select and play a single song. A single song only, you can't pick multiple songs and the "MP3 Maestro" does not have play lists(more about this horrendous oversight later).
Bluetooth
Most of the inherent bluetooth features in this phone have been permanently disabled. You can use bluetooth to connect a mono-headset to the A950. That's it. There is no support for Modem Functionality, Serial Port Emulation, Phonebook Synching, Calendar Synching, or File Transfer for MP3 files (remember, this is the MP3 Maestro!) or imagery.
So if bluetooth can't be used for these basic functions, then surely you can just hook a USB cable to the A950 and transfer data.....nope, that is not supported either. Samsung does not sell USB cables or provide drivers for Verizon phones. Verizon has not provided them either. This leaves the owner without the ability to use any form of direct connectivity to move files or to synch the phone with a computer.
Memory Card
The A950 does support a Transflash/SDMicro card from SanDisk. You can put up to 512MB in the phone and a reader for the card can be purchased for your computer for under $30.00. This is the only method for moving MP3 files to the phone. You insert the card in the phone to initialize it, then remove it and put it in your computer, drag the mp3 files to the virtual disk volume, remove the card, and then insert the card back in the phone. The Transflash/SDMicro card is a tiny, fragile device about the size of the fingernail on your pinky finger. It is not intended for repeated removal and insertion. If you are like most people, you will want to change the tunes in your phone quite often --perhaps you want to listen to a daily podcast on the phone. This little card or the spring-loaded receptacle in the A950 is going to fail after a period of time.
From SanDisk's own web site describing their Transflash product:
"Semi-removable Memory Module...Due to the ultra small size of the Sandisk Transflash, it is not intended to be handled or removed on a frequent basis."
When the card fails due to excessive insertion and removal, the user is going to have to shell out $70 for another one. Sandisk wouldn't be obligated to replace it under warranty since, by definition, the card is being used improperly. If the receptacle in the A950 fails after the first year of repeated use, the user is going to have to pay for an expensive repair and be without a cell phone during the time the phone is repaired. Better sign up for an extended warranty.
MP3 Software
The SCH-A950, "Mp3 Maestro" does not have software for managing MP3 files! There is no way to create, manage, or store play lists, view songs based on artist or genre, or shuffle play. When you finally do discover the buried menu for playing MP3 files, you will be presented with a single list of file names, each of which has a checkbox next to it. You must scroll down this list to choose which song/s to play and then hit the play button. Also, since this selection function is only available from the inside screen, you can not use the jog wheel to scroll. You must hit the down button over and over and over.
Again, there is no way to store this list of songs. If a call comes in while your laboriously selected group of tunes is playing, MP3 playback ceases as one would expect. However, once the call ends, there is no way to continue playing your list of songs! You must go back into the buried menu, select the songs one by one all over again and then hit the play button.
Camera
The 1.5 megapixel camera does a nice job of taking pictures and video. There are a variety of comparisons that can be made between the A950's camera and those in other phones, but cameras in most cell phones are their for taking quick snaps, not for professional photography. The A950 makes very nice still photographs and Verizon's system of mailing these images to another phone or to an Internet address also works well. However, without direct computer connectivity, the user is still in the position of having to remove and insert the fragile Transflash/SDMicro card to move these files to his/her computer. The only alternative is to mail the files to your computer.
Conclusion
Overall the SCH-A950 is an attractive-looking phone with a list of nice features. The devil is in the details however, and this phone completely fails when the details are examined. For reasons known only to Verizon and Samsung, the A950's software has been poorly implemented and key features that the hardware is capable of providing are not implemented in the phone's software. No doubt that Verizon has a long list of reasons for hobbling the phone. They clearly want to force their customers to use the pay as you go system of video and still image file transfer instead of allowing direct connectivity. They have an obligation to game providers to prevent users from transferring games between phones, though this could be done without eliminating the transfer of MP3 files, address book synching, etc. Perhaps they have some sort of paranoia about cell phone viruses, though these are almost unheard of. In any case, there is no excuse for the poor MP3 software implementation. Samsung and Verizon should be embarrassed to call this phone the "MP3 Maestro".
[Edited by: admin to remove email address]
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42 out
of 57 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Great phone with good reception
by kjcho92
on
November 28, 2005
Pros: Good reception, good picture and video, good speaker phone
Cons: can't play mp3 unless you buy flash memory
Summary: I used LG-vx6000 for two years. If you are worried about the reception since it does't have external antenna, don't worry.
Where vx6000 didn't used to have ...
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Summary: I used LG-vx6000 for two years. If you are worried about the reception since it does't have external antenna, don't worry.
Where vx6000 didn't used to have reception, this one does. I work in a half-basement and lots of my friends have problem with reception here, but I don't anymore.^^
I don't really care about other features, so good reception was the key factor for me to choose this product.
I got it for free with new every two plus 100 rebate during thanks giving.
Plus, the picture quality and video quality is great. I love the speaker phone feature.
I wish i could play one or two songs without the external memory.
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17 out
of 18 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Great Phone! Much better than the LG vx8100!!
by jeffreyschess
on
November 8, 2005
Pros: Good camera, video has great sound, (but just okay picture), look, feel, etc.
Cons: trans flash card hard to get (atleast bestbuy is currently out of em)
Summary: I orginally bought the LG vx8100, but it had terrible audio problems (couldn't hear caller for 1/2 the call- you can read my full review of this phone ...
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Summary: I orginally bought the LG vx8100, but it had terrible audio problems (couldn't hear caller for 1/2 the call- you can read my full review of this phone in the LG 8100 section-it's not pretty!)Anyway, I returned it and bought the Samsung sch-950 and am totally happy. It has all the same exact features as the LG 8100, but the audio works great! And as I mention in my other review, even though Blue is my favorite color, the red color of this phone is very cool.
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13 out
of 15 users found this user opinion helpful.
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8
stars
Great phone with a few drawbacks
by mitchgroff
on
November 29, 2005
Pros: Great call quality (isn't that the most important?!), nice camera, best service
Cons: Front LCD doesn't stay lit and will only light with a 2 sec press of external button, Verizon junks up the menus
Summary: First of all, I want to start by rebuking some of the reviews by some reviewers who have wildly misrepresented this phone: the A950 really is a great phone. The ...
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Summary: First of all, I want to start by rebuking some of the reviews by some reviewers who have wildly misrepresented this phone: the A950 really is a great phone. The MP3 player is not meant to be a substitute to your iPod by any means, and it could be improved, but this phone (especially for the price Verizon offers) is well worth it.
The call quality is excellent - far better than my LG VX6100. The antenna on the phone is internal, which is nice to have. And you're on Verizon's network, which is the best in the country. The only drawback about the A950 is that it doesn't roam on Verizon's digital network.
The MP3 player is nice to have, but again, not an iPod replacement. I love having an ultra-portable jukebox where I can play some of my favorite tunes when I can't use headphones. The tiny stereo speakers on this phone are superb.
The camera is grainy and not the best, but no cell phone camera should be a replacement to your regular digital camera.
I also like the picture ID stuff: when someone calls, the picture ID you take of them appears on the front LCD.
My biggest problems with the phone are these:
-The front LCD will not turn on to show the time unless you hold down one of the side keys for a couple seconds. I used my old phone (VX6100) as a watch, and the time was always visible on the face. I can understand why Samsung doesn't want the external LCD on all the time (battery!), but I would have appreciated an "instant-on" when a side button is pushed.
-The side camera button is odd. If you quickly push it while the phone is open, it does nothing. If you hold it for about half a second, it launches the camera. Hold it for longer, and it launches the camcorder. Very odd and took some time to get the hang of it. I use the camera often as my family and friends all have IN messaging and I send pix a lot, so I figured it out, but it's counterintuitive.
-You can't use MP3s on your phone as ringtones. At least not the ones on your playlist. You have to send snippets of an MP3 to yourself as a picture/sound message, and Verizon downgrades the MP3 to a proprietary sound file which sounds awful. Most will resort to paying $2-$3 for ringtones through GetItNow. (iTunes Ringtone Store, Apple? :-D)
-If you've used a Samsung phone on any other U.S. network, you'll be used to the efficient, smart menus that Samsung puts on their phones. Don't expect that same thing here. Verizon Wireless adds their own menu hierarchy, which is somewhat backwards and a pain to use. Also, as expected, Verizon wholly disabled Bluetooth functionality on this phone except for the headset. Won't affect many folks, but I would have liked to move files and whatnot via Bluetooth.
-Doesn't come with a belt holster in the box like the LG phones do. I had to eBay one to avoid paying $25 in the VZW store.
I got the phone on special, and it's a vast improvement on my VX6100. I would recommend it, but don't expect the world of the extra features. The phone might have been three times better if Verizon hadn't crippled it, but the phone works amazingly well on calls and taking pictures. Go buy one!
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10 out
of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
An amazing phone that works great and has great features
by lilcutie51192
on
November 26, 2005
Pros: Sleek look, MP3 player, state of the art camera and camcorder, create your own ringtone, speakerphone, so many more
Cons: no cons, as of yet, however my Get It Now does not work, hopefully it will be fixed by Verizon shortly
Summary: I don't understand why people say the ringtones are horrible! These people have not taken the chance to explore the phone. If they do, they will realize that there ...
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Summary: I don't understand why people say the ringtones are horrible! These people have not taken the chance to explore the phone. If they do, they will realize that there is an option to record their own ringtone. Any song or sound can be recorded and set as your ringtone! Many phones do not have this feature.
The speakerphone is awesome, and when talking to someone, you can hear them crystal-clearly.
All in all, this is a great phone. I could go on and on about how great it is!
If you are looking to buy an awesome phone, this phone is the one you should be looking at.
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6 out
of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Great Phone w/ Great Features
by SprintNavy
on
December 1, 2005
Pros: MP3 Player, Stereo speakers, Great signal strength even in rural areas
Cons: Antenna Placement
Summary: This is a great all around phone. I've had it for over a week now and have only found one problem. The MP3 player while limited is great for ...
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Summary: This is a great all around phone. I've had it for over a week now and have only found one problem. The MP3 player while limited is great for a phone. The stereo speakers allow you to share the songs with people your with if they want and not going to complain to much about sound quality. The camera is average for a camera phone with 1.3 megapixels but was very impressed with all the settings. Same can be said for the video capture feature. The other huge plus is you don't have to pay for ringtones. That's right. Once you get your nifty little transflash card you can turn your MP3's into files that can be set as your ringer. Takes 3 FREE programs but only about a min. to do. The only down side I found with the phone is where the antenna is placed. It seems if you hold your hand over the hindge you loose about a bar or two of reception. If you're in a high signal area its not a problem but can be in some rural or other low signal areas. I Have tried the Motorola e815 as many of my friends have it and this blows it away.
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5 out
of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Too cool for most people
by brazenn
on
November 18, 2005
Pros: Insanely cool looks, solid phone performace, mp3 too
Cons: Lack of play list capability.
Summary: People want to trash this phone because it only has 1 mb for ringtones? Get a life! Why do people want to spend bucks on ringtones? Maybe its just me, ...
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Summary: People want to trash this phone because it only has 1 mb for ringtones? Get a life! Why do people want to spend bucks on ringtones? Maybe its just me, but I totally dont get it.
The phone performs flawlessly in my world. To and from work, at home, in the office. Camera works well too, Mp3 to boot. I cant keep my freaking hands off this thing, not to mention my kids hands (maybe a con).
Check out the custom leather pouch available on the Verizon web site. I bought it with the phone, and it makes it even more *******'.
Bottom line, if you want to do some serious listening to MP3's, you should buy a dedicated player. I f you want a hot phone that works good, this wfits the bill nicely
Updated
I love the photo ID feature on this phone. Take a pic of any of your contacts, then assign the pic as a photo ID. Then when you receive a phone call from one of these contacts, their picture pops up on the external LCD display instead of their caller ID #. Did'nt know about this feature when I purchased the phone, but it is already my favorite!
Also, the speakerphone is simply superior! Works better than any I've had in the past. But I like the phone better without the leather case, dont buy that!
Updated
Snap a pic of any of your contacts, assign the pic as a Photo ID. Then when one of those contacts call you, their photo pops up on the external LCD display instead of their caller ID #.
Speakerphone works flawlessly as well. People have complained about the limited memory designated for ringtones. Whats the big deal? How many different ring tones do you need at any one time? If you get tired of the ones you're using, dump them and get a few more more.
Its the most idiotic reason possible for trashing an awesome product.
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5 out
of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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4
stars
If you're looking at the Samsung SCH-a950, buy the LG VX8100 instead.
by bentelz
on
January 29, 2006
Pros: Menu, looks, functions.
Cons: Reception, echo, static.
Summary: We've had a Samsung for the past 5 years, and it was great! I would call across the US to family and they thought I was standing right next ...
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Summary: We've had a Samsung for the past 5 years, and it was great! I would call across the US to family and they thought I was standing right next door. We recently decided to upgrate our phones. I did extensive research on the internet and it came down to two; the LG VX8100 and the Samsung SCH-a950. Even when we went into Verizon no one could really tell us which way to buy, so we bought one of each on the family share plan (2 lines).
Tried out both of their features and menus ---they are identical, both were great. We called our family across the US, and called some friends that were local. The LG VX8100 won both tests. The Samsung sounded like we were on a walkie-talkie, I couldn't hear the background noise at the various locations I was calling, so it wasn't like a true phone, plus after either myself or the other person would finish talking you could hear a slight echo. I believe the downfall of the Samsung is the integrated antenna.
I honestly wanted the Samsung to win, as I have many of their other brands of electronics and have found them A+++++, but not in this case. The LG VX8100 is the way to go when deciding on a cell phone, the quality is most like the Samsung I've had for years.
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5 out
of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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1
stars
1 MB ringtone memory? Are you kidding me?
by Nobadthing
on
November 16, 2005
Pros: Color, feel, call reception
Cons: 1 MB ringtone memory = 5 true-tone ringtones
Summary: I l-o-v-e-d this phone! LOVED IT. As an MP3 player it was okay but too me the MP-3 portion of the phone was just a bonus. I have an MP3 ...
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Summary: I l-o-v-e-d this phone! LOVED IT. As an MP3 player it was okay but too me the MP-3 portion of the phone was just a bonus. I have an MP3 player and didn't much plan to use this phone as a player. I did want a phone that would play true-tone ringtones and have better graphics than my old phone. Honestly this phone seemed perfect. Until I started adding ringtones.
First off, Verizon does not offer the full Get It Now range of applications on this phone. The only true-tones available were through VZW Tones which is somewhat lacking in selection. I was a bit bummed but I hoped Verizon would add to the available applications in future. Verizon confirmed this for whatever that is worth. It is also incapable of receiving ringtones from any of the Internet sites and does not do to well with custom made tones....
I purchased 4 ringtones the first day and had a blast playing with the phone. Day 3 I decided to get some more ringtones. I purchased number 5 and went to purchase number 6 when I receive a message that the memory is full and I must delete some songs to purchase any more. Huh?!?
Surely this is an error, I thought. I called Verizon. They assured me something must be wrong with the phone memory and I should take it in. So, I took it back and got a new one. This time I didn't mess around. I purchased 5 songs in the span of a heartbeat and went for number 6. Guess what? Yup. Memory full message again.
I called Verizon (and managed not to curse) and found a very helpful customer service rep who proceeded to call Samsung. Everyone at Samsung said this phone designates only 1 MB for ringtone memory. I worked my way to a "Level 2 Tech Supervisor" (I shiver in awe as I write this, really) who confirmed what I had been told. The phone was only capable of holding 1mb of ringtone memory.
I exchanged the phone for the Motorola e-815 which is such a huge letdown after the flash of the Samsung but offers 40MB of memory for ringtones, pictures etc. (It's actually about 30MDs after the phone software.) It plays MP3s with the same sound quality as Samsung but offers no external controls. And of course it is gray... Oh well.
Verizon does not have a handle on this yet. Even they are unaware of the limited memory on this phone. If you are in doubt call Samsung directly. Even Samsung is unaware of the extent of this issue as I was constantly told to use a flash card memory expansion to hold more ringtones but this does not work, as ringtones purchased through Get It Now cannot be removed from the phone.
I think Samsung has made a grave error here. I would think the target market on this phone would be someone who would desire as much music and media capability as possible. To offer 5 ringtones seems insane. I hope that they will correct it in the future but that was a chance I was unwilling to take.
If you want a red phone and don't care about MP3 functions or ringtones than this is definitely the phone for you. It really does look and feel slick! But its form without function and I advise everyone to wait until the memory issue is resolved or look in a different direction.
P.S. I think the LG phones have a greater memory capacity but they too assign a limited amount of memory to each function. i.e. ringtones, games, video etc. I called their service line and was informed that the 8100 series did hold more than 5 ringtones but they could not disclose the memory allotted to ringtones due to the potential for "Corporate Espionage" (direct quote and no I'm not kidding.) I decided not to chance their unknown memory quantity and end up disappointed all over again. But the blue was tempting....
Updated
I meant to give this a 4 not a 1. Sorry...
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5 out
of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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9
stars
Very Impressed - Music Maestro Indeed!
by robnyack
on
February 18, 2006
Pros: Mp3 Player very good, good camera, very good sound, very good reception
Cons: building MP3 playlists a tad klutzy, too few ringtones and wallpapers, additional cost to use MP3 Player
Summary: I'm really impressed with this phone. I bought the phone 10 days ago, and have really been liking it.
The camera is very good. Nothing really to write home ...
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Summary: I'm really impressed with this phone. I bought the phone 10 days ago, and have really been liking it.
The camera is very good. Nothing really to write home about, but, it's just a good solid camera with lots of options...resolution, flash, self-timer, picture quality, picture effects, color effects. You can save your pics, add them to your contacts info, the usualy cool stuff. 15 second videos are cool. You can record a 15 second message and then send it to someone if you like.
Texting is very good. But, again, I think most phones these days come with the full array of texting options...graphics, sounds, animations. All very nice.
Bluetooth is good...except for the usual compliants about Verizon dumbing down the options. Verizon fault, not the phone's.
I am not impressed with the # of wallpapers and ringtones. Verizon really neeeds to loosen up in this regard and stop worrying about squeezing every penny they can out of their users.
I have not used VCast. But, I hear it's pretty impressive also. Basically 2 complaints I hear: 1) voice does not synch up well with video 2) not enough content yet to justify the $15/month.
I really like the phone's reception and sound. Voices are very clear. Voice command activation is really sharp. Speaker phone is excellent.
Batterly life is decent. Not great.
Where this phone REALLY shines and stands apart from other phones is the MP3 player. wow. I am very impressed! I had really low expectations concerning this function. Initially I was angry over discovering that I had to shell out an additional $75 on accessories so I can use the MP3 player (you must buy the software, usb cable, and mem card). But, after I got it, downloaded some songs from my pc to my phone, and tried out the player, I was lovin' it!!
The front cover of the phone with the MP3 controls and ipod wheel is an excellent touch. once you start your music, you do not have to open the phone again.
Songs play continuously, and can either play all songs on card, shuffle, or create playlists. Everything I need.
The music pauses if you have an incoming call which is cool. Sounds great with headphones, and to be honest, sounds pretty darn good playing through the dual speakers on the phone itself.
I was really worried I was going to have to still buy an ipod even after buying this phone, but to my great surprise, I'm really happy with the Music Mastro!
Good looking phone (although, I'd prefer something a tad more "professional" looking). Excellent phone. Very impressed.
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2 out
of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
Samsung SCH-A950 (Verizon Wireless)
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