Samsung Saga (Verizon Wireless)
Manufacturer: Samsung Part number: Saga
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- For Verizon's globetrotting customers, the Samsung Saga offers a sleek messaging smartphone with world-roaming capabilities and solid performance, all for an affordable price.
Read more
Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Authorized store |  | In stock 2-yr Contract Price | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 12/08/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Samsung Saga (Verizon Wireless) price range: $49.99
- Reviewed by: Bonnie Cha
- Reviewed on: 11/24/2008
- Released on: 11/14/2008
The good: The Samsung Saga offers world-roaming capabilities and features a touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard. The Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone also has integrated Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, EV-DO Rev. A support, and a 2-megapixel camera.
The bad: The Saga suffers from some slight sluggishness, and call quality could be a tad better. The smartphone doesn't support international 3G bands like the BlackBerry Storm.
The bottom line: For Verizon's globetrotting customers, the Samsung Saga offers a sleek messaging smartphone with world-roaming capabilities and solid performance, all for an affordable price.
As Verizon Wireless is wont to do, the carrier is unleashing all its goodies right before the holiday season, from the RIM BlackBerry Storm to the HTC Touch Pro to the subject of this review, the Samsung Saga. Like the Samsung Ace for Sprint, the Saga offers world-roaming capabilities but expands its capabilities with the addition of a touch screen, optical mouse, and Windows Mobile 6.1. Plus, with its full QWERTY keyboard, sleeker design, and faster performance, it's a better fit for Verizon's globetrotting executives than the RIM BlackBerry Storm. The Samsung Saga is available now through Verizon Wireless for an affordable $199.99 with a two-year contract.
Design
The Samsung Saga falls into the sleek QWERTY category of smartphones and doesn't stray far from the design of the company's other messaging-centric devices, including the Samsung Epix and the Samsung Ace. The Saga measures 4.8 inches tall by 2.4 inches wide by 0.5 inch deep and weighs 4.6 ounces, so it's a bit tall but thin enough to not be too cumbersome. It's also light and feels comfortable to hold both on a call and while composing messages. The Saga also stands out with a blue soft-touch finish, while the outer edges have a black leatherette texture similar to the back of the RIM BlackBerry Bold.
Like the Epix, the Samsung Saga features a touch screen so you can select items and launch applications by tapping the screen. Unlike the Epix, there is no haptic feedback on the Saga so you won't feel any vibrations when you touch the display. Though we like having the haptic feedback to provide confirmation that the screen has registered your touch, the lack of this feature on the Saga isn't a deal breaker. The display measures 2.5 inches diagonally and shows 65,536 colors at a 320x320-pixel resolution, so images and text look sharp and bright. You can customize the Today screen with various themes, background images, and more. The default Verizon Wireless theme provides access to a lot of information from the Today screen, including tabs for Connection, Favorites, Contacts, and Settings.
Below the display, there is a standard navigation array of two soft keys, Talk and End buttons, a Start menu shortcut, an OK button, and a directional keypad/optical mouse. Like the Epix and the Samsung Omnia, the optical mouse function places a mouselike cursor onscreen that you can maneuver by moving your finger on the circular trackpad below the display and then depressing the button selects an item. The trackpad is larger than the one found on the Epix and Omnia, so it made it easy to use the optical mouse and we found it quite a convenient way to navigate the smartphone. If you find that you don't like it, you can switch modes and use the control as a traditional directional keypad.
The Saga's full QWERTY keyboard is reminiscent of the Epix. The buttons are slightly on the smaller side but there's adequate spacing between the keys. Also, unlike the BlackJack II, the keyboard isn't so stiff and hard to press, so we had a better typing experience on the Saga. We were able to compose some fairly lengthy e-mails and text messages with minimal errors. There is no dedicated number row; rather it shares space with the letter keys, but they're highlighted in white so they're easy to identify when looking at the keyboard. There are also some shortcuts on the bottom row of keys, including Messages and Music.
On the left side, there's a volume rocker and a lock button, and on the right spine, there's a proprietary Samsung power connector and a camera activation button. The top of the unit has a 2.5mm headset jack, a stylus, and a power button. You'll find the camera, self-portrait mirror, and speaker on the back of the phone. Finally, the SIM card holder and microSD/SDHC expansion slot are located behind the battery cover, but we had an awfully hard time trying to remove the battery door.
Verizon Wireless packages the Samsung Saga with a travel charger with various international adapters, a USB cable, a SIM card, software CDs, and reference material. For more add ons, please check our cell phone accessories, ring tones, and help page.
Features
The Samsung Saga brings another world phone to Verizon's smartphone lineup, joining the RIM BlackBerry Storm and the older RIM BlackBerry 8830 World Edition. The Saga's dual-mode functionality allows the phone to automatically switch between CDMA and GSM networks to offer seamless international roaming, all while keeping the same phone number. The smartphone ships with a SIM card preinstalled but note that the phone does not support domestic GSM bands, so you can't swap in an AT&T or T-Mobile SIM card. To check for international coverage and roaming charges, you can check Verizon's Web site. The carrier also offers technical support if you need help while overseas, including a 24-hour Global Help Desk that's open seven days a week and you also get a calling card for free support calls while traveling outside of the United States from any landline phone to technical support in case your Saga is lost, broken, or stolen.
Other phone features of the Saga include a speakerphone, three-way calls, speed dial, voice dialing and commands, and text and multimedia messaging. The phone book is only limited by the available memory, and each contact can hold multiple numbers, e-mail addresses, instant messaging handles, birthdays, notes, and more. For caller ID purposes, you can assign a photo, a group ID, or one of 27 polyphonic ring tones.
The Saga has integrated Bluetooth 2.0 with support for mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets, hands-free kits, serial port, file transfer, Bluetooth peripherals, and dial-up networking. It does not, however, support object transfer (OBEX). Also, the DUN capabilities will require a subscription to one of Verizon's BroadbandAccess plans, which start at $15 per month. To get navigation capabilities, you won't need any extra Bluetooth accessory as the Saga offers integrated GPS/A-GPS for navigation capabilities. To get a fix on your location, the smartphone will use both satellites and cellular triangulation but for real-time turn-by-turn directions, traffic data, and more, you will need to subscribe to Verizon's VZ Navigator location-based service, which costs $9.99 per month or $2.99 per day.
The Saga also runs on Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network, so you should enjoy faster Web browsing, e-mail, and downloads. Unfortunately, unlike the BlackBerry Storm, the Saga does not support international 2100MHz HSPDA bands, so you won't get that 3G coverage in countries that support that band. Domestically, the Rev. A offers an extra boost over regular EV-DO, bringing download speeds up to the 450Kbps-to-800Kbps range versus 400Kbps-to-700Kbps, while upload speeds will average around 300Kpbs to 400Kpbs (compared with EV-DO's 50Kpbs to 70Kbps). Of course, this is all dependent upon if you live in a coverage area (you can find a coverage map from Verizon's Web site). If you're not in a 3G coverage zone, the good news is that the Saga also has integrated Wi-Fi (802.11b/g), providing you another alternative for surfing the Web on your phone. The smartphone comes preloaded with the Opera Mobile Web browser in addition to the Internet Explorer Mobile.
As you can tell from the inclusion of Internet Explorer, the Samsung Saga is a Windows Mobile device, running 6.1 Professional Edition. You get the full Microsoft Office Mobile Suite for viewing and editing Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents, in addition to the standard personal information management (PIM) tools, such as calendar, contacts, and a task list. There's support for Microsoft's Direct Push Technology for real-time message delivery and automatic synchronization with your Outlook calendar, tasks, and contacts via Exchange Server. You can also access your POP3 and IMAP e-mail accounts.
There are plenty of other PIM tools to keep you on task and organized, and as a world phone, you get some travel extras, including a world clock, a tip calculator, and a smart converter. You can also download more programs, games, and utilities from the Verizon AppZone. There is a shortcut already on the phone, and you can get such titles as IM+All in One Messenger, Spb Backup, and WorldMate Live.
For any impromptu moments you might encounter on your travels or in everyday life that you never want to forget, the Samsung Saga offers a 2-megapixel camera with video recording capabilities so you can capture those memories. The camera offers four shooting modes, four size options, and three quality settings. There's no flash, but you do have white balance options as well as effects that you can add to the photo. In camcorder mode, there are two sizes and three qualities you can choose from, and while there's a self-timer, white balance settings, and effects, that's about it as far as your camcorder tools.
Picture quality was quite good. We were impressed by the clarity of images and richness in colors. There was just a slight delay when launching the camera, but there was very little shutter lag time. Video quality was decent, though we had a hard time distinguishing objects in clips shot in darker environments.
Last but not least, the Samsung Saga comes with Windows Media Player 10 Mobile so that you can listen to and view AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-4, WMV, and other music and video files. The Saga has 256MB RAM/128MB ROM and the microSD slot can accept up to 16GB cards. As Verizon has a habit of doing with its business-centric devices, the Saga does not support the carrier's V Cast music and video services.
Performance
We tested the dual-mode (CDMA 800/1900; EV-DO Rev. A; GSM 850/1900) Samsung Saga in San Francisco and call quality was satisfactory. On our end, conversations sounded mostly clear, though we could hear just the tiniest of echos at times. It wasn't distracting enough to prevent us from continuing the call or using an airline's voice-automated response system. We also didn't have any dropped calls during our review period. Our friends said call quality was OK, but not the best; they said that our voice sounded a bit digitized. On the other hand, they reported good results when we activated the speakerphone and couldn't tell the difference between it and regular calls. Meanwhile, voices sounded a bit more garbled on our side. We paired the Saga with the Logitech Mobile Traveller Bluetooth headset and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Active Headphones.
Overall, we were pleased with the Samsung Saga's general performance. There were some few-second delays when launching programs, but it wasn't any worse than other Windows Mobile smartphones we've tested and the system never froze during our testing period. Using Verizon's EV-DO Rev. A network, it took about 35 seconds for CNET to fully load, while CNN's mobile site took 5 seconds and ESPN's mobile site took about 10 seconds. Multimedia performance was decent. Music playback through the phone's speakers had good overall sound with a nice balance between treble and bass. Disappointingly, the Saga does not have a standard headphone jack, though you can get an adapter to plug in your favorite pair of earbuds or over-the-ear headphones. Video playback of WMV files featured synchronized audio and images, but as usual, some slight pixelation.
The Saga comes with a 1,300mAh lithium ion battery with a rated talk time of 5 hours and up to 13 days of standby time. We are still conducting our battery drain tests, but we will update this section as soon as we have final results. According to FCC radiation tests, the Saga has a digital SAR rating of 0.687 watt per kilogram.
User reviews
-
-
The Perfect Windows Mobile Phone
by BLatSD on November 20, 2008
Pros: Size, Weight, Color, Windows Mobile 6.1 Pro, WiFi, Optical Mouse, Keyboard
Cons: Battery life could be better, but this is a typical complaint for a phone with this many features.
Summary: I have been a Microsoft handheld device owner from way back into the early Pocket PC operating system days & the more recent Windows Mobile OS. My experience with most ...
Summary: I have been a Microsoft handheld device owner from way back into the early Pocket PC operating system days & the more recent Windows Mobile OS. My experience with most Windows Mobile phones can be summed up as "A Pocket PC trying badly to be a phone. Windows Mobile 6.1 for me, has blended the two devices (PC & Phone) well enough for me to be really excited about the Saga. Hardware wise, it is the perfect size, the perfect weight, the perfect look. My prior phone, the Samsung SCH-i730, was basically a brick I wanted a lightweight phone with no flip covers & no slide-out keyboards. I wanted it all at my fingertips the momemt I reached for it. This phone has satisfied my needs well.
10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Great... if you know what to expect!
by ukchemee on December 25, 2008
Pros: - Customizable
- Thin & portable
- Good keyboard
- Touch mouse & stylusCons: - Small screen makes internet browsing hard
- Short battery life (but can be extended)Summary: The Saga is the best portable workstation on the market right now - works with outlook, has Office Mobile, and the Today screen can be customized to your liking. The ...
Summary: The Saga is the best portable workstation on the market right now - works with outlook, has Office Mobile, and the Today screen can be customized to your liking. The real trick is to play with it and figure out how to do things like change the ringers or set up the hotkeys. A lot of the complaints so far have been about WinMo 6.1... yes it can be buggy, yes it can lag. When it does, don't take the battery out - hit the reset button. It's conveniently located there on the side for a reason!
The battery power is lacking compared to most phones (which is why it got 4.5 instead of 5.0 stars). The key is to watch your power consumption. Don't turn on bluetooth, wireless, or cellular data (for internet and email) unless you're actively using them. That will seriously lengthen your battery life.
The other gripe is the internet browsing is difficult using the touch mouse. You'll need to switch back into navigation mode for it to be effective.
This is not an iPhone, nor is it a spiffy touch screen-only jobber. It's not meant to be. This is for power users who need a mobile command center. If you're looking for something more trendy or playful, try the Omnia. All in all, this is a great phone, though. I'm definitely happy with it.7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Great Smart Phone and love the Mouse feature
Pros: This is my first Smart Phone and have loved it so far (3 weeks). Have had no trouble with it and no freezes. I love the mouse in addition to the touch and scroll functions. Keyboard is not small for my big fingers. Can't wait to test the Sim card
Cons: Regular battery charge lasts less than a day with very moderate use. Bought an extended one as well based on advice of a previos reviewer. Verizon needs to (and apparently have heard will) unlock the phone to use the Sim card more broadly.
Summary: I bought the Samsung Saga after learning of it through a "soft" introduction by Verizon. I had tried the Blackberry storm in the store and found it a bit awkward ...
Summary: I bought the Samsung Saga after learning of it through a "soft" introduction by Verizon. I had tried the Blackberry storm in the store and found it a bit awkward with a touch and its feedback, plus the slowness in various transitions. This has all been detailed on the review of the Storm on CNET. I took a chance on buying the Saga on-line before it appeared in stores and have been very happy. This is my first smart phone and so I like all the features that it offers. I wanted a dual global phone because I go on extended trips overseas and wanted to be able to use local Sim cards. Unfortunately the phone is locked at present, but according to verizon customer service and various blogs, they will unlock the phone no earlier than 60 days after launch. So I am looking forward to that. I LOVE the mouse and have been using it much more than the touch/stylus, or scroll (which I don't like). It took me a while to learn how to download my favorite .wav and music for my ring tones. The screen is small especially for web browsing but that's ok. By far the terrible part of this phone is the battery and its consumption. The charge on the regular battery is poor, lasts less than a day with moderate phone use (1 hour)...but I do have the bluetooth on constantly, and annoyingly the phone keeps accessing Broad band automatically...glad I got the data plan. Wifi is good and when you have it on and the Broad band access off, it will connect to the Web using the Wifi. Camer is good, actually took some pictures of my patients for cosmetic lid surgery (I am an eye surgeon) and the quality was very good..as good as a decent camera. I could then easily sync it to my PC at work or email it to myself. I downloaded some music and the speaker phone sounded pretty reasonable. I have to get an adapter to try the headphones as the socket does not fit the standard headphone jacks.
All in all, I am very pleased with the phone but hate the battery and aam anticipating the unlock code so I can use any Sim card internationally. As far as Verizon, I think they have superior coverage nationwide.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
iPhone destroyer
by phwtos on November 19, 2008
Pros: optical mouse, wifi, Rev. A, touchscreen, Opera mobile pre-installed, good keyboard, slim, global phone with gsm and cdma radios, Samsung build quality.
Cons: length of the phone.
Summary: This phone is completely spec'd out with everything you could want in a smartphone. There is nothing else this thing could have except perhaps multi-touch. But an optical-mouse is ...
Summary: This phone is completely spec'd out with everything you could want in a smartphone. There is nothing else this thing could have except perhaps multi-touch. But an optical-mouse is a compelling and useful navigation tool which many other phones do not have. Full business suite. Get your work done on the go wherever you are in the world.
5 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Poor battery life
by rgracial on January 11, 2009
Pros: Slim form factor. Tactile keyboard. Customizable mouse & touchscreen capabilities.
Cons: Life is short due to continuous running of broadband connection. You can turn the connection off but it restarts with every email (unlike the Blackberry Curve that fetches then disconnects automatically). Screen hard to read outdoors.
Summary: Even with an extended life battery the phone can't deliver much more than basic phone usage in a day. Forget using bluetooth, wifi and broadband simultaneously. You can carry ...
Summary: Even with an extended life battery the phone can't deliver much more than basic phone usage in a day. Forget using bluetooth, wifi and broadband simultaneously. You can carry an extra battery but who want's the hassle?
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Perfect Business Phone!!
by Ram150023 on March 19, 2009
Pros: Size / Weight
Functions / System Navigation
Email
The Whole Phone in GeneralCons: Battery Life
Summary: Switched from the original Chocolate to this phone approximately 3 weeks ago. I am an Operations Manager for a small manufacturing business on the rise, and with a million emails ...
Summary: Switched from the original Chocolate to this phone approximately 3 weeks ago. I am an Operations Manager for a small manufacturing business on the rise, and with a million emails daily, i am able to stay ahead of the game even when i am not sitting at a pc. This phone offers exactly what i needed and reccommend this phone to anyone who needs to have email at their hip (literally!)
My sister chose the RIM Blackberry Storm and has played with my Saga as well, and is now going to be switching to the Saga.
The speed and performance of the Windows Mobile 6.1 I have found not to be lacking at all... actually to the opposite.... it is right on top of the inputs given to the system.
The only issue i have with the phone is the battery life. Given that i am on it constantly, it is expected that I would drain it quickly. Luckily though, the Phone does come packed with a USB charger so you can plug it in at work as well.
The touch screen make life a lot easier, however i am partial to the optical mouse mode. The picture quality is through the roof, clear and bright colors and resolution for the screen, and the camera takes great photos for a phone.
Honestly I couldn't be happier with my first Smartphone choice and again, would recommend this phone to anyone!!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Pretty good as a WM device goes, not good as a phone
by TechLJ on March 18, 2009
Pros: Optical mouse, world mode capability
Cons: Poor battery life, sluggish performance, occasional hangs, VZ Navigator doesn't work well
Summary: This is my first WM smartphone - previously I had high end feature phones from VZW. It's nice to have the ability to get my Outlook email and to ...
Summary: This is my first WM smartphone - previously I had high end feature phones from VZW. It's nice to have the ability to get my Outlook email and to see, edit and/or create office and PDF documents. And the optical mouse might be the best feature of this phone, rendering the touchscreen redundant for me. But it comes at a price. I now have to wait a long time for start up of the Windows operating system. The battery life is terrible with the basic battery - I can only use it with the extended battery and I'm not a power user. VZ Navigator continues to get lost, and after my first Saga locked up and was replaced, it continues to have this problem on the second Saga. And unlike an LG phone I had, VZN directions won't come through the Bluetooth headset, only through the speaker.
I like having my text messages flow in an IM format, but trying to delete one takes too many steps. The performance is sluggish sometimes, even though I store all my big files on an external memory card to conserve system memory. As someone else noted, I find that the touchscreen gets engaged accidentally when in its holster, even when the screen is off in standby mode. This leads to accidental calling and other weird setting changes. The QWERTY keypad is a must have feature for me now and is pretty good on this phone. You need to engage the function key to access the numbers and other characters though.
I think this phone shows the potential of these devices, but the Saga has several drawbacks a user should be aware of.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
WOW!!! Easy to use while driving!!!
by MariniMarino on February 20, 2009
Pros: - Mouse, Touch Screen, WinMobile UI, Full Keyboard
Cons: - Battery is a tease
Summary: This phone surprised the hell out me. Let me start with the phones I have already tried out: Treo, MotoQ, and the Omnia (omnia is a good phone?.not for ...
Summary: This phone surprised the hell out me. Let me start with the phones I have already tried out: Treo, MotoQ, and the Omnia (omnia is a good phone?.not for me). Also, I am an outside rep and I literally work out of my car. I know it not safe to drive and be on your phone (texting, emailing, etc.) at the same time. Unfortunately, if I did not do this, I would never get anything done.
The combo of the MOUSE and Touch Screen has exceeded my expectations. It makes navigation (with my thumb) thru the WinMobile effortless. I?m sorry, you cannot substitute a touch screen keyboard (omnia) with an old school keyboard?.there just too many possible mistakes and you cannot add short cut keys. I need my shortcut keys!!!
The down side of the Saga is the Battery. It sucks. It barely last a day. Getting the extended battery is pretty much mandatory. Doesn?t really matter because I always get the extended battery anyways (even if the phone has a real good battery).
One more thing, the color of the phone is really not that bad?.it?s a lot darker shade of blue. The pictures make it look like a freaking smurf phone!2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
This phone makes Windows Mobile shine - Very good
by deitiphobia on January 29, 2009
Pros: Touch pad is awesome! Very easy to move cursor around the screen and select links. Makes web browsing so much easier. Opera Browser is awesome and surprisingly works well even for full sized web pages. Great to have the choice of touch screen or pad.
Cons: Battery life doesn't last very long. If your on the web for a while it will drain the battery quick. Could not make it through a full work day with moderate use. Get the Extended battery! Samsung uses Proprietary cable instead of mini USB.
Summary: I went to the Verizon store and played with both the Blackberry Storm and the Samsung Omnia for at least 30 minutes each. I found that typing on a touch ...
Summary: I went to the Verizon store and played with both the Blackberry Storm and the Samsung Omnia for at least 30 minutes each. I found that typing on a touch screen is just not up to par with a real keyboard. I had to type really slow to be accurate and had to always look down. This phone is the best of both worlds as it has an excellent QWERTY keypad and touch screen!
I personally like the phones "Samsung Today" config for the Today screen as opposed to the phones default today screen. The Samsung Today displays buttons large enough to use the touch screen with ease. It's also colorful and looks nice.
I also would recommend anyone to try the SPB software on any Windows Mobile Phone as it really can improve the functionality of your phone if you like and can config SPB to your liking. I personally am quite happy with the Samsung Today screen and don't need SPB, but I have it anyway and use some of it's screens sometimes.
The track pad is really an amazing innovation. It is larger and more functional than the similar pad on the Samsung Omnia. I use it all the time, even though I can touch the screen, I often just use the pad cause it's so easy. It makes making selecting links in the browser an easy task rather than trying to use your fat finger to click on a link. With my Motorola Q, I often felt as somethings just weren't very accessible due to difficulty in clicking or selecting what you want. This touch pad made copy/paste and clicking on very small things very easy! Sorry to rant but it's just that good. I did set the sensitivity to the highest of 3 levels and it just works great!!!
The OK/Cancel button is a welcome edition and I guess is common on WinMob 6.1
I reassigned my left Soft Key to open up the Task Manager so I can quickly kill applications when necessary.
If you read the manual you will find there are some cool customization options that will really help you get the most out of the phone precisely on how YOU use it.
The rear battery compartment goes on very snug and is hard to take off. That's great cause I don't think this phone will go flying in pieces if you dropped it. The battery compartment will hold and your battery will remain.
Dedicated Volume controls and you can press and hold the space bar to set the phone to Vibrate.
Voice dialing works great and I have my phone set to do audible alerts via speakerphone. So when my battery is dying for example, a womans voice will speak the alert " Low Battery Level". Pretty impressive.
Great thing about Windows Mobile is that you can really customize everything. You can customize what programs show on your Start button list, what today screen you have, what happens when you do quick presses on the Lock button an Camera button - (I use these to quickly pull up task manager & today screen), you can customize certain keys and there is a Fn customization menu. Basically you program keys to do just about anything, think windows shortcuts...but you have to press and hond Fn and the shortcut menu pops up.
So if you take the time to set it up, this phone can really work like you want it to. Even if you don't it's still excellent and very functional.
Speakerphone quality gets garbled at higher volumes, but is fairly loud. Ringer is fairly loud as well. Very easy to change ringers as well, just drop a proper file in the My Ringtones folder and you can select it as your ringer.
Verizon's $29.99 a month plan is great. I have outlook setup on the phone to retrieve my work email and gmail once every 5 minutes. PUSH is great and all but not worth the extra $15 a month for the more expensive Data plan. I'm just fine with my phone checking the internet once every 5 minutes. This of course may be partly why my battery doesn't make it an entire work day. I bought the extended to take care of that. Haven't received it yet but I'm hoping it will give me enough extra juice to make it an entire day with moderate use.
The phone goes into "sleep" mode after a few seconds of not using the screen. I have it set so I have to press the power button on the top once to wake it up. This essentially locks the phone unless you press the power button on the top. There is also an actual dedicated lock button on the side. You hold it for a few seconds to lock the phone. I found it's not necessary to use the lock, I just use the power button on the top.
Another cool thing, in State of CA it's illegal to not use hands free while driving. Problem is sometimes I just gotta answer the phone if my bluetooth is not hooked up. This phone allows me to answer, then press the power button so the screen goes blank. Allows for driving at night without bright cell phone to your face.
Great phone all in all. I've used it for a week now and love it.2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
-
Perfect Windows Mobile phone
by rmcclain30 on March 5, 2009
Pros: I like it's features, the keyboard is laid out nicely and the mouse cursor is a plus.
Cons: You just can't really change the design layout too much of the main screen. It does act a little sluggish especially if you have several applications running at same time (make sure you exit) or add memory and it's no longer sluggish!!
Summary: I would recommend this phone to anyone looking to buy a Windows Mobile smartphone as it is by far an improvement over its ancestors. The only thing I wish it ...
Summary: I would recommend this phone to anyone looking to buy a Windows Mobile smartphone as it is by far an improvement over its ancestors. The only thing I wish it had was the Verizon music ... instead of a windows media player, if you buy music on your phone the selection is pretty weak on this one.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Samsung
- Part number: Saga
- Description: The Saga is a smartphone that features a 2.55" advanced touch screen and a full QWERTY keyboard that provides business professionals with an easy way to send e-mail, text and instant messages. This productivity powerhouse is equipped with Quad Band GSM/GPRS capability, an optical mouse, Wi-Fi access (802.11 b/g) and Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional to keep customers connected to their offices when they are at home and abroad. Windows Mobile includes the Microsoft Office Mobile Suite so that customers can create and edit Word and Excel documents and view PowerPoint documents, as well as Microsoft Active Sync 4.5 and Windows Mobile Device Center for Vista OS, which makes using the Saga around the globe feel as if customers had never left their offices. Other features include a 2.0 megapixel camera with NightShot and Bluetooth stereo headset support.
General
- Product Type Smartphone
- Service Provider Not specified
- Width 4.88 in
- Depth .53 in
- Height 2.44 in
- Weight 4.59 oz
Cellular
- Technology GSM
- Band CDMA EVDO Rev A/1x 800/1900 and 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS Digital Only Wireless Protocol: CDMA
- Phone Design Candy bar
- Wireless Interface Bluetooth, IEEE 802.11
- Application Software Windows Media Player
Communicator Features
- Operating System Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.1
Messaging & Data Services
- EV-DO (Evolution-Data Optimized) Yes
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
Display
- Type LCD display
- Technology TFT
- Diagonal Size 2.55 in
Connections
- Slot Provided 1
Battery
- Talk Time Up to 300 min
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
%20-%20Compare%20prices,%20reviews,%20user%20opinions%20-%20Shopper.com&srcUrl=http://shopper.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-saga-verizon-wireless/4014-6452_9-33394070.html){kind=small}