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CNET editors' rating:
3.5 stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating - Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 42 reviews
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Product summary
The good: The Samsung SCH-A990 boasts a 3.2-megapixel camera with autofocus and video-recording capabilities. The EV-DO handset also supports Verizon's 3G services, has integrated Bluetooth, a swivel screen, a speakerphone, and good call quality.
The bad: The pricey Samsung SCH-A990 is occasionally sluggish when using the multimedia features, and it's tripped up by some Bluetooth and music restrictions. Also, we wish Verizon would include more accessories with the phone.
The bottom line: Despite a couple of design glitches and restrictions, the Samsung SCH-A990 is a high-end multimedia phone that boasts a sharp, 3.2-megapixel camera and good call quality.
Specifications: Carrier: Verizon Wireless; Band / mode: CDMA2000 1X 1900/800; Talk time: Up to 245 min; See full specs
CNET editors' review
- Reviewed on: 07/20/2006
Below the screen, you'll find the phone's navigation controls. You get a four-way toggle with a center OK button; the up, down, left, and right are programmed to open the Web, the calendar, the Get Pix & Flix menu, and the Get It Now service, respectively. Surrounding the directional keypad are two soft keys, a camera activation button, a voice command control, a Clear button, and send and end/power keys. Overall, we found the controls easy to manipulate, but we had some problems with the OK button. Due to its small size, we pressed the Calendar button accidentally on a few occasions. The numerical dial pad, however, is quite spacious with large, tactile buttons that are adequately backlit for dialing in darker environments.
The Samsung SCH-A990 is a multimedia mobile, and there are signs all over the phone to reflect its entertaining side. On the left spine, are rewind, play/pause, and fast-forward keys for the music player, a headset jack and a Micro SD card slot. We should note that you can't plug the headset into the phone directly; rather it requires a separate adapter. Fortunately, that's included, but it's still an inconvenient step, in our opinion. Speakers are located on both sides of the phone.
The camera lens is on the back of the phone, and we like that it's protected by a sliding cover. There's also a small portrait mirror and a flash. The camera's controls sit on the right spine; you have a capture key and a zoom in/out rocker that adjusts the phone's volume. There's a speakerphone activation key in between these two buttons, which seems oddly out of place, but we appreciate it nonetheless. Finally, there's an unmarked key that opens the camera options menu, where you can adjust such things as quality, flash, and resolution.
As we mentioned earlier, you can swivel the screen a full 180 degrees, then fold it down so that the LCD faces out. (In fact, doing so automatically activates the camera.) This, coupled with the side camera keys, which are on top when the handset is held horizontally, mimics the look and feel of a stand-alone digital camera and makes for a natural feel when taking pictures. We had two minor complaints, however. First, it was a bit difficult to navigate the camera's different menus. While the Options button got us to the main menu, it wasn't clear which buttons scroll through the various settings and which button selects an option. For the record, the volume rocker does the scrolling and the capture key does the selecting. Second, since the camera lens is on the back instead of on the hinge (à la the
Verizon packages the Samsung SCH-A990 with a handful of accessories, but we're a little confused by the choice of peripherals. For example, you get an AC adapter, a TV-out cable, a headset adapter, and a wrist strap, but if we had our choice, we'd much rather have (and get more use out of) earbuds than a TV-out cable. For now, you have to buy these as part of the Music Essentials Kit for $29.99, which also includes a USB cable and software. Other accessories available for purchase consist of a belt holster ($19.99) and Micro SD cards ($29.99 for 256MB; $49.99 for 512MB).The Samsung SCH-A990 is Verizon's flagship phone, and with good reason. For starters, it's the first phone in the United States to boast a 3.2-megapixel camera, trumping the recently lauded Nokia N80. It has an autofocus feature, zoom, and plenty of imaging options. You can choose from five picture modes (auto, portrait, landscape, micro, and night), three quality settings (economy, normal, and fine), and five resolutions (2,048x1,536, 1,600x1,200, 1,280x960, 1,024x768, and 800x600). You can adjust the brightness, white balance, color effects, and ISO settings. There's also a multishot mode and a self-timer, and you can change or turn off the shutter sound. Many of these options are also available to you in camcorder mode, although you get a choice of only two resolutions (320x240 and 176x144). You can capture up to an hour's worth of video with sound.
Once you're done shooting your masterpieces, you can save them to the phone's 72MB of internal memory (32MB is user-definable), set them as wallpaper, or upload them to Verizon's PIX online service, where you can send picture/video messages and share albums with family and friends. Alternatively, you can take advantage of the SCH-A990's TV-out capability to display photos on your TV, or you can send them to a Bluetooth-enabled printer right from your phone. The SCH-A990's image quality was one of the best we've seen to date from a camera phone. Subjects were defined clearly and colors popped; even the videos were fairly watchable, despite a bit of blurriness. We should note that there's a slight delay from when you press the capture button to when the camera actually takes the picture as the autofocus feature kicks into gear.
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- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 42 reviews
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