Sleek, versatile, and stylish the Samsung SCH-8500 is tops!
Written: Jun 30 '00
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Pros: Voice recognition, hardware, "PIM" features
Cons: minibrowser
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| brad_cantrill's Full Review: Samsung SCH 8500 CDMA / AMPS Cellular Phone |
As wireless technology continues to grow by leaps and bounds consumers are continually introduced to new cell-phones that are sleeker, more powerful, and utilize the latest in chip technology. Well, enter Samsung and their latest contribution to the wireless market the SCH-8500. The SCH-8500 is a beefed up version of a successful line of Samsung phones featuring web browsers and voice recognition technology. It's offering a lot of punch at a relatively low price ($199). Let's start to examine this phone.
How does this phone operate?
The Samsung SCH-8500 "Samsung" is a dual-band tri mode telephone. It operates on digital frequencies of 1900 and 900 mhz and an analog frequency of 900 mhz. What frequency the phone operates on depends on where in relation the phone is to a tower. When the phone is far away from a tower it will "roam" and switch to the analog band. This is an automatic feature although it can be switched manually from the keypad.
The chip that powers this telephone uses the technology known as CDMA or (Code Division Multiple Access to all you computer nerds). This is the language of the future and streamlines data transfers quickly and effectively. CDMA technology is how Qualcomm rose to prominence and in two years will plant itself as the dominant chip in all wireless phones. Some companies such as Nokia or Sony still use TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access) chips though their abandonment of this technology is becoming rather obvious.
The Samsung phone is powered by a lithium ion battery. On average, the phone will allow you to talk for 170 minutes continuously and will hold its power for up to 150 hours away from the charger. The phone comes with a cradle to charge the phone and accessories are available where you can charge the phone in your car or charge a spare battery. Unless you are a heavy talker however, a single battery should be sufficient.
What are the features of this cell-phone
If your into convenience then this Samsung phone brings a lot to the table. While this phone has everything you would expect a high-powered cell phone to possess (e.g. voice mail, caller ID, three way calling, 13 distinctive ring tones, and call waiting) this phone also gives you many features that will leave you smiling. For starters, it has an extensive phonebook. This telephone is capable of storing up to 250 numbers with each number allowing you to enter up to six lines of data. With that much information, odds are you won't spend a great deal of time clearing out old numbers.
This phone also sports the very James Bond like feature of voice recognition. The phone can store up to 20 numbers that can be dialed on command (e.g.call Fred). Now, the speaker isn't highly sophisticated and if you're in a crowded room it might have trouble recognizing your commands, but imagine using this in your car. Voice recognition, I think, brings a new element to auto safety and the telephone. Voice memory also allows you to store up to 10 one-minute messages on your phone. Consider this like a portable dictaphone. Now this is a great feature if you meet clients on the move and want to remember critical facts, or if you want to set reminders to yourself throughout the day. Let this phone be your portable Palm.
It should be noted that this phone also has a calendar setting, a to-do list, and the ability to tell world time. All this is grouped together with the voice recognition and memo recording into convenience features known as "PIM." "PIM" are the primary features designed for user convenience and I have to say that Samsung comes through with flying colors.
The appearance of this phone is stylish and sporty. It weighs about 7 ounces. The phone sports a flip top covering which folds over for keypad protection. The phone is small and easily fits into the pocket of a user. The phone has a large backlit LCD display that lights up in an attractive Indigo color. It is easy to read in the daytime or at night.
The minibrowser works fine, but still leaves much to be desired. Internet access is simple and available for an extra fee (check with your local distributor for applicable rates). Navigation however, is somewhat more complex. It's easy enough to get stock quotes or check sports scores but that's about it. Moving back and forth between pages in tiresome. The minibrowser also allows you to check your e-mail, but this is also troublesome. It's easy enough to receive mail, but just try to send something off. A sophisticated appreciation of Morse Code is in order to type text on this browser. Really, I'm not that far off here. Now, I don't particularly blame Samsung for the weakness of this minibrowser. This technology is really in it's infancy and I don't think there are any phones out there now that have a good version of wireless web. It's more of a gimmick now than anything else.
Final thoughts about this Samsung cell-phone
Quite an impressive product really. Versatile, cost effective, loads of features, lightweight, and relatively easy to operate. The hardware is sound and the company is reputable. If you use the phone often I would consider purchasing a spare battery, but the need for accessories here are minimal. Customer support is available online or by calling a 1-800 number in the manual. If your looking for a digital dual band all-purpose phone then the Samsung SCH-8500 is worth your consideration. It's an impressive piece of equipment.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 199
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