A Very Popular Cell Phone!
Written: Jan 02 '01
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Pros: Looks great and sounds great.
Cons: Listed in the review.
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| surferdude7's Full Review: Samsung SCH 3500 CDMA / AMPS Cellular Phone |
If you use or looked at Sprint Services you will find the Samsung SCH-3500 is one of the popular cell phones they have for the price and options on it.
What sold me on this phone were the sleek slender design and the voice dialing. After reading the instructions it was a snap to put someone's phone number in and then activating it with your voice. You can program in 20 different numbers for the voice option. I have Dad's phone number in it and all I have to do is say "Dad" and it starts dialing the number. I do not agree with people using the cell phones when they are driving but, if you must at least with this phone you can keep your eye on the road when you want to place a call.
You can also leave up to 60 seconds worth of memos and a total of 10 messages. To leave a memo or listen to one you will have to use it like you use the phone, placing it to your ear and mouth.
You can make a phone book on it with 179 different phone numbers. It is easy to use; you will have to read the instruction until you get use to it. You can use up to 32 digits for each number and up to 12 characters for the name.
A lot of people don't like the flip-up design, I do and when it is closed, it protects the numbers from being dialed. If you have ever had this happen to you, you will understand. On an older phone that had no cover, I had stuck it into my pocket and believe me it bumped against things and it made some silly phone calls that were on my bill.
It is silver in color and the antenna will pull on out but I have great communications with it in. There is a headset jack on the top of the phone, there is no data port or IR port this means it is not designed to hookup to your computer. Though it is Web-Enabled, I haven't tried this feature. There are six ring volume settings and vibrating. You can also set an alarm if you wish.
It is a dual mode cell phone that means it will work on digital and analog systems. It does support the following, three-way conferencing, voicemail, Caller ID, call forwarding, Call Waiting and Redial. In the Graphics Display you can also tell the following features: An icons for Signal Strength, Service/No Service Indicator, Roaming, If you have a Message, Analog Mode, if the Vibrating feature is on and the Battery Strength. It is a backlit display with five lines, four are text and the other one is the icons.
There is a built in power saving mode that will automatically turn off the phone if there is no signal strength for 15 minutes. It is always looking for a digital signal first and if there is not one than it will look for and analog signal.
It is 4.4 inches in length, 2 inches in width, 1 inch thick and the weight is 5.5 ounces, so you see it is small and hardly weighs anything.
The Battery & Charger
The Samsung SCH-3500 has a lithium-ion battery that should go 2.5 hours while talking on it and around 60 hours while in standby. You can get an extended battery that will go on standby for about 10 days and continuous talk of 4.5 hours. I purchased extra the car adaptor so I can charge it every time I get in the car, this way I can leave it in the car and not drag it into the house.
A dual charge desk charger came with mine and it will charge two batteries at a time. Another nice feature is you can charge the battery in the phone without having to take them out.
Price
If you have ever done any cell phone shopping, you will know $149 is a very good price for a phone with the quality and features of the Samsung SCH-3500.
I have seen a lot of rebates lately at different stores for a $30 mail in rebate for this phone. The one that about knocked me over was, about three weeks ago Radio Shack has a two-day sale and the phone was only $69 after rebates and a service contract. I was tempted to get a second one but something told me no.
So shop around and if you are not in a hurry, you might find another bargain for $69.
Pros
The Voice dialing is a big plus for me, the main reason is I don't have to remember a lot of numbers, just say the name and it will dial it for you.
I like the vibrating part of it, over the years I have had a loss of hearing, I keep it clipped on my belt and when someone calls I can feel it vibrate, I find this to be more effective for me than the ringer. Another plus with the vibrating is you can have the ringer off, this is a plus in a meeting if you get a phone call, it won't disturb the meeting.
The quality of the phone seems great and I do love the style of it. The flip-up design when closed protects the buttons from being accidentally pushed.
Cons
The biggest con is having to pay the $149.
Setting up the voice dialing can be a little tricky if you don't say what you want plain and clear. After a little practice it works fine.
There is a lot that the phone will do, you will have to study the instructions a lot and then just play around with it until you are comfortable with it.
Overall
This is a small and sleek phone with a great sound. There is a lot to learn from the manual because this phone will do a lot for you. Once you get the hang of it you will wonder if you could live without it.
If you are looking for a dependable, clear sounding cell phone, then I highly recommend the Samsung SCH-3500.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 119 after a $30 rebate.
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Epinions.com ID:
surferdude7
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Location: Elizabethtown, Ky.
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