Samsung SCH-U740: A New Twist In Mobile Technology
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A few weeks ago, I decided that it was time to replace my Nokia 6682, which has been good to me in a year and a half. Obviously…because it took me that long to replace it. I normally have a new mobile phone every 6-9 months. The one I really wanted, the Sony Ericsson K790, is just too expensive for now. I’ve been in love with it since I saw it in Casino Royale. With the anticipation of the iPhone…and my impatience…I decided to go with the Samsung SCH-U740.
As a lurker on HowardForums.com, I’m usually aware of the latest and greatest. But I seem to have missed the Samsung despite its charm and neat looks…my attention still on the K790. It must be fascinating because I’ve never looked twice at a flip phone since my Motorola StarTac. I’m a candy bar guy. But this was neither…not really. It was definitely a new “twist” in mobile phone functionality.
The first time I saw the phone, I was browsing around ShackkDiesel’s mobile blog. He had announced that Verizon released the U740 on its website. I checked it out immediately. Ends up it was released on other sites (WireFly, LetsTalk, etc) in gold. Ewww. It was destiny that I’d waited so long. Only Verizon had it available in black…that day…for about $50 more.
Samsung SCH-U740 vs BlackBerry 8700c — picture taken with Nokia 6682
The first thing that came to mind was the QWERTY keyboard, and that it might be too small for my big hands. I read many reviews that compared the Samsung U740 to the LG Envy, which a friend of mine used to have…and another guy compared his to a BlackBerry. While the keyboard looked crowded, I didn’t flinch. Not n xpert txt msgr like me. AYKM! (Sorry…it happens sometimes.)
Now that I’ve been using for awhile, I really like it. As far as pictures, its very much like my Nokia 6682. With good light and reasonable distance, the pictures were relatively good quality for a camera phone. Close-ups get blurry (see above photo), and colors disappear in the dark…even with the flash. The U740 includes five different resolutions (1280×960, 640×480, 320×240, 160×120, and a Picture ID setting) and three quality settings (Fine, Normal, Economy). Unfortuntely, the 4x zoom doesn’t work in the 1280×960 setting.
One small frustration I have is with the battery. Samsung rates talk time at 3.5 hours and standby time of 8.3 days. In my experience, the talk time is fairly accurate. But because I use the phone often, I usually have to charge it everyday. This is where I get frustrated. Both my BlackBerry and Nokia charged from one bar to full power in about an hour or so. In that time, the Samsung goes from one bar to three [out of 4] in that time. It definitely requires an overnight feeding.
I’m still playing with all the features of the phone. For a more thorough read, check out the c|net Samsung U740 review. It includes an informative video review as well.
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[…] couldn’t help it! The frustration grew and grew. While the Samsung SCH-U740 arouses curiousities…a “crowd pleaser” if you will…I had a hard time […]