Sunday 21 June 2009

Text Messaging And Instant Messaging Made Simple

By Charles Moore

Smartphones these days can do almost anything. One can bet that a state of the art phone is going to cost a pretty penny. For those with limited funds they might have trouble finding a passable phone. But the Samsung SGH-A177 has just been released. Its an affordable phone with an amazing full QWERTY keyboard allowing for easy messaging.

The Samsung SGH-A177 is one of the simplest phones to be released in the past couple of months. Most phones are either a flip phone or a slider. The Samsung SGH-A177 is neither it is a simple rectangular phone. Many tech junkies might be put off by this while others might embrace the simplicity in its design. Unfortunately the phone was made almost too simple. The plastic shell around the phone doesn't feel very strong. Anyone who is prone to dropping phones should be careful, or at least purchase a rubber skin case along with this phone. Also the screen on this phone is very small. Photos and games wont look as good as what we are obviously used to. If you don't plan on taking much pictures than the screens display is negligible. One of the best features on this phone is its full QWERTY keyboard which was obviously designed for comfort. They keys are slightly raised which is a very big plus as most phone users cant stand flush keys. Also the keys make an audible click noise when you press them while typing. This phone was obviously designed with text junkies in mind.

This phone clearly lacks any of the features found on many of the heavy weight phones out there. The phone does come with a camera, instant message capabilities, and even Bluetooth. For some people this is all that they might need. The IM function and Bluetooth work well but the images captured on the camera are mediocre at best. Along with not being able to record any video the camera seems like an afterthought.

The microphone installed in the phone needs definite improvement. If you are in a high traffic or loud noise area the microphone will pick it up and the caller on the other end will have trouble understanding you. Additionally the speakerphone is just atrocious. The other caller will sound very low and if the volume is increased to over compensate the caller will sound very distorted and garbled.

If you are looking for a good messaging phone without any features then you should pick up the Samsung SGH-A177. For anyone who racks up their text bill the full QWERTY keyboard will be highly enjoyed. Just be wary of the phones mediocre call performance.

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