Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with samsung

Champion Sound

murtagh — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 03:57:21 -0800

Why does music on my MP3 player sound better with small earphones than with big headphones? I have a Samsung YP-U5 MP3 player. Music on it sounds great when I listen with the earphones that came with the player, but if I connect my large Philips (SHP2000, if it matters) headphones to the player, music sounds quite poor. Why is that?

(There's nothing wrong with the Philips headphones, just to be clear.)

Which samsung netbook should I choose?

lonelyeconomist — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 15:14:49 -0800

The Samsung netbook NC 10 and N120 are now the same price. Which one should I buy? NC 10 has a matte screen, slightly smaller keyboard. The N120 has a glossy screen (although I'm told not that glossy) and a better speaker system. It may also have a better battery, although its difficult to compare.

The NC 10 is highly rated but I wonder if the new low price of the N120 changes that.

Samsung Camera Battery Recharger in the Bay Area?

zevious — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 20:51:27 -0800

I have a Samsung TL320 digicam, but no battery charger. Where can I obtain a charger for it, ASAP, near Berkeley, CA?

How can there be water damage if there was NO WATER??

moojoose — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 19:22:25 -0800

Wireless provider says my phone has water damage--it never touched water/liquid. What to do next? About 2 days ago, my cell phone (Samsung A767 through AT&T) started cutting out when I was talking. Now I can't hear anything, not even a ring. Supposedly people on the other end can hear me fine. The rest of the features of the phone work fine. I just bought this phone in May, so it's still under warranty.

I took the phone to the AT&T store, and they said they couldn't do anything for me--there was water damage. This phone has never come into contact with water or any other liquids. It is either in my purse or pocket at all times, never on the counter, the bathroom, etc. I do, however, live in the Pacific Northwest, which is a particularly moist and rainy environment. Googling finds a website full of complaints that this phone claims false moisture damage.

Now what? We've had this account with AT&T for over 10 years and never required a replacement until right now. Surely that should count for something?

IM to Mobile service not working

Defenestrator — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:10:05 -0800

I am trying to use AOL instant messenger's IM to Mobile service. My girlfriend has always sent text messages to my phone while on her aim using +1(insert my area code)(insert my phone number). It stopped working out of nowhere. It's only with her screen name. I've tried quite a few solutions. Help? She doesn't have unlimited texting, so it saves her texts while at home to send me messages from her screen name to my phone. This has worked for probably a year now. Recently I switched to another phone (using a SIM card, I have AT&T) and then back to my original phone shortly afterward, we suspect this is when it stopped working.

I can send messages to her screen name via texts using the 6 digit number, but she can't send anything to me on her screen name. On ANY other screen name messages come through to me, but not hers.

I looked at these two pages:

http://mobile.aol.com/aolproducts/imtomobile

http://help.aol.com/help/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=222944

and tried to reset my mobile by sending a blank message to 265022 as was suggested. After that, when my girlfriend attempted to send me a message, it sent the message instructing me to reply with "a" to accept the message she had sent, "d" to decline, etc. I replied with "a" and nothing else came. She still cannot send me any messages successfully.

I called AT&T and the service representative tried instructing me on how to sign on with my screen name using the phone (I believe this is "IM forwarding", but its definitely not what I've been doing this whole time, which is "IM to Mobile") AT&T couldn't really help me with anything else.

I don't really want to use IM forwarding because that means my sn is shown as signed on for everyone. Plus I have to do some weird sign on stuff with my phone that takes time and doesn't even seem to be working anyways. I can't call AOL because I'm not an AOL member.

Any suggestions?

I have a Samsung SGH-A437.

How do I check that my phone's contacts are safely backed up?

Marquis — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:38:27 -0800

How do I locate the contacts I've just sync'ed from my smartphone (Windows Mobile 6.1) on my PC? For a friend:

I've just installed ActiveSync 4.5 and have apparently successfully sync'ed my Samsung Jack to my PC.

I'm going to need to do a hard reset on the phone to solve some other issues (corrupted ringtones) and want to make sure that the sync'ed contacts are complete and intact. It's important that when I reset the phone, everything is there to import from backups. I'm terrified of losing the 500+ contacts in my Mobile Outlook.

Where are the contact files transferred to? They aren't in the file I've designated to receive all photos, sounds and other files.

Thanks!

Samsung S3 playlist problem

flibbertigibbet — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:58:20 -0800

I bought a Samsung S3 mp3 player for the specific purpose of studying sets of mp3s that need to be played in a specific order. Problem: it doesn't seem to want me to play those songs in order. I can create and organize playlists on the computer, and have no problem.

But, when I import them to the device, the songs on the playlist get sorted by name, instead of staying in the correct order.

I cannot figure out how to force the songs on the playlist to play in order, sort of manually renaming hundreds of mp3s. Can anyone help? I feel like there's some really simple solution.

Shuffle is not on. The actual list of songs on the mp3 player is arranged by mp3 file name, not in the correct order.

My laptop doesn't need Real or WMP to see my Samsung YP-U3

amusem — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 12:34:39 -0800

On my laptop running on XP, the Samsung mp3 player YP-U3 is only detected by Real and Windows Media Player. -- But I'm not interested in managing the files with these applications. I would simply like to see the player icon appear in the 'My Computer' window but it doesn't. Why can't my laptop see it the way my desktop sees it (also XP). When I plug the player in my desktop computer, the player icon does appear in the 'My Computer' window and I can easily manage the mp3 files without the help of any sofware.

I can then slide files from my computer to the device or I can slide files from the device to the computer. Quick and easy.

What do I need to do to make the YP-U3 icon appear in 'My Computer' on my laptop?

Thanks!

I upgraded my cell phone (ATT) and now people can't leave me voicemails.

mahamandarava — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 21:22:24 -0800

I'm an ATT Wireless customer and I just upgraded my phone (to Samsung Eternity). Everything works fine, except that people can't leave me voicemails. If my number is called and not answered, the caller just gets a recorded voice saying that "the customer is unavailable" or words to that effect, and no voicemail. However, if I press down 1 on my new phone, I can get into my voicemail system just fine and access my old saved voicemails. The ATT website says to access voicemail and follow the prompts to set up the voicemail, but I don't get any prompts to set up voicemail - just my old messages - so I can only imagine my voicemail is already set up from the last phone. I know this is an ATT customer service issue, but it's Saturday evening here and customer service is closed until Monday morning, and I want to receive voicemails now! Anyone out there have any idea how to get this working, or will I just have to wait it out until Monday?

Missed Connections

King Bee — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 12:46:32 -0800

Why won't my Samsung BD-P2500 Blu-Ray player connect to the internet through my router? I've tried hopelessly for a while to google this problem, but everyone who seems to have it has no solution for it.

Here's the issue. My Blu-Ray player has a ethernet port on the back. When I connect it to the LAN ports on my nearby Dynex wireless G router, it won't connect to the internet (specifically Netflix instant viewing). When I plug it straight into my DSL modem, it connects just fine.

For reference, the security on my router is both WPA password and MAC address filtering. I've added the MAC address for the Samsung to the filter just to be safe, but I didn't think that would matter since the Samsung isn't connecting wirelessly to the router. I've tried putting the Samsung in the DMZ with no luck either.

Any help would be appreciated!

Looking for headset for Samsung Mobile (cell) phoine

olddogeyes — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 11:03:29 -0800

I am looking for a new *wired* headset (headphone / microphone) for my cellphone... My current cellphone is a Samsung SCH-R430 (also called a MyShot). The thing that makes it hard is that this phone has a proprietary headphone jack (see picture here) - not a standard one. Ideally here is what I am looking for:

Wired
Over the head style with TWO ear pieces - ideally sound would come out of both - realize it won't be stereo as phone doesn't support stereo. Bonus points for ear piece that covers the ear (to drown out sound) like the ones broadcasters and DJ's use...
Boom mike
Don't need it for music - just for making calls.
Has to plug into the R430 port OR if anyone makes a dongle that converts R430 into regular headphone jack...

*or* If this doesn't exist, does anyone make a Bluetooth headset like above (over the head, two speakers, boom mike)?

LOOKS LIKE THIS ONE

Many thanks!

Hard drive fails SMART status.

ofthestrait — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 18:33:28 -0800

What to do about a hard drive failure? Disk Utility says my SMART status is failing. So I upgraded the hard drive on my 15" MacBook Pro. I installed a Samsung HM251JJ, 250GB/7200rpm SATA drive. When I went to Disk Utility after booting up it wouldn't let me partition the drive because the SMART status read: "failing". I downloaded SMART Utility for OSX and the specific problem is a high "Reallocated Bad Sectors" count. (1068, threshold is 10.) What should I do? I purchased the HD from Micro Computer Center.

1. Do I need to worry about this? Obviously it's telling me I have to replace the drive but it's working fine.
2. Is this my fault (something happened during installation, it was my first time opening up the MBP) or a preexisting problem with the drive? Will Samsung replace it for me or do I need to take it back to the store. I'd like to avoid taking it back simply because the store is in Michigan and I am in New York.

Thanks in advance.

Cellphone for Grandma

msalt — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 16:03:13 -0800

Which of 3 cellphones should my mom (75) pick -- Motorola Moto W755, Samsung SCHU430, or LG VX8360? Her carrier (Unicell) is folding into Verizon, and those are her 3 free choices. She wants the simplest, and as her technical help desk, I heartily agree. (To be fair though she is not scared of tech and is game to learn new stuff.) She will probably use this only for phoning, texting and as an address book.

I realize there was a similar previous question but the models and user needs are different.

Big Samsung is Watching You

softsantear — Mon, 08 Dec 2008 14:36:38 -0800

Is there a reason why Samsung requires me to register my name and address with them in order to recycle a toner cartridge? The site states that some models of toner come with shipping labels packed in, but some do not. Mine was the latter. In order to get the label, I have to sign up... which I'll probably end up doing, but I am loathe to put my info in yet another company's DB.

My first guess is that they use such a thing to generate the return address on the label, but more practically, you are registering, not generating a label ad-hoc, so my gut instinct is that they are using this as a convenient excuse to get statistics about customers.

Isn't there an easier or, rather, more anonymous way?

Help me buy a new mobile phone

minifigs — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 03:18:38 -0800

Help me buy a new mobile phone please I have it narrowed down to the LG Viewty or the Samsung Tocco. I can't find much information comparing the two anywhere so:
Which one has a better camera? The slow motion filming on the Viewty seems cool? Does it work?
What are the touch screens like to use on both? I do a lot of texting.
Are there any little niggly things that would seem like nothing if i tested the phone in a shop that over time would make me hate the phone and myself?
Battery life, durability, etc.

I'm on the Meteor network in Ireland and don't want to change networks.

Can't Check Text Messages on Samsung SCH-U340

phrontist — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 08:44:23 -0800

I just got a Samsung SCH-U340 (catchy, eh?) and I seem to have two text messages in the inbox. When I try to check them, the phone instantly shuts down and restarts (with the Verizon Logo sequence). I have tried deleting all the messages, which effects everything but the inbox (those messages remain) and doing an all settings reset (which is under the security menu), also to no avail. How do I fix this?

How can I get my Samsung Blackjack to produce sound?

chazlarson — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:02:40 -0800

This Samsung Blackjack doesn't make any sound. Is there some magic to loosen its tongue, or is it busted? I've inherited a Samsung Blackjack from work. I called AT&T and got it unlocked, so it's working with my TMobile SIM.

It doesn't make any sound, though. For example, if I go through the menus to select a ringtone and select "Play" from the menu, there is no noise.

The volume control on the side only brings up the "Earpiece volume" slider.

I've done a hard master reset to no avail. The phone is not set to "Silent".

I do not know if it made sound prior to being unlocked, except insofar as it did not make any noise while going through the Windows Mobile startup routine while still locked to AT&T. This being my first Windows Mobile device, I have no idea if it was supposed to.

Google only turns up "I can't make my Blackjack silent enough" or "How do I put it into silent mode?" or the like.

Any ideas?

How do I get my Samsung Juke phone to work with my computer?

champthom — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 13:51:51 -0800

How do I get my Samsung Juke phone to work with my computer? Two days ago, I bought a new phone, a Samsung u470 Juke. It has a 2GB mp3 player that I've been trying to get to work so I can put mp3s on it but I keep having this problem.

I installed the device drivers all right, but when I connect the phone via USB, I keep getting this message that the "MTP Device Failed" when Vista tries to install an MTP Device driver and when I look at the details, it says "This device cannot start. (Code 10)."

I tried restarting, uninstalling then reinstalling the device drivers, uninstalling the MTP device driver, but I still have no luck. I've looked elsewhere online for a solution but it usually ends up with the person just returning their device to the store for a new one. I contacted Samsung but they just e-mailed me back "How do I add mp3s to my Samsung u470 Juke phone?" from their FAQ, which does not answer my question.

So, how can I fix this problem and start putting mp3s on my cell phone?

My Samsung DLP has required multiple repairs since July

neilkod — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 13:48:05 -0800

My out-of-warranty Samsung DLP has been plagued with issues for the last 6 weeks. Routine issues, or do I have recourse? Samsung HLR4667WAX/XAA DLP. First week of July, my DLP's bulb died after 6500 hours. Fine. I can handle a bulb-I knew this was inevitable as soon as I bought the set (about 2004). After $129 and a 10-minute DIY, I was up and running.

Two weeks later, the color wheel went out. Cha-ching - Another $125 dollars and a slightly more complicated repair. After I installed the color wheel, I ran into issues where the set's colors would go all wonky and then it would shut itself off after about 5 minutes, with the lamp warning flashing. I went into the service screen and reset the bulb life counter-that seemed to fix the problem. TV worked fine for about another week to ten days.

Then, for whatever reason, the TV wouldn't turn on AGAIN. That, or it took far too long. Then not at all. For a few days, the TV would power on as long as turned the TV on before the Xbox. If the Xbox was already on, the TV wouldn't turn on. Now, the TV is back to not turning on at all. I get a blinking lamp indicator.

Discount-merchant, who I bought the lamp from, wants me to send the lamp back so they can test it and determine if its OK. According to their website, the bulbs have some ungodly failure rate, like 3 out of every 10,000 are DOA.

A call to 1-800-Samsung was no help, they wanted no part of me because it's out of warranty.

I've performed many other checks on the TV-I've ensured that all of the connections are tight, that the inside is clean, and that the lamp-cover-switch is in its proper position. There are no unusual noises coming from the set-I can hear the whirr of the fans and the color wheel.

Audio seems to work OK - I'm just not getting any picture.

I understand routine maintenance-but this many issues within a short timeframe seems unacceptable. Executive Customer Service is closed on the weekend - I'll try Monday, but can I expect them to lend a sympathetic ear?

Samsung f700 vs AT&T Tilt

Nickel — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 21:43:13 -0800

Smartphone Comparison: Samsung f700 vs AT&T Tilt After 3 years on a Sidekick 2, I'm ready to make the move to a better smartphone. I was looking at the iphone and the n95, but didn't like the lack of qwerty keypads. Now I'm trying to choose between the Samsung f700 and the AT&T Tilt (8925). They're similar phones - both have touchscreens, slide out qwerty keypads, fast HDSPA and the rest of the normal smartphone capabilities (music, camera, video, gps). Prices for unlocked versions of the phones seem similar on ebay, with the Tilt being slightly cheaper. Does anyone have any information about comparisons between the two?

My main interest is the overall "feel" of the phone. Does it feel solid and comfortable in your hand? Is it clunky and awkward? Do the keys feel good and easy to type with or are they small and cramped?

I will be buying an unlocked phone for use with T-Mobile in the US, will one phone have better functionality or service than the other? I understand that there are certain codes I need to use to connect to internet and MMS. I also understand that the samsung f700 is a triband (no 850 mhz). However, T-Mobile seems to use 1900 mhz exclusively, so will that be a problem?

Are there any other differences between the two?

Where has the sound gone??

globetrotter30 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 12:23:15 -0800

I'm testing out video clips with my Samsung L100 digital camera. Video quality is great, but the audio sounds like it's a million miles away. Anyone else had this problem? I just bought a Samsung L100 camera, primarily because I wanted something cheap but with better video capabilities than my 4-year old Minolta. The video quality (and everything else) is greatly improved, BUT I've noticed on playback that the audio on video clips is almost inaudible. Even with all volume settings at their highest on my computer, voices that had been recorded even a foot from the camera are extremely faint; by comparison, they're blasting when taken from the same distance with my Minolta. I'm sure I'm not covering the microphone, and that it's not set to "mute" when recording. The strange thing is that I read dozens and dozens of customer and pro reviews before buying, and not a single one that I saw mentioned bad sound on the video clips. Hmmm. I guess I'm just wondering if it's potentially a faulty microphone with this particular camera, or if there's some trick I'm missing, or if this is par for the course with entry-level digicams these days - maybe my Minolta just had super-human powers? Unfortunately the store where I bought it is quite a distance a way, so I can't just pop over to test out another unit. Would appreciate any input that could help me decide whether or not to research a replacement camera before I do trek back to the store!

Phantom Philes Phoil Phone Phun

Shepherd — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 11:03:06 -0800

What are these weird files in my cell phone's memory? Recently purchased a 2GB memory card for my Samsung m510 cell phone, so I can listen to music while I walk to work and back. Everything is fine (well, my Bluetooth headset can't keep a connection to save its life, but that's another story), except that in the Media Player, every music folder with MP3s in it has an equal number of files in the directory that precede the MP3s with exactly the same file name, preceded by ._ (period underscore). I can't select these files, or delete them, and they don't show up when I plug the microSD card into a computer via a USB card reader.

If I try to select them with the Media Player, I get a CANNOT PLAY FILE message and I have to scroll down past them all manually to select the first "real" music file available. It's not a life-shattering issue, but it's annoying to have to manually run through 20+ files when I just want to listen to a double-album I've put on my phone.

I was associating these files with the tendency of my phone to skip/fail when I'm listening to music, but more searching around has led me to believe that the skip/fail problem isn't due to my memory card or these weird files, but rather my Bluetooth headset (a Motorola s9) dropping connections all over the place. Can't find any information about this file problem anywhere else on the Web. Thoughts?

Which (Verizon) Mobile Phone to Choose?

Dreama — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 14:09:37 -0800

Mobile Phone Filter - It's time for an upgrade, so I'm looking for recommendations, non-recommendations and anecdotal data points about the LG VX5400, LG enV and Samsung SCH-u410. Yes, I am stuck with Verizon. No, I don't need a Smartphone, Blackberry, Treo or the sad LG iPhone imitator. I don't need/can't use mp3 or organizer applications, but I don't care if they're there. I like having a decent camera but it doesn't have to be great.

My main needs are mobile web, an alarm clock, speakerphone, bluetooth compatibility and decent battery life. If I can get a stopwatch sort of function too, all the better. I'm only looking at the enV because I have some sad thought that the QWERTY keyboard might make GMailing and Twittering easier but I've gotten pretty used to the fast-thumb typing on a numeric keypad thing, and though I am fairly reliant upon predictive text (which I'm assuming is a given on phones now) I don't mind it so much.

Recommendations for other phones in the Verizon stable that would seem to fit my needs are welcome.

You down with HDTV?

MarkLark — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 14:18:10 -0800

Looking for advice on HDTV purchase, where to buy, which models are recommended and which to avoid. Plasma, DLP, LCD? OMG! Hi all - I'm looking to purchase a new HDTV (perhaps as soon as this weekend) and considering the hefty pricetag involved, I just want to be sure I'm making the right choices. I'm looking for any useful tips you can throw my way, or at least guide me in the direction I think I'm going.

We currently have a 48-inch HD rear projection which needs to be replaced. I have an unhealthy obsession with CNN so now there is a permanent CNN logo burned into the bottom left hand corner of the screen. That's now going to be "my" TV so I'm in search of something nice to replace it.

After scouring all askMeFi posts tagged with HDTV, I came across a recent post which gave much praise to the Samsung brand. After checking various models via online reviews (CNet was a good resource, linked in that post), I've taken a shine to the HLTxx87S series, which is the new "LED Engine DLP", no bulb to burn out. Has anyone heard anything - good or bad - about either these models or this new type of video technology?

Finally, price: I was originally setting my max price at around $1500-1600 (US). One of the reasons I'm leaning towards the model above is because Amazon has the 56" model for $1600 - or a 61" for $1800. This seems to be a great bargain considering their regular list price and what other stores list them for.

Assuming I went with this model, is it worth an additional $200 to get 6 more inches (hmm that sounds weird). Is it possible to go "too big"? I've heard of "smearing" on some sets during fast-action scenes, and wonder if this would be more evident on a larger screen.

My last (and nearly biggest) concern is the fact that this would be purchased from Amazon. Has anyone made a big-ticket purchase like this from Amazon before? The pros are that their prices are much cheaper than any of the Big Box places in my area (Best Buy, primarily) - plus there would be an added bonus of no sales tax. I'm concerned with having something that large shipped to me, what happens if it's faulty and needs to be returned, etc. If I end up not going through Amazon, I'm probably going to have to look for a different set at a Big Box store that fits my budget.

I'm not totally sold on this model or brand yet, so if you know of other reliable sets in the approximate neighborhood of $1500, 50+ inches and are burn-in resistant/proof, I'd love to hear about it. (Some gaming may be done on this set as well, but will be primarily for watching HD cable/movies, if this matters.)

Which monitor has the best picture quality?

Idiot Mittens — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 07:12:22 -0800

Could you please help me decide on a new monitor? I have it narrowed down to three. I'd like to run something 20' or more (widescreen) off a new Macbook Pro. My main concern is picture quality. I'll be doing video editing, photoshopping, and watching the odd DVD. I don't play video games. I'm willing to spend $500-600. Here are the 3 I've narrowed it down to:

HP 22' W2207

Dell UltraSharp 2007WFP

Samsung SyncMaster 24" 245BW

I've learned what all of the stats mean on each, but it seems like colour quality is a bit more subjective, and cnet hasn't done a review yet of the Samsung 245BW. Any thoughts?

Thanks!