Is this phone "The one?"
October 11, 2008 4:53 PM Subscribe
Am I going to be completely disappointed in this phone?
It's time to upgrade the cell phone. Rather, it's been two years, my phone's been a trooper, but it's about to quit and if I upgrade now, it'll be cheaper. (Free even!)
I'm looking at the Samsung Gleam and although it seems to be what I want, I am paranoid about buying something that will turn out being crap.
Has anyone used these phones? Are they garbage?
I currently have a Motorola Razr. I don't text much if at all and I use the camera occasionally. I like that the gleam has a removable memory capability and is pretty close in size to my phone now.
Thanks for the input!
It's time to upgrade the cell phone. Rather, it's been two years, my phone's been a trooper, but it's about to quit and if I upgrade now, it'll be cheaper. (Free even!)
I'm looking at the Samsung Gleam and although it seems to be what I want, I am paranoid about buying something that will turn out being crap.
Has anyone used these phones? Are they garbage?
I currently have a Motorola Razr. I don't text much if at all and I use the camera occasionally. I like that the gleam has a removable memory capability and is pretty close in size to my phone now.
Thanks for the input!
The Motorola Razr gets the award for being one of the most popular mobile phones in history, and having a pretty lousy amount of user satisfaction: look on www.gsmarena.com. So whatever you're upgrading to will likely seem much better.
posted by No New Diamonds Please at 5:35 PM on October 11, 2008
posted by No New Diamonds Please at 5:35 PM on October 11, 2008
I would pass. I work in this industry, and, the low-end sammy's aren't the best in the world. What, specifically, are you looking for? This is totally something that's worth paying a little bit of money for, since you're going to have it for 2 yrs... Might as well make sure you're getting something you wanna live with.
posted by vrdx at 5:38 PM on October 11, 2008
posted by vrdx at 5:38 PM on October 11, 2008
I don't know about that phone in particular, but it doesn't look like you've got a great choice available to you. I know someone who has the Samsung Alias (QWERTY flip phone) and loves it, but she texts a lot.
It's a pretty bad list (lots of Motorola and bad Samsungs, only one Nokia and no Sony Ericsson), so I'd probably go for the LG Chocolate 3. I'd give them all a tryout in the store first. Make sure the keypad is to your liking and that the software seems responsive. Good luck!
posted by Magnakai at 6:28 PM on October 11, 2008
It's a pretty bad list (lots of Motorola and bad Samsungs, only one Nokia and no Sony Ericsson), so I'd probably go for the LG Chocolate 3. I'd give them all a tryout in the store first. Make sure the keypad is to your liking and that the software seems responsive. Good luck!
posted by Magnakai at 6:28 PM on October 11, 2008
Response by poster: All I'm looking for is a phone that will last two years - essentially. A camera is nice for those times when I have to get a picture of something. (Nephews, pets, crazy tattoo guy...) I really like the idea of removable memory, for transfer of pictures etc....
Otherwise, I don't need a full Qwerty keypad, a screen that swivels 360 degrees or anything too fancy.
Cheaper is better in this case as I'm currently an (unfortunately) unemployed student. I don't really have the money for a new phone, but necessity calls.
posted by Kimothy at 10:23 PM on October 11, 2008
Otherwise, I don't need a full Qwerty keypad, a screen that swivels 360 degrees or anything too fancy.
Cheaper is better in this case as I'm currently an (unfortunately) unemployed student. I don't really have the money for a new phone, but necessity calls.
posted by Kimothy at 10:23 PM on October 11, 2008
Response by poster: Oh, and unfortunately, the Chocolate is not compatible with my current plan...
posted by Kimothy at 10:36 PM on October 11, 2008
posted by Kimothy at 10:36 PM on October 11, 2008
2nd try them hands on in the store without a sales person bothering you. I don't know about this phone, but I've owned two Samsung's and they were both garbage. Long on "features" but the features rarely worked or had horrible interface problems that were just stupid. (For example one had a QWERTY keyboard but the address book wouldn't work with it, so all names and addresses had to be entered on the number pad. Same with the web browser. It said "email" on the box, but only supported Yahoo and AOL mail.) Both phones died within 18 months. They made the RAZR (which I also disliked strongly) look like high fashion. My last one died the same day the the iPhone came out, so I took that as an omen.
posted by Ookseer at 3:16 AM on October 12, 2008
posted by Ookseer at 3:16 AM on October 12, 2008
Best answer: I have a Samsung like that one. You're going to love the small size.
You're going to hate:
1. Call quality (can't hear the other person through the speaker)
2. Battery life (it drains fast when it can't find a signal)
3. Keypad (not great for texting)
The saving grace for my phone is that I have a microSD card slot which lets me save more pictures and video. By the way, the camera quality on these phones is pretty bad. Basically you have to have full sunlight to get a good picture in, otherwise things turn out a little blurry.
I got my phone through Sprint's 2 year contract. I have a year left. If I had to do it again, I would have taken an older model Nokia rather than be tricked into the bluetooth/camera phone hype.
Nokia seems to make better phones for budget conscious people. Samsung phones look prettier but they're not as functional (low battery life, spotty reception, bad call quality, etc).
posted by abdulf at 5:47 AM on October 12, 2008
You're going to hate:
1. Call quality (can't hear the other person through the speaker)
2. Battery life (it drains fast when it can't find a signal)
3. Keypad (not great for texting)
The saving grace for my phone is that I have a microSD card slot which lets me save more pictures and video. By the way, the camera quality on these phones is pretty bad. Basically you have to have full sunlight to get a good picture in, otherwise things turn out a little blurry.
I got my phone through Sprint's 2 year contract. I have a year left. If I had to do it again, I would have taken an older model Nokia rather than be tricked into the bluetooth/camera phone hype.
Nokia seems to make better phones for budget conscious people. Samsung phones look prettier but they're not as functional (low battery life, spotty reception, bad call quality, etc).
posted by abdulf at 5:47 AM on October 12, 2008
Oh man. If this phone's menus are anything like the menus on the Samsung Stripe, which the rest of my family has, you may hate it. Have you taken advantage of the Razr's menu customization options to change the order menus appear in/the color they appear in/which buttons do what? If so, you're going to be annoyed as hell if the Gleam has the same menus as the Stripe—they're completely clunky and uncustomizable.
posted by limeonaire at 2:28 PM on October 12, 2008
posted by limeonaire at 2:28 PM on October 12, 2008
Response by poster: Thanks everyone,
I decided on the Motorola MotoW755.
posted by Kimothy at 8:21 PM on October 13, 2008
I decided on the Motorola MotoW755.
posted by Kimothy at 8:21 PM on October 13, 2008
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posted by number9dream at 5:13 PM on October 11, 2008