THE ICE COOL STUNNER (Samsung SGH-A300)

Member Name: Barthezz

Product:	Samsung SGH-A300
Date:	26/06/03 (457 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very small, predictive text, dual screen

Disadvantages: Large antenna, slow software, expensive

The Samsung A300 is classed as being one of the more stylish phones on the market. People like the look of flip cover phones, and the brains at Samsung went that step further by placing a second screen on the front flip of the phone. The front screen has a blue tone, a calm one at that, whilst the inside has a standard green LCD display. Match the blue tone with the silver and grey housing of the phone and the contrast looks as cool as a cucumber. A disadvantage with the housing is that it is susceptible to scratches, although it is relatively tough. The aerial is probably the part most people would change about the appearance, as it protrudes greatly into the sky, much like the aerial of the classic ?House Brick? phones. However, it is possible to purchase a ?stubby? aerial in chrome plating for a small price, which drastically shortens the antenna.

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The phone menu consists of the following headings:

VODAFONE (this obviously only appears if you have a contract Vodafone phone.)

This includes the network provider?s services, for example, Help, Leisure, Information, Answer phone, and phone services.

CALL RECORDS

From here the user can view numbers they have received calls from, they have dialled, they have missed, and also call time statistics.

MESSAGES

What person nowadays would not have a text messaging service on their phone? Of course the Samsung A300 does, and with T9 predictive text it is a lot easier to type long messages to your friends and family.

SOUND SETTINGS

Everyone likes to be original, so Samsung have tried their best to provide the A300 user with as much choice as possible. With 48 unique tones and one free slot to compose your own you can?t argue. Other options in this heading include minute minder, which sounds a beep for every minute you are on the phone
to somebody, and other tone settings for messages and the like.

PHONE SETTINGS

It is from this heading you can choose to activate the Infra red function, which enables you to send information from one phone to another. Another feature of the A300 is the Active Flip mode. Basically, when another person calls you, you can set the phone to answer as soon as you lift the flip screen. Settings such as screen contrast, light settings and greeting message settings can also be found under this heading.

ORGANISER

?does exactly what it says on the tin! The user is able to view a calendar and select specific dates i.e. a wedding and set an alarm for a time on that day. There is a ?To Do List? whereby one can enter important chores and the like, to view at a later date. A calculator can also be found in this heading, perfect for quick calculations on the move (seeing how many more pints of lager you can manage on your budget perhaps?).

SECURITY

Here you will find all the PIN settings you will need in order to keep your phone at bay from tea leafs. The settings include PIN check, phone lock, and SIM lock.

NETWORK SERVICES

A spin off from the Vodafone heading mentioned above, with a hint of phone settings if you like. Call diverts, call barring and network selection what you need? Then find it here, open all hours.

WAP BROWSER

The legendary WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). Ah the joy of pixelated text spewed across the tiny screen on your mobile. Nothing much to be desired for here but I must say it is useful for finding out sports scores and other bits of random information.

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One for the women is this phone, a rather powerful vibration system is contained within the small shell of the A300. When I say small I mean the width is 4cm, length 10cm and depth 2cm. Small
enough to fit in your handbag or pocket without it disturbing your movement.

Sim free, this phone retails at around £150, with contract however it is available for free, depending on the tariff selected.

Overall I would say it is a good beginners phone but does lack a bit in the software department. Nokia will take some beating?.

Summary: