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This review was based on a pre-production model.
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Read by: 9073 Visitors
Review by Ron Risman - July 2005
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Conclusion
For those who want a very competent phone with very good signal strength, audio quality and features such as video and still capture, Samsung's
MM-A800 Multimedia Phone is a top competitor. No other phone available in the U.S. offers the quality, camera resolution, and features that
are integrated into this phone. For example, you can aim the camera phone at a business card, take the picture, confirm which part of the image
is the company name, contact name, address, and phone number, and the MM-A800 will convert the data to text and automatically insert it into the contact's database.
The phone also features a built-in music and video player and is compatible with Sprint TV, giving you access to a variety of channels (News, Sports,
Weather). The streaming video feature definitely had hiccups during playback, but as bandwidth speed increases and Sprint works out some of the kinks
in their system, this will become a fun if not expensive feature.
As a camera phone, the Samsung MM-A800 is king of the hill, at least in the U.S. With 2-megapixel resolution, PictBridge compatiblity which allows you
to print directly to a compatible printer, wireless uploads directly to your own photo albums, and the ability to use removable Transflash memory cards to
store additional photos, having this phone in your pocket means you'll always be ready to capture a photo. Image quality borders on acceptable, but most images
when printed as a 4"x6" look as good as prints made with most 35mm disposable cameras. Despite how that sounds, it actually is a compliment. The aspect ratio
of the sensor actually creates a 4.5" x 6" image, so the printer will crop 1/4" from the top and bottom of the image when printing.
While the camera does offer a 2-megapixel sensor, the actual sensor size, lens size, and JPEG compression levels all help to degrade the overall image when compared to
a traditional 2-megapixel digital camera. For phones to take over the camera world, they'll need to add better quality lenses, higher quality image sensors, and
include larger memory cards. Note to Sprint: They'll also need to connect directly to your PC - at least until they include Wi-Fi or faster data transmission.
The real shining star of this phone is actually the phone. I guess that's a good thing considering that this IS a mobile phone. Signal strength, screen resolution & size,
business card scanner, accurate voice dialing, and the compact sliding form factor all help to make this the ultimate mobile phone. If you want a great phone with the best integrated digital camera, then the Samsung
MM-A800 by Sprint is a great choice. If you want a great point & shoot digital camera built into a phone, then you'll have to wait keep waiting.
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