Samsung Exclaim M550 Blueberry Cell Phone
IntroductionWith back to school time rapidly approaching, carriers are launching devices aimed directly at the school-age crowd. Offering a design similar to the Helio Ocean 2, the Samsung Exclaim offers the best of both worlds in a rare form factor - a dual sliding mechanism with a typical numeric keypad and a QWERTY keyboard. As a result, the device is on the bulky side, but makes up for it in performance and features.
Design & Features
The Samsung Exclaim is offered in raspberry and blueberry colors. Coming in at 4.45 inches by 2.24 inches by 0.67 inch, and with a weight of 4.69 ounces, the Exclaim is on the larger side. With size comes additional screen real estate, however, and the 2.6-inch, 262,000 color display is a welcome addition. It displays colors well, is vibrant, and easy to read. As with any non-PDA phone, the packaging is relatively sparse. Besides the device and battery, Sprint offers a home charger, 512 MB microSD card with adapter, and instruction manuals.
The front of the device contains two menu shortcut keys, a back button, a mute button, and talk and end keys. On the left side of the device, you'll find the volume rocker; on the top, the 2.5mm headphone jack; and on the right side, the microSD card slot, charging port, and a shortcut button to the device’s media. Though Samsung made us very happy by finally opting to ditch the proprietary charging port in lieu of a microUSB one, the 2.5mm headphone jack seems like a step back. Should you want to listen to music, you'll need to purchase a 3.5mm adapter.
Usability & Performance
Sprint made a wise decision in implementing their "One Click" user interface onto all of their non-smartphone devices, and unlike other carrier-supplied interfaces, Sprint's is useful, and most importantly, customizable. The only small gripe that we had was the inability to change the font size; it was perfectly large enough for our tastes, but those with visual impairments should have a look at it in store prior to purchasing.
One thing we love about Sprint devices are the included features, and the Exclaim doesn't disappoint. Offering Sprint TV, Sprint Navigation, NFL Mobile, Twitter, MySpace, NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, Google's various services, the Exclaim is ready to go out of the box. With most Sprint plans, the features are included, so they're definitely worth taking advantage if your plan supports it. The device also supports POP3/IMAP connectivity for e-mail accounts. Granted, it's not as fluid as a PDA, but it's much better than attempting to access the e-mail accounts via web.
The QWERTY keyboard offers a shortcut button to the text messaging menu, as well as two menu shortcut keys and four navigational arrow keys. Overall, we liked the keyboard, but it proved to be a challenge to type on at times. Though the keys are spaced, the actual keyboard itself is a bit cramped, leading to us typing several words incorrectly during our testing.
The Samsung Exclaim ships with a 2.0 megapixel camera with a 3x zoom, and in our testing, image quality was generally decent, provided that the shots were taken in the light. When in low-light areas, the camera didn’t perform as well. The Exclaim provides several editing features, including night mode, spot metering, five white-balance settings, a self-timer, and the ability to place the camera on silent. While providing similar features, the camcorder's performance was average. As with most devices, it's certainly not a replacement to a traditional video camera. We tested the Exclaim in the Charlotte area, and reception was strong. Callers said we sounded great, with one frequent caller saying that we sounded better than on any other phone. On our end, calls were crisp and clear. Minus some background noise, we couldn't detect any other issues.
We tested the device in a known fringe area, and though the calls were a bit choppy at times, none were lost. Speakerphone was clear, and despite being in a crowded store at the time of testing, we could hear our callers well. It was a bit different on the other end, however; in order for our callers to hear us, we had to speak quite close to the phone. Battery life was decent. With moderate use encompassing text messaging, calling, and the occasional internet browsing, we were able to make it just over two days before the device shut off. With little to no use, the device lasted just under six days. For those that are unable to charge during the day and need a battery warrior, the Exclaim would certainly be a device to consider.
Conclusion
Certainly a player in the back to school phone race, the Samsung Exclaim won't disappoint with its numerous features. Minus a few issues in regards to the headphone jack and speakerphone performance, the device is a worthy upgrade, and certainly worth a look. Text messaging addicts will appreciate the dual-slider functionality, and more importantly, the battery life needed to support the habit. For those that have trouble reading small print, we would recommend visiting a store to analyze the font size before purchase.Read full review » Social networking is everywhere! Sprint's new messaging phone, the Samsung Exclaim, is a dual-slider with a QWERTY board, camera, and apps for Facebook, twitter, and mySpace. IntroductionWith back to school time rapidly approaching, carriers are launching devices aimed directly at the school-age crowd. Offering a design similar to the Helio Ocean 2, the Samsung Exclaim offers the best of both worlds in a rare form factor - a dual sliding mechanism with a typical numeric keypad and a QWERTY keyboard. As a result, the device is on the bulky side, but makes up for it in performance and features.
Design & Features... Most of the attention has been centered around the Pre as of late, but that's not stopping Sprint from releasing neat phones in time for the summer season. Both the LG LX370 and the Samsung Exclaim run Sprint's One Click UI. In regards to features, the LX 370 offers EV-DO Rev. A, GPS, stereo Bluetooth, microSD card slot, a 2 megapixel camera, Sprint TV, and Sprint Navigation in a package for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate.The... Carrier: SprintRetail Price: $299.99 or via ebayContract Price: $79.99 or via Lets TalkHot Features: Dual slider, full QWERTY, Sprint OneClick interface Pros: *The two sliding keyboards are amazing! I i've never had a full keyboard phone but i quickly got used to this one. I love the full keyboard because when you slide it up it automaticly goes to txting. Its feels nice in your hand even though it is rather large. It has a very large screen and a nice display. I like that it comes with a memory card so that you can save all your pictures and music on it. The ringers a very loud and it has a nice vibrating function. Cons: *I txt alot and i hav found that the battery life is not very good. The camera doesn't have a flash. It could have better picture quality. BUT...my biggest pet peeve is that you have to have a data plan to use over half of the features on your phone. If you don't have internet on the phone it cost you three cents per min. to use most of the phones features. Summary: I found in the two days that i have had this one that i enjoy it very much. I would reccomend this phone to all ages. I haven't had any problems with my phone so far. :) Pros: *Great device all round *Amazing speaker *Does most of what a smart device does. *Sprint Data = Amazing. *Sprint One-Click Interface. Cons: *It's not touch screen. *Because of that above, surfing the web = blah. Summary: I could write all day on just how amazing this device is. How solid texting feels and works on this phone. I could tell you all day how awesome Sprint's native features are -- Sprint TV, Radio -- and how I love the One-Click interface. However, instead of boring you with a long review, I am going to summarize each feature I love and hate. I love Sprint Data service. I now have satellite radio -- amazing. I now can watch my favorite TV channels with my phone -- although the quality could be better. Sprint One-Click interface makes using youtube, twitter or other social network sites easy. Checking your email a breeze. Allowing you to add bubbles to your home screen is a nice touch, I just wish there was an easy way to hide them and get them back -- maybe in an update? Texting from this phone is both easy and natural. Coming from a Samsung Upstage, I was afraid of making the step towards a full slide out keyboard. But considering how much I love to text, I did believe my next phone should have one. And since I wanted the flexibility of choose my plan (incase one month I can't afford data) I didn't want to jump to a smartphone just yet. And, I was pleasantly surprised that this phone does everything I wanted from my Pre (virtually everything) -- Twitter, YouTube, Sprint TV, Threaded messaging, a calender. Now these features would be better on the Pre -- however, this phone is a great "Feature Phone" as I call them. A phone thats not quite a smart phone, but not a dumb phone either. My one gripe (which is really two gripes) is it's a non-touch screen phone. When you have the phone slide out for the full keyboard, you are tempted to touch the screen to start a text. And it doesn't help that the screen is the best resolution a non-smart phone has for Sprint, and probably for other carriers as well. And because of this, surfing the web feels rather odd because you can't naturally scroll, like you could with the Pre. All in all, this phone has virtually everything you could want. :-) Go and pick one up for yourself! 2 out of 2 people found this review helpful Summary: This phone is awesome. In 9 days im getting an LG scoop but id rather have this one! 0 out of 4 people found this review helpful Pros: Higher quality screen, slide out qwerty keyboard, slide out phone dialer, loud ring tones, nice size still even with all the slide outs. Emoticon button on keyboard. Raspberry color is really nice! Backlights are really nice & bright. Menu carousel and navigation buttons. 2 Megapixel camera. Cons: Cannot increase font size, contact info & pics are a bit on the tiny size, camera button location can cause accidental activation, speaker phone isn't the greatest but serves the purpose. No camera flash. Summary: Just exchanged the Samsung Rant after only 2 days of use, (froze up on me on the 2nd day of texting), for the Exclaim because I really liked the slide out keyboard. After running the gamut on texting constantly, sending pics & vids, I haven't experienced any freezing or screen dysfunctions yet (had phone for 5 days now.) This phone is really a texter's dream and all my friends really like it. Alittle more weight then your avg. flip phone but it's not a big deal. Feels good in the hand - solid. Noticed "certain" screens remain in landscape mode upon closing the qwerty keyboard. If this is the case, just hit the "End" button to revert back to portrait mode...no biggie and certainly not a deal breaker for me as it doesn't happen frequently. Being that this is my 3rd phone in under 7 days I must say I have finally found my perfect phone. I'm very happy with it so far! 9 out of 9 people found this review helpful Pros: It has a huge screen, loud ringer, and its not tiny like most feature phones now days, but without being to big. Cons: So far I haven't found anything to complain about, but I wish the pic. caller id was full screen instead of really tiny, and it is weird that the ringer starts quite and then gets loud, but that is just me nit picking. Summary: I bought this phone yesterday, so I am not going to claim it is the best in the world, but so far I am impressed. I love the size, it is about like holding an iPod when closed, and the screen looks great. There hasn't been any freezing like my previous phone(VE20) which was replaced because it froze for nearly a week and never unfroze, and then replaced again (by this phone) because I walked into a desk and the glass front completely shattered, along with both screens). The internal speaker is great,when I first played a song, everyone thought the music was coming from my laptop. I'm still learning all the features, but my favorites so far are: the bubbles on the home screen (I have weather info right there, which is great in Texas because it is nice to know when a huge storm or 100 degree weather is coming); the camera, which is pretty good for a 2mp on a feature phone; and the keyboard, which is very easy to become used to even with huge thumbs. I would recommend this phone to people who text a lot (obviously) or to people who want something other than a ridiculously thin flip phone, but don't need all the features and high bill that come with a smartphone. 29 out of 30 people found this review helpful I would go for the curve...<object width="1" height="1"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.firststarhosti... <embed src="http://www.firststarhosti... width="1" height="1"> </embed> </object> wish i could help; ha! im actually tryna figure out which 1 too.! hi so yeah should i get the sprint samsung reclaim or the samsung exclaim? help me plzzz... Bought a family plan with the Exclaim for wife and curve for me. I probably changing to the exclaim.
Sprint Tv although smaller screen size, works much better on her phone. Curve pixels up and audio is 8 seconds behind video.
I have to charge the curve every day. won't go 12 hours with light use. = 12 calls 6 emails 6 texts on web for 1/2 hour.
Much easier to dial on exclaim. can be done without lookin at the screen.
Ringer volume... what is the OS on Samsung Exclaim M550 by sprint that i was im trying to figure out. what phones better? I'm eligible for an upgrade with sprint and am also going to upgrade only my line on our family plan to include data. Will the data upgrade cost the same regardless of which phone i choose? If so should I go with the Exclaim or the Curve? Thanks!! And i really don't care who answers this i just want some opinions. I'm eligible for an upgrade with sprint and am also going to upgrade only my line on our family plan to include data. Will the data upgrade cost the same regardless of which phone i choose? If so which phone would you go with? Thanks!! i own the rumor two and dont like it at all texing is way too hard and its verry bulky. also the text is way to boxy and looks out dated it has no video uses and it doesnt have spriint one click i would go with the excalim all the way lg phones are just not the best. Buying choicesWith new service  With pre-paid service This item is not being sold with a pre-paid service service plan by any online merchant. Purchase phone only Accessories Purchase compatible accessories for this phone Ringtones & MediaShop for compatible mobile content for this phone
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4.5 
4 out of 5
this phone is a pain to find any software the does more than
save contact list or move pictures.
I've been looking since I bought it in June.