Samsung UpStage-M620 Review - Messaging, Internet, & Connectivity
Editor Rating:   4.35 3 4 5 4 5 Messaging on UpStage is a challenge, to say the least, given the display/controls limitations already described. If you use your phone regularly for texting or email, this is not the handset for you. Composing messages on the music side is possible, but you're not going tolerate all of the scrolling that's involved. Composing messages on the phone side isn't harder than it is on any other phone, it's just that you can only see three lines of text at a time. UpStage also supports SMS and MMS messaging and AOL, Yahoo!, and ICQ instant messaging. Photos and Videos can be attached to MMS messages with relative ease, as can short audio clips. The internal display can show up to 16 lines of text at a time, which makes for easy reading of incoming SMS and MMS messages. Sprint's "Power Vision" EV-DO network provides 3G data speeds across their nationwide network. Connection speeds during my tests in the San Francisco Bay Area were quite good, as evidenced by reliably speedy downloads of songs from the Sprint Music Store. The WAP browser on UpStage is fine for mobile optimized Web sites, though the need to flip the phone to enter URLs and other information makes this a less than ideal handset for anything more than the occasional foray online. Sprint did bundle the excellent OnDemand application with UpStage, however, and it proved a far easier way to get quick news, sports, weather, and entertainment updates. As previously mentioned, Sprint's music store offers 99-cent over the air downloads along with a free, higher-quality download of the same track from their Website (for use on your computer or mp3 player). While the Sprint Music Store doesn't offer quite the selection or interface niceties of iTunes or some of the other big online music vendors, I was impressed with it, and it's selection is rowing. A dual-band CDMA phone, UpStage supports the 850/1900 bands and 1xEV-DO r0 data transfer. The phone is locked and so may only be used on Sprint's wireless network. Bluetooth is supported on the UpStage, including object exchange and audio device support. The phone paired easily with mono and stereo Bluetooth headsets and worked well for voice calling and stereo music playback. Audio caller ID, voice dialing, and voice commands are supported over Bluetooth. UpStage can also be tethered to a computer via USB or Bluetooth for use as a data modem. UpStage features 53MB of built-in memory and a microSD slot for expansion via removable memory cards. A 64MB microSD card is included in the retail packaging, and cards up to 2GB in size are supported. Reviews by manufacturerVerizon Wireless, Sprint PCS, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, LG, Sanyo, HTC, Palm, BlackBerry, Sharp, Pantech, BenQ, Apple, Eten, o2Our fancy algorithm says this stuff is related...Wednesday, May 14, 2008How am I suppose to charge the Samsung Upstage-M620?  Phone in 60: Samsung UpStage for SprintWill you flip over the Samsung UpStage? Noah's phone in 60 second video review of the UpStage gives great insight on the music playing device and the benefits to music lovers who also happen to be looking for a cellular phone! Samsung UpStage-M620 in-depth review - Introduction & DesignI might be dating myself here, but do you remember those Reese's Peanut Butter Cups ads that hawked chocolate peanut butter cups under the slogan, "Two great tastes that taste great together"? Every time I used the Samsung UpStage over the past few weeks I thought of that slogan. Combining a phone on one side and a music player on the other, this inventive candybar phone seeks to answer the question, "What if I glued my iPod nano to... Samsung UpStage-M620 in-depth review - FeaturesFor such a small phone, UpStage is loaded to the hilt with features. Its main calling card, of course, is music. UpStage can play music sideloaded from a computer via Bluetooth, USB, or memory card, or songs purchased and downloaded direct from Sprint's Music Store. Upon introducing UpStage at CTIA in March 2007, Sprint also dropped the price of tracks from their store to 99 cents each. Your dollar gets you a low-quality...Samsung UpStage-M620 in-depth review - Display & AudioUpStage's two displays do their jobs quite well, despite the inherent design flaws that led to frustration with not being able to access all features from either display. The main display, a 2.1" LCD screen capable of displaying 262,000 colors at a resolution of 176 x 220 pixels, is bright and vivid, and made for easy viewing of menus, messages, images, and photos. UpStage uses Samsung's newer user interface, a modern design that's...Samsung UpStage-M620 in-depth review - ConclusionSamsung and Sprint took a chance with UpStage, hoping to push the envelope when it comes to designing the ultimate convergence device. Part phone, part music and media player, UpStage is certainly an eye-catching device with some great attributes. It's overall look and feel is excellent, it's lightweight and thin and yet loaded with features. Unfortunately, the dual-sided design wound up being better in theory than in... The double sided Samsung UpStage available from Let's Talk with a new Sprint plan.Let's Talk announced today the availability of the new Samsung UpStage, a double sided music device for $49.99 with a new Sprint calling plan. With no mail in rebates required, the $49.99 is the total price after a $100 instant rebate for selecting a calling plan of $29.99/month or more. The Samsung UpStage is ultra thin and houses a small screen on the front and a larger screen on the back for the...Samsung's M620 - The Sprint UpStage due out April 1, 2007Sprint will be releasing the all new Samsung M620 on April 1st 2007. The Samsung M620 is a brilliant new phone that has a very unique design. The M620 is double sided and has two different displays. The phone side has a very small screen measuring in at only 1.4 inches. The screen displays 65k colors and has a resolution of 176 x 65. If you flip sides to the music player you will see the 2.1 inch display which has a resolution of 176 x... |
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