PART II: Samsung Phone - SPH-N200, Rated #1 Consumer Reports, Viewed 2,257 Times...
Written: Jan 03 '02 (Updated May 17 '04)
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Pros: features, price, size
Cons: wireless web access pricey, battery easily detachable, small means it's easy to misplace or lose
The Bottom Line: This is a very good first cellular phone.
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| sfarmer76's Full Review: Samsung SPH-N200 Silver |
The Samsung SPH-N200 that I ended up buying online from the Sprint Cellular Online Store is a knockoff of a more popular Samsung phone, the SCH-3500, which was Sprint's top-selling model until recently. However, the SPH-N200 has a larger phosphorescent green screen, is shorter, slimmer, lighter, and generally has more in the way of features than its immediate forerunner.
The tinier size makes dialing numbers easy, and navigating the phone's menu with just one hand is not all that tricky. It fits nicely in my pants pocket, but you won't be asking if I'm just happy to see you... lol. Besides minor changes to the screen, this Samsung phone also has a nub joystick, something the SCH-3500 lacked.
The SPH-N200 comes in your choice of midnight blue or metallic silver and offers added functionality, as well as as a super user-friendly interface.
Some of It's Features:
@ airtime tracker
@ alarm clock
@ AOL instant messenger
@ calculator
@ calendar
@ caller-id
@ countdown
@ four digit calling
@ keyguard (very important feature!)
@ missed call notification
@ multilingual capability
@ phone book (holds 248-names)
@ security (locks the phonebook)
@ to-do list
@ twenty preset ring tones
@ two-way text messaging
@ vibrate mode
@ voice-activated dialing
@ voice-mail
@ wireless web browser
You'll probably want to carry the 146-page guidebook that comes along with the phone around with you for the first three or four weeks, or at least the wallet-sized shortcut cards, because there's no way in heck you'll put a dent in memorizing even a fifth of the capacity of the possible key combinations available with this feature-laden phone.
When I went shopping at the Sprint Store, and later that night when I ordered mine online, Sprint had a meager selection of models, but I am very satisfied with the phone I picked, I knew it was just the right model for me. If you're looking for a Samsung phone that's moderately priced, then I think you should definitely consider this model. As I mentioned in Part I, The SPH-N200 (starting range $150 to $200) only cost me about $100 because of a $50 discount offered by the Sprint sales reps.
I get fairly good reception out of the phone, other than when I'm in my home. I frequently have to go outside or to a window when I want to place an outgoing call, and this has become slightly annoying, but other than this small hindrance I have mostly only good things to say. Once in awhile it will drop a connection, necessitating another call and wasted airtime. I have no other cellular experience to relate it to, so I figure this is normal and comes with the territory. I usually have no problem connecting to the PCS network. The phone has switched me to Analog Roaming only 2-3 times, but never when it was crucial. Once, a few weeks ago, I was on an errand to the corner convenience store around midnight, and when I tried to pull the phone out of my jacket pocket in the store, I grabbed it in exactly the wrong manner and the battery released into my hand while the phone fumbled to the floor, but it survived.
Also, in a different instance, I drove off with the phone on either the roof or the hood of my Dodge Neon, and didn't notice it was missing until later the next day. I couldn't find it inside my house, but I did eventually find it ringing face-down in my driveway, a little sandy & none the worse for wear. I was fortunate in that it slid off just far enough for me not to run over it when I came home later that night. I wasn't worried though, as I had bought the replacement warranty insurance, which is like five dollars a month. A true no-brainer.
The SPH-N200 has a long battery life. I have gone 5 or 6 days at a time without charging the phone. Supposedly it has a talk time of nearly four hours before the battery is drained, but I have gone nowhere near the limit. I think the longest call I've ever placed on my phone was about 35 minutes.
Due to bad timing, I heavily used the wireless web feature on the phone the first week I had it because my laptop had crashed and it took me a few days before I had time to get it going again. When Sprint called me and told me after one week that I had already surpassed my monthly credit limit, I knew something was amiss. I then wisely laid off of that feature, but I did then end up switching to the $80 monthly unlimited nights & weekends plan. The wireless web is a nice feature to have -- but you better use it very sparingly, because it could set you back a pretty penny if you sign up with the wrong plan. Just remember, wireless web on a cellular is no substitute for a real computer.
The second bill I got had $400 of erroneous charges, but Sprint soon realized the error of their ways, and the third bill they sent me was the correct total for the second and third month combined. I now pay the bill online through the Sprint website, which makes my life a lot easier since I hate envelopes and stamps with a passion.
One last caveat, if you are ever tempted to create an "name@sprintpcs.com" email account with your Samsung phone, don't let your mailbox fill up, because retrieving your password is hopeless if you can't receive an email in your inbox, and it's nigh to impossible, okay, hell, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE, to get anyone at SprintPCS to return an email or a phonecall to you unless it's about your bill.
Unhappily, the cellphone can only be charged in its large desktop cradle, which would not be convenient for those interested in being mobile a majority of the time. These few drawbacks aside, I think you'll find that this is a very commendable product, even though I strongly dislike Samsung's kooky & cloying commercials. (125/2,257)
See Part I for the Lowdown on the Sprint PCS Online Store that I purchased my Samsung Model SPH-N200 from, two months ago.
FEB. 5th UPDATE: I am very happy to report that I am still happy with my phone, and that Consumer Reports has rated my phone No. 1 in their February 2002 issue.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100
Recommended for: Stylish Trendsetters - Hip and Trendy
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sfarmer76
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