User Reviews

Samsung SCH-u740 Alias Review

Pros:
- Dual flip is cool and different
- Size is nice and compact, in fact my RAZR case fits it perfectly so no need to buy another one of those
- MicroSD support (as opposed to some other format) makes it easy to trade cards in and out
- Bluetooth support is partially positive... I was able to push all of my contacts over from another unit
- Others mention this as a con, but I like the keyboard size. I am not a huge text message user but when I do use it it is okay. I'd rather have a keyboard this size than none at all. With the exception of the number keys.
- Front controls for music are nice
- HoFo users reported success in viewing text messages on the outside display
- Included tools like a stopwatch are very helpful.


Cons:
- Proprietary charge/data port as opposed to micro USB. But the port is used by some other Samsungs so at least it isn't totally new.
- Reception so far is not the best. Maybe I'm having a bad tower day but my first couple of test calls were dropped in an area of the house where I normally make calls from fine with other phones (and it isn't in the basement)
- Verizon locked out access to Samsung PC Studio (at least I haven't found a way to get it to work yet), so I couldn't easily move contacts, wallpapers and ringers over through the data cable. Pushing them through BT worked but it took about twenty minutes going one at a time
- I said above I like the smaller keyboard but I wish the number keys were easier to hit. Dialing a number correctly the first time is going to take some getting used to.
- Screen resolution. Shouldn't QVGA by the norm on new phones? But at least it matches prior resolutions so my wallpaper collection is still good
- BT support is partially negative with no A2DP support
- Having some functions be landscape-only is understandable for some functions, but there were others where I thought landscape/portrait mode should not have been a factor
- Flip hinge has some lateral movement to it when closed. I suspect getting it to be tight is tough with this dual flip design so it isn't a huge con.

Overall I am very happy with it. Would I take it over the enV for extended travel? Probably not because of the A2DP, screen resolution and camera resolution shortfalls to the enV. But for everyday use I would probably grab the u740. If form factor is not an issue then users will probably prefer the enV due to the more spacious keyboard layout. But I tend to like thinner units so that issue is a wash for me.

I love a text, so this phone is perfect for me... I like the keyboard aspect of it - it makes writing people quicker, which is nice since I rarely communicate by actually calling someone. Also, I've dropped it on the subway platform about 20 times and its still kickin'...

My main complaint is that its practically impossible to enter symbols while typing a text message. you have to press like 10 buttons to enter a "("

i do like some of the graphics it has and the styles you can set the phone. also it looks flimsly but ive dropped it a billion times and its still works great.

actually the main reason i bought it was because i really wanted a keyboard with my phone and this was the cheapiest option that verizon had.  So it was a good deal for what it cost.

After a $100 credit for renewing my contract and a $50 mail-in rebate, this phone only cost me $2.50.  Consequently, I treat it like crap, and it's still held up for over a year now.  In fact, I (accidentally) dropped it 4 stories onto concrete, and once I found the battery and back plate, I reassembled it and it still works.  Had it been a $600 iPhone, I'm pretty sure it would have broken, and I'm even more sure I would have cried for days.

I must say I've been happy with this phone, but it hasn't exactly been life changing. I had been using a Treo for 18 months before getting this one and I got so used to having internet. This phone is enabled with Verizon's internet services, but after playing with the trial for a few days, it was so slow and hard to use that I gave it up.

I do like the QWERTY keyboard for texting...the buttons are pretty small, but I find them manageable. One thing that's a pain is that if you want to use the alternate character for a button (e.g. a comma that is shared with the 'h' key) I feel like you have to hold the button down for just a bit too long. Very minor nit.

One other thing I can't stand is the charger. It's a really thin, sort of flimsy insert...it doesn't always fit smoothly into the port on the phone and I'm always worried I'm going to break it.

Anyway, maybe the browsing software is better now? I still use it so hit me up if you have advice. Thanks.