April 2007
First Look: Samsung UpStage music phone
A mobile phone with a multimedia flip side
Product name: Samsung SPH-m620 UpStage
Price: $150 with 2-year contract, $300 without
$0.99 or $2.50 per song download from Sprint Music Store
What it is: The Samsung UpStage, available from Sprint, is one of the latest mobile multimedia phones. Like Verizon's Chocolate phone (from LG), the UpStage combines a cell phone and a portable digital media player in one portable unit--but with a novel "two faced" design. On one side, the UpStage has a screen and controls for voice and text communication tasks. Flip the phone over and you'll find controls--and a larger color screen--that will let you play digital music and video files, including streaming videos and radio stations from Sprint's wireless service.
Here are our initial impressions of the Samsung SPH-m620 UpStage:
HIGHS
Handy size. At 4.1x1.8x0.4 inches (HxWxD) and 2.7 ounces, the UpStage is one of the thinnest and lightest multimedia devices we've ever tested.
Multimedia applications. It has a 1.3-megapixel camera for capturing digital still images as well as video. Additionally, you can download and stream music over the air from Sprint's Music Store or subscribe to mobile podcasts. The Sprint TV service allows users to subscribe to various television channels, which can be viewed directly on the handset. A host of other features are available from the On Demand application, including news, sports, weather, maps, and movie listings.
Decent or better sound. The audio quality was good to very good, depending on the quality of the music file and the headset used. (MP3 files encoded at bit rates of 128K to 192K sounded best.) Based on Samsung models we've previously tested on the Sprint network, we expect the UpStage to provide decent voice quality.
Built-in Bluetooth and PictBridge. The phone can wirelessly connect to Bluetooth-enabled stereo headphones, hands-free headsets, computers (for synchronizing) and printers. It also has PictBridge technology, which enables the phone to print stored images directly to a PictBridge-enabled printer without using a computer.
Extended battery life. The UpStage comes with a novel carrying case with a built-in rechargeable battery that supplements the phone's internal battery. The manufacturer claims the internal battery alone provides up to 2.5 hours of talk time. But when coupled to the extra battery, UpStage's talk time reportedly jumps to 6.3 hours. (Our experts are still performing tests on actual talk time.)
LOWS
Challenging to use. While intriguing, the two-sided design is not altogether practical. The display on the phone side of the device is especially tiny, measuring only 1.4 inches diagonally. And while the media-player side has a larger, 2.1 inch diagonal screen, the keyboard for entering text--names for music playlists, memos, e-mails--is on the phone side. As a result, we found it annoying to constantly flip the phone to complete tasks. And the button that flips the phone is easy to hit by accident, since it's on the thin edge of the device.
Downloading and DRM issues. The UpStage won't store or play copy-protected music files you've purchased from Web sites other than the Sprint Music Store. You might need to install software from the included CD-ROM before your Windows PC will recognize the UpStage and sync media and other data with it.
Spartan features. While the UpStage has rudimentary music-player features, it's missing features that are found on many MP3 players, including headphones, a tone control or preset equalizer, volume leveling and/or volume limiting functions. And while a MicroSD card slot allows you to add up to 2 GB of memory, that isn't a lot of capacity for music and videos compared with many other media players.
BOTTOM LINE
The Samsung UpStage invites attention due to its distinctive design, but in practice it can be difficult to master. Still, this unique device packs a lot of features into a tiny package. If you can deal with the UpStage's two-faced nature without, well, flipping out, it may be worth considering.
Read our free buying advice and news on cell phones for more helpful information.
Consumer Reports Video  |
| FIRST LOOK | |
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Samsung UpStage music phone |
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Price: $150 with 2-year contract, $300 without
$0.99 or $2.50 per song download from Sprint Music Store
What it is: The Samsung UpStage, available from Sprint, is one of the latest mobile multimedia phones. Like Verizon's Chocolate phone (from LG), the UpStage combines a cell phone and a portable digital media player in one portable unit--but with a novel "two faced" design. On one side, the UpStage has a screen and controls for voice and text communication tasks. Flip the phone over and you'll find controls--and a larger color screen--that will let you play digital music and video files, including streaming videos and radio stations from Sprint's wireless service.
Here are our initial impressions of the Samsung SPH-m620 UpStage:
HIGHS
Handy size. At 4.1x1.8x0.4 inches (HxWxD) and 2.7 ounces, the UpStage is one of the thinnest and lightest multimedia devices we've ever tested.
Multimedia applications. It has a 1.3-megapixel camera for capturing digital still images as well as video. Additionally, you can download and stream music over the air from Sprint's Music Store or subscribe to mobile podcasts. The Sprint TV service allows users to subscribe to various television channels, which can be viewed directly on the handset. A host of other features are available from the On Demand application, including news, sports, weather, maps, and movie listings.
Decent or better sound. The audio quality was good to very good, depending on the quality of the music file and the headset used. (MP3 files encoded at bit rates of 128K to 192K sounded best.) Based on Samsung models we've previously tested on the Sprint network, we expect the UpStage to provide decent voice quality.
Built-in Bluetooth and PictBridge. The phone can wirelessly connect to Bluetooth-enabled stereo headphones, hands-free headsets, computers (for synchronizing) and printers. It also has PictBridge technology, which enables the phone to print stored images directly to a PictBridge-enabled printer without using a computer.
Extended battery life. The UpStage comes with a novel carrying case with a built-in rechargeable battery that supplements the phone's internal battery. The manufacturer claims the internal battery alone provides up to 2.5 hours of talk time. But when coupled to the extra battery, UpStage's talk time reportedly jumps to 6.3 hours. (Our experts are still performing tests on actual talk time.)
LOWS
Challenging to use. While intriguing, the two-sided design is not altogether practical. The display on the phone side of the device is especially tiny, measuring only 1.4 inches diagonally. And while the media-player side has a larger, 2.1 inch diagonal screen, the keyboard for entering text--names for music playlists, memos, e-mails--is on the phone side. As a result, we found it annoying to constantly flip the phone to complete tasks. And the button that flips the phone is easy to hit by accident, since it's on the thin edge of the device.
Downloading and DRM issues. The UpStage won't store or play copy-protected music files you've purchased from Web sites other than the Sprint Music Store. You might need to install software from the included CD-ROM before your Windows PC will recognize the UpStage and sync media and other data with it.
Spartan features. While the UpStage has rudimentary music-player features, it's missing features that are found on many MP3 players, including headphones, a tone control or preset equalizer, volume leveling and/or volume limiting functions. And while a MicroSD card slot allows you to add up to 2 GB of memory, that isn't a lot of capacity for music and videos compared with many other media players.
BOTTOM LINE
The Samsung UpStage invites attention due to its distinctive design, but in practice it can be difficult to master. Still, this unique device packs a lot of features into a tiny package. If you can deal with the UpStage's two-faced nature without, well, flipping out, it may be worth considering.
Read our free buying advice and news on cell phones for more helpful information.
