Hi everyone,
I’ve been a regular at this site but, this is the first review I’m writing on mouthshut.com. I noticed that many had requested a review on the new Samsung mobile phone, SGH-C100. So, here’s my review…

First a look at the phone’s specifications
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65,536 colour screen
JAVA Capability
OTA Game downloads
GPRS (Class 8)
WAP 1.2
JAVA 1.03
IrDA
SMS + EMS messaging
Scheduler, Alarm, Calculator, To do list , Calendar, World Time, Clock.
Internal antenna
Sliding type SIM
Dual band (GSM900 + DSC1800)
Dimension (mm) 111 x 45 x 17
Weight (g) 76


Why I bought the phone
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I actually had a Nokia 3315 for about 6 months, which was a good phone considering the features offered at that price. Seeing the new range of cell phones that have flooded the market, I wanted a budget colour phone for less than INR 10000, packed with at least some of the new technologies. My options were basically the Sony Ericsson T310 and Samsung SGH-C100, as Nokia does not have a model that’s feature-packed for less than INR 10000. The Samsung C100 scored over the Sony Ericsson T310 in the display capabilities (number of colours in display, colour depth, clarity, brightness and sharpness of image), JAVA capabilities, user-friendly menu format, general handset styling (including dimensions, weight and general appeal).

After a month of usage
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Pros
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The display added most of the charm to the usage and the phone functioned without any problem. The wallpapers and ring tones that come bundled with the phone are good and I used the GPRS offered by Hutch (Chennai) to download new wallpapers and ring tones for the phone. The phone supports wallpapers only in GIF format, and does not support JPEG file formats (used in Nokia phones). The ring tones are supported in SMAF/ MMF format and not in MIDI file format (used in Nokia phones). The 40 polyphonic ring tones are absolutely terrific and they really do attract attention!

The phone has extra pop-ups near menu options like “Inbox”, which provide you extra info e.g. “2 Messages”. The organizer in the phone is neatly presented and easy to use. The games that are pre-loaded are also pretty good (Honey Ball, Hamster Box, MIDP Man <this is actually Pac man> and Bowling <this game is really good!>). The Openwave browser in the phone is easy to use and works without much problem.

The voice clarity is excellent and the signal reception is also very good.

The phonebook is good, though Nokia users will take sometime to accept the fact that the “Down Arrow Key” doesn’t go to the list of phonebook entries. The keys in the four-way scroll key can be programmed to other useful functions like the “To do list” or “Calculator”, when in the Stand-by mode. The infra-red port provided is also useful for transferring stuff from your laptop to your phone (you can also purchase the Samsung Data Cable that’s sold separately for connectivity to the PC).

Cons
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The messaging system doesn’t allow you to teach new words to the T9 Dictionary, so you’ll have to enter new words using the usual method every time. This needs a little time getting used to, but I wouldn’t say its much of a hassle after a few days. The game downloads over GPRS don’t seem to be working fine. The phone doesn’t support MMS, which is slowly catching up these days. And yes, it doesn’t have a Camera, neither does it support the attachment of one.

I am not sure whether I can call this a negative aspect of the phone, but they could have paid more attention to battery life. The Li-Ion polymer battery charges fully in about 4 hours and lasts 2 days on normal usage. But, if you use GPRS the battery gets drained faster.


The final verdict
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The phone is certainly the best low-budget mobile phone currently available in the Indian market for the features offered at Rs.10,000 (appx, with bill) and Rs. 7,200 (in the gray market).
So, this phone is certainly a good buy for those who…
Ø want a feature-packed phone for less than INR 10000.
Ø are not particular about MMS/ Camera
Ø don’t mind the new text entry system
Ø and…don’t mind breaking away from the NOKIA phones ;)


Some good wap sites for pics, ring tones and jokes over GPRS...

1. wap.twilightwap.com
2. wap.my-juju.com
3. wap.mobileclub.com.ru
4. wap.jokescentral.com
5. wap.google.com (search engine)

e-mail me for more info >> ashokrahul@hotmail.com

Regards,
Rahul Ashok
(Chennai)

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