May 04, 2001 09:43 PM
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At first glance, the Samsung Uproar, with its dull, silver finish and Art Deco flair, seems almost retro. And although it’s a bit boxy, it does receive its fair share of wanting glances when it’s out in public. Perhaps that’s because it’s a hair smaller (4.2 by 1.8 by 0.8 inches) and weighs a smidgen less (3.7 ounces) than the flashy Nokia 8860 chrome phone.
While the Uproar doesn’t have the sex appeal of the Nokia, it is loaded with features. Aside from the built-in MP3 player, it has all the basics found on most Samsung phones, including voice memo, voice-activated dialing, a calendar, wireless Web access, bilingual menus (Spanish/English), a five-line backlit display, call logs, and a 229-name phone book. It’s easy to navigate through the phone’s menus via the two volume keys located on the left side of the phone and the small keypad
As noted, this is more than just a phone; it’s also an MP3 player. You can hold about 12 to 14 songs on the 64MB of internal memory (sorry, there’s no slot for adding more storage). To get songs onto the phone, you install the included RealAudio RealJukebox software on your computer, then upload tunes via the included USB cable. Sound quality was generally good--for an MP3 player, anyway. But don’t expect to be blown away by its sonics, particularly if you’re using the included headphones.
Speaking of battery life, the Uproar’s is pretty respectable. Samsung says you’ll get up to 140 hours of standby time and 200 minutes of talk time, and our tests confirmed those numbers. On a negative note, the phone comes with an unusually large desktop charger, which frequent travelers won’t appreciate.
Overall, this is an innovative product, and I applaud Samsung’s efforts, but I don’t feel that the Uproar is polished enough to recommend spending $399 for the privilege of owning it. Chop off $100, maybe, but as it stands, you’re probably better off waiting for the next generation of MP3 phones.
