One of the neighborhood thuggees relieved me of my cell phone, an LG Banter. Funny, isn't it, how that $39 contract-subsidized phone becomes $249 when you go to replace it... I needed a replacement chop-chop because my wife insists that I carry a cell phone. This is one concession I have had to make in my marriage because I absolutely detest cell phones and believe they are the bane of modern society. But that's a story for another day.
After examining my options, I chose a Samsung Trill. Essentially a mp3 player that doubles as a phone, the local US Cellular dealer had a used one and "cut me a deal" even though I am still awaiting that kiss.
Straight up: If you are a text messaging junkie, avoid this phone. It has no keyboard. That's OK by me because, again: I hate cell phones. If I want to converse with you I will "pick up the phone and call you". Simple as that. The text messaging interface is very good, however, given the limitations of no keyboard. I got used to the conventions easily.
Two other "multimedia" features of this phone are the camera and video. Yes, it "shoots" video! -- The Banter did NOT do that. Pictures are typical cell-phone 1.3 megapixel crap with maximum resolution of 1280 x 960. Not terribly bad, and the night mode helps greatly in low-light situations. I must state that I have a bias against cell phone photos because I am blessed to own a Nikon Digital SLR. ALL cell phone pictures therefore are crap in my mind. And they are. I have not thoroughly tested the "camcorder"... It seems to be adequate for a quickie video of whatever has your interest. It offers "superfine", "fine", and "normal" video... however, I have no idea of FPS or frame size for these modes. Short review: The video function works.
The phone functions perform as advertised: The phone "dials" and receives as it should, and the controls for the contact list are intuitive. Voice quality is clear, but "you can still tell it's a cell phone!" No kidding. There are no surprises here. Load up your favorite ringtone and have at it.
Where this phone shines is in its music-reproduction capabilities. While hardly audiophile quality (how can it be? the files are compressed! and lossy compression at that!), the sound reproduction is on or above par with any phone --or-- mp3 player to which I have listened. And this is with the stock $2 earbuds that came from the factory with this phone in a little plastic baggie marked "Made In China". The great sound is, I'm sure, made possible in no small part by the "ICEpower Audio" by Bang & Olufsen. The music formats accepted are WMA, MP3, AAC, AAC+ and EAAC. This must means you can play the following audio formats: Windows Media, MP3, (Sony) AAC, and Apple Audio files that do not have DRM. ("M4A's") I was also pleased to note that the headphone jack was the standard audio 3.5mm size and not the tiny 2.5mm break-o-matic provided with almost ALL cell phones. This means that I am free to purchase a decent set of headphones and plug them directly into this unit. Lord, let the Holy Ghost come on down!
Battery performance has been exceptional. I charged the phone up to capacity yesterday morning, made 2 short calls during the day and then listened to 2 hours of classic Van Halen at reasonable volumes last night during my son's baseball practice. This morning, the battery meter still indicated a full charge. Your mileage may vary, of course. If you're looking for a great mp3 player that doubles as a basic features only cellphone, then you may have found your answer in the Samsung Trill.
Top Jimmy: He's the King!
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