Samsung C207 Phone (Cingular)

Move in style with the sleek Samsung C207, an entry-level powerhouse that features a color display, support for MMS messaging, robust gaming capabilities and more. It's the perfect little companion for Cingular users.

Design
The C207's sporty candybar form factor sports a large, 128 x 128, 65,000-color display. An internal antenna means there's nothing to break off or snag on your pants pocket. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button above the handset's dial pad. Up/down keys are provided on the left side of the handset.

Calling Features
The phone's built-in address book, which supports up to three numbers per entry, can store up to 1000 contacts for quick and easy management of your friends, family and associates. Polyphonic ringtones, plus a vibrating alert, are built in and more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular's MEdia service. Picture ID and ringer ID allow you to set graphics and ringtones for specific groups of callers.

Messaging and Internet
The C207 has robust messaging features designed to keep you in touch wherever you roam. In addition to basic text, picture and sound messaging, the phone features support for AOL Instant Messenger (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in web browser for MEdia downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia service lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the C207 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a to-do list, a calendar and an alarm clock.

Imaging and Entertainment
Four games-- Ultimate Golf Challenge, Mobile Chess, Fun2Link, and BubbleSmile-- ship with the C207, and more Java-based games are available for mobile download from the MEdia service. Customizable wallpapers let you dress up your C207 to suit your style.

Vital Statistics
The Samsung C207 weighs 2.43 ounces and measures 4.13 x 1.69 x .75 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6 hours of digital talk time, and up to 220 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
C207 handset, lithium-ion battery, AC charger, user's manual.

1 Simple, effective cell phone
I've given this phone top marks because, for what it represents itself to be, it is exactly that. Yes, it is a little hard to read in direct sunlight (put "contrast" on 1, and it's better); yes, the menu is not 100% intuitive -- more like 85%; but the sound quality is excellent, as is the reception. It feels comfortable and solid; and it is compact. I'm very pleased that I bought it and would recommend it to anyone who wants a simple, straightfoward cell phone that works well.

2 Just your average no frills cell phone
I bought this cell phone a couple of days ago to compare network coverage between T-Mobile and Cingular

Pros:

- Minimalist style is very appealing

- Very light-weight

- Good battery life

- FREE; you can also get money back for buying it from Amazon

- Picks up a good reception; much better than a Sony Ericsson T610(although for different networks, I get great reception for both networks at my work)

Cons:

- Earpiece quality is not that great, especially when you have your ringers set to the highest audio level. The louder the ringer, the more distorted the audio is, which is very disappointing, considering the ringers can't get so loud. It seems like Samsung has yet to figure out how to do audio. Callers are loud, but not necessarily clear. Whether that can be attributed to Cingular's network or Samsung's manufacturing is completely unknown to me.

- Some menu functions are ridiculously time-consuming to get to. Sub-menu after sub-menu constitutes bad design. Samsung products have gone through a lot of different software designs, you'd think they'd have gotten better at it. On a side note, menu is very similar to Sony Ericsson T series, just not as intuitive.

- Navigation keys are too small. Yes, the phone is small, but the navigation could have been done better.

- Screen is not readable in direct sunlight. Most screens aren't, but they could've done better. Also, when you lock the keys, screen does not light back up when a key is pressed. When you're tired and need to unlock the keys and it's dark, it gets a little frustrating.

Overall, a very basic cell phone. Quality issues don't concern me too much, as the phone hasn't crashed or done anything bad on me. Bottom line, if you need a cell phone for occasional calling this is pretty decent.