1 Great phone
I was surprised to see some bad reviews on this phone. I have NEVER had problems with the phone. I own the phone for almost 16 months now, no complaints. I dropped it several times and yet it was in perfect condition. Very light in weight and so sleek it fits in any of my tiny purses. Charges fast too.
2 Pretty Good Phone
Overall I really like this phone. I've dropped it a million times but it keeps on working. Even worse, I've dropped it in the toilet twice! After two days of dry-out time (each time) I turned it on and it worked perfectly! I find that pretty unbelievable! I was shocked actually. And relieved. I thought for sure I'd have to buy another one. Unfortunately, in one of my droppings, the antenna broke off. T-mobile said they would fix it for $60! Instead, I went on E-bay and bought a replacement antenna, unscrewed the back and changed it myself.
I agree with some of the complaints:
*Screen is hard to see in bright sun
*phone book takes too long to "initialize" after you turn the phone on
*scrolling numbers across the screen is annoying
*reception can suck (though I think this is more a function of T-Mobile's coverage than of the phone itself. I think this is true because I've had other phones with TMo service and had the same problem)
*very juvenile selection of rings tones.
On the other hand:
*I like the"one-touch" txt msgsing -- just push the left key and you're ready to type -- bang!
*T9 feature (the default) for text messaging is great! For those who say it gives them the wrong word and then they have to go to Alpha Mode -- WRONG! If you finish a word and it isn't the one you want, BEFORE you put in a space, push the down key and it will begin giving you alernate choices. Example: if you want the word "food" it will actually give you the word "done" first -- which isn't what you want in this case. So simply push the down key and it will change to "food", push it again and it will change to "fond", push again and it will change to "dome", etc. When the word you were trying for comes up, just put in a space and keep typing the rest of your sentence.
*Another T9 tip: for contractions, such as "can't", type in c-a-n-then the number "1" key (which will give you a period) - then "t". As soon as you hit the last letter ("t") the period will magically change to an apostrophe. Neat!
*Still another tip: Sometimes you don't realize you've got a wrong word in your sentence til after you've finished. No worries! Just scroll back (with the left key) until the cursor is positioned just after the last letter of the word you want to change. Now push the "down" key to get all the other word options.
*But that's not all: For punctuation, hit the number "1" key. It will give you a period. Push the "down" key and you will get a comma, a dash, a question mark, and exclamation, an apostrophe, an @ sign, a colon, a semi-colon, a slash, and a number 1. You simply keep pushing the down key until what you want is displayed.
*Remember in T9 you can access numbers from all keys too. If you press the "a" key for instance but really want the number "2", just push the down key for options and keep pushing til the "2" displays.
*Here's a T9 feature I discovered by accident: If you're spelling something weird that is not in the phone's dictionary (and by the way you can add your own words to the dictionary), then type the first part of the word (let's say you want the name "Darrel" which isn't in the dictionary) -- simply type in the first part of the word "Dar", it will first display "Far", now push the down key multiple times until "Dar" appears. Now, push the # sign to get a space. Now push the Clear key to back up. Now type the balance of the word "rel" and you will have the complete word. It seems that putting a space after a word, then hitting the Clear key to move back, somehow locks what you just typed from changing anymore. Now only the new letters you add on will change when you push the down key. It's VERY fast once you've done it a few times and keeps you from having to go into Alpha Mode.
*I like the fact that the ringers are very loud. And so is the earpiece volume.
*Once person said that there is no way to send a person to voicemail without opening the phone, which is then of course, the same as answering it. WRONG! When your phone is ringing, push the button on the side -- it silences the ringer -- but the phone is still actually ringing and will continue to ring as long as it normally would, except now you can't hear it.. When that time elapses it will click over to voice-mail.
*This can be handy if you're in a place where you need time to look at the screen to see if you want to take the call but need to silence the ringer immediately. Even if you have silenced it by pushing the button, you still have as much time to decide to take the call as you would if you could still hear it. If you decide not to, it simply goes to voice-mail.
*Someone else said they needed a special headset to fit the phone -- but I bought one at a thrift store and it worked fine. And unlike another's complaint, it allows me to answer and talk on the phone without flipping the phone open. It's great.
*Another tip: Type up a little sticker on your computer that says "If found, please call (friend/spouse name) at (their phone number)." I have inadvertently left mine several times, and someone always calls my friend to say they have the phone. I made my daughter do this to her phone and one time I got a call from the Phoenix airport in the middle of the night telling me they found her phone.
*To keep names together in the phonebook, I put a common word in front. Example: for restuarants, I put "Eat." in front of each one, then their name (like "Eat.Outback Stkhse"). This keeps all the restaurants together as I scroll through my phone book (I don't really like having the extra keystroking to find them in a "group" -- I just like to have them right there with the rest of my numbers).
3 Worst Phone Ever
I have this cell phone for 7 months, and i can say that it is the worst cell phone ever. I have'nt made one call with this phone without the person on the other side of the line complaining abt poor voice quality. The phone goes in a slumber when i send or delete a sms. i had a nokia 3595 before, it is not as sleek or trendy as this phone, but it was a great cellphone.
4 Good, but could be better
I bought this phone in January of 2005 from TMobile. I was so happy to get a cell phone, so i really wanted it. I had previously had a Nokia 3595 and i hated it.
After having it for about 3 1/2 months i think i have it down well.
Pros: The cell phone is thin, more so than most other flip phones, the screen is very bright and very readable, it has games, some applications, and a GPRS internet connection.
CONS: The battery life sucks and i usually have to charge it every 3 to 4 days! The ring tones stink, and the phone sometimes doesn't even ring when it should, the voice recorder is worthless because it doesn't record high pitch and low pitch sounds, the phone doesn't flip very well, and it is really easy to dent the front cover. I have a friend who has the same phone and she put it in her pocket, she was wearing slightly tight pants, and the front screen had cracked! The battery bar isn't very reliable because if i charge it for 5 minutes the bar shows that it is fully charged but the phone still charges.
Over all, if you really dont care what kind of phone you buy you might like this one slightly.
5 Worst phone ever purchased
My girlfriend and I both have this phone and each of us have had to return it to the insurance company at least one time. I have had this phone for almost a year and now (1)the dam thing just turns off whenever it wants; (2)the phone book takes forever to "initialize"; (3)the buttons have some sort of delay which causes the phone to be difficult to dial; (4) overall, i feel that while it is small,sleek looking phone, the basic phone mechanics are terrible.
The coverage is horrible.
T-mobile also has the worst customer service out of the 3 (ATT, NEXTEL and Tmobile) service providers I have used. I cant wait to switch to verizon.
6 Awesome phone!
I had this phone for over one year now and never had a problem with it. When my friends are complaining about the battery life of their cell phone, mine will get through 2-3 days without recharging it. Love it!
7 Phone for the basic cell phone user
I've had the Samsung e105 for over a year now and find it to be an exceptional phone. It has many features that is appealing to all cell phone users.
Pros:
-Small and lightweight (great for carrying in small pockets)
-Large and Vibrant inside color screen (unlike many other cellphones that have a dull color screen)
-Extremely durable (has been dropped various times and gone through some abuse, yet still performs at optimal level)
-Menu is well thought out and easily accessible
-Phone book stores multiple numbers (work, mobile, home) as one contact, rather than listing each number individually.
-Overall appearance and construction is great
Cons:(mainly small quirks...nothing large or significant)
-Cannot change ringtone volume w/o having to access menu
-Obnoxious ringtones (loud and absurd), but can be remedied by downloading ringtones from T-zones.
-Phonebook cannot be accessed until a few minutes after the phone is powered up. This is annoying at first if you turn on your phone and want to find a phone number immediately.
-Receiving end of calls have mentioned background buzzing from my end of the call, but this could simply be the fault of T-mobile's reception, and not the phone.
-Sometimes the cell phone delays and does not recognize that it is open. This just happens randomly and lasts for no longer than a few seconds.
Overall, the phone is completely reliable and serves its purpose perfectly. I recommend this phone for those cell phone users who are willing to sacrifice not having a camera for a simple, small, and sophisticated phone.
8 I Like it.
I got the E105 last Christmas, (free) through an online deal. I upgraded from an old school Nokia and just wanted a cute little flip phone that wasn't so obsolete. Sure, there aren't as many features on this phone as there are on others, but the basics the phone DOES have (such as receiving and making calls) work just fine. I like that this phone has a larger color screen than some Motorolas or Ericsons. The ringtones are a bit tedious and off the wall, but I've downloaded other ringtones that sound great. I've read other reviews where people are upset and irritated because this phone doesn't have the features they want, or it's so time consuming to get to the screen they need to get to, etc. I honestly don't have this problem. Reading the manual helps. I also read a review that said the phone will not charge unless it's off. NOT true. It's a good basic phone, light weight, and hey, I got it for free. I like it.
9 SAMSUNG-A650 FITS FINE
THIS IS ABOUT THE NICET PHONE I HAVE SEEN! ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY WERE GIVING THEM AWAY AT VERIZON. IT SHOULD SERVE MY NEEDS FOR YEARS TO COME. DAVE
10 Really good phone. Lasts & lasts, even with me......
Ok, I'm horrible on all things electronic. One of those people who anything electronic can't get to work, but once in a great while. The great while finally showed up when this phone came around.
I bought this phone over a year ago and it's still going strong. I've dropped it tons of times and the buttons still work great, the case is still in good condition with a few scratches, but all wear and tear. I had to replace the front faceplate because I broke it by slamming my hip into a counter top with the phone face out in my pocket, but it didn't hurt the LCD screen or the LCD caller ID screen on the front of the phone. C'est la vie.
The battery on this lasts for hours, I've gone a couple of days without charging it. The ringers aren't overly loud, but just set to vibrate and it'll get your attention, I've felt the vibration through my purse before. I get a great signal almost everywhere I am and I've rarely had a dropped call. There have been a couple of times where it won't connect, not many, trust me, but with a re-try or two it'll get going.
Over all this is a really good phone. It's hardy and stands up to most things I can dish out and I'm hard on many things I own. It's well worth the money.
11 What are you all talking about?
I was surprised to see how many people wrote such negative reviews on this phone, seriously...I bought this phone 7 months ago and I still love it! It's small, practical, reliable, and it makes calls and recieves calls like a breeze. I know it's kinda delecate and it scratches easily, but that's normal wear and tear. Sure the ringer tones aren't the loudest, but whenever I'm in a situation where I can't hear my ring tone, I just put it in vibrate mode. Just hold the # key and it's on. The ring tones aren't bad...I really like the "Blue Jazz" one it came with, which is what I have it set to.
It's a fun and friedly phone to use...it has a special "tone" when you turn it on or off, it has lots of ring tones, lots of service light colors, lots of message tones, and the LCD screens on the top and bottom of the phone make it so convenient to use! The buttons and overall finish of the phone is solid. None of this flimsy crap like the Sony Erricson's have. Overall, the layout of the phone is straight forward and easy to use. It's really a nice phone.
12 Not a bad phone, but not the best.
Over all I'd say it's a good phone. When I got it I wanted a camera phone but could not afford one so got this one instead. I have not had any problems with it other than it lacks some of the things I look for in a ceel phone such as
*Camera
*Speaker Phone
*Being able to change the face plate w/o a screw driver
Although I can change the faceplate myself it's a hugh hassle and I have to fight w/ it everytime.
I love the it has the HIFI ringers and tha you can change the "service light". Another thing that sucks about it, is that it is so easy to scratch. I drop my phone quite a bit.. and it looks horrible. It still works great though. I've had it since November and will most likly keep it for around another month and than upgrade to the Motorola V300 since it has a camera and speakerphone.
13 got my money's worth
well I got this phone in december 2003 and I paid about $50 or $75 after rebate, I forget, but I can honestly say that I got my money's worth plus more. First off I can't believe how quick people are ready to rip and degrade this phone, only because it gets scratches on it when its dropped, or because it doesnt have the best ringtones in the world. Sure I agree the ring should be a little louder but people cmon if you want a phone with features look for something else like a Nokia or a Palmone treo 600. Ive had this phone for almost 15 months now and I have not had any technical problems with this phone. This phone does what its supposed to do....make and recieve calls. But now I see that people are even complaining about a free phone, people you get what you pay for and I can say that this phone is definetly my moneys worth. It does lack some features that are growing popular these days but I am about to get the palm treo and that one has all the feature but all in all I say this is a perfect phone for someone who doesnt need too many features, needs to take and make calls, wants a good battery life, and doesnt worry too much about what it doesnt have and should have.
14 Good basic phone if you get it for free
I've read a lot of reviews of this phone and it's interesting to me how people are upset at the phone, not necessarily because the phone itself is bad, but because they don't know how to work the thing. If you take the time to actually read the manual you will learn how to do things the way they should be done and you can troubleshoot things that annoy you. You can delete text messages with two clicks by pressing "delete all." Are we so lazy that pushing a button more than once makes us a downgrade a product? I like this phone - the reception is fine and no one has ever complained they can't hear me and I live in NYC, one of the noisiest places on earth. So, anyway, here is the good:
1) Small, convenient size
2) Nice, crisp, clear screen (adjust the brightness so you can see it outside)
3) Decent battery charge - not the best but not the worst either
4) Phone book entry option when you dial any number - I like this feature because if you are dialing a number the phone asks if you want this in your phonebook.
5) The phone works - period.
The not so good:
1) Yes the phone is a bit delicate but that's why I bought a case for it. Case = no scratches or dings. For some reason flip phones are delicate flowers while brick or candy bar styles like Nokia are tanks. Spend $10 for a case or cover and forget about it.
2) The ringer could be louder and there's no vibrate then ring option - just vibrate OR ring
3) Really bad ringtones easily overcome by downloading new ones at T-Mobile. I have Vince Guaraldi's "Linus & Lucy" on mine now.
4) Handset volume can only be adjusted while on a call - for some weird reason when not on a call the exterior volume control on the side controls the keypad volume. Strange but not insurmountable.
In sum, I got this phone free with a rebate and for free it's not a bad phone. I don't need bells and whistles and I don't want my phone to do more than let me talk with my friends and family. Buyer beware - if you want something more flashy then don't get this phone - it will disappoint. Buy the Sidekick II or Motorola Razr if you want it all. This suits me fine and the price was right.
15 DON'T BUY THIS
This cell phone is terrible. I have had it a year now and I continue to hate it, and am finally about to get another one. The ONLY two good things about it are that it is tiny and it holds its charge for a long time.
Otherwise:
1. The options for text messaging or adding addresses lock in Caps only--really annoying--cannot do lower case letters so YOU LOOK LIKE YOU ARE CONSTANLY YELLING OVER AIM OR TEXT MESSAGING.
2. Falls and instantly scratches--the chrome looks terrible the very first time you drop it.
3. the hinges and lights have broken off. honestly, folks, i have only dropped it a half dozen times, i'm not clumsy and have never thrown it, and it's dinged and dented all over.
4. You can never hear the beep to tell you another caller is trying to get through.
5. The multi-toned ring tones are IMPOSSIBLE to hear if you are in ANY place where there is noise (store, airport, etc) because there is not just one particular tone to get your attention.
6. Individual keys on keypad are too smooth and close together so it is hard to feel your way to press certain ones.
7. People are always telling me they cannot hear me clearly, this is not about reception but the speaker quality of the outgoing speaker piece.
8. This thing PALES in comparison to its predecessor the S105 which I loved.
9. In order to delete messages telling you you have a voice mail message you have to press 6 buttons to get to delete--way too much effort for something done so regularly.
There are other things which I cannot remember at the moment, but to sum it up--the visually attractive qualities are ruined in the first week the first time you drop it; the sound quality is poor; you cannot hear your call waiting beep; and your text messages are ALL CAPS--with so many options out there, save yourself the annoyance!!!!!! Don't commit and get trapped waiting a year to get a new (free) phone!!!!
16 AH!
okay, i had this phone for like...6 months and it was fine in the first month of so, but then..the battery kept dying, like every 5 inutes. seriosuly, well..i last it like last week so i bought a new phone, the mototrola v551, which is bigger, but a lot nicer, with more features, and i hope the battery stays good! AH dont buy this phone!
17 What THE?
I dont know what you people are thinking but this phone is bad.It oly got looks.The phone hardly has any features and it is really small and it doesnt even have a long recorder this phone cant do much you can only record for 30sec.In the nokia 3650 its a min and in the sony errsion t610 its as long as you want...This phone is a waste even thoe i got it as a gift...I want my Contract to end so i can get my Nokia 3650 back or get the sony errsion t610 or Z1010 this is a peace of garbage...
18 REFUND PLEASE......................................
I HATE THIS PHONE! My husband needed a replacement phone. He just had to have a flip phone. OK, he instantly fell in love cause he's a gadget-a-holic.
I can't believe as much as this phone was that it's T-R-A-S-H!
The battery won't charge unless the telephone is OFF! NOW what if you need to use the phone. The screen is now all BLACK so you can't even read it. SO now I have to purchase another cell for Hubby. He's not even a major talker like his WIFEY so it should have lasted 4 ever!
It's a cute phone, but I need something that's more durable for OUR cash flow....
19 Good value for the money
I have had this phone for a month and have been happy overall with it so far (although not nearly as much as the S105 that i had before). The one main advantage is that it is small and fits in my pocket very nicely. The screen is a crisp color display and the reception (in NYC) is fairly good. The one main problem that I have with it is the speaker quality. I am often not able to hear people clearly through the phone, especially when there is noise on the street. The battery lasts about 2-3 days without a charge (at a moderate amount of talk time) and for the most part is laid out very well. For $125 bucks back, you really cant beat it. Samsung is the best cell phone brand on the market today.
20 Not a watch substitute...
I know, people expect all sorts of things from their phones. Me, I value small size and light weight very highly, along with good call quality. I don't need cameras, ring tones, web access, or any of the other bells and whistles, and after 14 months of use, I can say this phone fits the bill wonderfully.
My one bone of contention, is that I also want the phone to substitute for a watch. In this modern age of electronics miniaturization, this doesn't seem like much to ask. The E105 has a handy time display on the outside screen - but not only is it not connected to any time server, it loses a couple minutes per month :-(. I replaced one phone for this reason alone, but the replacement is just as bad...
21 Worst phone I've ever used...
I got this phone back in November and of course I was very excited. It was working great for about 2 weeks, and that's when the trouble started. I began noticing that when I flipped the phone open, the screen didn't come up right away. I've waited anywhere from 5-20 seconds for the screen to light up, which may sound short, but when you are needing to use the phone, it's a real problem. However, I wanted to give it a fair chance so I kept using it, even though the screen still was not working day after day and it was getting worse. I began noticing that the more you do on the phone, the slower it gets - and I mean sssllloooowww. But it wasn't until the phone turned itself off that I stopped using it. That's right - I just closed the phone and it turned itself off for no reason, even though I didn't touch anything. It was then that I bought my new Nokia 6010, the best phone. It is way better and more durable and I love it. Don't mess with this Samsung E105 though, believe me, you will regret it. Along with the annoying problems I listed, it also has crappy ringtones. Get the Nokia 6010 for T-Mobile and toss this thing.
22 good economic phone
PRO: strong signal, clear-cut reception, lightweight, user friendly, sturdy built, best of all is "made in Korea" not China.
CONS: just adequate features compared to other higher end models, but if you just are casual type, you won't need those extra bells and whitsle, screen is not as vivid as E315.
23 Small is good, but come on ...
Cons: (Coz i am all about cons!)
1) Bad reception, compared to Nokia 6010 (same service same place, E105 fails whereas Nokia goes on)
2) Only one alarm (one daily and one one time)am used to 3 alarms or atleast a snooze option
3) it takes too long (at least 3 key strokes) to change the ringer volume, plus it rings as you change it, (irritating)
3) Bad ring tones to start with
4) is not as easy to flip open with one hand as the other models
5) well ... it does look a lil girlish
pros: well .. just to be fair and defend myself here ..
1) nice n light
2) hides in your pocket
3) overall great reception when outdoors or in the city
24 Disappointing product
I was attracted to this Samsung flip phone mainly because of its size and external caller ID, and because of Amazon's unbeatable "make money after purchase" rebate deal. After having it for about 6 months, I'm ready to trade it in. Here's what I dislike about it:
1. Its reception is fair at best. I often have to stand by windows/go outside to get a clearer signal even when I have plenty of signal bars.
2. The preloaded ringtones are all obnoxious. There's not a "normal" ring in the bunch (I eventually had to download one).
3. Menu access response times are laggy (often 1- to 2-second pause after a button is pushed before a menu will come up, sometimes longer).
4. The time and date must be manually changed; the phone isn't linked to a time server (can be a hassle if you change time zones frequently).
5. When it's flipped shut, sometimes the phone will turn off without warning.
6. The phone's screen is hard to read in direct sunlight.
7. The up/down key on the side of the phone does not control anything useful, such as changing ring volume, etc, when the phone is not in use. Instead it controls the keypad volume (yeah, that's REALLY useful...)
What I do like about the E105:
1. It's very small and light
2. It's very durable.
3. The battery life is decent.
4. The external display is nice.
In conclusion, the cons outweigh the pros by far... when my contract is up I'll probably stick with T-Mobile but definitely switch phones.
25 The Pros and Cons
Overall: Great phone, Good Quality. HiFi Ringers (Voice) and Megatones capable.
Let's break this phone down.
Pros:
-[extremely durable] I have dropped, slept on, thrown (accidently.) this phone countless times and it is still in sturdy contact.
-[user friendly] I did not need to use the manual to know how to use this phone. Unless you never owned a cell phone (or any electronics) in your life, this phone is easy to use.
-[impressively lightweight] 2.86 oz!
-[sleek and stylish] one thing that amazed me about this phone is the attractive look, especially when its flipped open. the blue key lighting is gorgeous, a change from old fashioned yellow lighting.
-[small] Size: 3.3 x 1.8 x 0.8 inches, depends if you find this a pro or not. but it could fit in a tight pocket and would hardly be noticeable. could fit in a small purse. etc.
-[many shortcuts] if you're like me, you wouldnt like tapping so many buttons just to get to the function you want. I am not going to get into any specific shortcuts but if you really want to learn them, the manual shows you all different kinds. or you can look at the generous review below me entitled "a few helpful shortcuts"
-[light keys] the keys are very easy to press.
-[GAMES!] one of the things that impressed me about this phone are the games (includes four: MobileChess, Ultimate Golf Challenge, Bubblesmile, Fun2Link). plus you can download more for a cheap price on the net.
-[battery saver] I use my phone (which I have owned for almost a year) throughout the whole day (and might I add, for hours at a time) without it dying on me. All it needs is a good recharge throughout the whole night and it's good to go the whole day. The reason why its so energy efficient is mostly due to the fact that while you're on the phone, it turns off the entire screen after being idle for a while and comes back on with the simple press of a button.
-[strong signal] this small phone has a strong signal, even in my basement. I never had a problem with it unless t-mobile itself was at fault.
-[etc.] for more details just refer to the technical specifications.
Cons:
-[scratches galore] although it's extremely durable, it scratches very easy.
-[mediocre ringtones] the phone comes with a generous list of ringtones, however, I have found myself only mildly interested in about 5 of the preset tones and ended up downloading more tones instead. also, if you download HiFi ringers (voice ring tones) they only sound for about 6 seconds until it reloops, plus the sound quality is not so great. I recommend motorola for better quality ring tones.
-[no camera] if you havent already figured it out, this model has no camera.
-[bad quality photos] If you are sent a picture on this phone, the picture's quality is lessened.
-[etc.] for more details just refer to the technical specifications.
These are only general pros and cons, I have not listed all details. However, as you have read, the cons of this phone are merely minor ones and are outnumbered by the pros. I highly recommend this phone for people who want a classy flip phone at a low price.
Personally, I love this phone and I do not mind that it does not come with a camera, as most phones have bad camera quality anyway. I would rather purchase a separate high quality camera.
26 Don't ever buy from a kiosk
I love my e105 Samsung to pieces! The reception is excellent, it's easy to use, no dropped calls and it weighs practically nothing. As far as the kiosk, I was looking for a phone to replace the Sony Ericson phone that I had bought when I activated my T-Mobile service. Unfortunately, I bought the Samsung e105 at a kiosk that sells T-Mobile service and phones but are not associated with T-Mobile. I then had to call T-Mobile to straighten out their lies. I asked to transfer my existing phone number to the new phone, the salesperson gave me a new phone number, instead and told me that the old phone number would automatically transfer to the phone after two weeks and the new phone number would be removed. Instead of this happening, I was charged for two phone numbers on my next bill and had to call T-Mobile. I explained this to the representative who told me that I was lied to and she straightened out the problem for me. On top of that, the salesperson at the kiosk gave me a car charger that was not compatable with the e105. When I used the charger it locked up all functions on my phone so had to visit a T-Mobile store and they replaced it for me for free.
A salesperson at a kiosk, I was told, is only trying to make a sale. Honesty is not one of their virtues.
27 great little phone
This phone is great for those who don't want much from their phone. If all you want to do is talk and text, this phone is for you. Very compact and has great reception- much better than the motorolas. I will not go into detail about all the pros and cons about this phone since there are plenty of other reviews that will tell you that. I would like to note two things, however:
1.) If you dislike the ringtones that came with your phone, you can download a standard ring from t-zones- it will cost $1.49. If you call 611 and tell customer care that you are disappointed that there are no regular ringers that came with the phone, you might be able to download the standard ringer for free.
2) If you don't want to put out a lot of money right now for this phone and wait several months for the rebates (it took me over 2 months to get mine), you can buy the phone directly from T-Mobile [...]
28 MOSQUITOES!
WELL, THE PHONE IS NICE, BUT T-MOBILE IS HORRIBLE. I HAD A BUZZING NOISE IN THE BACK OF THE PHONE AND I HAD TO TALK TO 3 REPS BEFORE THEY WOULD SEND ME A NEW ONE. I KNOW OTHERS WITH THE SAME PHONE AND THEY JUST COME WITH MOSQUITOES INSTALLED IN THEM. PHONES A LITTLE SLOW. NOT VERY DURABLE. BUT OTHERWISE OK. I WOULD NEVER GET IT AGAIN THOUGH.
29 looks good works bad
This phone is nice and small and has some neat features but the sound quality in general is poor and the sound fades in and out.
The phone is not exactly Irish tough either.
30 bare-bones
this is a good bare-bones phone. it doesn't have a camera but it does just about everything else. the external screen isn't color but how often do you look at that anyway besides checking the time? its major plus is that it's tiny and weighs nearly nothing.
31 Don't use T-mobile if you want to keep your old phone number
My husband and I purchased a Sony Ericsson T610 and a Samsung E 105 in July 2004. We had cell phone service from Sprint PCS on a family plan and wanted to keep our existing phone numbers. We checked all the instructions on amazon.com and with T-Mobile on how to purchase individual phones, switch to a family plan, and port our numbers over. When we got the phones we were successful in porting our numbers over and were very happy with both phones. Then we got two bills - one for our phone numbers from Sprint PCS, and one from phone numbers we didn't recognize and never heard of. Apparently the phone numbers assigned to the phones from amazon.com were never cancelled when we ported the Sprint PCS phone numbers over. Repeated calls to T-Mobile customer service were not helpful - they told us stock answers like disregarding the bill, or that the billing cycle hadn't caught up with the customer service computers, etc. etc. etc. At about the 6th phone call to the company, a customer service rep was able to cancel the account and credit it so we didn't owe them any money for these phantom phone numbers. We were very excited that this was finally resolved and gave this rep's supervisor a glowing report. Case closed... or so we thought. We received a final bill for this account that had all sorts of adjustments but still said we owed $41.06. Two more phone calls to the company came up with nothing but assurances that this would be taken care of. One rep even scheduled a follow-up call to tell me that it went through, but never actually called. Today on the answering machine was the standard recording for code 100 (which means I didn't pay the bill). One more call this evening (October 15, 2004, 3 months after we purchased the phones initially) with me masquerading as SuperBitch got me assurances that this would be rectified in 2 hours. Well, I'm not holding my breath. We like the phones and have no problem with the account that we're supposed to be paying on. It's the account that never should have existed that's the issue. If you're in a situation like we were, make absolutely sure that whatever phantom phone numbers that existed are cancelled as soon as you port your phone numbers over. Better yet, use a different phone service.
32 Warning: Don't Change Plans with T-Mobile!!!
First of all, the Samsung phones are nice, but they ALL have a problem with the display not working after about one year. Just after the warrenty stops. I would suggest that if you are extra careful when you close your phone, it will probably prolong the life of the display. But I digress. I had the previous S105 model and the display went bad about 16 months after I purchased it. I had the 1000 minute T-Mobile plan for 9 months, and then I dropped down to the $10 cheaper plan for one month, and then went back to the 1000 minute plan for the past 6 months. When the phone went bad, I asked T-Mobile what they could do, and since the phone was out of warrenty, they offered a new phone which I did not like for $50 out of my pocket. I had the bright idea that I could order a new phone from Amazon for basically free, and have a replacement Samsung and still come out ahead. When I went to cancel the current contract, T-Mobile told me that I was still under contract for six months. When I switched back to the 1000 minute plan, it started my contract time all over again. They wanted to charge me $200 to terminate the contract. I spent 20 minutes complaining to the supervisor, and she offered to reduce the termination fee to $100, which I had to accept since I would be paying for two phones. Apparently, they consider the 1000 minutes to be a promotional plan, and they had the right in the small print to not give me credit for being a T-Mobile customer for the past 16 months on a 12 month contract. I have never had this problem with Sprint before and I was very upset that T-Mobile would treat their customers in this way. I have written a letter to their customer service asking for a refund, but I have had no response to my letter, which is also a major disappointment to me that they could not even acknowledge the they even received my letter. So if you purchase a T-Mobile phone, DON'T CHANGE YOUR SERVICE or else you will be responsible for a new 12 month contract the second you make the change. The phone is a great deal, and if you handle your phone carefully, and don't change your service, you will come out ahead. I fault T-Mobile for NEVER telling me when I made the change in service that a new contract would be starting, and they should be like other carriers that don't care if you change plans as long as you stay a customer. Shame on you T-Mobile!
33 A Phone Is To Talk/Listen... well, not this one...
This phone may look good and play nice little tunes, but it does not provide the basics - one cannot hear or be heard over the line. The technology used for the tiny speaker and miniscule microphone is primitive at best. The other annoying piece: there is no way to use this phone hands-free, i.e. while driving, doing work, etc., since the phone must be flipped open to operate. This makes it Completely Inconvenient and Annoying since one must stop doing whatever to hold, open, answer and speak over the phone. Even whilst wearing the earplug (again, the same hearing/being heard difficulties), the phone must be held open. (Why have an earplug then?)
One should skip this phone directly and move on to one that not only looks good but works well at what a cell phone is supposed to provide: clear communication on the run.
34 Word of warning.
It appears after about a year to a year and a half these Samsung phones lose their screens. Replacing my Samsung S105 phone because of this issue as well, Seen someone else on here have the same problem as me with the E105. Going with a different phone this time. If it wasnt for this problem I would rate these phones highly, but without the screens it makes it into just a regular run of the mill phone with no options. And a pain to have to power it on and off after about every other use.
35 satisfied user
I upgraded from the Samsung S105 to the E105 about five months ago. I had the S105 for over a year and loved it. The E105 is a close replica of the older model but has a few extra features plus a more compact structure. Navigation of the menus and operation are effortless with the phone's clear menus and simplicity. I use text messaging a lot, and I am pleased with the way the E105 performs with text, minus a few annoyances with the T9 feature. The phone's standard ringtones are less than impressive, but T-Mobile.com offers lots of various Mega Tones and Hifi ringers that are great for $1-2 each. I don't use the internet option often; I find it inconvenient. I also don't use the organizer. One of my favorite features is the outside display caller ID which allows me to see who's calling without flipping it open or answering the call. The lighting is good, and the sound is good. I do have trouble sometimes getting a signal in certain areas. I don't know if the problem is with T-Mobile or the phone itself. Overall though, I am satisfied with the E105's performance, and I plan on keeping it until Samsung makes a newer version.
36 13 months old, now doesn't work.
13 months old, now doesn't work. Shutting the flip lid will cause the lcd on the cover to shut off and causes the color screen to shut off, requiring restart of the phone. probably my last samsung mobile phone.
37 An interesting experience
My E105 worked fine until about two months after purchase when it developed this set of peculiar problems -
1. Once turned off, the phone could not be turned back on.
2. Problem 1 could be bypassed by either having the phone plugged in to the AC charger or by popping out and popping in the battery.
3. Once turned off, the phone would sporadically turn itself on.
Thumbs-up to T-Mobile customer service on this one. When I called in initially, they said it was likely the battery that was causing the problem - a few days later I received a fresh battery which did not fix my problem. A second call resulted in a replacement phone which now seems to be working fine.
Pros: Unit's small handprint, its relative ease of use and the great offer from T-Mobile.
Cons: Slow keystroke response, hard to read the display in sunlight, no auto time update and poor selection of ringtones.
Four stars for the phone/service package.
38 T-mobile does not yet support
I had a Motorola v60 and upgraded to the Samsung E105.I love the phone and it has a ton of great features.One of the main reasons I purchased this phone was so I could download new ringtones.The phones accesses T-Zones with no problem but when you try to download ringtones it tells you that the handset is not recognized and the phone is not currently supported.I called T-Mobile and they said that they know about the problem and it should be fixed shortly.That was over a month ago and still it is not recognized.
39 Good overall compact phone
Previous to purchasing the e105 I was an s105 owner. I loved that phone but I had my pet peeves about it, the keys being connected on the keypad made it difficult to dial at times but as long as I wasn't driving this wasn't really an issue. Yes it was hard to see the screen in daylight but I don't expect to see a crystal clear picture on a cell phone, they aren't mini laptops folks. Although it was hard to read, it wasn't impossible. Unfortunately I went to a concert and lost that phone and replaced it with the e105. I have no complaints, I live in a basement apartment and the s105 wouldn't get service, but the e105 gets one bar and picks up all my calls crystal clear. I can hear the caller on the other line perfectly, my boyfriend has one as well and I can hear the whole conversation if I am sitting next to him in a room with mild background noise. I haven't had any problems with the screen going black, only when the phone goes idle but you can change that option from the menu. Overall I am pleased with this phone up to date, we'll see if it holds up.
40 i love this phone
I really want this phone! and it suits my schools rules for no picture phones!
41 Wonderful phone for 6 months, then the glitches come
When I first got my E105 I loved it, it was small and practical. Now after 6 months I can't wait until my service contract is up so I can switch phones and wireless services. The reception is horrible and hardly ever comes in. At times, it will freeze when I try to answer an incoming call. The battery life is shortening...I have to charge it constantly. The screen sometimes goes blank when I flip the phone shut and i have to turn off the power and restart it so I can actually view my phonebook or incoming calls. I am counting down the days so that I can switch plans and phones. T-mobile may claim to be the #1 technology in cell phones, but it has dropped more calls and has the worst reception out of all of the companies.
42 Great Size, Great Phone
The title says it all. If you are looking for a small phone to use as a phone, then this Samsung will do you good. If you're looking for a smartphone/pda, you might want to look elsewhere.
I've had my E105 for about a month and it has worked like a charm. My reception has been great (T-mobile) and battery life good. The flip phone design is sleek and saves on space. It's a pretty slim phone and will fit into any pocket.
BUT the handset volume is low overall, so it should be avoided by those with hearing impairments. People seem to complain that you can't see the screen in direct sunlight, but for the most part all color screens have this same behavior. The outside display though is black and white and can be seen fine in the sunlight.
As far as being a good PDA with PIM features, this phone lacks. But it does have a calendar with useful alarm features. It has infrared but no easy way to sync your phonebook with a PC without purchasing software.
43 Good and reliable phone
It works, gave no problems as of now. I've been using the phone since 4 months. I liked the sleek built. I didn't like the default ringtones. You can hardly read from the screen in the sunlight.
44 Samsung E105
This Samsung is a great quality phone that you often see from samsung. I am an Industrial Designer and the design and engineering of this phone is amazing. You can't beat the price either. If you want a good solid, long lasting phone, that looks good and is not so hard on the cash flow then I definitely recommend this one.
45 Good Phone
This is a good phone overall. The only problem is it is almost impossible to see the screen outside in the sunlight. Other than that, this phone is a good one.
46 Two thumbs up
I have been nothing but pleased with this phone. In the past, I always got the cheapo freebie phones whenever I renewed my plan, but this time decided it was time to upgrade.
I haven't had any of the problems some people have mentioned -- The color screen is nice, I can actually hear the phone ring in my purse, and its tiny so I can even slip it in my pocket without it stabbing me in the gut.
And, yeah, it doesn't have a camera, but thats not a feature that I need as I already have a digital camera.
I think its a good buy overall. I have been pleased with it.
And, T-Mobile's phone service is outstanding and you get more for your money. 600 minutes a month a free nights and weekends and truly no roaming for $39.99. You can't beat that with a stick!
47 good at first but doesn't not last very long..
My family & I purchased this phone (6 phones) more than a yr ago. I was very excited at first b/c the phone works very well and much nicer than my previous Motorola phone. I liked many functions, ring tones & graphic that it offers. But unfortunately we've experienced a lot of problems w/ this phone after a good 6 months! Like some other customers in here have already said, the phone shuts off during conversation. Sometimes the phone is on but the screen is out! You can't see anything.. and this happens to all our phones! I don't know how long should a cell phone last but I dont think a year is very long... well we got our phones for free (after rebates) so can't really complain... just want to share w/ everyone my exp.. My family members are getting the new Samsung E715 soon.. they have a great promo on it until 8/25 too..
48 Poor Poor Screen quality
I had a S105 before this which was more substantial and also a tri-band (this is a dual band). This seems to have cheaper construction overall. Tinier buttons than the S105 AND A MUCH POORER Color screen. Impossible to read in daylight.
Has "hidden" feature not in the book. If you bump the volume while it is ringing, it will send the call to voicemail. There is no way to shut this feature off.
Sound quality is decent but give me back my S105!!!!(I had to trade it in for this thing).
49 Be careful where you buy this phone
A T-mobile station in Milpitas California charged me $200 for this phone,(...) Shame on me.
I used a Treo 270 before (more on that elsewhere) and this phone as a PIM is a joke. The Samsung software just does not work consistantly. It has crashed my XP system twice (blue screen of death)
It is a cute phone, and is flexible in tune download for ring tones, and I like the AIM interface.
50 CLOCK DOES NOT AUTO-UPDATE
I'm not sure if it is just the fact that this phone is on a T-Mobile GSM network, but you have to set the time by hand. If you travel, your time will be incorrect. Give me two cans and a string. Very, very ghetto...I wish I hadn't canceled my verizon phone. SHAME ON YOU FOR NOT LISTING THIS PROBLEM AMAZON!
51 Love this phone!
I got this phone for Christmas and I absloutely adore it! It has so many nice features and tons of ringtones. If you're like me and you like to check your email and go on the internet on your phone, this cell phone is perfect! I go on the internet all the time for only $2.99 a month! You can download some really fun games and ringtones and you can play games on the internet also. I love this phone, I've had no problem with it yet and I can't think of any bad things about it!
52 Flip Phone wary
I have purchases a few flip phones in my life and have alway had issues with cracking at the joint. Well this was no exception. I am not a power user, nor do I drop my phone, but it cracked, in the same place as my business partners, who also owns the same phone. We took it back to T-mobile within 4 months of service and because it wasn't a software glitch, they said they would replace it for $75.00. Not my idea of a warranty at all. Too bad, because it does have some nice features.
53 Software not as user friendly as nokia
I switched from ATTWS Nokia to T-Mobile E105.
I like the overall sound quality, the color display, good battery life and the fact that it is a flip phone
I don't like that:
The software is not as easy to use as a Nokia
There is no way of switching profiles to meeting or silent
The vibrate+ring feature is very inconsistent
Even if I select a ringtone, it will switch back to the T-Mobile jingle for no reason
Takes a long time to initialize the address book
Takes 2 keystrokes to dial a #
Not sure whether it adjusts the time automatically if I travel to the east coast
54 It's OK, but my cheap nokia was better--for me.
I bought this phone from Cingular about 3 months ago. I still have not been able to use all of its features, because I do not understand what they are talking about, and Cingular is too busy to help (but they were not too busy to sell it to me). My son's contract with Cingular is up in February, and he will take this phone. I am going to find a simpler phone with a different company.
Some of the problems I have had are the volume and the phone's features. It waivers among too loud, scratchy, and non-existent. Also, the instruction book is NOT specific enough for me, and this limits my usage of the phone. And this is a very tiny phone--in the beginning I lost it frequently, and I had to dial the number to find it. The battery life is OK.
And I LOVE that I can call people all over the United States for FREE.
55 Don't buy this phone
I received this cell phone in Febuary, and I loved it. The colors, the sounds, everything. And then, four months later, it doesn't work very well. The screen doesn't turn on right away when I flip the phone open. It shuts off in the middle of conversations. The reception is awful. AWFUL. It seems like it is just put together poorly. Good luck if you buy this phone.
56 Very unique!
Very small and unique phone. Big text and awsome poly ringtone. Nice color screen. One thing I do found this phone not so good is when you turn the volume all the way up and the sound starting cracking.
57 More Cons than Pros (Automatic Shutdown Problem)
I got my E-105 phone in December 2003 and within 6 months, i have to get my phone replaced twice because of the following problem.
The Phone Shutsdown after i talk and close the flip. This occurs randomly. I guess its because of a short. The same thing happened in the replacement phone also. The only good part about it is the T-Mobile Service. They were patient to hear my concerns and send a replacement phone.
58 Great Little Phone With Minor Flaws
I agree with above reviews' reports of good reception and battery life. I've had no problem with the vibrate alert feature - it works fine for me. The screen IS tough to see in bright daylight, but I counter that by angling the screen away from the sun and can function just fine. My biggest complaint? The supplied ringtones are nothing short of bizarre. It's easy enough to download new ones (my present one is the Star Trek red alert siren), but one would hope that Samsung could at least supply some decent ones. Perhaps it's a Korean/US cultural difference.
Anyhow, it's a great phone that's serving me very well.
59 Mixed success
The good stuff: Tiny profile, very durable (dropped mine a few times), the color screen is swank, rings are LOUD enough to hear when your stereo is on, battery will keep you talking for a few hours, and the keys are lit for night-time dialing. I also particularly like the ability to see who's calling before flipping open the phone, though it is configurable to be able to open without answering the call, which was the main reason why I selected this over similar folding phones.
The bad news: T-Mobile charges for text messages, and there is no way to block any that are unwanted. The phone is locked to a SIM card, so be aware of that. The screen is hard to see in the sunlight, but then aren't they all? Sometimes people call you and your phone won't pick it up (even if you are staring at 2 bars while they call you). The call quality is tinny like someone else said, but I think that has more to do with T-Mobile than the phone. Aside from that, it has AIM on it, which is silly to me (particularly since my plan charges for each message), but maybe somebody likes that stuff...
I have to say that I especially like its durability (Samsung makes some tough-as-nails phones, my dog bit a hole in my old samsung and it still worked afterwards). Having dropped it a few times and sent it skidding across concrete, the finish is all scratched up, but the screens are in tact and it still serves its function.
60 Best phone I've owned
I really like this phone, but it does have its problems. First the positives, this is a small, lightweight, solidly-built phone. It gets good reception (meaning that it does a good job of locking inot a weak signal) and has decent battery life for a phone with a color screen. But, there are a couple of issues I have with the phone. One is the display is pretty much unreadable in the daylight. I don't have a problem with the ringtones because I never use ringtones. I am a vibrate only guy. The problem is I probably miss 60% of the calls I get because I don't notice the vibrate. Unless I am just sitting quietly, it is hard to notice the vibrate. Lastly (and to be fair there may be a way to rectify this, but I couldn't figure it out), the VM indicator is sent to the phone as a text message which doesn't get automatically erased after listening to your VM. So, you can either permanently deal with the little envelope icon on your phone or you have to go into the text messages and seperately erase the text message voicemail indicator each time you listen to your messages. Annoying.
61 Very disappointing
Pros: Lightweight and slim
Cons: Can't see the screen in daylight. Don't buy this phone if you plan on using it outdoors(and who doesn't?). You can adjust the brightness but it doesn't help. As other users have mentioned, the ring tones are juvenile and useless. I also agree that the menus are slow and the phone sometimes takes a while to catch up. External caller ID is very small and hard to read. Not very good sound quality on phone - sounds "tinny."
62 Good Phone with some kinks, but not so great service
I have had this phone for about six months now and overall i have been pleased with its functionality. However, I must agree with many of the other reviewers concerning the ring tone issue and the lagging menus. Out of all the ringers they could not put one basic ringer that could be assigned thus I keep my phone on silent mode which is sometimes an annoyance when I am unable to notice the vibration. Another downside is that the ringers itself are not that loud this could be related to the phones size since it is does not hold a large speaker. The menus are another problem for when you turn on the phone sometimes it takes up to two mintues for the phonebook or the SMS service to initiate. My biggest issue is with the t-mobile service itself. In my house my service does not work at all but once i step outside i get service. t-mobile may have great service plans in terms of minutes, extras, and prices but their service is not as good as its cracked up to be. Also they fail to send me my bill in the mail and continue to send my text messages on my phone reminding me to pay my bill. I would liek to see what i am being billed for infine print because i dont want to pay any extra charges without knowing about them.I have addressed this issue but it continues to go on. Again this phone is good but it has is flaws, so if your looking for style but something simple you should have a look but if your looking for more features other than a color screen you may want to look at the motorola V300 on t-mobile. Also ask around about t-mobile in your area. Friends and families opinions may help with your overall decision of this carrier. Look at nextel or verizon if your looking for consistent service and customer help as I have heard. I would recomend t-mobile to people who talk a great deal or for teens looking for stylish and less expensive phones and service.
63 Samsung E105 Is Great!
This phone works great, sure there are some minor flaws. It can't ring and vibrate at the same time which I liked from my Nokia. The ring tones are much liuder though, and polyphonic which makes downloading tones fun. Sometimes the screen will stay black for a few seconds when opened. It might be because Iv'e dropped it though. Small Compact and Useful! Buy this phone if your looking for a new one!
64 No problems
The phone is great. I would like to have some normal rings with it but I keep mine on "cool" and it works for me. Very durable and easy to use for me. Not all the bells other phones have but I was looking for a phone to talk on only, not take pictures. Worth the money.
65 Its good, but not great
I bought this phone, seeing pretty good reviews for it. The part of the screen not turning on for a while is true, but it does not happen that often. The screen on the outside broke quickly also. I have to live with it, becuase Samsung will repair it for more than i paid for the phone, and T-mobile will give me a refurbished one for 70. The phone is pretty good, but the last thing, is that the plastic part in the outside of the phone, that the screen on (on the oustide of the phone) , is coming off. (the part of the phone that says samsung on the top of the phone)
Over all, I would never of choosed another phone
66 A TOY phone wannabe
No speed-dial preview on screen... No icons on phonebook list view... Long phone book initialization wait... No voice dial... Caller ID on front but no reject button outside (open to reject...so much for open to answer)... way too many keystrokes required to be considered user friendly as a phone. Samsung makes great phones for Sprint so it must be that the fools at T-Mobile need to stop marketing to the video game playing market and get serious about making a phone! My suggestion would be to look elsewhere if you want a serious phone. I am sorry I switched phones and carriers.
67 Not what it should be for the money
This phone is OK, just OK. These are my gripes: 1. the alarm has no snooze option, 2. you can't see the screen in the sun at all, and 3. the ring tones are as lame as they come. There is no simple ring tone, like a phone, they all have people singing or counting or cats meowing or someting stupid that would only be cool if you are in high school.
If these 3 issues did not exsist, I would give this phone a 5.
68 Good Phone
I have had this phone for about 8 months now. I purchased it through amazon which was great and I've got all of my phones through amazon.
The pros:
Very nice screen
Ringtones sound nice and clear
external screen
small size
easy to use
can store 1250 numbers including sim card
Now the cons:
The battery dies very quickly after about 2 hours of talking its completely dead and it doesnt give you a wanring it just shuts off
It sometimes cuts off
The screen is sometimes slow to move from screen to screen (mainly with games)
no speakerphone
no voice dialing
This is a good phone, if I were to buy a new phone I would only say to try and find one with a long lasting battery because thats what Im tryin to do now.
69 Great Phone for Average Daily Usage
I have da this phone for 2 months now and it works fine. Compared to the Nokia (Cingular) and Motorola i60 (Nextel) I had previously, this phone is a winner. Voice clearity is great unless you are in a bad spot. T-Mobile's network is not is broad as competitor's but in major cities and along Interstates the phone and service are great. The functionality of the phone is also good. People with bigger hands will have trouble operating with one hand due to its size. You can download polyphonic as well as HiFi ringtones that sound very good and are loud. One can assign ringtones to 10 different caller groups which is neat. T-Zones requires some practice and adaptation time to set up alerts and personal settings but it is very helpful.
(...)Enjoy!
70 I like mine!!
I upgraded from the Sony Ericsson T300 to this phone and I think this one is fab!! I use it practically all day. It is a small and sleek flip, the outer caller ID is great. The menus were a bit confusing to navigate at first, but after having it two days it became second nature. The sound quality on calls is excellent, and having AIM is awesome! I have friends on T-mobile and the text messaging is a hot ticket!! The whole organizer section (calendar, alarm, to-do list, calculator and phone book) makes this phone practically indispensible to me. Add cool Java games and a huge selection of ring tones (and the ability to download more) and I don't know how I ever lived without it.
I have two minor complaints - one is the number of steps it takes to delete things (numbers from the phone book, text messages, etc.), I have to go into the message, click options, select delete and then confirm (my old phone was half as many steps). The other feature missing is personalized ringtones (different rings for different callers).
71 I like my phone
A great small phone. Very small and easy to use. And I have assigned ring tones to differnt friends and family. Matt said he couldn't(?) Drawbacks are screen could be brighter--and battery must be charged daily.
72 samsung e105
me like. but must be recharged almost daily.
73 Very nice phone, all rebates worked
Bought it in January. Very nice phone, good voice quality, nice screen. All rebates worked ($100 from T-Mobile + $150 from Amazon). I have mixed experience with previous Samsung phone - N105 - I have it since over 2 years and it works great but it looks ugly (all paint is gone), but compared to phones(and problems) my friends have, Samsung is the best.
74 Best Phone Ever
I just got this phone on Monday. Despite the fact it was $200, its a great phone. It did come with a $100 rebate so its really $100 after tax, anyway, its a great phone. It has excellent picture quality, well at least way better than my previous Motorola T720i (with Camera). I would tell anyone to buy this phone. Really I would mostly suggest this phone to the young folks, like myself. Its great features, such as AIM, Polyphonic Ringtones, Audio Cips, etc. will keep any teenager occupied..lol All in all, great phone, I give it 5 stars. (...)
75 Best Phone I Ever Had!
I was very pleased in this phone that I bought through amazon. It barely weighs a thing and is very durable with so many wonderful extras such as AOL and Text Messaging! Also the rings that are available for this phone are awesome. Also even after 2 days without turning it off and much usage, it only had gone down 1 power bar with plenty more to spare. Also my cell phone came super quick in the mail, even through free shipping which was a definite surprise. This is a phone that everyone should own!
76 Very pleased overall
I have tried quite a few cell phones out and I must admit this has been my best to date (muchhhhhh better than nokia, motorola, and sony ericson). The reception is excellent, external caller id is nice, display looks sharp, and the sound quality is superb. I have been very pleased with t mobile overall. yes, verizon has better coverage but costs about 25% more. not worth it. plus, their phones are much more expensive and uglier. anyway, here are my caveats about this phone:
the ring tones leave much to be desired (whatever happened to normal phone rings---not everyone likes to hear a stupid song when the phone rings).
the antennae is not flexible..kinda annoying when it is in your pocket. i am always worried it will break.
display is impossible to see in sunlight.
the wap browser is super slow. t mobile needs to invest in the data transfer department. also, they charge you for incoming text messages. only 5 cents but still, should be free. i dont recommend the t zones, for the amount of time it takes to connect you could boot up a computer with internet access.
i wish it had speaker phone capabilites, this is a big drawback for me.
anyway, overall like i said, this phone is one of the top ranking phones out there. their customer service has been awesome so far. if you live out in the boonies, you may not get that great of coverage (try verizon) but if you live in the city you should be golden. for the price, you will not be dissapointed.
77 sleek small cool phone
Hi i just recieved this phone a few days ago. I am 13 years old and thought that the color and the size was cool so i got the phone. I ordered the sony ericsson t610 but heard it was no good so i rejected the delivery. Even though the e 105 lacks the now very common camera you have to ask yourself how much would you really use it? Sure there are some moments where you wish you had a picture but come on. this phone is very reliable yet has a few minor flaws. First of all, this isnt a big thing but, sometimes the screen stays black when you open it. other times when you dial the numbers wont come up for a while. however the phone has many other features that are cool. I would recommend it over anything but the samsung e715 and the motorola v300. BUt overall it is a exellent phone and i would recommend it for the 80 dollars they give you to take it
78 First cell phone and I love it!
I too have put off buying a cell phone but let me tell you that I absolutely love the Samsung e105! I get a strong signal (T-Mobile) everywhere I go without it dropping a line. Regarding the slow response when you open the phone does not exist on my phone. It's on before the screen opens all the way, no delay what so ever. It's very small and light which is what I was looking for in a phone since I carry an iPAQ also. The only bad thing that I can say about this phone is that I can't transfer backgrounds or rings tones from my Windows XP box via IR. My computer will recognize the phone but the phone won't accept any files. But I can also download them from my service provider for a fee.
One thing I love about my service plan (T-Mobile) is that it's free to talk to my girlfriend when ever and where ever unlimited! I think of the people that use the Nextel one-way walky talky feature and I glad that I can call my other T-Mobile friends and family for free.
79 More then pleased ...
I am new to the cell phone era, but I am glad I waited until now. I have been able to see people all around me get them and see what problems they encountered.
I am very pleased with the phone and service I get from T-Mobile. I have not had any problems making or reciving calls from where ever I have been. I have even been able to get service when other could not. I generally have at least 4 lines on reception and others around me have all they can do to get 1.
The phone was very easy to setup and learn. I like the online feature of adding people to the address book. Makes it so much easy to load that.
I was also very pleased with the service I got from Amazon. Phone was shipped very fast. I had an issue with the first one I got (has discoloration on outside) and they resolved the problem immediately. Couldn't ask for more from a company.
All in all I would highly recommend this phone to anyone who would ask.
80 Tmobile & this phone make for a painful experience
Save your money. Even if these rebates are true. Whoever you have as a cell carrier, even if your using an 80s style brink phone - your getting better service. Yes this phone is filled with fun colored crap. But even that becomes a problem. This phone likes to stop and think. Often it will take up to 4 seconds after you open the flip for it to 'wake up'. On top of this you'll start pressing buttons, and nothing will happen for 4-5 seconds and it'll finally start doing soemthing. Its not just my phone. Other people I know have the same problem with this model. I live on the northside of Chicago, and have to go outside to use my phone to get an acceptable quality to understand anyone. I can't tell if this is t-mobile or the phone, all I know is that t-mobile bought voicestream, which was known as the worst carrier in the nation. It seems they haven't improved muched.
81 Great but...
Overall, I'm thrilled with this phone, because it excels at the 2 criteria that are by far the most important to me: pocketability, and reception/voice quality. I've been very happy with T-Mobile, too,
Worst drawbacks to me:
- Clock isn't automatically synched to cell towers, and loses ~3 minutes/month.
- Lack of easy porting of Outlook contact info
- Inability to store notes on the phone. Only way to do this is to text message yourself, but can't put a subject on the text message, just an automatically assigned 3-digit number.
I like the vibrate before ring mode, but would prefer vibrate, then vibrate & ring. WAP's too slow, small and cumbersome for me to bother with. Voice activated dialling would be nice, but speed dial does the job. A non-fancy (ring-ring) ring tone would have been nice, too.
YMMV depending on your needs, but for me, I'd buy it again in a flash.
82 t-mobile has the worst coverage
I left Verizon which I now painfully regret. I can not use my cell for any business out of fear of dropping and broken conversations that happen 90% of the time. I had a business trip to New York in which it'd drop every call after a minute. Do not sign up with T-Mobile. I later found out that it's a "mutt service" that only borrows time on other towers.
83 Decent for the price
Neg's:
Won't ring and vibrate at the same time!
Display is usless in sunlight.
Positives:
If you havent upgrader your phone in a couple years you'll love some of the new fetures as well as a color screen.
84 rrudy
My boyfriend has this phone and it is so neat I've never owned a phone like this but as soon as I can I will have one just like it. Everyone that sees it goes crazy over it and wants one but none of them has went to get one yet! My boyfriend's boss asks him to use it all the time because the one he has he can't use it because it just won't get out anywhere. So like I said this is an excellent phone to have you don't need a house phone when you have this one. My boyfriend's boss has Verizon and doesn't like it at all. Thank You Sincerly Robin L. Rudy A very loyal customer to T-Mobile for four years.
85 Still waiting
I ordered two phones to use in a family plan. I recieved the first phone within a week, the second phone is not even delivered yet after 4 weeks.. I know it is not the phones fault, it is amazon..
But, the phone is missing some feature that are neccesary, my old samsung phone allowed me to adjust the volume of the phone using the up/down button on the side. This phone i have to go through the sound menu, way to cumbersome and difficult to adjust the volume of the ringer. That is my biggest complaint thus far.
86 Phone Is Perfect
Almost every review is right except the individual ringer part. You CAN assign a distinctive ringer to a specified "group." It's no longer individual based, though you can make a group one person. Only disadvantage is there are 10 groups, but just assign multiple people to a group.
Everything is perfect, except there is no voice dialing. Otherwise, awesome buy.
87 Fine as a phone; bells and whistles need work
I upgraded phones (and carriers) from the venerable Nokia 6100, which I've had for three years. My first impression was amazement at how light and tiny the phone was. Folded up, it fits comfortably in my shirt pocket.
My next impression was one of despair: I had over 150 numbers and there was no way download what I already had in Outlook and my Sony Clie running PalmOS into my phone. (To be fair, this was the same with my Nokia 6100.) Manually entering them is incredibly tedious. The T9 mode would initially seem like the best way to go, but it goes on tangents for some of the stranger names. The alpha method of entering has an annoying delay before you can toggle case. There's a function for Camel Case, but it doesn't work at the beginning of a new entry. The phone "crashed" itself once, but soon recovered.
I do like the ability to organize multiple contacts under the same name. Unfortunately, if you make a mistake in which bucket (cell, home, work, email), you can't edit it.
Another strange feature is storing the phone numbers in the phone versus SIM. There's no way to transfer them, and I'm unsure why you'd store any in the "phone" if the SIM still has slots left.
Ring tones can be made quite loud. The standard array of tones include the T-mobile jingle, some strange polyphonic tones, and a bunch of songs like the Chinese Tea Dance tune from the Nutcracker. You can download additional songs for a buck each. While it was initially funny to have my phone play "Stairway to Heaven" with each ring, the joke gets old quick. One problem is it's easy to blend into the background, another is the song is longer than th eperiod before the incoming call rolls over into voice mail. I'd prefer some more subtle tones and/or lighting that is less likely to bother the people I work with.
The screen is 128x128, with 65k colors. This is a vast improvement over my ancient Nokia. However, it's really only useful for small bits of information. Beyond that, it's cumbersome. For example, all four java games are difficult to see, and chess is the only one that's close to playable, despite the board being set up incorrectly. There are more games available for download for a fee.
The WAP browser is very slow to connect and almost as slow navigating between links. There's a shortcut for saving links, which is great because finding the "." in amazon.com required more keystrokes than it should. Given the lack of screen space and the delay between pages, I'm not sure how useful I will find this feature.
I haven't done that much with the organizer yet. As a standalone personal information manager, the screen's too small and the input is too tedious to be the primary tool. On the other hand, assuming the synchronization works with the calendar. The T-Zones service purports to give access to calendaring, though it has a lot of other stuff that I don't have a particular interest in. (Horoscopes, anyone?)
The phone's voice quality is good, though the profile is slightly small for my head. Battery life is fine, too.
Overall, the phone's okay, but bells and whistles need work.
88 Great compact phone
I brought this after using several Nokia's. The software and the ease of use is not as great as the Nokia's but boy this phone is just great. I switched from AT&T and the service in the Silicon Valley is just great. The best way to enter the telephone #'s is to use the pc and the web and xfer it to your phone. It beats the hell out of me as to why T-Mobile sends everything as a mobile #'s but there is a way you can change it by using the "Copy" command. I have tried it and it works.
The biggest problem that I have is that the ring+vibrate don't work together. Other than a few minor issues, I love this phone, it is quite compact the sound is great (a little bit of static could be heard) and the T-Mobile service is great. People complain about this phone before actually getting used to the various ways of doing things. I wish Samsung makes it a little bit more logical and intutive. This phone not a bad idea at all.
89 I love my phone
This phone is a really great buy, it is so easy to use and so lightweight--a great improvement from my old phone. my only problem with it is that the buttons are a bit hard to dial because they are so smooth and small, it is a little tricky to hold the phone and dial with one hand, other than that, I highly reccomend it.
90 Best Phone Ever
this a great phone, i works very good and it has easy ( and I mean Easy) Menu. Also that it very lightwight sometimes i have to check my pockets to see if i have it. I got mine for my b-day and it is was free with a 100.00 off cupon from samsung and 50.00 becasue it was a one-year agreement. This is the best phone ever and also it is a great small, lightwieght phone that is under 200.00. T-Moblie also has great serive you can get 0.99 cent ringtones (so many to chose from) from T-Moblie's websire coverage area i have never called T-Moblie about anything. But this phone has some drawbacks the buttons are to small for big people hands. That is the only bad thing about this phone. If you are interested about getting you should get this phone !!!!!!! trust me !!!!!!
91 Worst Phone I've had
- Could not sinc with anything using the IR port (Even if it could, it would only come in not out) I tried pocket PC's, Palms, and a Nokia phone (My old one with all my numbers in it)
- I took it back to the store due to a Huge Huge huge feed back problem with 2 different high end Headsets (Jabra and Plantronix) I also found that even the second one would cause feedback on my PC Speakers from 3 feet away as well. I plan to take it back again.
- Online, T-Mobile had a great idea to allow you to input names and numbers but forgot to add a check for Mobile, work, home etc. Theres no way on the phone to change the type of number once it's in the phone. They all come in as Mobile.
- No way to move a number from the Sim to the phone or vice versa.
- Ring tones are very juvinile
- Vibrate then ring not both at the same time. Seems like a must to me.
- Entering phonebook entries was a pain using the phone. I wanted to use the sentence case and it kept switching back to caps only each time I created a new entry.
- The phone was free after rebates and I'm going to take it back before I get stuck with it for a year.
92 Such a good phone...
I really like this phone. I got it a little after Thanksgiving and it's been heaven since. No one complains that they can't hear me, and it's cute and small and very nice and slim-line. In all a good phone
93 i got this phone its great!
This phone ir really good.
its light and small so it wont be a bother to carry.it as polyphonic ringtones that sound REALLY good.it has AIM so whenever im away from home i can go on aol.it is a color phone with beautiful pictures
A+++ highly recommended!
94 Tiny, Light, a Real Delight
This is my first cell phone and while it has it's share of negatives (the same negatives that many phones have), I am very pleased I ended up with it. It is small, but flips out to a rather "full sized" profile to fit your face pretty nicely and clips to your belt unobtrusively. Here are the major features I bought it for and what I now think of them:
0. Size - it had to be small, and it is. It is fairly tiny. I ended up purchasing a CellStar leather case/beltclip for it (which I would highly recommend, available at BestBuy, where I got mine...it's a pretty well thought-out and well-made piece), which makes it a fair amount wider and more "conventionally-sized," but at least it is conventionally-sized when *protected* from drop damage, etc.
Thumbs up for size.
1. Voice notes - I was hoping I'd be able to get rid of my current digital voice recorder, but no such luck: you only get five voice notes at a maximum of thirty seconds each. What's more, you have to go through all sorts of steps just to record a blasted note (Menu > Organizer > Voice Memo > Record > Record (again, to actually start it) > Stop)...what a pain! Well, I guess I'm keeping my Digital Voice Recorder for now.
2. Easy entry of a phone number - I would say this is *pretty* easy, except for one thing: the LOUSY text entry. All you do is enter the number, then hit "Save," then go through the process of selecting where you want it saved (SIM or phone memory...you SHOULD be able to just set this to a default to skip this step, but you can't), and naming it. The memory location selection thing adds an unnecessary step, in my opinion, making this process *just* step over the point of being annoying, Ultimately, it gets faster as you learn it.
As an aside, I'd like to say that while I didn't give other phones as much attention as I gave this one, the text entry on this unit is really awful, and not terribly intuitive: I've played with other units that are automatically in "Ab" mode (first letter capitalized, remaining letters lower-case), but here you generally have to switch to that mode with far-flung keys in different corners of the pad. What's more, the "T9" mode (where you press a key once and it matches the keys with known words to try to guess what you are trying to say) is pretty much a joke: out of every three words I attempt, it maybe gets one right. Well, it generally does select an actual word, just not the one you want! This means you have to back-track and redo it, but first you must switch to "uppercase/lowercase" mode, blah, blah, blah.
To sum the aside up, TEXT ENTRY is a PAIN. It should just default to Uppercase/lowercase mode right away, and let you select the not-always-awesome T9 mode if you wish.
Other than those two main features, anything else would be icing on the cake. This unit, as mentioned previously, has no voice-activated dialing. This is not ideal, as I'd like to be able to shout a name into the phone in my car and have it do it's thing, but at least it does have speed dials. Plus, in public, I wouldn't want to be using voice-actived dialing, anyways, so it's not a total wash.
The front display is nice and is nicely backlit. It has all the expected icons (voicemail, sms, signal strength, battery power, and then the time printed large with the date as well).
The color screen on the inside of the unit is very nice looking, certainly brighter and prettier than others I saw in the T-Mobile store. Setting the settings is relatively easy, as is navigating through the menus and stuff.
Changing the volume is easy and intuitive, right to the side of the unit. It has an IrDA transceiver on it's other side, as well, and has some IrDA functions, which I don't use!
The reception outside is always five bars, but inside it can dip as low as one bar pretty easily. This is in our thick-walled house; I was warned about T-Mobile service in our area (Verizon was recommended), but T-Mobile had better minute deals and such.
Browsing WAP sites is pretty OK. The phone certainly can't just take any old site and give it to you; it seems a little erratic in what it can and cannot do. Some sites have surprised me and have displayed, while others just wouldn't display. Any WAP site is fine, generally speaking. Yahoo, Google, MSN, Dictionary.com, etc. is great.
The video games you get are super-boring. The only good one is chess, but the lack of a mouse and having to use small-ish keypad buttons make it slightly more tedious than it's worth. There is a silly pipe-connecting game, a bubble-popping/pattern game and some other one so uninspiring I can't even remember what it is. I'd like to download more, but they are $3.99 each, so FORGET that. (I checked on the mystery game and it's some golf game...not at all as EXCITING as it might sound).
I'm not able to comment on the battery life with any certainty at this point. I charged it fully the first time yesterday and it lasted until this morning, after a day of heavy usage. This could be good, I guess, since keeping a charge days on end would result from only occasional usage, I presume.
All in all, I am pleased. The unit is my first, but there are no glaring deficiencies, so I am generally pleased, if not without a real frame of reference. Plus, this thing actually made me some money after rebate, so I have no complaints all around.
95 Great Phone
I was an AT&T customer with a Siemens model phone. I do think Siemens is a great company but when I saw this E105 I just loved it. I am now a T-Mobile customer and was able to bargain for this phone for free (with rebate). The color screen is great and easy to read. While there is no voicedial, the speed dial function makes up for that in my opinion. It's compact, and as someone said, the buttons are not too small so it is hard to misdial. One reason I decided on this phone was because it has the option to be connected to the Worldclass service. As someone who travels outside the country 3 or 4 times a year it's a great add-on (and with T-Mobile, you only pay for what you use). I've never had problems with reception and in fact one friend even commented on the fact that it was not fuzzy at all and was surprised that I was driving to work and could not hear any background noise, (ie radio, the funny sounds my car makes. lol). I even walked into work, which is a call center and he could not tell the difference. I highly recommend this useful phone. Well it's usefull for those of us who can live without the bells and whistles of sync technology/bluetooth/blackberry stuff. Definitely worth the investment
96 Replaced Motorola
The ring + vibrate works fine, despite what was said in another review. It vibrates for a while, then rings... as it should. I usually leave it on this setting as I work with headphones on, and when I see my phone sliding across the table, I know to look at the callerID on the front of the phone to see if I should answer... or not.
T-Moble (Voice Stream) has been MUCH better than Verizon (No... I can't hear you... stop ASKING!).
Battery life is great with this phone. Can keep it off the charger for a couple days before worrying about it.
Only drawbacks for me include voice dialing and no loud ring.
But the voice dial is not a drawback, as with my previous phone (a great Samsung n105), I found the only time I really needed to voice dialing was in situations where it was too loud for it to work, anyway.
The absence of a loud, piercing ring is probably good. The world would be so much better if EVERYone in the airports could figure out how to get their phones to vibrate... and QUIT standing in the middle of the aisle with your hands behind your back talking "business" through your hands-free. Come on. Everyone has a phone these days; you're not impressing anyone there, Mr. Business Guy.
97 Could have been a little better....
I have used lot of phone before this and switched to this from Sony Ericsson t68i (and t68m).
I definitely like the following features:
* Full color screen looks great and a huge improvement from t68i. All the images are more real and lively. Sending images as an attachement also works like a charm. All the menus are also very colorful and work like a demo of the color quality.
* Great sound quality
* Nice 'ergonomic' keyboard. not sure what ergonomic means in cell phone context but the keys are far apart enought that you can type it clearly and not mess up.
* Polyphonic ringtones
* Helpful second display on the top with easy to silent from the side keys
* Small size and very light
Somethings which could have been better:
* Weird behavior with address book. Not so intuitive to manage it.
* No sync capabilities with computer, atleast I havent' found it. t68i came with a free software to sync with Outlook Address book and I really miss this feature in this phone. Once I organize my address book in the SIM card, and load it in the phone, I get multiple entries as "/M" and "/H" for mobile and home number entries. REALLY ANNOYING.
* Some weird and inconsistant behavior while browsing. Sometimes you have to click twice (Option and then Select) instead of just SELECTing once.
* Battery doesn't last quite as long as t68i ot t610.
* No speaker phone (not that my t68i had it, but Panasonic GU87a is good for that)
* No voice dialing
Overall, a good compact phone if you dont need all the bells and whistles of syncing, speaker phone etc... and are happy with a good stylish small phone.
98 Average phone
It's really an average phone, and there's nothing to be excited about. It has its own pros and cons, but I doubt that I could put it in the top ten. Somebody mentioned that it can play chess, but, come on, it can only move the pieces!
Pros:
1. Small
2. Light
3. Has one international band
Cons:
1. Buggy: ring+vibration does not work
2. No voice dialing
3. Annoying pre-set ring tones
4. Infrared is not compatible with anything
5. Phonebook needs a lot of improvement
99 a great phone for a great price!!!!!
this phone is just wonderful...it has pretty pics and is super light...i love it!
100 Insight on Upgrading to Family Plan and Number Porting
Amazon does not offer family plans, and the number porting process is relatively new, so I want to share my experience with these processes (based on the instructions from this website), in addition to the phone itself.
Got my phone a week ago from Amazon, with the intent to upgrade to a T-Mobile family plan and port my old number (both these have to be done directly with T-Mobile, not Amazon). The new phone arrived earlier than Amazon predicted, activated with a new number.
I went to a local TMo store to do my intened changes, as outlined by Amazon. I already have another T-Mo phone, and the family plan upgrade was a breeze: the rep called it in and when I checked online my plan was indeed changed.
The porting part was more tricky; they told me up to 7 days to change my number from AT&T. Two days later my account with ATT was terminated, but still not active on TMo. After being on hold 30 minutes with TMo, I was told "if you're porting a number to replace an existing number (which I was), it's not done automatically -- you have to call it in a we manually do it." Good thing I persevered on hold; within minutes I got a text msg saying it's done.
The fun part now is waiting for the rebates to be processed. With the changes I made, my plan and phone number now don't match up with my purchase, even though it's all legit. You know how they're sticklers for detail for these rebates.
With the phone itself, I'm happy with it and its features. Call clarity on my AT&T TDMA Nokia 8265 was better, however. I do hear the voice hum and amplified ambient noise as others have indicated. Reception is too sensitive: I move the phone a few inches and the bars go from full down to 1. But I guess I'm not as picky as other reviewers; I'll live with the minor phone drawbacks to save money on the monthly plan fees.
After a year on this contract, I'll be on the prowl for better service as the competition heats up.
