I have bought a number of cell phones over the years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been particularly brilliant, some have most definitely been crap. The main problem I have ever had with my mobile phones has been with the batteries. The cellular phone battery has either stopped working or it just would not last long enough and I would need to get and carry a replacement battery.

I always use my cell phone regularly, both for work and for home use, so having a backup battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is aggravating. My latest phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for when I am on the road.

Cell Phone Batteries

These are the details of my latest phone (yeah, I know it is a bit outdated, I really should get a new mobile phone):

Cingular Music

Positives:
Cingular Music is the first mobile music subscription service for GSM carriers. You can download tunes using existing subscriptions to Napster, Yahoo Music, and eMusic, and you can stream music via MobiRadio. You also get access to XM Satellite Radio, a music identifier service, and a selection of community-created content. Music selection is wide and varied, and audio quality on our test device was high.
Negatives:
Cingular Music does not let you download songs directly to the cell phone; you have to download the music to a PC and then transfer them via a USB cable. We also experienced buffering issues in a few of the streaming music applications.
Facts:
Cingular Music is certainly a viable and attractive alternative to the other mobile music services on the market, thanks to its ability to be used with existing music subscription services and access to cool applications such as MobiRadio and XM Satellite radio. However, it is unfortunate you cannot download songs over the air.

Long after Verizon and Sprint launched their music download services, Cingular finally has released its own mobile music solution, aptly titled Cingular Music. As the first mobile music solution for GSM carriers, it’s poised to take advantage of the carrier’s expanding high-speed 3G data network. On the downside, only a few cell phones support this service so far and you must buy the Cingular Music Bundle to use the service. While Cingular’s partner-focused approach seems like a smart move, you still have to download the songs to your PC and transfer them to your phone via USB. In the bundle are a stereo earbud headset, a USB cable, and a software CD. The Music Bundle costs $39.99.

Unlike its competitors, Cingular Music is not a music store from which you can download songs. Cingular Music instead acts as a kind of portal to different sources of music. From the main Cingular Music menu, you can select "Shop Music," which leads you to a browser page listing the various music stores available. Cingular has partnered up with existing online music subscription services such as Napster To Go, Yahoo Music, and eMusic to offer the consumer an incredibly wide music selection.

We can’t help but applaud this model–instead of forcing the consumer to purchase exorbitantly priced songs (a track from Sprint’s store is $2.50, while a song from V Cast Music is around $1.99), you can simply pay a flat monthly fee to the subscription service of your choice for an all-you-can-eat music experience–the Napster To Go subscription fee is $14.96 a month, while a Yahoo Music subscription is $11.99 a month. The Napster To Go model does include a new service called Napster Mobile, which lets you preview and buy songs from your phone for $0.99, which is still far cheaper than the other stores. It does not cost extra to download the songs from Yahoo Music, however. While Napster To Go and Yahoo Music are included in all phones, the eMusic content is specialized specifically for Cingular’s aforementioned Sony Ericsson phones. Consumers who buy a Sony Ericsson Walkman phone from Cingular can get a free "in box" offer for up to 50 songs from eMusic. Music downloaded from Napster To Go and Yahoo Music is laced with Windows Media DRM, but the music from eMusic is DRM-free.

Unfortunately, there is a huge catch to this. Songs purchased or added from the phone cannot actually be downloaded over the air directly to the phone–you still have to download the song to your PC and then transfer it via a USB cable. For example, after we bought a song from Napster Mobile (you have to enter in your e-mail address and your phone number in the purchasing process), we received an e-mail that includes a URL link to download the song. So you can’t even have the song waiting for you in your computer–you still have to click the URL link, which prompts the download. This is a pretty big flaw in the concept of mobile music, and we hope that Cingular Music adds over-the-air downloads in the future.

If you need music immediately but don’t want to go through the bother of downloading songs, you have a few streaming music options. Cingular Music provides access to MobiRadio, a streaming radio station, as well as 25 XM Satellite radio channels for $8.99 a month. You also can view streaming music videos from MTV and VH1. Though not related to the music category, you also can catch short clips from other variety shows from MTV and VH1, such as Best Week Ever and Celebreality. Other applications available on Cingular Music include MusicID, a song identification service, access to industry news thanks to Billboard Mobile, and access to music fan sites in the community section.

We used Cingular Music with the Cingular Sync (Samsung SGH-A707), though it also works with the LG CU500, the Sony Ericsson W810i, the Sony Ericsson W300i, and the Cingular 3125. We experienced pretty good audio quality via the included earbuds, though we can’t say the same for the speakers. We loved the wide music selection from the aforementioned stores, and the streaming music available was not too shabby either. The interface of the music player appeared rather generic, but it was intuitive enough for our purposes. You can create playlists, and have repeat and shuffle modes. We were disappointed with the lack of an equalizer though.

While the Cingular Music experience has some serious flaws, overall we were very pleased with the variety of music options available. The music subscription model seems to lend itself very well to a cell phone experience, since it would no longer be so cost prohibitive to have tracks downloaded to the phone. This, combined with streaming music and XM Satellite radio, definitely make Cingular Music a viable competitor in the mobile music market. We just hope they fix the ability to download music to the phone.

So I guess the true question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Cingular Music cell phone battery or do I just get a new phone with a long lasting battery? Replacement batteries are very inexpensive but a new phone would be nice. Always decisions need to be made.

I have had a number of mobile phones over the years, as I am sure many people have, and while none have been that amazing, some have most definitely been rubbish. The most common problem I have ever had with my cellular phones has been with the batteries. The battery has either stopped working or it just would not last long enough and I would need to get and carry a replacement battery.

I always use my cellular phone a lot, both for my work and for personal use, so having another battery is often a good idea but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is aggravating. My current phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for times when I am travelling.

Cell Phone Batteries

These are the details of my latest phone (yes, I know it is a bit obsolete, I really should purchase a new cell phone):

Samsung SGH-D407

Positives:
The Samsung SGH-D407 offers Bluetooth, a speakerphone, push-to-talk capabilities, and world phone support in a simple, compact design.
Negatives:
The Samsung SGH-D407 has a poorly designed external display, and call quality was staticky at times.
Facts:
Despite some minor design and performance glitches, the Samsung SGH-D407 is a serviceable Cingular push-to-talk phone.

Cingular Wireless may have been somewhat late to the push-to-talk (PTT) party, but since it joined the fun last December, America’s largest carrier hasn’t been shy about introducing new PTT models. The first two handsets, the Samsung SGH-D357 and the LG F7200, did not offer cameras, but the third model in the series, the LG CG300, came with a VGA shooter in a nod toward shutterbugs. And now to broaden its PTT selection even further, Cingular offers the Samsung SGH-D407. Packed into a simple but appealing design, the SGH-D407 offers a decent feature set that includes the aforementioned PTT support, a speakerphone, Bluetooth, and world phone coverage. It’s a bargain at $79, but you can get it even cheaper with service.

Of Cingular’s previous PTT phones, the Samsung SGH-D407 most resembles its Samsung sibling, the SGH-D357. Like its predecessor, it has a flip-phone form factor that’s relatively compact (3.4 by 1.8 by 0.9 inches) and lightweight (3.3 ounces), so it won’t drag you down. Though its simple design is a bit angular, we liked the dark gray color scheme, and we’re glad that the stubby antenna didn’t add too much bulk. Front and center, the postage-stamp-size external display shows the date, time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID. Overall, however, the monochrome display misses the mark. The reverse text (white on a black background) was difficult to read, and the backlighting was much too dark; you can change the contrast but not the brightness or the backlighting time. Also, while the screen acts as a crude viewfinder for the camera, it does not support photo caller ID. Above the display is the speaker, while the camera lens sits below, on the bottom right of the front flap. There is no flash on the SGH-D407.

The Samsung SGH-D407 has a basic, compact design.

Inside the Samsung SGH-D407 is an average 65,000-color, 128×156-pixel display. It’s a good size (1.75 inches diagonally), but it isn’t very sharp or vivid. We much prefer more vivid Samsung displays, such as the SGH-D807’s. Criticisms aside, it’s adequate for scrolling through the simple menus, viewing photos, and playing games. You can change the contrast, the brightness, the backlighting time, and the font color, but not the font size. Below the display are large and tactile standard navigation controls, which follow the standard Samsung layout. A four-way toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions, while the two soft keys offer one touch-access to the main menu and instant messaging. There’s an OK button in the middle of the toggle, but we don’t like that it opens the Web browser when the phone is in standby mode. Below the toggle are a Clear button and the Talk and End/power keys.

The backlit keypad buttons were large for the phone’s size, and we appreciated that the numerals on the keys were big and easy to see. Also, the buttons are raised above the surface of the phone, which made for few misdials. On the left spine of the SGH-D407 are a covered headset jack, the PTT button, and a volume rocker, while a speakerphone/voice-dialing control and a camera button sit on the right spine.

The Samsung SGH-D407’s phone book holds a generous 1,000 contacts, far more than we expected. Also, you can store an additional 250 contacts on the SIM card. Each entry has room for five phone numbers, an e-mail address, and notes. You can save callers to a group or assign them one of 10 polyphonic (64-chord) ring tones. You also can pair callers with a photo, but it’s not worth the effort since the images don’t show up on the external display. There’s a separate list for PTT contacts, but since Cingular uses the same number for both regular phone calls and PTT calls, you can easily copy contacts to and from the address book. For a complete description of Cingular’s PTT network, please see our review of the LG F7200.

Other basic features include a vibrate mode, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a calculator, a unit converter, a timer, a stopwatch, a world clock, and a voice recorder for messages up to seven minutes in length. Messaging options are plentiful–you get text and multimedia messaging; AOL, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo instant messaging; and support for POP3 e-mail through Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and SBC. On the business-friendly side, there’s full Bluetooth, voice dialing and commands, and a speakerphone.

The Samsung SGH-D407’s VGA camera does not have a flash.

The VGA camera takes pictures in four resolutions: 640×480, 320×240, 176×160, and 160×120. If you’re an avid camera phone fan, the picture-editing options won’t disappoint. The SGH-D407 offers a 4X zoom, four image-quality settings, a brightness control, seven color effects, 29 fun frames, a self-timer, multi- or mosaic shot modes, and an option for flipping the image’s orientation. You also get a wealth of photo sound options, but you can turn them off altogether. The camcorder takes clips in two resolutions (176×144 and 128×96) with sound. Videos are limited to 44 seconds, and editing options are similar to those of the still camera. Photo quality was what you’d expect from a VGA camera; images were grainy and colors didn’t pop. It does the trick overall, though, especially if you’re just looking to take on-the-spot shots for multimedia messages. Similarly, videos were pixelated and washed out. For saving your photos and videos, the phone comes with a solid 27MB of shared memory.

The Samsung SGH-D407’s photo quality was average for a VGA camera phone.

You can personalize the SGH-D407 with a variety of wallpaper, color skins, and alert sounds. You can buy more options and tones from Cingular over the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. The phone comes with three Java (J2ME) demo games (Tetris, Midnight Pool, and Skipping Stones), so you’ll have to buy the full versions or other titles.

We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Samsung SGH-D407 in San Francisco using Cingular’s service. Call quality was admirable. We could hear our conversations plainly, and callers said they had no trouble understanding us. They could tell we were using a cell phone, especially when we were in noisy environments. Volume on our end was good as well. Speakerphone calls weren’t as satisfactory–there was noticeable static, and audio quality had an echoed effect. Moreover, callers had trouble following us at times, and automated calling systems, such as an airline reservation center, couldn’t understand us at all. Calls using PTT and the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset were decent, but they suffered from minimal static. Via the EDGE network, Web browsing was sufficiently speedy.

The Samsung SGH-D407 has a rated talk time of 5 hours and a promised standby time of 10.4 days; our tests showed a talk time of only 4 hours and a standby time of 7 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the SGH-D407 has digital SAR rating of 1.38 watts per kilogram.

So for now the real question is do I spend the money getting a new Samsung SGH-D407 cell phone battery or do I just purchase a new phone with a better performing battery? Replacement batteries are very low cost but a new phone would be nice. Always decisions need to be made.

I have owned numerous cell phones over recent years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been especially amazing, some have most definitely been crap. The most common problem I have ever had with my cell phones has been with the batteries. The cell phone battery has either died or it just would not last long enough and I would need to purchase and carry a replacement battery.

I tend to use my cell phone a lot, both for work and for private use, so having another battery is often a good idea but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is a pain. My latest phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for when I am not in the office.

Cellular Phone Battery

These are the details of my current phone (yeah, I know it is a bit obsolete, I really should buy a new mobile phone):

Kyocera Milan KX9C

The Kyocera Milan KX9C is a basic flip phone for U.S. Cellular. Though its design and silver color scheme are basic, it does feature a unique, external display that runs vertically down the front of the phone. At 3.5 by 1.8 by 0.9 inches and 3.5 ounces, it’s relatively compact despite the stubby external antenna.

Inside the phone is a 65,000-color, 128-by-128-pixel pixel display. Features include a 200-contact phone book, a vibrate mode, text messaging, basic PIM functions, instant messaging, a speakerphone, voice dialing, and a wireless Web browser. The promised battery life is 3.3 hours talk time and 8.3 days standby time. The dual-band (CDMA 800/1900) Kyocera Milan KX9C is priced at $59 with service.

So I guess the real question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Kyocera Milan KX9C mobile phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a better performing battery? Replacement batteries are fairly cheap but a new phone would be fun. Decisions, decisions…

I have owned many cellular phones over recent years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been especially outstanding, some have definitely been useless. The most common problem I have ever had with my cellular phones has been with the batteries. The cellular phone battery has either died or it just would not last long enough and I would need to purchase and carry a replacement battery.

I do use my cellular phone regularly, both for work and for private use, so having a second battery is often worthwhile but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is a pain. My latest phone is working well but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am on the road.

Cell Phone Battery

These are the details of my current phone (yep, I know it is a bit outdated, I really should get a new cellular phone):

Samsung SGH-C417 (gold)

Positives:
The Samsung SGH-C417 is simply designed and comes with a useful set of features, including Bluetooth, world-phone support, and a speakerphone.
Negatives:
The phone’s keys are flat and slippery, and voice quality is poor. The SGH-C417’s VGA camera does not support video.
Facts:
The Samsung SGH-C417 is a good choice for low-end cell phone users looking for a functional handset with just a few extras.

Note: This product is part of the Samsung SGH-C417 series. .

With so many silver cell phones on the market, it’s nice to see a handset that dips into another hue. Samsung’s SGH-C417 for Cingular Wireless does come in basic gray for traditionalists, but it’s also available in eye-catching, candy-apple red. And if you’re into slim phones, the SGH-C417 has this dimension covered too. The phone’s simple, attractive design echoes its feature set, which is basic but useful. Audio quality is decent, but can sound at times hollow. Overall the SGH-C417 is a solid device that you can find for the bargain-basement price of $29, with service.

The SGH-C417 doesn’t try to hard to look pretty, but that’s OK. We liked the phone’s understated design, with its sleek lines. The SGH-C417 is relatively thin and compact, at 3.66 by 1.89 by 0.65 inches. It is, however, too small to cradle comfortably between your ear and shoulder. At 2.86 ounces, the SGH-C417 is also relatively light, but we couldn’t help but notice that the flip mechanism and the stubby antenna felt flimsy. This isn’t a phone for the adventure sports enthusiast.

The external grayscale display measures 1 inch (96×96 pixels) and shows all the required information: date, time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID (when available). It doesn’t support photo caller ID, but it does act as a rudimentary viewfinder for self-portraits with the phone’s VGA camera. You can only change the display contrast, but fortunately it is visible when backlighting is dimmed. The camera lens sits above the display, but doesn’t come with a flash. A volume rocker and a covered headset jack sit on the left spine while a camera shutter key and the charger port sit on the right spine.

The internal display measures 2 inches and supports 65,000 colors. Though it’s perfectly adequate for navigating through the minimal but functional menus, the display isn’t very bright or vibrant. Perhaps we’ve been spoiled with 262,000-color displays, but the difference between more modern screens and the SGH-C417’s resolution is stark. You can change display font, color, brightness, and backlighting time, but that’s about it.

The navigation controls and keypad buttons suffer from the same problems that beset many thin phones. Not only are the buttons flush with the surface of the handset, but also they’re slippery. While the red SGH-C417 has an easy-to-read silver interior, the gray SGH-C417 comes with a black interior that makes keypad numbers and letters harder to decipher. Primary navigation is through a four-way toggle and a central OK button. The toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined functions, while the OK button opens the phone’s Web browser when in standby mode. This isn’t ideal, as we’d prefer the OK button open the menu instead. However, it’s a design quirk that you quickly get used to. Other controls include two giant soft keys, a clear button, and the Talk and End/Power buttons. The keypad buttons have a unique design that unfortunately doesn’t make them very easy to use. Each row of numbers sits on one long button, with different pressure points for each number. There’s little tactile separation between the individual digits, so dialing by feel is difficult.

The phone book holds 500 contacts, with room in each entry for five phone numbers, an e-mail address, and additional notes. You can assign callers to groups, or pair them with one of 10 polyphonic ring tones. You also can pair friends with photos, but the images won’t show up on the phone’s external display. Other basic offerings include text and multimedia messaging, a voice recorder, AOL instant messaging, a vibrate mode, an alarm clock, a calendar, a task list, a notepad, a calculator, a converter, a timer, a stopwatch, and a world clock. On the high-end, the SGH-C417 has Bluetooth capability and a speakerphone.

The SGH-C417’s camera doesn’t come with a flash.

The phone’s VGA camera takes pictures in four resolutions (640×480, 320×240, 160×120, and 128×120) and with three quality settings. Other camera options include a night mode, a 2X zoom, five color tones, brightness control, and three shutter sounds plus a silent mode. Once you’ve taken a picture, you can send them to friends or save them to the phone’s relatively meager 2.5MB of internal memory. Photo quality was what we’d expect from a VGA camera–colors were washed out and details were fuzzy. Still, the quality is sufficient for quick shots for friends. The SGH-C417’s camera does not shoot video.

The SGH-C417’s photo quality is average for a VGA camera.

You can personalize the SGH-C417 with wallpapers, colors, skins, and sounds. If desired, you can also download additional design options or ring tones via the phone’s WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Gamers will enjoy a modest collection of four Java (J2ME) titles–Snow Ball Fight, Bubble Smile, Bowling 2, and Bejeweled–but Cingular offers more titles for purchase.

We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900) Samsung SGH-C417 in San Francisco using Cingular’s wireless service. Sound quality was satisfactory, but voices at times sounded hollow. Volume level was fine, and callers could hear us plainly. Yet we did experience some problems with the phone’s voice-response systems when the surroundings were noisy. Speakerphone calls were good, and we had no troubles using a Bluetooth headset.

The Samsung SGH-C417 has a rated talk time of 5 hours and a promised standby time of 10 days. Our tests showed a surprising talk time of 10 hours and 28 minutes. According to FCC radiation tests, the SGH-C417 has a digital SAR rating of 1.51 watts per kilogram.

So for now the real question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Samsung SGH-C417 (gold) mobile phone battery or do I just purchase a new phone with a long lasting battery? Replacement batteries are reasonably inexpensive but a new phone would be fun. Decisions, decisions…

I have bought numerous mobile phones over the years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been particularly amazing, some have absolutely been rubbish. The only problem I have ever had with my cell phones has been with the battery. The cellular phone battery has either died or it just would not last long enough and I would need to get and carry a replacement battery.

I generally use my mobile phone often, both for my career and for home use, so having another battery is often a good idea but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is so annoying. My current phone is working ok but I would like a replacement battery for times when I am on the road.

Cellular Phone Battery

These are the details of my most current phone (yeah, I know it is a bit old, I really should find a new cell phone):

Samsung SGH P310 cardFon - cellular phone with digital camera / digital player - GSM

When we reviewed the last year, we thought it had a perverse appeal. Though it looked like a grade school calculator, its credit card-like dimensions were unique and frankly, pretty cool….

review

So I guess the real question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Samsung SGH P310 cardFon - cellular phone with digital camera / digital player - GSM mobile phone battery or do I just buy a new phone with a longer life battery? Replacement batteries are quite low cost but a new phone would be good too. Always decisions need to be made.