I have owned many cell phones over the last few years, as I am sure many people have, and while none have been particularly great, some have most definitely been useless. The only problem I have ever had with my cell phones has been with the battery. The cellular phone battery has either broke or it just would not last long enough and I would need to buy and carry a replacement battery.

I tend to use my mobile phone often, both for my job and for personal use, so having another battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is a pain. My current phone is working ok 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 latest phone (yeah, I know it is a bit old, I really should buy a new cellular phone):

Nokia 3250 (black)

Positives:
The Nokia 3250 has a stylish yet functional twisting design that rotates up to 270 degrees. We also liked its large display and external music controls. Features include a 2-megapixel camera, a video recorder, a music player, a Micro SD card slot, a speakerphone, and Bluetooth.
Negatives:
The Nokia 3250’s navigation joystick isn’t easily accessible when the phone is swiveled into camera mode, making it difficult to browse through the camera’s options. The Micro SD card slot is located in a tiny inconvenient spot.
Facts:
Despite a few niggling design flaws, the 3250 is a great multimedia smart phone with a truly unique design.

Note: This product is part of the Nokia 3250 series. .

With hot new skinny phones coming fast and furious, you would think that cell phone design is all about thinness and not much else. Well, thanks to the always-savvy design innovators at Nokia, we’re pleased that cell phones can still break the all-about-slim mold. The Nokia 3250 is one such phone, with a unique swiveling keypad that’s the first of its kind–it twists up to 270 degrees in order to quickly switch from one function to another. The phone also comes in four different colors; black, green, pink, and silver. It’s not supported by a U.S carrier just yet, so you’ll have to buy an unlocked version for about $339.99.

The Nokia 3250 has a twist-action design.

When viewed with the dial pad in front, the camera lens is on the left spine, while the external music controls are on the back. The twist-action design of the phone is made possible by having the phone split into two parts; the display half and the keypad half. Twisting the phone lets you switch between phone mode (with the dial pad in front), camera mode (the keypad portion in a 90-degree angle), and music mode (with external music controls in front), triggering the appropriate application at each turn. You can turn the camera 90 degrees away from you, or 90 degrees toward you for a self-portrait shot. It’s a little gimmicky, but we liked that we didn’t have to scroll through several menus in order to access these multimedia features. We do have one slight complaint about the 90-degree camera mode, however. The navigation joystick appears to be the only way to scroll through the different camera options, but with the keypad swung 90 degrees, access to the joystick was cramped.

The phone itself is a tad bulky at 4.09 by 1.0 by 0.78 inches with a weight of 4.06 ounces, but it has a nice heft when held in the hand and against the ear. Another showstopper design element on the 3250 is its striking 262,144-color screen that measures 2.2 inches diagonally. Though the brightness and backlight timer of the display can be altered, you can’t change the size of the fonts. Underneath the screen are a menu button, two soft keys, a Clear key, a five-way navigation joystick, the Talk and End keys, and an Edit key. The Play/Pause key also doubles as a Camera button when in camera mode. All of the keys have a slightly rubberized feel with a raised texture that makes it easy to dial and navigate by feel.

The Nokia 3250 has external music controls.

Thankfully, the 3250 does come with a Micro SD card slot, but it is a little difficult to access. You have to twist the keypad into camera mode (90 degrees), and it is located right underneath the Talk key. It’s a little difficult to swap out cards at that tight angle, and we wished the slot were more conveniently located along the phone’s spine. On top of the phone is the power button, while its charging/connector port is located on its right spine. You’ll have to attach an included adapter to use a pair of earbuds with the phone.

The Nokia 3250 has a 2-megapixel camera on its side.

Now on to the meat and potatoes of the 3250: its features. But before we delve into its multimedia functions, here are the basics. Each contact in the Nokia 3250’s address book holds up to 17 numbers, three e-mail addresses, three URLs, three street addresses, a birth date, and a note and can be assigned to a group, or one of 41 polyphonic ring tones. Other basic features include a vibrate mode, text and multimedia messaging, instant messaging, e-mail, a speakerphone, a clock, a calculator, a calendar, a unit converter, notes, voice command and dialing, a file manager, Bluetooth, and a wireless Web browser. There’s also a LifeBlog feature that lets you upload pictures on your phone directly to the Web.

The Nokia 3250’s Micro SD card slot is inconveniently wedged in a corner.

The phone runs on Symbian 6.0 OS, and navigation may take some getting used to if you’re not familiar with it. The default main display is known as Standby mode, and you can easily customize it with shortcuts to all your favorite applications and appointments for the day. Unlike other Symbian smart phones, the 3250 doesn’t have a way to view and edit office documents. But that’s OK, as the 3250 is more of a multimedia phone anyway.

Speaking of which, the phone comes with a 2-megapixel camera that also acts as a video recorder. Camera options include image-quality settings (High, Normal, Basic), image resolution (640×480, 1,152×864, 1,600×1,200), night and sequence modes, a self-timer, white balance, and color tones. As for MPEG-4 video, you can record for a maximum length to make full use of available memory, or a short length for MMS. There are also two video-resolution settings (128×96 and 176×144), and you can choose to mute the sound or not. We were quite pleased with the quality of images, though video quality was a little choppy and didn’t perform well in low light.

The music player on the 3250 supports MP3, eAAC+, AAC+, M4A, MPEG-4 ACC LC, LTP, MP3, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, MIDI, RealAudio, and WMA formats. You can transfer music from your PC via Nokia’s Audio Manager software, Windows Media Player, or third-party software. We found the music player interface very user-friendly, making it easy for us to switch from one track to the next in just a few clicks. There are also a few enhanced music features such as an equalizer, bass boost, and reverb, to improve how the music sounds. You can also make your own ring tones via a Tunes Studio, and listen to the radio. These enhanced features make this a step up from other music phones that simply play music.

Along with music, you can download video clips to the phone for viewing on the go. A Streaming Links folder is available for you to save URLs to music or video you find on the Web. The phone has an internal memory of 10MB, but the phone’s Micro SD card slot ups the potential storage capacity to 1GB, which is good for such a multimedia-heavy handset.

You can personalize the Nokia 3250 with a variety of wallpaper, themes, and alert tones, and if you’re not satisfied with the phone’s selections, you can always download more. The phone supports J2ME applications and comes with a Snakes game preinstalled.

We tested the triband (GSM 850/1800/1900; EDGE) Nokia 3250 in San Francisco on the Cingular network. Calls sounded loud and clear, and we were surprised by the quality of the speakerphone as well. Callers did note that we sounded a little faded and could tell we were on a cell phone with the occasional crackles. Audio quality of the speaker is great, as is the quality of the sound from the music player. We managed to pair the Nokia 3250 successfully with the Nokia BH-800 Bluetooth headset.

The Nokia 3250 has a rated talk time of three hours and a rated standby time of 10 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the Nokia 3250 has a SAR rating of 0.44 watts per kilogram.

So for now the real question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Nokia 3250 (black) mobile phone battery or do I just purchase a new phone with a better performing battery? Replacement batteries are quite low cost but a new phone would be great. Always decisions need to be made.

I have bought a number of cell phones over recent years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been particularly great, some have absolutely been rubbish. The most common problem I have ever had with my cell phones has been with the battery. The cell phone battery has either stopped working or it just would not last long enough and I would need to buy and carry a replacement battery.

I tend to use my mobile phone heaps, both for my job and for private use, so having another battery is often worth it but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is aggravating. My current phone is working ok but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am not in the office.

Cell Phone Battery

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

Motorola Razr V3xx (platinum)

Positives:
The Motorola Razr V3xx cell phone offers decent call quality, stereo Bluetooth, and a great interior display. And thanks to the HSDPA data connection, it offers zippy Web browsing, fast downloads, and admirable streaming video quality.
Negatives:
The Motorola Razr V3xx isn’t a quadband world phone, and its 1.3-megapixel camera is inadequate for such a high-end handset. Also, the voice dialing is unreliable, the phone lacks stereo speakers, and the data settings for third-party applications are too restrictive.
Facts:
Though its feature set didn’t live up to expectations, the Motorola Razr V3xx cell phone improves on many of the traditional Razr pitfalls that have plagued the product line since its inception. As such, it’s the most satisfying Razr to date.

Note: This product is part of the Motorola Razr series. .

The carrier that brought you the very first Razr cell phone is now bringing yet another one (yes, another one) to the market. The Motorola Razr V3xx for Cingular Wireless (soon to be AT&T) doesn’t bring anything particularly revolutionary to the Razr family but it does include a handful of noteworthy offerings that deserve a closer look. Believe us, we’re as over the Razr as the next person, but with stereo Bluetooth, an Opera Web browser, and improved call quality, the Razr V3xx is a solid step above its predecessor. What’s more, the support for Cingular’s 3.5G HSDPA network makes it the fastest GSM Razr yet. You can get it for a very reasonable $79 with service.

Design
Except for a color change, the Motorola Razr V3xx is no different from the original Razr V3. You get the same iconic profile that sparked the thin phone tsunami, but it still looks just as boxy when viewed straight on. At 4.05 inches long by 2.08 inches thick by 0.6 inch thick, and weighing 3.8 ounces, it’s slightly bigger and heavier than its predecessor, but the change is hardly noticeable in the phone’s ergonomics. It feels just the same when held in the hand and its slips just as easily into a pocket or bag. And of course, it’s just as difficult to feel the phone vibrate when it’s in your pocket. Like most of its siblings, the Razr V3xx is available in multiple color schemes. We reviewed the dark gray version but you can also find it in a flashy gold hue reminiscent of T-Mobile’s gaudy Razr V3i Dolce & Gabbana. As the carrier is in the midst of a name change, the Razr V3xx has a Cingular logo on its rear face, while the AT&T globe shows up on the external display.

Speaking of which, the external display is the same as on the Razr V3. We’ll say again that’s it’s a tad small for the phone’s size (96 x 80 pixels) but the 64,000-color resolution is more than adequate for most uses. And in any case, it’s a big improvement over the V3’s 4,000-color screen. The display also works as a viewfinder for the camera but it’s annoying that there’s no dedicated button for activating the camera. Instead, you must open the phone, start the camera, and then close it again to snap vanity shots using the Motorola "smart" key. The camera lens sits just above the display, and once again there’s no flash.

A volume rocker sits on the left spine of the front flap just above the mini-USB slot and the aforementioned smart key. The latter control also locks the external buttons with you hold it down for a couple seconds. A voice recorder button sits on the right spine but it can be used only when the phone is open. The single speaker is located on the rear face of the phone just below the battery cover. While we’ve dinged previous Razrs because they put the microSD card slot behind the battery cover, we’re more willing to let it slide this time around. Though you have to remove the battery cover to change the card, you don’t have to remove the battery itself as well.

We’re glad to see a 262,000-color internal display on the V3xx. Motorola has been inconsistent with its Razr displays–some models get 65,000-color screens while others get 262,000-color resolutions–and we’d expect nothing less from an HSDPA phone. At 2.25 inches (320×240 pixels), it’s large, bright, and vibrant, and it displays everything from text to graphics well. Though it shows a few design tweaks, Moto’s dull menu system is the only distraction. We hope the company redesigns the interface soon, as it’s been looking long in the tooth for a couple years now.

The navigation array just below the display is standard Razr. Like the later models in the series, the Razr V3xx has tiny raised ridges between the individual controls. Dialing by feel still takes some getting used to, but it’s an improvement over the completely flat controls on the Razr V3. Shortcut options abound. The navigation toggle doubles as a shortcut to four user-defined applications, and you can set the smart key as a shortcut to another chosen feature when the phone is open. In standby mode the left soft key opens a further shortcuts menu while the right soft key and the central OK button activate the main menu. While some users have complained that you can’t change the settings on the soft keys, we don’t really mind. Below the toggle are dedicated buttons for the Web browser and the Cingular Video application, a Clear button, and the Talk and End/power controls. On the whole it’s a spacious easy-to-use arrangement despite the lack of a dedicated speakerphone button.

The keypad also shows no difference from other Razrs. The keys are flat with the surface of the phone but the numbers are rather large and lit by a bright backlighting. Tiny raised ridges separate the individual rows, but new Razr users should still give the phone a test drive first.

Features
As we said earlier, the Razr V3xx is more of an update to the Razr family rather than an entirely new phone altogether. The changes are all on the high-end features, so we’ll get the basics out of the way first. The phone book holds 1,000 contacts with room in each entry for six phone numbers, three e-mail addresses, a Web address, three street addresses, a nickname, a birthday, and notes (the SIM card holds an additional 250 names). You can save contacts to groups and pair them with a photo and one of eight polyphonic ringtones or 14 monophonic tones. You also can use voice notes as ringtones but in all honestly, the selection of integrated sounds is disappointing for such a multimedia phone. Other essentials include a choice of vibrate modes, text and multimedia messaging, a voice recorder, a world clock, a calendar, and a calculator.

Worker bees who aren’t quite ready for a smart phone should get some use out of the Razr V3xx. Inside you’ll find full Bluetooth with a stereo profile (yay!), PC syncing, USB storage support, PC modem capability, a speakerphone (minus a dedicated button), and e-mail and instant messaging for AOL, Windows, and Yahoo clients. Connecting to the instant messenger is relatively zippy, thanks to the HSDPA connection, but we still can’t imagine having full conversations on an alphanumeric keypad. Voice dialing is onboard as well but we found it harder to use than many other phones. More often than not, it couldn’t register the contact we were naming.

As a 3.5G HSDPA phone, the Razr V3xx supports the full range of Cingular broadband multimedia applications. Cingular Video brings a satisfying range of streaming video clips from such channels as NBC, Comedy Central, ESPN, The Weather Channel, VH1, and CNN. There’s a special channel for kids as well, with programming from The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and The Cartoon Network. We have to admit, though, that we spent plenty of time on Muppets Mobile. Premium entertainment is offered from HBO Mobile and Music Choice for an extra charge. For a full analysis of the offerings see our Cingular Video review. MobiTV applications are integrated as well.

If you’re more interested in listening to tunes, the Razr V3xx also supports the Cingular Music application (the phone identifies it as "AT&T Music," however). When it went live late last year, Cingular Music filled a hole in the carrier’s multimedia offerings by offering a central application for downloading tunes to the music player and accessing related music content. We like that Cingular uses partners rather than operating its stores, but at present you can’t download music wirelessly. There’s also a Music ID application, support for streaming radio, and a community section. The music player interface is strictly utilitarian but it offers Shuffle and Repeat modes, spatial audio, and bass boost.

The Opera Web browser is easy to use and offers a more pleasant interface than on other Cingular phones. And since it operates over the carrier’s HSDPA network, data speeds can fall in the 1.8Mbps with bursts at higher speeds possible. As we’ll cover in the Performance section below, browsing was fast and efficient but the phone’s default security settings severely limit the usability of third-party applications. For instance, when using the mobile version of Google Maps, the browser asked us whether we wanted to proceed every time we requested data. It’s quite frustrating, particularly since you can’t change the settings.

Like every other Razr, there’s no flash with the camera.

Though the Razr V3xx’s 1.3-megaixel camera is an improvement over the Razr V3, we were hoping for a 2-megapixel shooter on such a media-centric handset. In all seriousness, as high-resolution camera phones proliferate, 1.3-megapixel models are becoming the new VGA. We’re also disappointed that unlike the Razr V3x, Moto’s V3xx didn’t include a second interior camera for future use with video calling. You can take pictures in four resolutions and choose from a variety of editing options, including three quality settings, an 8x zoom, six lighting conditions, a self timer, seven color effects, and three shutter sounds plus a silent option. The video recorder shoots clips with sound in three quality settings and a choice of similar editing options. Clips meant for multimedia messages are limited to 16 seconds; otherwise you can shoot for as long as the available memory permits. And while we’re on the subject, you get a healthy 60MB of shared internal memory but you can always use a microSD card slot (up to 2GB) for more space. Picture and video quality are improved over the Razr V3’s, with distinct edges and colors. At times, however, the images are washed out, and since there’s no flash, darker conditions aren’t ideal. Video quality is about average for a 1.3-megapixel camera phone.

The Razr v3xx has decent photo quality.

You can personalize the Razr V3xx with a variety of wallpaper, screensavers, color themes, and alert sounds. You can always get more choices from the carrier’s MediaNet application and the wireless Web browser. You can buy more ringtones as well, but sadly, you won’t be able to use downloaded MP3 files for your calls. As for gaming, the Razr v3xx comes with demo versions of four Java (J2ME) tiles: EA Air Hockey, Midnight Pool, Platinum Sudoku, and Tetris. You’ll have to buy the full versions for extended play.

Performance

We tested the triband (GSM 850/1800/1900; HSDPA) Motorola Razr V3xx in San Francisco using Cingular service. It’s disappointing that the phone is not fully quadband like the Razr V3. As such, it won’t have as much coverage outside of the United States. It’s a baffling change to say the least, and one that makes the phone significantly less consumer-friendly.

Call quality was very decent with strong audio clarity and signal reception. Voices sounded natural and there was little static or interference. Even better, the volume level was much improved over previous Razr models. Low volume had been a recurring problem since the original V3. Callers said we sounded fine and didn’t report any significant problems. Also, voice recognition systems (like when calling an airline) could understand us. Our only complaint was that voices sounded tinny from time to time. It wasn’t a bother, but it was noticeable just the same. Sound quality also can diminish in noisy environments but it wasn’t a deal breaker either. Speakerphone quality was loud enough, but not unexpectedly, voices sounded more muffled. On their end, callers had trouble hearing us over the speakerphone unless we spoke close to the phone. Lastly, Bluetooth calls were decent.

Streaming video quality was quite sharp on the whole. There was very little pixelation, and videos suffered from almost no choppiness or color distortion. We did have to rebuffer a few times (mostly when inside interior rooms of a building), but it wasn’t too bothersome. Sound quality was good as well and voices matched the speakers’ mouths. Music quality was serviceable but nothing special. There was a tinny quality at times, and we’d prefer stereo speakers.

Due to the strong HSDPA connection, we had a strong wireless Internet connection without any major hiccups. Individual Web pages loaded in an instant, while moving backward to cached pages was even faster. In all, it’s a satisfying experience that involves none of the usual waiting that comes with mobile Web browsing. Downloads were also painless–we were able to download a game in just 8 seconds. Just be warned that the strength of the HSDPA connection will waver outside of urban areas.

The Razr V3xx has a rated battery life of three hours talk time and 12 days standby time. Three hours is quite low for a GSM phone, but 12 days is about average. We eked out a talk time of 3 hours, 30 minutes in our tests. According to FCC radiation tests, the Razr V3xx has a digital SAR rating of 1.21 watts per kilogram.

So I guess the true question is do I spend the money buying a new Motorola Razr V3xx (platinum) mobile phone battery or do I just purchase a new phone with a better performing battery? Replacement batteries are quite low cost but a new phone would be fun. I must make a decision…

I have bought numerous mobile phones over recent years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been particularly outstanding, some have absolutely been useless. The most common problem I have ever had with my cellular phones has been with the cell battery. 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 generally use my cellular phone heaps, both for my job and for private use, so having another battery is often a good idea but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is such a pain. My newest phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am not in the office.

Cell Phone Batteries

These are the details of my most current phone (yes, I know it is a bit old, I really should buy a new cellular phone):

Samsung SGH-T809

Positives:
The Samsung SGH-T809 has a striking design and a great selection of high-end features, including Bluetooth, a megapixel camera, world phone support, a TransFlash slot, a speakerphone, and an MP3 player.
Negatives:
The Samsung SGH-T809 suffers from poorly designed navigation controls and a slippery keypad, as well as average performance and photos.
Facts:
It could use some design refinements, and its performance wasn’t quite up to par, but the Samsung SGH-T809 is nonetheless a stylish and feature-packed cell phone.

If you follow design trends in cell phones even just a bit, you’ll notice that slim is definitely in. It all started of course with the Motorola Razr V3, which made its debut in late 2004. Since that time, the Razr has rocketed to popularity, and as 2005 closed, it was the top-selling cell phone of the year. To compete with Motorola’s winner, Samsung countered in December with its own Razr emulator, the MM-A900. And now, Samsung takes the slim factor a step further with the slider SGH-T809 for T-Mobile. The result is a stylish handset that packs a wealth of features into a compact form factor. Although the ergonomics could be refined and overall performance was patchy, it is a solid phone that should appeal to mobile fanatics. Be warned, however, that all those attractions come at a high price: The Samsung SGH-T809 will cost you $299 with service.

Like the Motorola Razr that inspired it, the Samsung SGH-T809 doesn’t appear too exciting when viewed straight on. It’s rather boxy from that angle, with sharp corners, though the black color scheme adds a touch of class. To really appreciate the SGH-T809’s form factor, you’ll need to flip it on its side, where the slim design is clearly apparent. Measuring 3.9 by 2 by 0.6 inches, the SGH-T809’s dimensions are almost the same as the MM-A900’s, and it’s just a hair bigger than the Razr. On the weight side, its 3.6 ounces makes it lighter than its Samsung sibling but a bit heavier than the Razr. But like the Razr, the SGH-T809 is so small that it’s difficult to feel the vibrate mode when it’s in your pocket; plus, it’s uncomfortable to position between your head and your shoulder when on a call. You can operate the SGH-T809’s slider mechanism with one finger, and the handset feels very solidly built overall. It’s worth noting that there’s a default setting to automatically accept a call when you put the slider up. This can be changed, however, inside the settings menu. There’s also an annoying default setting for ending any operation (including calls) when you put the slider down, but fortunately you can change it.

Slim slider: The SGH-T809 casts a stylish look.

Like most Samsungs, the SGH-T809 has a striking display. With support for 262,000 colors, the 320×240-pixel screen measures a generous 2 inches diagonally and shows the date, the time, battery life, signal strength, and caller ID. The display is great for viewing the simple but flashy menus (there’s a choice of two styles), and though you can change the backlighting time and the brightness, there’s no contrast setting. Font settings vary, depending on which text you’re talking about. For the display font (the time and the date), you can change the style and the color but not the size, while with the dialing text, you can change the font size and the color, as well as the background color. Unfortunately with messaging text, you’re left with one relatively small size, so be sure to give the SGH-T809 a test-drive if you have visual impairments.

Below the Samsung SGH-T809’s display are the navigation controls, which consist of a four-way toggle with an OK button; two soft keys; the traditional Talk and End/Power keys; and a Clear button. Although they’re large enough, they are somewhat difficult to use, as they are flush with the surface of the phone. In particular, the OK button was tricky to manipulate, as our fingers kept sliding off when we were trying to move it. It was also hard to get a grip on the toggle, so people with large digits should take care. As with most Samsung phones for T-Mobile, the OK button in standby mode opens T-Mobile’s T-zones Internet service rather than opening the menu; that’s accomplished through a soft key. It’s not a huge deal, but we’ve never been a fan of the arrangement. For other shortcuts, you can program the toggle to give one-touch access to four user-defined functions.

We also had some issues with the Samsung SGH-T809’s keypad. Since it’s hidden behind the slider, it’s recessed into the phone itself, leaving a slight rim around its edges. Although we got used to it over time, it just felt weird to reach "into" the phone to dial. Also, the flat keys are rather slick, so it’s difficult to dial by feel. On the plus side, they have bright backlighting.

Other features on the Samsung SGH-T809 include a thin volume rocker, a charger/headset port on the left spine, and a TransFlash slot on the right spine. It should be noted that the SGH-T809 trumps both the Razr and the MM-A900 by including an expandable memory card slot. At the top of the phone is the camera lens, which swivels 180 degrees from the back to the front. Curiously, however, the lens rotates down rather than up, which means it takes pictures in just two directions (front and back). We wondered why it didn’t move the other way, as it would have enabled us to take a picture pointing straight up. There’s no flash or self-portrait mirror, but the latter isn’t needed, as the display functions as your viewfinder.

You might think that Samsung wasn’t able to pack much into the slim SGH-T809, but you’d be mistaken if you did. Inside, you’ll find a wealth of features that will please midrange users. As a T-Mobile phone, it can’t compete with its thin cousins that have 3G support, but it trumps the original Razr with its high-resolution camera. In terms of the basic offerings, there’s a 1,000-contact phone book that holds five numbers and an e-mail address per entry. Contacts can be organized into groups, and you can pair them with a photo and one of 45 polyphonic ring tones. The SGH-809 also supports MP3 ring tones, and you get a selection of six. Other features include a vibrate mode, a calendar, a calculator, a file manager, a world clock, a unit converter, a timer, a stopwatch, text and multimedia messaging, instant messaging (AOL, ICQ, and Yahoo), and a 1-minute voice recorder. Business-oriented apps are above average but nothing near those of a smart phone. There’s Bluetooth and a speakerphone (operable after you make a call) but no apparent e-mail support.

Although it swivels from back to front, the SGH-T809’s camera lens doesn’t move in every direction, as we had hoped for.

The Samsung SGH-T809 comes with a 1.3-megapixel camera. As we said earlier, you don’t get a flash, but the lens swivels from back to front. The camera takes pictures in seven resolutions–1,280×1,024, 1,152×864, 800×600, 640×480, 320×240, 240×320, and 240×180–and you get a wealth of editing features. Included are nine picture effects; 29 fun frames; a self-timer of up to 10 seconds; multishot (up to 15 pictures) and mosaic-shot options; brightness, white-balance, and image-orientation adjustments; metering exposure and ISO settings; a night mode; four viewfinder size choices; and an 8X zoom, which is usable even at the highest resolution. You also get a choice of five shutter sounds, but there’s no silent option. To help you manage all these functions, the soft keys and all number keys perform a specific shortcut. It took us a while to memorize them, but a convenient list is featured in the user manual and in the camera menus. Picture quality wasn’t the best we’ve seen for a megapixel camera; lines tend to be fuzzy, and colors bleed somewhat. If you want to tweak your pictures, the phone comes with a rudimentary image editor.

The Samsung SGH-T809’s camcorder takes videos with sound in two resolutions: 128×96 and 176×144. There are two choices for video length; those meant for a multimedia message are capped at 30 seconds, or you can film for however much memory is available. Editing options are similar to the still camera’s, but the grainy videos are of average quality. You can save your shots and clips to the phone’s 70MB of shared memory or to the TransFlash card. One 32MB card is included with the phone.

The SGH-T809 has less-than-stellar photo quality.

The Samsung SGH-T809 also comes with a serviceable MP3 player. You can play music stored on the phone or on the TransFlash card and transfer it between the two locations. But what’s really cool is that you even can accept MP3 files sent via Bluetooth. You can organize tracks into playlists and utilize a variety of settings–including repeat and shuffle modes, as well as equalizer and 3D sound–which didn’t seem to do much. The player’s interface is user-friendly and attractive, with a number of graphics to match the playing music and two interface designs.

You can personalize the Samsung SGH-T809 with different wallpaper, color themes, and sounds. If you want more options, you can download them through the WAP 2.0 wireless Web browser. Gaming options are plentiful, with five tiles included: Forgotten Warrior, Freekick, Arch Angel, Tetris, and Block Breaker Deluxe. As always, if you want more choices, you’ll have to buy them from T-Mobile.

We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; EDGE) Samsung SGH-T809 world phone in San Francisco using T-Mobile’s service. Call quality was generally good, with adequate volume and clarity. Voices sounded a bit metallic, however, and callers could tell without being asked that we were using a cell phone. The phone picked up a bit of wind noise, but we noticed no significant interference from other electronic devices. The speakerphone calls were loud enough, but the metallic voice quality was exacerbated. We quickly paired the SGH-T809 with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset and experienced similar audio quality when we were on normal calls.

Audio quality on the Samsung SGH-T809’s MP3 player is about what you’d expect. It can’t compare to that of Sony Ericsson’s Walkman phones, such as the W800i or even the Motorola Rokr E1, but it’s not terrible either. There isn’t much in the way of bass, but if you’re hungry for some tunes and your MP3 player is at home, it will do the trick.

The Samsung SGH-T809 has a rated talk time of 3 hours and a promised standby time of six days. The talk time was on the low side for a GSM phone, and we got 3.5 hours in our tests. Our standby time was also low at 4.5 days. According to FCC radiation tests, the SGH-T809 has a digital SAR rating of 0.32 watt per kilogram.

So I guess the right question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Samsung SGH-T809 cell phone battery or do I just purchase a new phone with a better performing battery? Replacement batteries are fairly low cost but a new phone would be nice. I must make a decision…

I have owned numerous cellular phones over the last few years, as I am sure most people have, and while none have been especially brilliant, some have most definitely been useless. The only problem I have ever had with my cell phones has been with the cell battery. The battery has either died or it just would not last long enough and I would need to buy and carry a replacement battery.

I always use my cell phone regularly, both for my career and for personal use, so having another battery is often worthwhile but having to replace a faulty or damaged battery is so annoying. My latest phone is working well but I would like a replacement battery for those times when I am on the road.

Cell Phone Batteries

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

Motorola Slvr L2

Positives:
The Motorola Slvr L2 has an appealing design with improved controls, and it offers a generous feature set, including Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support. Business users should appreciate the lack of a camera as well.
Negatives:
The Motorola Slvr L2 has a washed-out display, small keypad buttons, unintuitive volume controls, and no EDGE support. Also, calls placed over a Bluetooth headset were uneven.
Facts:
Some design quirks aside, the Motorola Slvr L2 is an appealing low-end addition to the Slvr family.

Note: This product is part of the Motorola Slvr series. .

Just when you think you’ve seen enough slim cell phones, Motorola pulls another trim handset out of its sleeve with the new Motorola Slvr L2 for Cingular. Similar in size and shape to Cingular’s Slvr L7 and L6, the L2 offers the same trendy, thin profile that returned Motorola to cell phone glory after the debut of the Razr V3 a year and a half ago. On the features side, Cingular is positioning the L2 as the lower-end alternative to the other Slvrs in its stable. Although it has Bluetooth, a speakerphone, and world phone support, it comes with none of the higher-end entertainment and memory features found in its predecessors. And more interestingly, aside from a few BlackBerrys, it’s one of the few Bluetooth-equipped mobiles on the market without a digital camera. That’s good news for professionals who want a stylish cell phone with work-friendly features but who are prohibited from carrying a camera phone into their workplace. Costing $116 with a two-year contract or $206 without, the Motorola Slvr L2 carries a fair price tag for what it offers. At the moment, it’s available solely through Cingular’s B2B sales.

Like its predecessors, the Motorola Slvr L2 is slim and sexy.

As with all of Motorola’s stylecentric phones, the Slvr L2’s main draw is its eye-catching design. At less than 0.5 inch thick, the compact, lightweight (4.4 by 1.9 by 0.4 inches; 3.3 ounces) L2 casts the same thin profile that’s won the other Slvr handsets such acclaim. Adorned in basic silver, its display takes many cues from the Slvr L6. At 1.75 inches diagonally (128×160 pixels) and with support for 65,000 colors, the display is serviceable for most functions, but it appears slightly washed out and pales in comparison with 262,000-color screens. As with the L6, you can change the backlighting time and the brightness, but you can’t alter the contrast or the font size. Also, be warned that the glossy display smudges easily. The L2 is comfortable to carry, but flip-phone lovers may find the flat design somewhat awkward.

The navigation controls and the keypad buttons are similar to those on the L6, but Motorola makes some slight but important improvements to the L2 that earn it a few more points in our book. Both the navigation array and the keypad controls are slightly raised above the surface of the phone, allowing for a more tactile and user-friendly feel. The five-way toggle is easier to grasp, and we like that instead of activating the Web browser, the OK button opens the menu. You also get two soft keys, a dedicated menu button, and the traditional Talk and End/power keys. The last two controls are quite large, but the black soft keys blend in with the display border. While there’s still no dedicated Back button, the toggle can act as a shortcut to four user-defined functions.

As mentioned previously, we liked that the keypad buttons are raised above the surface of the phone. We had fewer misdials, and thanks to the bright backlighting, we could dial in dim conditions easily. On the downside, however, the keys are no bigger than the already tiny keys on the L6, and they have an equally cheap plastic feel to them. We weren’t comfortable banging out long text messages on this phone. On the right spine is a voice-dialing control, while the right spine has a single volume control. Unlike a volume rocker, which lets you turn the volume both up and down, this button only increased the volume. As a result, you must go all the way up before it cycles back to the lowest level. It’s a curious and frustrating arrangement, and we can’t imagine why Motorola opted for it.

Save for the lack of a camera–a smart move on Moto’s part–the L2’s respectable feature set doesn’t differ greatly from that of its sibling, the L6. Although you don’t get access to Motorola’s Screen3 technology, the 500-contact phone book is adequate, and there’s room in each entry for six phone numbers, an e-mail address, a postal address, and a birth date; the SIM card holds an additional 250 names. You can assign contacts to caller groups or assign them to any of 24 polyphonic ring tones. You can pair them with a picture as well, but you’ll have to be resourceful, since there’s no camera. Other features include a vibrate mode; MP3 ring-tone support; a calculator; a date book; an alarm clock; 10MB of flash memory; and text, multimedia, and instant messaging. On the business side, the L2 promises full Bluetooth, e-mail support, PC syncing, voice dialing, and a mini-USB port. You get a speakerphone, but you can’t activate it until you make a call.

You can personalize the Motorola Slvr L2 with a variety of wallpaper, menu styles, color schemes, screensavers, and alert tones. If you want more ring tones or other options, you can purchase them from Cingular over the WAP 2.0 Web browser. The L2 supports video playback and has access to a multimedia album–odd additions to a phone without a camera. Java (J2ME) support is included, but only demo versions of three games (BlockBreaker Deluxe, Tetris, and Texas Hold ‘em) are integrated.

We tested the quad-band (GSM 850/900/1800/1900; GPRS) Motorola Slvr L2 world phone in San Francisco. Call quality was good overall. Volume was loud, and we could understand callers without any trouble. They reported the same conditions. Our only real complaints were that sound quality was a bit hollow at times and that callers had more trouble understanding us when using the otherwise acceptable speakerphone. We paired the L2 successfully with the Plantronics Explorer 320 Bluetooth headset but noticed more static when using it. As expected, Web browsing over GPRS speeds was slow. EDGE support would have been nice.

The Slvr L2 has a promised standby time of 14.4 days and, in our tests, met its rated talk time of 5.8 hours. According to FCC radiation tests, the L2 has a digital SAR rating of 1.54 watts per kilogram.

Overall, we like the feature set on the attractive Motorola Slvr L2, and the exclusion of the camera should fill a growing need for business-friendly devices that can still be allowed in defense plants, courtrooms, and government offices. We think it has a future, as it presents a solid lower-end option for Slvr lovers.

So for now the true question is do I spend the money buying a new Motorola Slvr L2 cellular 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 good too. I must make a decision…

I have had numerous cellular phones over recent years, as I am sure everyone has, and while none have been especially outstanding, some have most definitely been rubbish. The main problem I have ever had with my cellular phones has been with the battery. The battery has either stopped working or it just would not last long enough and I would need to buy and carry a replacement battery.

I usually use my cellular phone regularly, 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 disappointing. My current phone is working fine but I would like a replacement battery for when I am not in the office.

Cell Phone Batteries

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

Motorola Razr V3i (violet)

Note: This product is part of the Motorola Razr series. .

This Motorola Razr V3i offers an alternative color scheme to Cingular’s gray V3i. Read our review for a full description.

So I guess the true question is do I spend the money purchasing a new Motorola Razr V3i (violet) mobile phone battery or do I just purchase a new phone with a better performing battery? Replacement batteries are reasonably inexpensive but a new phone would be good too. Always decisions need to be made.