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After a week or so of playing with Samsung’s Eternity cell phone from AT&T I’m still trying to figure out where the name came from. One theory is that it offers users an eternity of entertainment options- that’s a stretch, but it is well-outfitted. It can’t be that it will last forever–no cell-phone maker would want that. At best I assume Samsung thought Eternity was at least better than SGH-A867. Well, maybe.
In any case, the Eternity (I’ll call it ET from here on out) packs in a good assortment of functions and features into a good-looking phone that takes advantage of AT&T’s 3G network. Aesthetically, it’s another iPod clone with a 3.2-inch touch screen that includes an accelerometer to automatically reorient the screen when you turn it. Underneath the screen are the call and hang-up buttons, plus a back button between them that is invaluable (the very similar Samsung Omnia lacks the back button). On the right edge is a camera shutter button and one other button that brings you to a quick menu of the most used functions (call, messaging, music, Web …). On the left edge you get volume controls and on top is the unlock button. Ports include a charge port and a standard mini headphone jack so you’re not required to use a proprietary connection for earbuds. It accepts micro SD cards, but you have to take the cover off put one in.
The screen is extremely bright and sharp, and haptic-enabled, which gives you a little vibration feedback when you touch onscreen buttons, applications and things like Web links. While the haptic feature may be a bit gimmicky (and gaining in popularity) I found it much more useful than the audible beep that it replaces. Touchscreen buttons actually feel like buttons with a haptic screen, reducing mistouches. Of course, the high-tech screen comes at the expense of battery life. Most users will need to plug this phone in every night.
The ET has two main screens. The menu screen includes a traditional layout of application icons that launch you into various places such at ATT&T Music, Media Net (Web browser, tools, my stuff, setting, GPS, yellow pages etc.). The other main screen Samsung calls TouchWiz. It includes a scrolling toolbar of widgets (calculator, world clocks, calendar …) that you can launch at a tap or permanently dock on the main field of the screen. The concept (borrowed from Apple OS X) looks great, but I wish you could add more widgets to customize the feature better. Gmail would be one I’d add.
While the ET is designed to be a music phone, and as such plays MP3, WMA, AAC formats plus XM, Rhapsody and Pandora (which never worked for me by the way), the large screen make it ideal for video. For video, the ET can play both AT&T’s CV Web videos (mostly short clips of TV shows) or Mobile TV, which is much better when you’re able to get a signal. My daily train commute proved to be out of range for most of the time, but when it works the video and sound quality is quite good, and the navigation, a lot like a set-top-box onscreen guide, was smart.
The ET also works with AT&Ts Navigator and a built-in GPS. The system took a few long minutes to lock on from a cold start, but once locked on, it accurately steered be around downtown Philadelphia with voice prompts and a large clear map.
Web browsing with the ET is nearly as intuitive as the iPhone. Sites designed for mobile use, such as CNN and The Onion work great, but non mobile sites also work decently. With a finger you can move the screen around to see all parts of a site, zoom in or reorient the site by turning it on it’s side. When entering text a QWERTY keyboard automatically pops up when the phone is in landscape view.
There’s a 3 MP camera on board, but it lacks auto focus or a flash, and there’s a long shutter lag so don’t expect the best shots. It also shoots video.
As a phone, the ET sounds good on both ends. The volume is loud enough to hear clearly in a crowded pizza shop. The touch screen keypad provides large button numbers so big fingers won’t accidentally hit the wrong number. Navigating the address book requires a sensitive touch though as it is easy to overshoot the scrolling addresses. I also wish the recent calls list wasn’t hidden in the tools menu.
It’s not quite the smart phone the Blackberry and Palm families are- no document syncing for one thing, and the calendar/organizer is pretty basic, but it’s great for Web browsing, checking Web-based email, watching TV, and it’s a decent music phone.
Samsung Eternity
$149 (AT&T)
3G
GPS (AT&T Navigator)
Media Net Web Browser
MP3, WMA, AAC, Real, WAV
Messaging with video and pictures
Mobile TV
3 MP camera
Stereo Bluetooth
www.wireless.att.com
www.samsungmobileusa.com
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