Samsung SCH-a930

First things first: This is not a pager. Even with the Verizon Wireless logo and camera flash on the front, the Samsung SCH-a930 could easily be mistaken for a beeper. Unique appearance aside, this clamshell has all the multimedia goodies V CAST fans are looking for, including over-the-air music downloads, dedicated media keys, and a 1.3-MP camera.

 

The all-black, curved body features three music control buttons (play/pause, fast-forward, and rewind) and a vertical OLED screen that displays the usual cell phone readouts, plus a single line of info while playing music. Flipping open the SCH-a930 reveals a keypad with well-sized buttons that make dialing and navigation simple.

 

There are two ways to buy music for the SCH-a930: by purchasing speedy, over-the-air downloads ($1.99 a pop) or by downloading songs from the online V CAST music store (99 cents each), and then transferring them to the phone’s microSD Card with Windows Media Player 10. (Windows Media Player 11 is not supported by the current drivers.) You can also transfer MP3s from your existing music collection to the SCH-a930, but WMP 10 will need to convert each track to the WMA format first. Unfortunately, you’ll need to shell out some extra cash for a microSD Card or a USB data cable, as neither is included.
 

Playing music with the clamshell closed was as simple as pressing and holding the play/pause button. The display asked if we wished to play an audio file, and we responded by pressing the play/pause button, which corresponds to yes. It took approximately ten seconds for the music to boot and play, which was a little annoying.

Sound quality through the two stereo speakers was good, but you can’t use the Bluetooth connection to listen to music. However, like the LG VX8300, you can use the SCH-a930 as a Bluetooth modem for your notebook using the dialup networking profile, if you fork over $59.99 per month.

V CAST video playback was fairly smooth. While the visuals were a bit washed out on some clips and there was a hint of graininess, we experienced only a few stutters. For the most part, the SCH-a930 maintained a good frame rate as we watched ESPN News and The Weather Channel.

A press of the camera button launches the 1.3-megapixel camera. A swivel lens located near the clamshell’s hinge made taking self-portraits a snap. Photos taken at the highest resolution looked a bit sharper than comparable camera phones, but snaps taken in low light were virtually unusable due to the weak flash. The lack of PictBridge capability is also a downer.

VoiceSignal technology allows the SCH-a930 to automatically recognize names stored in your contact list without the need to train the phone. With a press of a button you can issue verbal commands like “Call (Insert Name)” or “Send Text (Insert Name).” While we could open text and picture messages via voice, we still had to insert words, photos, and video with our thumbs. This phone also utilizes Immersion’s Vibetonez System, which causes a vibration track to sync with a ringtone for a subwoofer-like punch.

All of these extras wouldn’t mean much if the SCH-a930 stumbled in its intended purpose: communication. The phone maintained a strong signal in our tests, and we experienced hiccup-free calls, with good sound quality on both ends of the conversation. This clamshell features 3.8 hours of talk time.

Priced at a friendly $99.99 (with a two-year contract), the Samsung SCH-a930 is a solid choice for users looking for a phone with some musical mojo and a retro-chic design.