Samsung SGH-a950

DESIGN The clamshell design may look bloated, but the SGH-a950 is ahead of the music phone curve. The red-and-silver lid features a handy scroll wheel to jog through MP3s and buttons to Play, Stop, and skip tracks forward and backward. Stereo speakers are placed on the right and left side of the hinge and an internal antenna is above the battery case. A headset jack and volume controls are on the left side.

FEATURES The SGH-a950’s stripped-down MP3 player won’t shuffle tracks or build playlists, but you can select which tracks to play. The player can be set to repeat one or all of the songs saved to your TransFlash card (sold separately). Other features include a 1.3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, instant messengers (AOL, MSN, and Yahoo) and support for Verizon’s high-speed V CAST network.

PERFORMANCE Playback controls on the outside are a necessity for a music phone. iPod users will love the jog dial, even if it moves a bit slowly through long lists. Unfortunately, if the phone is closed and you decide you want to listen to music, you have to open it to undo the keylock. Using the inside keypad to open the MP3 player isn’t easy since its buried way down inside the menus. It’s actually easier to open the phone, close it again, then press Play on the outside, which automatically launches the MP3 player. The internal antenna is fussy and, despite a sticker warning us not to, we found ourselves covering the antenna with our fingers, causing the reception to drop.

VERDICT Despite a few setbacks, the SGH-a950 is a solid starter phone for users looking to carry music.

www.verizonwireless.com
Carrier: Verizon Wireless