Samsung SGH-T809

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Samsung SGH-T809
Screen 240x320 pixels,
262,000 colors
Ringtone Polyphonic, supports MP3s
Memory 70 MB (built-in, flash shared memory)
Networks GSM 850, 900, 1800, 1900
Connectivity GPRS
Physical size 3.90" x 2.00" x 0.58" (99mm x 51mm x 15mm)
Weight 3.35 oz (95g)

The Samsung SGH-T809 is a mobile telephone released by Samsung and increasingly common in the United States due to a distribution deal with T-Mobile. It is also known in some countries as the Samsung D820.

Contents

[edit] Features

  • Thin and light slider-style design
  • 1.3 megapixel camera with camcorder capabilities
  • Bluetooth wireless capability for headsets, synchronizing with PCs or phones
  • Quad-band GSM ("Worldphone") capability
  • A reversible camera lens that can be rotated to point forwards or back towards the user. The lens is not a true swivel lens because it only rotates into the phone and can't be rotated to take pictures at remote-control angles. In effect, the user can only take self portraits or cellphone angle shots.

[edit] Capabilities and applications

  • Users of the phone have found that the Samsung software used to synchronize the calendar and the address book contact list with Microsoft Outlook falls short, and states that that feature is not available for the T809 (the software is meant to be used by many Samsung phones.) There are a few ways of getting around this. One can use the software to do a one-time import of address book info to the phone. Also, there is third-party synching software that is compatible with the phone. The package is called DataPilot, and their website contains a for-purchase application that succeeds in linking both the address book and the calendar with Outlook. However, to be accurate, the calendar connection is not a sync, but a transfer that overwrites the contents of the phone, so recent additions to the phone's calendar are deleted, not synched in. However, be cautious when purchasing Datapilot. One would expect that the software would be compatible with the phone-to-USB cables that come with the phone, but they are not: the software wants to use DataPilot's own cables. Therefore it is better to use Bluetooth for data synching. However, again, there is a caveat: only the more advanced drivers of Bluetooth (Broadcom/Widcomm Bluetooth BTW 1.4.2.21 or above) will work with the software. It is probably easiest to buy the package that includes Datapilot's own USB Bluetooth adapter and driver.

The phone's ability to view mp4 and 3gp files allows users to download or acquire video of almost any type, use a conversion program (like AVS Video Converter or such as those provided by Makayama, ImTOO, and Xilisoft) to convert them to mp4 or 3gp, and then watch them on the phone. Pressing the "1" key while viewing video provides an excellent full-screen view of the video. Recent affordable microSD chips, including up to 2GB in size, make video viewing use more and more practical.

[edit] Defects

There are certain builds of this phone that have a problem connecting with towers. It appears the problem occurs when there are multiple, equally strong towers in the area. What appears to happen is that the phone cannot decide which tower to connect to, constantly giving you a weak or no signal. To find out what build your phone is, open it up, look under the battery, the number below the serial number. (For example: 06.02 (an affected phone)). You can contact T-mobile about the phone; however, they will only offer to replace it with a cheaper phone. Several models have a defect in which the top left corner of the screen is not sealed properly. Especially for users who keep this phone in their pocket with no case, dust usually gets into the phone. The dust looks like white speckles which get stuck inside. In sunlight these are more noticeable. More and more dust gets into the phone as time goes by. Newer models are claimed to have fixed this problem, although they are still not properly sealed. The original models did not have this problem, but the updates and refurbished phones have it. The unlocked version of this phone, Samsung SGH-D820, does not have this defect. Also, this phone is known to crash, or reboot, on its own about once a month.

crashing is a firmware problem flash your phone to fix it

[edit] Specifications

  • Form Factor: Slider
  • Internal antenna
  • Battery Life: Talk: 4.30 hours, Standby: 130 hours (5.4 days)

[edit] Features and attributes

The phone is noted as having a sleek and glossy texture. The speakers are of especially high quality for a cell phone, and photos taken with the built-in camera can be edited with imaging tools contained within the device. However, battery life is no different than any other cell phone with these capabilities and the buttons are sometimes too small for precision use if you don't have normal size hands.

The T809 is one of Samsung's forays into the ultra-slim segment of the cell phone market, and has received excellent reviews for its design and functionality.

[edit] Carriers

The phone has been distributed in North America by the following carriers:

[edit] External links