gets the job done
Overall Rating:
3.7 out of 5
By: Dave Douglass on Sunday, November 15, 2009 3.7 out of 5From: Passaic County, NJ (United States)
Experience: 6 Months
Pros: small, easy to use UI, good radioCons: if all you do (like me) is make/take occasional calls, then the only cons are 1) the ringer isn't very loud, and 2) the keypad doesn't really lock when closed, pressure in tight pockets like jeans will cause bring up screens where Verizon tries to sell you something.Summary: I just want to talk to people every now or then. The phone works for that. I've never had problems with the battery because I charge it every night. I had to get a replacement from Verizon after 4 months (for free) because the display went bad.
Samsung Sway
Overall Rating:
3 out of 5
By: diane mcconville on Thursday, October 30, 2008 3 out of 5From: Venetia, PA (United States)
Experience: 7 Days
Pros: Lightweight, big keypad, bright bold displayCons: During texting the keys are slow, very disappointed that there is no way to push or slide up, no thumb notch, makes for a smeared window. My battery life is very limited. I did return for a new battery, I hope that worksSummary: Good lightweight phone, but really missing out on a way to slide up without using the screen.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful
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Not "there" but "they are", not "its" but "it's"
I latterly waited, like 5 years for this phone to come out for Verizon. I even wanted to switch cell phone providers to get this kind of phone but verizon is the best where I live.
So far, after 2 months of use the phone works like a phone.
The reason that I like the sway is the fact that I hate flit phones so much and I dont like large phones. My paints pockets are filled with enough crap (keys, wallet, random paper), I dont need a big phone in there as well. The fact that the key pad and camera hide during the slide is the best feature of the phone. You also dont really need to open it up much as well, just unlock it and use the history to call people. We usually only call about 7 different people anyways. The wife, the kids, the office, and a few friends.
Slick, small, kinda cool. Modern cell phone, not the bricks that are coming back into style. Get a laptop if you need a full keyboard, they make tiny ones now.
Per my previous updates, the Sway SCH-U650 now gets >>down-graded>requires>>disablesDON'T BUY THE SWAY<. If you're on another network, and they don't sabotage your Sway's hardware like Verizon does, or you have loads of cash to throw at an expensive montly calling plan with all the bells and whistles, then the Sway will do just fine.
With all INSULT intended towards Verizon, this type of devious, under-handed plot to create a revenue stream by luring you in with attractive technology with all the capabilities you'd expect it to have, only to learn AFTER the fact that you must buy extra services or have added monthly subscriptions or inflated retail prices per item...they should just drop the charade and announce they're actually Microsoft...!
Oh, and yes...I would definitely do things differently if I had them to do all over again. I've learned from this, and will be more diligent next time around.
Cheers.
Per my previous updates, the Sway SCH-U650 now gets >>down-graded>requires>>disablesDON'T BUY THE SWAY<. If you're on another network, and they don't sabotage your Sway's hardware like Verizon does, or you have loads of cash to throw at an expensive montly calling plan with all the bells and whistles, then the Sway will do just fine.
With all INSULT intended towards Verizon, this type of devious, under-handed plot to create a revenue stream by luring you in with attractive technology with all the capabilities you'd expect it to have, only to learn AFTER the fact that you must buy extra services or have added monthly subscriptions or inflated retail prices per item...they should just drop the charade and announce they're actually Microsoft...!
Oh, and yes...I would definitely do things differently if I had them to do all over again. I've learned from this, and will be more diligent next time around. I hope you have taken enough information from my experience to decide for yourself.
Cheers.
[earlier post, was waiting on microSD card & data cable; still waiting for data cable]
This is a NEGATIVE update to my earlier post; it's not so much negative towards the Sway, but how Verizon blocks features of the phone for the intention of enticing the subscriber to incur extra fees and charges in order to use the blocked features.
Features: ringtones & extra applications.
As a Versizon subscriber, using the Sway, I may NOT transfer ringtones or 3rd party applications to my microSD card, and then move them to the phone. Nor may I send them to myself from outside the system (email/text with attachment); Verizon's service *removes* the attachment before it's delivered to the phone.
There is absolutely NO mention of this when shopping the phone or the fine print of the calling plans on VZW's website. I chose a Family plan with 250 text/pic-text/vid-text per phone per billing cycle, and limited web access. So having said that, Verizon tweaks the software it downloads to the phones upon activation of service to prohibit the transfer of ringtones and applications, unless you access at $1.99/MB and subscribe to additional services ($).
I received the mSD cards; formatted them in the phones; moved them to the computer; opened the appropriate folders for music, ringtones; transferred my selections, and then put the mSD cards back into the phones. >>>The only access I had was to the music.<<< The ringtones would not appear, even when accessed through Memory/Card menu. It shows data has been stored in the "My Ringtones" folder of the memory card when Memory/Usage/Card is accessed, but access to the data itself is blocked; won't even show the file names. Thus began my investigation....
What I learned from my investigation was that in order to customize my ringtones, or add applications, I would have to either subscribe to an extra service, or pay per ringtone *and* $1.99/MB download, *and* download an application to allow me to do that, for a monthly fee, one-time fee, or various other fee structures, while all along incurring the $1.99/MB fee, simply because I didn't choose an expensive unlimited web access calling plan.
So instead of being able to download ringtones & applications to my computer, and transfer them to my card, and then to the phone, Verizon blocks the Sway's capabilities to function like that, in order to corner the subscriber into incurring extra charges. I understand that this is not an issue for subscribers with unlimited web access calling and plans.
As a consumer that's only going to change his ringtone, or use a mobile application on a cellphone maybe once or twice a year, I'm appalled at the tactic of Verizon, and the lack of information regarding the scope of how they limit the functionality of my device; it does NOT work as advertised under their calling plan if you choose limited access; you cannot 'do it yourself'.
Unacceptable. I'm looking for a hack. If I find anything, I'll post it. If the data cable changes this, I'll post it (but there's no reason to think that it would change the situation.)
So, Verizon subscribers beware; be advised that if you don't get the unlimited web access calling plan with your Sway phone, you will NOT be able to use all of the phone's capabilities and features without extra charges and/or fees.
My opinion may change after getting the transfer cable and microSD card installed; still waiting for delivery. I've read that the higher gig cards can be glitchy, but that the file transfer can be done under 'mass-storage device' in Windows XP, and Linux. Haven't verified that, so don't know yet.
As for text, I haven't missed a beat. I changed the input setting to "T9Word" and type away; haven't noticed any lag.
Camera and video work as advertised, better quality than expected for a 2Meg. The higher settings are sharp and clear, but definitely use power quickly (might buy the extended charge 1300ma battery.) Picture text and video text to friends and family works great; not all of them can see the higher resolutions, so I keep it on the low end (320x) and the pics still look great, while the video is a bit grainy down that low. Tons of settings. I really like the lens location on the back-side of the sliding face; when the phone is closed, it's protected (pocket friendly.)
The Bluetooth is unexpectedly limited. It connects to all my devices, but hasn't allowed me to browse the phone from my laptop, or do file transfer via Bluetooth from pc to phone; still figuring this out. Pretty sure the data cable will make this a non-issue. The phone easily sends business cards and contact information to the pc/laptop, but not vice versa. Oddly enough, it connects to my Palm TX, and lets the TX send contacts to it, but nothing else. But it did connect to my Bluetooth stereo headset without any trouble, and sounds loud and clear.
The Voice command software is kind of lame. That's a surprise, since it's by Nuance, the makers of Dragon Naturally Speaking. It understands most commands correctly (90%?) but doesn't process the contact names very well, no matter what the sensitivity level is set at. Since I use voice command features frequently with my hands-free device, it falls short of my expectations. My last phone was trainable, but haven't found that capability with the Nuance program yet (if it's there at all.)
Although the phone is sleek and sexy, it really does need some sort of finger grip on the sides of the slider; I'm constantly wiping finger prints off of the screen from sliding it open. I'm considering buying a rubberized cover just because of that. It really is an attractive phone, so it will be a shame to have to cover it up just to get a better grip! I'm also wondering how long the slider will last; it seems solid now, but after a year in my pocket, not sure if that's going to hold up.
I've only had this phone for a month, and give it a solid 4 out of 5 stars for appearance, call clarity (including speaker feature), and versatility. But, if I have any difficulties or performance issues with the microSD card and data cable, I'll drop it from 4 to 3 instantly.
My advice, if you are considering this phone (Samsung Sway sch-u650) is to drop by one of the stores and check it out in person, or find someone that has owned one longer than I have and ask them about it. Cheers.