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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #160 in Cell Phone Accessories
• Color: Black
• Brand: Samsung
• Model: Memoir
• Released on: 2008-10-08

Features

• Full touchscreen phone with 8-megapixel auto focus lens, Xenon flash, and easy access to popular photo sharing sites
• Compatible with T-Mobile's 3G network (available in select markets); T-Mobile's MyFaves service provides unlimited calling to your five most called contacts
• Assisted GPS for turn-by-turn directions; Bluetooth stereo music streaming; MicroSD expansion to 16 GB; access to personal email and instant messaging
• Up to 5.5 hours of talk time, up to 300 hours (12.5 days) of standby time
• What's in the Box: handset, battery, charger, USB cable, wired stereo handsfree headset, quick start guide

Amazon.com Product Description
Is the Samsung Memoir a high-megapixel point-and-shoot digital camera or a full-featured 3G-enabled smartphone? It's both, thanks to the 8-megapixel lens mounted on the back of the device and support for T-Mobile's HSDPA 3G network (in select markets), which provides fast web downloads and multimedia messaging. It will also keep you connected to your closest friends and family members with T-Mobiles myFaves.

The camera is outfitted with a Xenon flash, 16x digital zoom, video capture capabilities, and six shooting modes as well as easy access to your favorite online photo sharing sites. This touchscreen-enabled phone has a large, brightly colorful 3-inch screen, and it includes Samsung's intuitive and easily customizable TouchWiz user interface. It also offers built-in Assisted GPS (a-GPS) navigation, which allows you to utilize location-based services including turn-by-turn directions. Other features include Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion (up to 16 GB), digital audio player and FM radio, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.

The Samsung Memoir's 8-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture photos and videos on the go without sacrificing the quality of your point-and-shoot camera (see larger version).

T-Mobile Service
The Samsung Memoir operates on GSM 850/900/1800/1900 networks and is compatible with T-Mobile's UMTS/HSDPA 3G network, which operates on the 1700/2100 MHz AWS spectrum. This phone is designed to automatically connect to the best available network (3G or GSM/GPRS/EDGE) to provide faster data speeds when accessing the Web or downloading content from the T-Mobile Web2go content portal. T-Mobile is currently rolling out its 3G network, and it expects by year's end that its high-speed data network will be available in those cities where a majority of its subscribers currently use data services.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.

While this phone is optimized for use with T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, many of its functions will also work well on the moderate-speed EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.

Activities that work well on EDGE or 3G networks:

• Email, instant messaging, and texting
• Downloading ringtones, CallerTunes, wallpaper, light data files
• Sending photographs via e-mail or picture messaging

Activities that work best on a 3G network:

• Viewing content-heavy websites (lots of images or videos playing)
• Viewing YouTube and other video files (they will play on EDGE, but require loading time)
• Uploading large files (photos, videos, presentations) to sharing websites
• Downloading large files from an e-mail or a website

It's compatible with T-Mobile's myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts--on any network, even landlines--without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.

Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today's hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.

This phone is compatible with T-Mobile's Mobile Backup, a free service that stores your phone's contact information is case your phone is lost, stolen, or damaged, so you do not have re-enter all of your contact information when you get a new phone.

Phone Features
The slim Samsung Memoir camera phone delivers impressive images on it large 3-inch LCD color display (240 x 400 pixels, 262K colors) and offers haptic responsive feedback that vibrates when you press a button. For easy operation and navigation, the stylish Memoir features three dedicated keys--call, end call and back--on the front of the device under the touch screen. The Memoir also provides quick and easy access to a customer's favorite features through Samsung's innovative TouchWiz user interface, which has specially designed widgets to customize and personalize your phone. The quick and simple drag-and-drop feature provides instant access to your favorite functions, such as the clock, music player, instant messaging and photos and a custom widget for myFaves. The Memoir's full-touch virtual QWERTY keypad and multiple messaging capabilities--including text, multimedia messaging, instant messaging and email--make staying connected quick and easy while on the go.

Other features include Assisted GPS, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, and MicroSD memory expansion to 16 GB (see larger version).

With the 8-megapixel Samsung Memoir, you'll be able to capture all the special moments from your on-the-go life without sacrificing image quality, and the full touchscreen interface makes it easy to capture both brilliant still photos and high-resolution videos. The built-in 8-megapixel camera includes a CMOS autofocus lens, Xenon flash, 16x digital zoom, six shooting modes, multi-shot capabilities. A photo-sharing widget also makes it easy to quickly upload images to several photo sharing sites, including Flickr, Kodak Gallery, Photobucket, and Snapfish (as well as T-Mobile's My Album online sharing service). The Memoir also includes a TV output that enables you to connect the phone to a TV or compatible monitor to display photo slideshows to friends and family on a larger format.

The phone has a 180 MB internal memory, which can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook can store up to 2000 contact entries, each with multiple numbers per contact and support for caller groups as well as picture/ringer ID. You can download MP3 real-music and 72-chord polyphonic ringtones, and the phone also includes a vibrate function for when you need to keep things silent.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones.

Other features include:

• Built-in A-GPS navigation allows access to location-based applications
• Virtual, landscape QWERTY touchpad
• Instant messaging via AOL, ICQ, Windows Live, and Yahoo!
• Access to personal email with document viewer for attachments
• Organizer tools: Calendar, calculator, alarm clock, task list, voice memo
• Digital medial player compatible with audio (MP3, AAC/AAC+) and video files (MPEG4, H.263, H.264, WMV)
• 72-note polyphonic ringtones and vibrate mode
• Sync contact swith Outlook
• USB connectivity with USB mass storage capabilities
• Voice dialing: Call someone with simple voice commands to keep your hands free for activities like driving.
• Hearing Aid Compatibility = M3
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures)

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Memoir weighs 4.4 ounces and measures 4.17 x 2.11 x 0.55 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.5 hours of talk time, and up to 300 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as 1700/2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA 3G frequencies.

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Customer Reviews

Ahhhh so close!
I've been waiting for a good camera phone for a long time, and it seemed like the Memoir was the answer for me. Unfortunately, it falls just a little bit short on the camera side.

Pros:
*Looks sharp
*Good call quality
*Great music quality, I was surprised at the speaker quality, and it's easy to set any mp3 to be a ring tone.
*Nice voice dialing, never really thought I'd need it, but I used it.
*Great pictures in good light.
Cons:
*Touch screen isn't responsive enough, playing around with my Memoirs touch screen vs iPod Touch is night and day, you have to press a bit too hard, which ends up in misclicks.
*Shutter lag, the camera just flat out takes too long to take the picture once you hit the button. It takes too long to process between pictures as well, but really I'd be willing to overlook that.
*Flash issues, I'm not sure if this just stems from shutter lag as well, but taking night pictures is pretty bad. Overall action + night shots come out badly.




Overall I still like the phone, but as I really wanted the camera phone to be a replacement for my regular phone, it's a bit of a disappointment.

Wow..yellow and blurry pictures
Well, the title says it all. I was so excited to get this phone but after I took so many pictures I found out that most of my indoor pictures are yellow (flash is not strong enough) and blurry. It's on the way back to Tmobile now. The outdoor pictures are not great also. It's about the same as my old Tmobile Dash phone.

Not extremely impressed.
I am a busy mother of two young children, work full-time, take online classes, and do freelance graphic design. I upgraded to the Memoir as an alternative to carrying my phone, camera, and Palm handheld everywhere I go. Suprisingly, and despite other reviews, the camera is the best part about this phone. The color depth and clarity of pictures is comparable to my 12 MP Canon Powershot. Any that I have taken inside have turned out well, even though other reviews say otherwise. No, it doesn't take perfect shots of something 20 feet away in complete darkness, but neither does my Canon.

Call clarity is decent, but tends to get a little distorted if you are in a noisy area and have to use a high volume. The handset volume gets loud enough to hear in a crowded atmosphere, but just isn't as clear. The speakerphone is also loud enough to be useful in a car on the highway with the windows down, but oddly enough... the ringers lack that volume. Even on the highest setting, it is sometimes hard to hear the phone ringing.

The touch screen takes some adapting, but I haven't really experienced any problems navigating it or using the virtual QWERTY keyboard. The vibration feedback is a good tool for learning to use the phone in absence of physical keys, and can be turned off if so desired.

Mobile web and data applications are very slow to load. I loved using the TeleNav software on my previous phone - a Sony Ericsson - but have yet to get it to run correctly on the Memoir. Maybe this is due to the fact that I can only get half - or less - the signal that I got with the Sony. We live in an area with very strong T-Mobile coverage, but sometimes this phone still has zero bars, whereas the Sony always had a full signal.

What bothers me most is, for the $500+ retail price on this phone, I expect to be able to customize it anyway I please. The 'widgets' are functionable, but only programmed to a set group of features. The music player and alarm options cannot be removed from the widget bar at all! The calendar can be added to the home screen, but not the 'tasks' or 'memo' functions. To-do lists and memo notes are my best friends, but I have to scroll through the menu options to get to these functions, as well as many other features of the phone. There is no screensaver customization and I have had no luck finding useful additional applications for the Memoir.

The visual aspects of the large touchscreen aren't anything to write home to mom about, but it is still nice and clear.

Cosmetically, yes, it looks great. The best part is how people react when they think you are talking on a digital camera! Bottom-line, though...I can spend $500 on a nice pair of shoes and get about as much use from them.