It’s almost next to impossible to get a phone nowadays that doesn’t have a camera built in. However, it’s not very often that you get a camera with a phone built in. Okay, so the Samsung SCH-A990 isn’t really a full-fledged camera, but you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and a modern digital camera. With the A990, it all starts with its design.
Unlike most cell phones where the camera is usually just a small hole on the back, the A990 has a 3.2 megapixel lens which bears a striking resemblance to those found on most regular cameras. In addition, there is a built in lens protector which works on the basis of a small switch-like mechanism. This is a very useful feature, although it is up to the user to ensure the lens cover gets closed. There is also a built-in flash. Another aspect of design that sets the A990 apart from other phones is its swivel lid. On the front, the A990 looks like your typical flip phone. However, whenever you want to take a picture, all you have to do is twist the lid 180 degrees, close it, and suddenly, your phone has just become a camera, complete with high-resolution display. In fact, while holding the phone horizontally, you will discover that along the top there are controls dedicated just to the camera. These include the standard W and T buttons for zooming in and out, a menu button, which is unlabeled, and a red button on the right hand side which is used for taking an actual picture. On the other side you will find rewind, play/pause and fast forward buttons for controlling your music, as well as a port for a headset and a microSD card slot. Located on the bottom side is the slot for the phone’s power and connector cables. There are also two speakers located on either side of the phone. One very nice feature of the A990 is that all of its ports are covered with protectors that are attached to the phone itself. This is great for keeping dust from corroding your phone’s connectors and it’s nice that you don’t have to worry about losing your covers, which I have done with previous phones.
On the front, there’s an attractive 1.25 inch external display which shows the time, signal strength, battery life, time, background image which you can choose and when receiving a call, photo caller ID. On the inside, the A990 features a large 2.2 inch screen that is absolutely stunning. Control-wise you will find the common four-way navigational controls and “OK” button. Each of the four directional buttons are assigned to a different feature, up opens the Web, down opens the calendar, left opens the menu for movies and photos and right opens Verizon’s Get It Now service. It should be noted that the directional keys are quite small and might be difficult for users with large thumbs to operate. On both sides of the directional keys there are three more buttons and a clear button underneath. On the left hand side, the top button brings you to the messaging menu, the middle button initiates the phone’s camera feature and the bottom button allows you to send a message or call. On the right hand side, the top button brings you to the contacts menu, the middle button brings you to the voice-command window and the bottom button acts as both the power button and the end call button.
Unlike the directional keys mentioned above, the phone’s keypad has generously-sized keys and should not be a problem when dialing a number. The keys are also well back lit, allowing for easy dialing in no matter what lighting conditions you may happen to be in.
In terms of taking pictures, the A990 offers plenty of options. In addition to five picture modes, three quality settings and five resolutions, you can also change the white balance, brightness, color effects and how sensitive the camera is to light, also known as ISO settings. You can also decide if you want the phone to make a shutter sound when taking a picture, if you want a flash or a timer and whether you want autofocus on or off. You can also take a multishot picture. However, you can’t use the phone’s zoom capabilities if you have the quality and resolution set to the highest settings. As if all these options weren’t enough, you can also take up to an hour’s worth of video with sound. Photos and videos can be saved to the phone’s 32MB of internal memory (it actually has 72MB, but users can only use 32MB of it) or to an external microSD card. Furthermore, the phone comes with a TV out cable, allowing you to showcase you photos and movies on a TV and while the quality may not be fantastic, it is still a nice feature.
The A990 is also a Verizon V Cast phone. This means that you can watch streaming videos and download music. You can also download games and other extras through Verizon’s Get It Now service.
So how does the phone portion hold up? In most cases quite well, however, there is one important issue to point out. The A990 has four indicator bars, with four bars being the strongest signal strength. However, don’t be surprised if you don’t see those four bars very often. The A990 has a very temperamental indicator, which at some times will be showing three bars and at other times be showing no bars, despite the fact that you clearly have good reception. Besides this one flaw, the A990 performed very well, with conversations being easy to understand on both sides.
The A990 is definitely a high-end phone and thus, probably not the best choice for an average user. However, if you are interested in multimedia features, the A990 may very well be the phone for you.
Filed under: Cell Phones, Samsung, Verizon Tagged: | Cell Phone, Digital Camera, Samsung, V Cast, Verizon
