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Article

Title: Latest Music Phone is a Creative Gadget Marred by Big Flaws

Author: Mossberg, Walter S Article Type: Review
Source: Wall Street Journal, v249 n73 pB1(1) Publication Date: Mar 29, 2007
  ISSN: 0193-2241
  Illustrations: Charts
URL of Publication: http://www.wsj.com

Samsung's UpStage music phone was announced by Sprint with a pricetag that is only a fraction of the planned price of the iPhone to be provided soon by Apple. The music player and phone are well-integrated in one small gadget. One side of the device is a phone keypad and a small screen for voice calls and tapping out messages. On the other side of the device is a larger screen and navigation controls, primarily for music playing and also for online data viewing. During testing, the user found that its two-sided design works pretty well, but with a few usability problems, and the UpStage is a better music phone than the Verizon Chocolate. However, the battery life is lousy, and memory is so tiny that, as shipped, it can hold only about 20 songs of average length. The price advantage is reduced when buyers choose to upgrade to more capability. Testers put the UpStage through its paces mostly as a music player and compared it with the base-model iPod Nano, which costs the same amount as the Upstage. Phone functions were also tested. Only one of the two screens can be used at any one time, The UpStage ships with a small memory card, while the iPod Nano holds 500 MP3 files (in contrast to the 20 average songs of the UpStages memory). Testers says Samsung and Sprint made an admirable effort with the UpStage, but it doesnt make the cut.

Special Features: Charts

Companies:
Samsung Electronics America Inc

Products:
Samsung Smartphones

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