Samsung Glyde Review

Camera:

The Glyde has a 2-megapixel autofocus camera with flash, which is a step down from the 3MP camera used on the F700. The application takes 4 seconds to load and can be easily launched by pressing the camera button located on the right side. Unlike the Voyager that uses the whole screen as the viewfinder, the Glyde only uses about 75%. With the autofocus turned on, it takes 2 seconds to focus, 2 seconds to capture the image, and another 2 seconds to save it to the memory card. The total turn around time to take one picture, save it, and take a second picture for saving is 11 seconds. If you need to take pictures faster, you can turn off the autofocus feature and it will cut the amount of time.


Images taken outside are sharp and have a lot of detail with good color saturation, but tend to look underexposed (darker) than they should. Interior images taken with plenty of daylight look fine due to the camera using faster shutter speeds, but in instances where you can only use standard incandescent bulbs, the shutter must remain open longer, causing images to be blurry. The camera features a built in LED flash, which the Voyager does not have, however the range is only about 6 feet. Because of this, don’t expect to use it for taking many low-light pictures. The autofocus system is also capable of taking macro (up close) images, which worked without problem.

Camera Options:

• Color Effects: Normal, B&W, Sketch, Antique, Negative, Green, Aqua
• White Balance: Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent
• Brightness: 9 levels
• Memory: Phone, Card
• Auto Name: Off, On
• ISO: Auto, 100, 200, 400
• Metering: Average, Center, Spot
• Icon Display: All, Partial, Guidelines, None
• Sound Effects: Ready Sound, Shutter Sound
• Flash: Off, Auto, Only this shot, On
• Auto Focus: Off, On
• Self Timer: Off, 3 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec
• Quality: Fine, Normal, Economy
• Resolution: 1600x1200, 1280x960, 1024x768, 640x480, 320x240, 176x144
• Multishot: Series, Divided

Videos can be recorded at maximum of 320x240 resolution, with the length being up to the available memory. Watching a recorded video on the phone is best, due to the smaller screen size. Once they are transferred to a PC, you can see how low quality they are, with blotchy color and low frame rate.


Audio:

The music player on the Glyde is almost identical as the one used on the Voyager. The music menu shows icons for genre, artists, albums, songs, playlists, inbox, play all, and shuffle. Once a song begins playback, there are several icons on the left and right side of the screen that you can select from, allowing you to play/pause, rewind, fast-forward, or select a different track. But unlike the Venus, Chocolate, and F700, which have a more customizable music interface, this one cannot continue to play music while the phone performs other tasks, such as sending a text message or using the browser.


The Voyager and enV2 both have their stereo speakers located on the inside flip on either side of the display, whereas the stereo speakers on the Glyde are both located next to the earpiece. Because of this, when the phone is in landscape mode to use the music player, it places both speakers on the left side, thus defeating the purpose of having stereo speakers to begin with. A better design would be to have the left speaker next to the earpiece and the right speaker on the opposite end, as with the F700. Despite their poor location, music quality is relatively good, but does not get quite as loud as if it were playing from the enV2 or Voyager. For better quality, you can use a pair of wired earbuds or a Bluetooth stereo headset.


Video:

Because the Glyde lacks Mobile TV functionality, you can only watch videos using the standard V Cast video service. These are pre-recorded at 320x240 resolution and 15fps. Because of their low quality, this should not be looked as a primary feature of the Glyde, since most all Verizon devices are also capable of accessing the V Cast service.



Software:

As with most other Verizon phones, the Glyde uses Qualcomm’s BREW format for all application. One of the most useful available ones is VZ Navigator, which is used for GPS guided directions. It comes with Version 3 preinstalled, but can download and install the updated Version 4, which allows for new 3D maps, traffic congestion and accident re-routing, as well as the ability to find local gas stations, restaurants, movie theaters and show times, and local events. We were able to use VZ Navigator around south FL without problem. The updated 3D maps are easy to follow and are more professional looking than the previous version. The added improvements are well worth the $10 per month price.

No games are preloaded on the Glyde, but can be purchased and download over the air directly from Verizon.