Samsung SCH-U740 Review

Camera:

The camera on the U740 is a standard 1.3MP CMOS sensor, which is used on most phones. So we were not surprised by the sub-par images that it takes in comparison to the 2MP enV and 3MP A990. Pictures that were taken outside lacked sharp edges and did not have good color representation. Indoor pictures were more faded and blotchy, depending on lighting conditions. There is a small LED flash that can provide light up to 4 feet. Once again we felt that the U740 was a “budget” phone because of the poor images that it took, reminiscence of the Chocolate and VX8600.




Taking a picture can be done with the phone flipped open either way, but there is an important difference. With the phone opened the normal way, pictures are taken in “Portrait” mode. While opening the phone in the clamshell fashion will take pictures in the more traditional “Landscape” mode. This is the only phone on the Verizon line-up that can take images either way. Despite the lack-luster images, the camera software is easy to use and has some of the same features from the more high end A990. There is only a 1.5 seconds delay from the time you press “Ok” to take the image until the image is actually taken. If choosing to save the image, it will show you the default file name it will be saved as. You can either click Ok and use that name, or erase it and enter in another file name. Saving the image takes another 3 seconds. An easier and faster way is to select Auto Save in the options menu. This will bypass the screen asking you to select the file name. With the Auto Save turned on, the total time to take a picture, save it, and then be ready to take another picture was a reasonable 5 seconds.

Camera menu options include:

• Color Effects: Normal, B&W, Sepia, Antique, Negative, Green, Aqua, Cool, Warm, Sketch
• White Balance: Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Manual
• Light Metering: Average, Center, Spot
• Save Memory: Phone, MicroSD Card
• Auto Save: On, Off
• Preview Mode: Actual, Full
• Icon Display: Display All, Partial, Guideline, No Icons
• Ready Sound: Off, Say Cheese, Look Here, 123
• Shutter Sound: Off, Shutter, Ok, DingDong
• Reset Settings: Yes, No
• Flash: Off, Always On, Auto, Only This Shot
• Self Timer: Off, 2sec, 5sec, 10sec
• Save Quality: Fine, Normal, Economy
• Resolution: 1280x960, 640x480, 320x240, 160x120, Picture ID
• Multi-Shot: Series, Divided, Auto/Manual
  

Pressing the camera button a second time will take you to the Camcorder mode. Video recording is limited to only 176x144 resolution, but can be recorded up to the available memory on the phone or MicroSD card. But if you are looking to send a video to another phone or E-Mail address, you can only record up to 15 seconds. Many of the same Menu Options are available in the Camcorder mode, including Color Effects, White Balance, Memory, Auto Save, Icon Display, Start Sound, End Sound, Recording Time, Flash, Self Timer, and Quality. Due to the low resolution of recording, it is best to view the videos on the phone. Viewing them on a PC will show that the images are fuzzy with poor color and soft edges. We would of liked to have seen the U740 be capable of recording videos in 320x240 resolution. This would have helped with the overall video image quality.


Music:

The U740 sports three Touch Sensitive music control buttons that have been showing up on phones since the LG Chocolate last year. They are located on the front of the phone, directly below the external display. You can press the Play button to bring up a list of all the MP3 files on your MicroSD card, or you can access them by going into the My Music menu located in Get it Now. This is the preferred method, since you can choose to play songs by certain Artists and Albums. Once the song is selected and begins playback, it will display the song information on the screen. You can either keep the phone opened or closed while the song is playing. When closed, you can press the three buttons on the front (which will light up red) and have it Rewind/Skip Back, Play/Pause, and Fast Forward/Skip Ahead. The quality of the music playback was someone better than the Chocolate, due to the stereo speakers, but still did not sound as good as the enV. Music had a “tin-can” sound to it and would become distorted if the volume was turned up to High. Also, if listening to music with the flip closed, it would muffle the sound. The U740 is an overall decent phone for MP3 playback, but the enV and A990 still hold our top marks in this category. Not to mention the fact that the U740 does not support Stereo Bluetooth A2DP, which means you can only listen to music from the phones speakers or with a 2.5mm wired headset.


Software:

Qualcomm’s BREW format is used for applications on the U740, but there are no preloaded software or games included. One free application that can be downloaded is Mobile Instant Messenger. It will allow you to sign into AIM, MSN, and Yahoo instant messaging services, just like if you were at a PC. You can view you buddy list and send/receive messages. Keep in mind that sending and receiving messages are counted as Text Messages in your calling plan. Another useful application is Verizon’s VZ Navigator GPS service. For $10 a month (after a 15 day free trial), you can have car-like GPS directional service on your phone. It allows you to enter in your destination (street address, cross street, or airport) and it will automatically find the most direct route from your current location. Not only will it show you a map on the screen, but a helpful voice will speak the directions to you. The U740 also comes with several useful tools, including a Calculator, Alarm Clock, World Clock, Stopwatch, and Notepad. The alarm clock allows three independent alarms to be set, while the world clock will list the current date and time for cities around the globe.