Interface:
Samsungs have always had easy to use interface. The menu on the T509 is animated similar to the T809, but is a bit simplified due to it's lesser features. It's a 9 icon grid menu, with each icon being animated when highlighted. There is absolutely no lag when going through the menus, except when making a change having to wait for the little Saved pop-up to go away. With a nice screen and colorful graphic menu, the user interface really is joy to work with. That, of course, is something that Samsung have always been known for. One nice feature for a candybar phone like this one is the autolock feature, which locks the keys after about 30 seconds in standby. In addition, while the keys are locked pressing and holding the volume keys will bring up the time and date, without unlocking the keypad. Here is the place to mention that having the center key as an "OK" or a "Select" key is great, and now the right softkey is left to being just the "Back" key, although sometimes that function can be executed by the "C" key underneath the Navigational pad.
Messaging:
Messaging on the T509 is very down to earth. You've got text and picture messaging in a dedicated part of the menu, also there's an IM client which supports AIM, ICQ, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger. Using those will however bring your messaging charges up quite a bit, so getting something with unlimited messaging is a good idea.
Phonebook:
The phonebook on the phone is also pretty well organized. For every contact you can save four numbers, email, picture, and a dedicated ringtone. The phonebook can be organized in groups as well, which is quite handy. The phone has Picture ID, so that adds to the fun. You can also have your contacts organized in groups, so that you can bring even more organization in you phonebook. One thing we wished the T509 had is ability to synchronize with Outlook.
Getting in touch with people itself is not a problem. The phone is a domestic triband GSM phone, which will work with no problem in a lot of places around the world, but will have some trouble when in developing countries. For data transmission the phone relies on GPRS and EDGE, which is great, but since the phone itself only has WAP browsing, you'll be able to experience the EDGE fully if you use it as modem to a laptop or a PDA. You can do that via the Bluetooth, which actually supports Data Transfer, Object Transfer, Dial Up Networking, and Handsfree profiles.
