 I like small cell phones, which is the main reason I bought the Samsung R225. It's small, lightweight, and does the job. I enjoy being able to carry a phone in my pocket without being constantly aware of its presence.
The R225 has a black and white screen, which I love. It's as clear as can be in the day and the blue backlight makes the text easily visible at night. The keys on the phone light up with the same blue light, creating an attractive high-tech glow. The blue glow was pretty impressive when the R225 first came out, but now everyone has color screens on their phones. Honestly, I don't want a color screen on my next phone. However, I'm told that if I want Bluetooth on my next phone (which I do), I have to get a color screen. Sorry, but I don't want to take low-res pictures with my phone or see people's names show up in different colors. I just want the text to be clear and the screen to be bright.
The reception of the R225 is decent, but not great. There are some other Motorola phones I've tried that are better and some Sony Ericsson ones that are worse, so I'd say this phone is pretty much middle-of-the road regarding the quality of its reception. My biggest complaint is that on some days the phone will have intermittent reception in areas that typically have good coverage. At times, the problem is so bad that calls are dropped -- and then dropped again every time I try to call back. I talked to a number of T-Mobile reps about the issue and they all blamed it on the phone. Of course, that's what I expected them to say.
The R225 has a well-designed interface. The buttons are intuitively laid out and the screen commands are easy to follow. However, there are a couple phrases that were overlooked in the Korean to English translation such as "Press * then Key Activate" and "KeyPad Activate." Also, I don't understand why I have to hold "End" for over three seconds to turn my phone on. I wish turning on the phone as well as locking the keypad could be done with a manual switch on the side of the phone. Call me impatient, but it can be annoying to have to hold a button for a couple seconds every time I need to type something on my phone.
The built-in text messaging is solid, though the screen is only big enough to hold three short lines of text at a time. That's usually less than a full sentence, which can make me forget what I'm typing if I get sidetracked. The T9 text mode is great, as it guesses words as you type them. This makes typing long messages using the numeric keypad much less painful. The "Organizer" feature includes a calendar and an alarm, which aren't great, but do the job. I use the calendar option to set reminders for things like meetings and doctor's appointments. The alarm is helpful if you're away from home and need to wake up at a certain time in the morning. Just don't set the phone on vibrate before you go to bed!
The R225 is comfortable to hold in your hand, but not so comfortable when it's up by your ear. Holding it for long conversations can cause serious hand cramps, mainly because of how small it is. Fortunately, there is a headset port on the side of the phone, which allows for hands-free operation. However, the port has a rather low output volume and only works with Samsung's proprietary headsets.
The Samsung R225 is a solid phone, though it does have its drawbacks. If the reception was more consistent and it was more comfortable to hold, the R225 would be a great phone. That being said, the intuitive interface and easy operation make it a good choice for someone looking for a basic cell phone. |
|
|
|
