Experience the wireless world in living color with 3G high speed connectivity on the Samsung SPH-N400's vibrant color screen. The SPH-N400 makes a dazzling impression as soon as you open the handset. Its amazing 65,000-color Super Twisted Nematic (STN) screen makes every accessed menu come alive with color animations, icons and graphics. And with fast 3G connections, playing games, viewing (and sending) pictures, and surfing the Web suddenly become mobile activities.
Samsung N400 User Reviews
1. Posted by amy31705
Wed Oct 15, 2003 7:42 am
I bought this phone when I decided I wanted a color screen and the option to download ringers. My last phone was the Sprint Touchpoint 2200...I loved that phone. But it no longer offered what I was looking for. (My dad is currently using that phone, and loves it)
Well, I was so excited when I got the phone. I showed everyone my cute phone. But the novelty wore off...and to be honest, I almost took it back that first week. Somedays, I wish I had.
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Vision
My first problem was with the Vision. I was on the phone with Sprint daily because my Vision wasnt connecting. They assured me that once they worked out all of the kinks, it would be okay. They did get it to work right, but it wasnt what it could have been. I was always having problems connecting, or would get a browser error and have to restart it. I gave the Vision 4 months, the first 3 months being Free, and then decided to cancel my Vision services. I didnt think it was worth the $10 a month they wanted for it.
I also didnt like the fact that Sprint wanted anywhere from 99 cents to $3.99 for each ringer, game or screensaver you downloaded. And to make matters worse, in 3 months, the game expired, so if you enjoyed the game, you were forced to buy it again.
I recently discovered that there are websites out there where you can download all you want for free. Sprint will just charge you for the usage (if you dont have Vision on your phone)...so many cents per KB...and in the end it comes out a LOT cheaper. So I'm still getting new ringers and screensavers. But instead of paying $10 for the Vision each month, and the price of the ringer/screensaver/game. I am paying like 91 cents. A bargain if you ask me.
Now more about the phone....
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Address book
My big problem with the address book is that you are only allowed 12 characters for the name. Thats not 12 characters for the first name...and another 12 for the last. That is TWELVE total. Not nearly enough.
The address book allows for 250 numbers. And for each address book entry...you are given a spot with a cute little icon next to it for home number, work, pager, mobile, fax and an extra with out a label. There is also a place for an email address, a URL, and a birthdate.
One thing to keep in mind is this....if you have a Home, Work and Mobile number for one person....that counts as 3 of those 250 you are allowed...not just 1.
You can organize these entries into 4 different groups...family, friends, colleages, etc. (these groups can be renamed into whatever you like) And then assign different ringers to each group if you choose to. You can also assign different ringers to individual entries. So a specific ringer will tell you its your Mom calling.
You can also select an image for each entry. So instead of just the number of the incoming call...you get a picture too. Takes caller ID to a whole new level!!!
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Call history
I dont like the way this one works at all. It has a Missed Call, Incoming Call, and Outgoing Call log. And thats great. But my old phone...if you missed 3 calls....the first one being John, then Betty, then John again....it would show all 3 calls in the call history. So you knew John called twice. But THIS phone...it only keeps one entry for John...the later one.
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Messaging
Well that gives you 3 choices...
Shortmail - pretty much Sprints version of text messaging. The big problem there is to retrieve your test messages, you have to get on the internet. Too time consuming for something that should be fast and easy.
Email - every vision account gets an email address. And this is where you would go to retrieve those.
Notifications - when someone sends you a numeric page...they will be found here.
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Planner
I dont use this section very often. It offers...
* a task list - 32 character limit
* memo pad - 32 character again
* alarm - 3 of them You can choose the ringer to go off at the specified time. And can also choose to have it go off just once, or daily at the specified time.
* calculator -self explanatory
* world time - this is kind of cool, but I always forget its there. It will tell you what time it currently is in other parts of the world.
* countdown - you can put in your anniversary...and it will tell you exactly how many days, hours and minutes you have to go.
* set time - I never had to use this, my phone keeps track of the time pretty well on its own, but I guess this would come in handy if you were going on vacation and going to be in a different time zone.
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Volume Control
This phone, like my old one, also has volume control buttons located on the side. If the phone is ringing, and you press the button, it silences the phone. That really comes in handy when you cant answer the phone but dont want to listen to it ring.
The volume control has different levels to choose from.
It has two Level 1's. The first is just a Beep...the second is your normal ringer.
And it goes all the way up to Level 8. Again it has two levels here too. Level 8 with just a ringer. And level 8 with Vibrate.
It also gives you the option to just have it on Vibrate.
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Speakerphone
There is a button on the other side of the phone which will turn on the Speakerphone.
I have never used this feature for actual calls, so cant comment on clarity. But do use it occasionally to listen to my voicemail. It seems to be okay.
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Reception and Battery Life
This phone has the pull out antenna. I dont like that about it. And even with the antenna extended, it doesnt get the reception I got with my touchpoint.
My Touchpoint worked well anywhere. With this Samsung, I have trouble getting a signal in the back of the super market and especially in Wal-Mart.
As for battery life, I went from a phone that had over 7 hours of talk time to one that has less than 3...so of course I am not happy about it. The old phone had a desktop charger which was big and bulky...but this one just plugs right into the bottom and is very easy to wrap up and take with you.
With my reception being so bad though, my phone always seems to be searching for service...and that kills the battery quickly.
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Other Stuff
This phone offers the locking feature. You make up a 4 digit passcode and can restrict calls being made until that passcode is entered.
Airplane Mode....not sure what that is...but this phone has it.
The option to change the way the phone is answered. You can set it to answer calls when you flip it open, press the talk key or press any key.
Auto Answer - this is great when you are driving and have a car kit/headset. The phone just answers its self.
Language- English or Spanish are the options.
And last but not least...it gives you the Keyguard feature.
You can also send and recieve pictures with this phone. But you will have to buy the digital camera from Sprint. I already own a digital camera, and didnt see the need to buy another one just for my phone.
This phone is really customizable. You can really make it your own by choosing which picture you want as your wallpaper. I uploaded a pic of my dog to mbuzzy and have it as my wallpaper. And besides the ability to download whatever ringer you would live, it comes with 20 different ringers to choose from.(10 melodies, 10 ringtones)
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I've had this phone since November...and I'm getting used to it. I had to buy a case for the phone because although the keypad is covered, the screen is always exposed. I didnt feel comfortable just throwing it in my purse unprotected. The phone isnt built like a standard call phone either, so I couldnt just pick up a cheap case at the local Wal-Mart....I had to go to the Sprint store and buy one specifically designed for this phone.
The phone looks good though...and it feels sturdy. It fits nicely in your hand when you are talking. My phone does tend to get warm after talking for more than 15 minutes though...I'm not sure if thats normal or not.
And thats it.
Would I tell you to buy this phone? No!
If I seen you about to purchase this phone, would I try to stop you? Most likely!
The phone looks good....but it isnt worth the money I paid for it.
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2. Posted by midnightmuse
Sun Jul 18, 2004 4:37 pm
bought this phone because my bf bought a new phone, peer pressure that cost me 200 bucks. very cute phone, i love the clear ringers, they sound really good on this phone, including the music clip ringers, where as on other phones they sound cheap. but ive had quite a few issues with it, or maybe it was just sprint?
1-it gets hot as heck when you r on it a while, i thought it was the keypad getting hot or the screen, i turned them off and it still burns me up, i have to keep switching sides of my face.
2-signal? what signal? my bf paid half of what i paid and can get a signal in a tunnel if necessary. i cant get one sometimes if im in the middle of the street in front of my house holding a coat hanger. but in wierd spots, like the bathroom at mcdonalds, ill get full strength.
3-glass screen. need i say more? i cracked mines and samsung politely told me it was 150 to fix. 50 bucks short of what i paid for the whole phone.
4-that internet is a waste of money. a waste. download for free.
5-the battery. when i buy a phone, i expect it to work. that means the battery doesnt conk out an hour after i take it off the charger.
i think my main problem was sprint. i now have the same phone thru liberty wireless and have no problems. would i buy it again? maybe not, but if they work on the signal and battery, i think i would
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3. Posted by bugstomper
Wed Oct 22, 2003 8:35 pm
I have the Samsung SPH-N400. Maybe a bit expensive, but after 50 hours usage / 1100 calls, I think it's a great phone. 512k of download JAVA program memory. When closed can be used to look at the time, like a watch, while the strap is around your wrist. When closed, can also be put in the front pocket of your pants/JEANS, with the wrist strap hanging out, set to vibrate mode, and the colour display facing inward/ YOUR LEG (You have to dedicate that pocket to the phone because you don't want anything scratching it). No holders needed. As for those who say the battery does not last long enough, you can purchase an extended battery. The reception is GOOD, even when the antenna is down, even when in analog/AMPS mode. If you buy the desktop charger, it plugs into the travel charger that comes with the phone. Then with an ear-bud, you can keep on talking, indefinatly, even in analog/AMPS. The desktop also positions the phone at a 60 degree angle, and gives it the weight to stay put, with the ear-bud hooked up. The desktop alows you to charge a second battery too.
The only 'beef' I have with this cell phone, is that the VOICE DIAL only works in digital, while most of my calls end up going to analog/AMPS. Too, this is why I know the reception on this phone is GOOD, because the area where I live, has caused me to switch to this phone. The previous two phones didn't 'cut it' in RF reception. There may even be a better RF cell phone out there, however, this one has proved it's 'mettle'.
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