Camera

A 2.0-megapixel camera is pretty good for a clamshell. Most clamshell cameras range from 1.0 to 2.0-megapixel, with the occasional 3.0-megapixel camera here and there, although cameras with that level of quality are typically reserved for the upper crust of smartphones.

Samsung Alias 2 (SCH-U750)

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The camera comes with five resolution settings, including 1200 x 1600 px, the default size, 960 x 1280 px, 480 x 640 px, 240 x 320 px and 120 x 160 px. Picture quality is also adjustable, with the options being fine, normal, or economy. Pictures can be taken in night mode, with a self-timer, one after the other in rapid succession, one at a time, or with adjusted brightness levels.

Image quality on the camera is decent. Images are colorful, show shadow well, and avoid a yellow-ish haze common in many camera phones if the user settles on the subject a moment before snapping a photo.

The images are not ultra-clear, however, and minute details are often too fuzzy to make out clearly. Blurring is also a hazard if the camera is not held steady.

The Alias 2 is the rare camera phone that does not have a key running along one of its sides to turn the camera on. It also has no way to see the camera image if you want to take a self-portrait.

It's disappointing the phone doesn't come with a lighting condition adjustment, but it does have options for color effects, white balance and shutter sounds. After taking the picture, users can resize, zoom, decorate, rotate, merge or revise pictures to counterbalance blurriness, sharpness, saturation or brightness. Cropping is not available.

The phone's camcorder has a self-timer of up to 10 seconds and records 30 seconds of video. Camcorder users can zoom, adjust brightness, use color effects, check phone memory, white balance, and select one of three recording start sounds and three recording end sounds.

Videos come out slightly pixilated but mostly clear and colorful. Sound quality is not as great as it is with other audio functions on the phone, but the camcorder picks up sound well and voices sound no better or worse than they do on any other 2.0-megapixel camcorder.

Images and sound on the camera and camcorder are decent but not perfect, which isn't bad with a mid-range camera phone. Pictures are colorful but not precise. Luckily, there are plenty of editing options after the picture is taken and a few ways to manipulate the setting before the picture is snapped.

One peeve, though, is the camera's availability. There is no exterior key to turn on the camera, no way to see what you're doing when taking a self-portrait, and unless the user pushes the camera/camcorder key on the keypad before touching any other button on the phone, the key is rendered useless as a shortcut.

Basic Features

The Alias 2 comes with a media center with instant access to music, ringtones, pictures, videos, games and the Internet. The main menu also navigates users to ringtones, email, a list of recent calls, messaging services, instant messaging, contacts, tools and settings, and VZ Navigator.

VZ Navigator is a mobile GPS system allows users to find, hear and see directions, find new places to visit, and check movie times.

The phone is equipped with Mobile Web for fast download speeds and access to various Web-based activities. It also has VCAST Music with Rhapsody and built-in access to game, video, picture and ringtone downloading services. The phone is Bluetooth compatible and can be connected to a computer with a USB chord, which is sold separately.

The phone holds 1,000 contacts with room for a photo ID, two email addresses, notes, an IM name, a ringtone assignment for that person, an address, and five phone numbers for each contact.

An alarm clock, stopwatch, calculator, world clock, notepad and calendar all come standard with the Alias 2. The alarm clock function is available instantly when the phone is opened vertically, but the key disappears if the user selects another function first.

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