Introduction

Manufacturers stated music phones would be the new battleground for 2005 and 2006. Similar to what camera phones were in 2004, wireless companies are pushing out their MP3-capabile products in time for the Christmas season rush.

Sony Ericsson released the W800, the first of its Walkman Phones, Motorola released its first iTunes-series phone, the ROKR E1, and now Samsung has released contender, the SCH-A950 music phone.

As the latest device to support music capabilities, the natural convergence of cell phone mobility and MP3 functionality seemed inevitable. Featuring a 1.3-megapixel digital camera and camcorder, dual high-resolution color LCDs, and VCAST service to stream and download video clips with high-speed EV-DO connection, the Samsung A950 is a robust mobile entertainment center for use anywhere on the go.

Design

Different is probably the best way to describe the Samsung A950's design. Contrary to the traditional devices on the market, the relaxed curves of the A950 evoke a playful, entertaining feel. From afar, its bright red shell is distinctive and noticeable. Measuring 91 x 48 x 24 mm, and weighing 129 g, the A950 leans towards the smaller side of average, not tiny compared to the featherweights, but smaller than many phones on the market today.

Featuring a red-edged exterior, the silver-colored face features a 65K-color external LCD, displaying useful information a quick glance away.

Equipped with an MP3 player, the A950 offers convenient music listening functionality through Previous, Play / Pause, Stop, and Next keys, giving users complete control of MP3 playing capabilities without having to ever open the phone. For more advanced functions, the A950 allows consumers to quickly scroll through their playlists with just a few spins of an innovative scroll wheel, reminiscent of the iPod.

Above the external display, the lens to a 1.3-megapixel camera and camcorder with built-in flash is activated by pressing the Camera Key on the left side. Located below the Camera Key, an expansion slot is incorporated for extra memory through TransFlash cards. While the right side contains a headset jack and volume keys to adjust earpiece and tone volumes during calls and standby.

Through the dual stereo speakers on the ends of the hinge, users are able to experience enhanced sound quality - from ring tones to music / video playback to conversations via speakerphone.

Flipped open, the main 262K-color LCD is revealed, able to display images at up to 176 x 220 px in size. Standard 5-way navigational and numeric keypads provide fairly sizable for comfortable typing through T9 predictive text.

Out of the box, the Samsung SCH-A950 comes with a standard 1000 mAh Li-Ion battery, AC adapter, and user manual.

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