Basic Features
Released for Cingular, the Samsung SGH-D307 has tri-band GSM (850 / 1800
/ 1900 MHz) network support, allowing international roaming between most
countries in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific; provided the device
is network unlocked.
Allowing users to choose between a Grid, Page, or Bar menu layout, the
D307 also supports English, Spanish, or French languages.
Rating the D307's 960 Li-Ion battery at 5 hours and 8.3 days (200 hours)
of talk and standby times, actual times will be slightly less. Handset manufacturers
and carriers often list talk-time and standby-time ratings with disclaimers
about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as
maximum times.
Screen
The front of the D307 features an external 4-level grayscale LCD. Measuring
96 x 96 px, the screen shows common information such as battery level, network
status, and date and time. Users can choose between digital or analog clock
formats.
While
most devices are progressing to color outer LCDs, the D307's grayscale screen
does have a silver lining, the display is not as energy-intensive. And since
external displays are typically used for quick access to static text, prolonged
battery life is often times preferred over high-resolution, battery-draining
LCDs.
But when used for text messaging, the main display needs to be bright
and sizeable to ward off fatigue, and fortunately, the D307 comes with a
brilliant 262K-color 176 x 200 px screen. Contrary to the outer screen,
the internal LCD is built from TFT (Thin Film Transistor) technology, allowing
for vibrant and colorful images.
Having advantages over STN, TFT screens have circuit transistors placed
directly on the glass. Not requiring each pixel location to be scanned,
as STN would, TFT allows faster response and refresh rates; achieving noticeably
quicker response times, and higher contrast resolutions.
Audio
The D307 plays polyphonic ringtones beautifully. Overlaying up to 64
chords simultaneously, much like instruments in an orchestra, the D307 utilize
the MIDI file format to play "musical notes" through a local synthesizer.
The more simultaneous chords that can be overlaid, the more realistic sounding
the ringtones, and the D307 is superb.
Growing in popularity, MP3s are fast becoming the new standard in ringtone
technology, which the D307 also supports. Unlike polyphonic ringtones, MP3s
are direct recordings from an audio source, not a recreating. The result
is an exact duplicate, so consumers can use CD audio or recorded voice as
their ringtone; anything that can be recorded can be turned into a ringtone.
Since the D307 does not support a MP3 Player, only MP3 ringtones, file limitations
of 300K are imposed. Ringtone and speakerphone volumes are sufficiently
loud and clear.
< Prev Next
>
This article is Copyright 2002-2008 Mobiledia Corp. and the review in
part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed
medium without prior permission from Mobiledia. For information on
reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please
contact us. |