Screen

The T629's 262K-color LCD is bright, clear, crisp, and superb. Measuring a large 176 x 220 px in size, the screen provides a sufficiently large canvas for multimedia.

Users can customize the wallpaper with their own photos as well as use the month-format calendar. For the slightly sight-impaired, the phone allows users to change the size and color of the dialing display.

Compared to similar products on the market, the T629 offers an excellent screen. While not top-of-the-line compared to imaging-focused devices such launched with 16.7 million colors, the T629's display is nonetheless high-end. Given Samsung's reputation for manufacturing flat-panel monitors, it should only be expected that their mobile phones have similar outstanding imaging.

Audio

The MP3 audio player interfaces are fairly navigable in terms of their basic options, but prove difficult when trying to access advance functions. For example, the small black and orange controls on the bottom only allow users to play or stop the selected audio track, disabling fast forward and rewind buttons. A square screen above it flashes psychedelic fluorescent wave patterns in sync with the song.

Users can set specific MP3s not only as their general or specific caller ringtone, but also their alarm tone. Much like the phone allows users to create still image slideshows, the T629 helps music lovers program playlists, shuffle songs or repeat a cycle and change the audio settings to accommodate Jazz, Classical or Rock.

Speaker quality is acceptable, although lower tones are drowned out and a general fuzz compromises the clarity of both MP3s and voice recording. However, quality greatly improves with the included headphones.

The slider offers a simple voice recorder option, directly accessible from the phone's main menu. Recording messages on the up to one minute long and sound quality is fair. While users can send the voice message to any friend or family member's email or phone, finding the file after it has been stored in "voice list" is frustratingly difficult.

The most exciting part of the T629's audio capabilities is its video capturing sound, which allows users to manipulate the brightness and "zoom."

The T629's voice recognition capabilities fault often. For example, the command "Go to Camera" most often leads one to the Phonebook Menu. Nevertheless, one option tries to allow the phone to know the users voices so that it may adapt more to it in the future. Users can turn off the option, but when it recognizes the right command, it is a time and digit saver. For example, users can automatically dial a contact's main number or directly link users to their favorite text messaging station or even camera option. Voice playback is also an option on the phone.

Messaging

Inhibited by its clunky design, one-handed world-champion-speed typing proves difficult. However, the phone's expanded memory, regular text messaging services and chatting capabilities on AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger make it a versatile and helpful companion.

The platform also allows for multimedia message to be shared both ways and a special sort function, which enables users to search through text messages by read/unread, date, name, type, size or subject. Like for still images, particular messages can be locked from accidental deletions. The program even allows users to save certain instant messaging conversations. Drafts of text messages can be stored on the phone and easily accessed at a later date.

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