Samsung N105 Phone (T-Mobile)

• Stylish lightweight phone
• Slim profile with active flip cover
• Personal Information Manager functions
• 11 games, customizable ring tones
• 4 hours of talk time, 5 days of standby time

Having just watched Zoolander, we felt a bit silly fielding calls in public. The N105 is ridiculously small--like Nokia 8260-level small--despite its flip cover and snub antenna. Overall, the phone is just longer than a business card and about as thick. Its size may frustrate some, but if you like the look and feel of the Nokia 8260 or 8290, the N105 will delight you. Those of us with ham-hands, however, will probably want to steer clear of this model.

With the flip-case closed, the keypad is thoroughly protected, with no keys visible. We thought this was pretty cool--it becomes impossible to accidentally place a call. Open the flip, and you'll find the usual keys, including Send and End buttons, and a shingle-style keypad. Volume control buttons are on the left side, as is the headset jack.

The backlit, graphical display shows four lines of text (or Web content) and an array of status icons. You can choose from 24 different ringers, including vibration mode. The phone book stores 229 entries and 20 separate voice-dialing locations. Each phone-book entry supports up to 32 digits and 12 characters. Depending on the memory slot each number uses, it can be accessed with one-, two-, or three-touch dialing. Other baseline features include a T9 predictive keypad; 10-number incoming, outgoing, and missed-call logs; calendar; to-do list; calculator; and data-sync capabilities (with Microsoft Outlook).

It was a cakewalk setting up voice tags and establishing a list of 20 friends and associates for voice-activated dialing. We never had trouble getting the phone (a preproduction model, even) to recognize names. We set the phone to prompt us for a voice tag as soon as we opened the flip. The other option is to set the Talk button as the voice-dialing prompt; simply press and hold the Talk button, and you'll be asked for a name to call.

The only problem we had with the N105, aside from its battery life (which we'll get to later), was when we tried to launch the phone book. More often than not, we received error messages, and had to try a couple times to access our frequently called numbers. However, we were testing a preproduction phone, so hopefully this bug was fixed by the time the N105 hit the market.

An important note: In order to logon to the wireless Web, you must sign up for VoiceStream's iStream service. That said, the N105's minibrowser is organized and functional, as with other Samsung phones. It features quick access to popular sites, as well as news, weather, stock, and entertainment updates. Again, the phone's streamlined navigational controls made for relatively easy surfing.

Like any phone should, the N105 supports carrier-dependent features such as caller ID, three-way calling, and call forwarding. It also offers standard security features. You can lock both the phone itself (to prevent outgoing calls, except to emergency numbers) and the keypad (to prevent accidental calls if the phone is in your backpack), set different call restrictions, erase your call logs, or store numbers in a secret location.

Battery life left much to be desired, especially the amount of talk time. The N105 is rated for up to 250 minutes digital talk time, but we never made it over 180 minutes. And while standby time was far better (just over four days), it was not close to its five-day rating. Our advice: since the N105 is a great overall phone, consider picking up a second battery--especially if you travel frequently.

In total, the N105 holds its own in comparison to other phones in its class. We dug the phone's design and overall performance, and think it would suit just about anyone's needs. Just remember to pick up that second battery.

--Arno Kazarian

Pros:

• Tiny design
• Includes minibrowser
• Competitively priced
• Includes voice-activated dialing capability

Cons:

• Short battery life
• Occasional problems getting phone book to launch