Samsung SCH8500 Phone, Charcoal Black (Sprint)

• Dual-mode for widest coverage
• Better-than-rated talk time
• Voice dialing and voice-memo recording
• Features a calendar, to-do list, alarm clock, and phone book
• Compact and lightweight

The SCH-8500 is a clamshell flip phone that measures 3.3 by 2.1 by 1 inches (length by width by depth) with the cover closed, and the antenna measures 1-inch when collapsed. With battery, the phone weighs a light 5 ounces. This 800 MHz analog/1900 MHz CDMA digital phone has a rugged case with two-tone gray styling highlights. A dual-slot desktop charger is included, which is fine if you don't travel. But if you're on the road for more than a couple of days, you might consider springing for the optional and more portable travel charger.

The flip cover contains the display and rubberized earpiece. When closed, it hides all the controls, except for a volume control toggle and voice memo start/stop button on the left side. The flip screen measures only 1.5 by 1 inches (width by height), but it does a fine job of displaying status icons, menus, and text. You navigate menus and text with four cursor buttons. Other control keys are labeled Menu, Talk, End, CLR and OK (with a envelope icon for checking messages). The rubberized keys are nearly flush with the phone's surface, so, while your fingers won't slide around, you do have to pay attention when hitting the keys. There are 13 ringer choices--nine tones and four melodies--plus a vibration mode for courtesy or discretion. Of the 229 possible phonebook entries, six can be set for speed-dial. The rest can be dialed with two-, three-, or four-touch dialing (you enter any four digits that appear consecutively in a phone number).

If supported by your plan and carrier, the Samsung SCH-8500 supports caller ID, call waiting, call forwarding, one-way SMS text messaging, e-mail, voicemail alerts, and mobile Internet access (our Sprint PCS test phone included all these features). A minibrowser is also included, as well as a calendar, to-do list, calculator, and alarm clock with countdown feature.

You can voice dial up to 20 phone-book numbers book just by hitting a hot key to access the carrier's voice-dialing support. This worked well, although it is technically a carrier feature rather than a feature of this phone. You can record four separate memos of 60 seconds each--just remember, since the microphone is covered by the cover, you need to flip it up to record a voice note or make a voice call.

Security features in the SCH-8500 include phone and outgoing call locking. There's also a feature to completely erase your phone book and other personal information entries. While there is no infrared port, the serial port can be used with an optional data cable and software to transfer data to a PC, and to use the phone as a wireless modem.

We were surprised and pleased when the SCH-8500 exceeded Samsung's rated maximum talk time. The lithium-ion battery is rated for a maximum 180 minutes, but in our connection test it ran for 220 minutes. Standby time, rated at 120 hours, tested for 102 hours. A dual-slot desktop charger is included with the phone.

The compact Samsung SCH-8500 is packed with features for voice call management and messaging. Better-than-average battery talk time and wireless Web access and an impressive display make it a good choice for busy professionals. --Testing and evaluation by Brown Consulting Associates, edited by Thom Arno

Pros:

• Strong battery performance in talk-time testing
• Compact and lightweight
• Clear, moderate-sized screen for messaging and Internet access
• Fully featured for voice calls and communications tasks

Cons:

• Compact travel charger not included

How We Tested Battery-Talk/Standby Time

When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery charging methods and history, will affect performance. When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, as analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.

Our Tests: We tested digital-mode talk and standby times with each phone. Prior to each test, we fully charged the phone's battery according to the manufacturer's directions. To test digital-phone talk time, we turned the phone on, established a digital carrier signal, dialed a number in our test lab, and, when the call rang through, took the receiving phone's handset off the hook. When all went well, we didn't do anything else except record the time when the phone died. In a couple of cases, the phones lost the signal and dropped the calls. If we were right there and could redial, we did so immediately and continued running the test. Otherwise, we halted the test, recharged the battery, and started the test over. Assuming consistent carrier-signal strength, this test should represent best-case talk time. And it's worth noting that several phones' talk-time performance significantly exceeded the manufacturers' ratings.

To test digital-phone standby time, we turned the phone on, established a carrier signal, and left the phone in standby mode. We checked the phone every few hours (for what was often days on end) until the phone finally cut out. Since no outgoing or incoming calls occurred during testing and because the phone was not moved, this method should represent best-case standby time, again assuming consistent carrier signal strength.