Samsung SGH-T629 calling and messaging phone

A sleek slider that boasts Bluetooth, 1.3-megapixel camera, and an MP3 player, the SGH-T629 is full of fun features. But how good is this fashionable handset for making routine calls?

Design

The Samsung SGH-T629 is sleek and stylish, with an eye-catching, thin (0.6 inches) profile (similar to the older Samsung SGH-T809, which has disappeared from T-Mobile's handset lineup) and matte silver finish. However, the slider opens from the middle instead of the bottom, making it too easy to smudge the screen with fingerprints. Still, the petite T629 will go over well with the fashion conscious looking for a handset that has the basics in a cute package.

Calling - Very good

The T629 fared quite well in our calling tests, giving us a clear call with no static or echoing, but the reception was a bit spotty on the streets of New York and Northern New Jersey. The quad-band slider did pick up on a bit of ambient noise, but our pals could always hear us over the clamor. The T629 scored big with its solid array of features, boasting Bluetooth, voice tagging (although not speaker-independent voice dialing), a speakerphone, and conference calling. Sound quality on the T629's speakerphone was plenty loud but tinny (as we have come to expect from most speakerphones), and voices on the other end occasionally dropped in and out, which wasnt much of a problem during our non-speakerphone calls. Conference calling, however, was a big hit, allowing us to add five lines to a single call. The phone also lets you maneuver between calls, allowing you to put one or more on hold or hang up on one line without losing the entire conversation. Unfortunately, these functions require a great deal of searching within the menu, making them really easy to miss (we almost did). On the other hand, the phonebook is very clear and simple to use and has live search, eliminating the need to scroll through a long list to find a contact.


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