Monthly Archives: April 2009

TracFone Promotional Codes Updated, and New Phone Deals

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TracFone Promotional Codes

The TracFone Promotional Code database is once again updated. Quite a few codes have expired in the last month, so be sure to check in before the next time you add airtime. To find the current TracFone Promotional Code database, click here. Also, here is a list of the newest codes I’ve found, which have also been added to the database:

  • 27076 for 50 bonus minutes on a 60-minute card
  • 51095 for 30 bonus minutes on a 120-minute card
  • 26384 for 50 bonus minutes on a 200-minute card
  • 58751 for 50 bonus minutes on a 450-minute card
  • 57537, 51578, and 44828 each for 200 bonus minutes on a one-year, 400-minute card

Many thanks once again to the readers that take the time to share new codes and report failures or successes with previous codes. Thanks!

New phone bundle deals

Both TracFone and Net10 have announced some pretty appealing new deals on their site, following their tradition of offering deals for Mother’s Day. TracFone is now including a free Motorola W370 (reconditioned) with a 60-minute card for $19.99, and you can still use code 23444 for $3 off your order. They are also offering a free carrying case with new purchases of the T301G. Click here to find these deals at TracFone.

And for those of you who are interested in the LG 600g, Net10 is offering this model, brand new, for $39.99.That alone is a pretty good price, but it also includes a free accessory kit and, as with all Net1o models, 300 minutes free when you activate it. Plus they’re currently offering a $5 discount and free shipping on all orders, and promotional code 34567 will get you another $3 off. That brings the total down to $31.99, which is a VERY good price for all that value. Click here to find the Net10 deal.

Finally, I have to apologize again for the delay in wrapping up my review of the T301G. Pressing issues in the “real world” have kept me from some of my online activities lately, but I’ll get it done this week.

Samsung T301G review Part 2

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Below is part 2 of my Samsung T301G review – you can find part 1 by clicking here. And I’ll have more coming up in the future as well, so stay tuned to the email updates for more info about the T301G. Remember, you can find all my reviews by clicking on the “Reviews” link at

Click on the picture to find this phone from TracFone

Click on the picture to find this phone from TracFone

the top of any page of the blog site, and I’ll add links to the Samsung T301G index page as I continue to add more to the review. Click here to find this phone from TracFone. Now, here’s part 2:

Internal display/keypad/menus

I really like the size of the display on the T301G. The slider design allows more area for the screen, and it’s especially noticeable when the slider is closed. I’ve found the screen to have excellent brightness, and I really like that there are two stages of dimming – full brightness when the phone is initially slid open, followed by an intermediate dim after a period of inactivity that can be changed by the user, before going completely dark after another 3 seconds of inactivity.

Also, if the slider is closed and a button is pushed, the display will light up slightly, and if the button that is pushed is the “end” key, it will light up just a little more, but not to full brightness. This is nice because it conserves battery life when a button is inadvertently pushed, and because if you want to check your phone for the time or for any of the status indicators, pressing the “end” button will allow you to do so without unlocking the phone.

Now, there are a couple of things I didn’t like about the display. It’s not a big deal, but worth noting that even though the screen is about 1/4″ bigger than the w376g and the 600g, the resolution is the same as those phones. This isn’t really a surprise, but I thought it should be pointed out. A bigger disappointment, though, is that the viewing angle is pretty limited on the T301g. If you’re looking at the screen straight on, it’s fine, but if you tilt the phone by about 15-20 degrees up or down, you’ll notice distortion in the screen. Side-to-side, you’ll have a wider margin, but the up-and-down is pretty annoying.

The menus make sense to me, with a tiled layout of the main menu that is similar to that of the 600g and w376g. I think the larger screen on the T301 makes it slightly easier to navigate, but not by much. There are also a lot of different menu options, which makes it somewhat more difficult to navigate once you get deeper into some of the menus.

The keypad is good, with small but distinctly separate keys that are slightly raised and provide a good tactile “click” when pressed. I have heard from one other owner of this model that one of her keys came off completely, within just a few days of use. I haven’t had this experience personally after two weeks of heavy use, nor I have I heard of anyone else with a similar problem. So hopefully it’s just that one unit that had the problem, but it is slightly worrisome that it might happen on other phones of this model.

There are 6 shortcut keys, and four of them can be re-programmed to access the menu of your choice. Unfortunately, one of those that cannot be re-programmed is the right soft key, which opens the web browser. This issue has been a significant complaint from users of both the 600g and the w376g, and I’m disappointed that once again it seems like TracFone might be conning us into accessing the browser and deducting units when we don’t mean to. Also, the browser is quick to deduct the first .50 units for access. This gives only a second or two to slide the phone closed if you want to avoid losing airtime.

On the plus side, I found texting to be quite easy with this phone. The device feels nice and balanced, in my hand at least, making one-handed texting a breeze. Another big plus, and something that people had asked about, is that once you press send, the message will be sent even if you immediately slide the phone shut before receiving the “message sent” confirmation. The whole texting process seems to move very quickly once you press the “send” key. One other thing that I feel obligated to point out on all of my new reviews, though, is that this phone deducts .3 units for either incoming or outgoing messages, in contrast to some of the older phones that allow for free incoming messages.

Connectivity

I haven’t yet tried to connect to this phone an in-vehicle navigation or add-on GPS system, but all other indications are that the Bluetooth functions the same as on the w376g. Assuming that’s the case, you should be able to connect it to your hands-free device without much trouble. I successfully connected the T301G to both Bluetooth headsets that I own, so there doesn’t seem to be any problem there.

The Bluetooth on this phone is limited to audio devices, similar to the Motorola w376g. I attempted on a couple of different setups to pair with a computer, and didn’t have any luck with that. I also attempted to pair with my LG 600g, but again had little success. In each case, it seems as if the other devices can “see” the Samsung T301G, but the phone refuses to complete the connection. I played around with several settings on the phone as well as on my computers, but still couldn’t get anything to work. That leaves this phone at a disadvantage to the LG 600g, which can connect to PCs via Bluetooth for the transmission of pictures and ringtones, among other data.

There is a cable, which is compatible with other Samsung phones that have the same connector as the T301, that can be used to connect those phones to a computer via USB port. So far I haven’t found any that are specifically listed as being compatible the the T301G (or, more specifically, the Samsung SGH-T301G, which is the official full name of the phone). I have ordered one that is compatible with a similar model, though, and I’m going to see if I can get that to work the the TracFone version. When I figure that out, I’ll post about it on this blog.

Camera

The camera is pretty comparable to that on both the w376g and the 600g. It’s a VGA camera, meaning that the max resolution is 640 x 480. At this resolution, a pic will look ok on your computer screen, but is not going to capture enough detail to produce a nice-looking print.

The camera cannot record video; something I know that some users were hoping for. It does have some nice options though. You can change the resolution (to allow for more pictures to fit in the memory); set a time delay of 3, 5 or 10 seconds; change the white balance to auto, daylight, incandescent, fluorescent, or cloudy; or add special effects of black & white, negative, sepia, emboss, sketch, antique, moonlight, or fog. You can also choose a nighttime landscape setting or select from among normal, center-weighted, or spot metering exposure.

I haven’t played around with the camera all that much yet, but I did send a picture to my email address via an MMS message. It came through fine, but cost 1.5 units to send (the picture was taken at the highest resolution of 640×480). This really highlights the disadvantage of having to use MMS message instead of Bluetooth to get the pictures from your phone to your computer, especially if you want to take a lot of pictures.

Well, that’s it for part 2. Stay tuned for part 3 in this review, in which I’ll cover the tools and extras, and wrap it all up. Also, if you have any questions or want to suggest something that I missed, please do so in the comments section. Thanks!

Samsung T301G review Part 1

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Samsung T301G – a  review of TracFone’s first slider phone

The release of this phone was the most highly-anticipated TracFone news since the LG 600g debuted last summer. I bought one as quickly as I could, but unfortunately it’s taken me a little longer than I had hoped to get the review together. I’m not finished yet, but I did cover a few of the most important topics, and today I’m publishing what I’ve got so far.

Stay tuned to the email updates for more info about the T301G – I anticipate getting another segment of the review out early next week, and then wrapping it all up later in the week. Remember, you can find all my reviews by clicking on the “Reviews” link at the top of any page of the blog site, and I’ll add links to the Samsung T301G index page as I continue to add more to the review. Here’s part 1:

 

General Overview

 

Get the Samsung T301G from TracFone

Get the Samsung T301G from TracFone

 

The Samsung T301G is a GSM phone (meaning it operates on networks owned by AT&T and T-Mobile), in a slider design. Despite the slider feature, it’s a pretty light, compact device at just 2.92 ounces, and measuring 3.92 inches high (when closed, opening it up will add about 1.5 inches), 1.95″ wide, .56″ deep. It’s a little (3/8″) taller, a little wider (1/4″), and a little heavier (about .15 oz) than the LG 600g. Compared to the Motorola w376g, the T301G is about the same height, but wider, thinner, and lighter.

In terms of features and pricing ($49.99 currently from TracFone.com), this model lines up against the w376g and the 600g, so that’s why I’ll be comparing it to those models throughout the review. The T301G is loaded with Double Minutes for Life, VGA camera, bluetooth, web browser, mp3 ringtones, and MMS messaging.

Appearance and Design

I really like the look of this phone, especially when the slider is closed. The large screen combined with the hidden keyboard give a simple, elegant look that is very contemporary. Maybe it’s just because it’s so different from any previous TracFone or Net10 model, but the T301G is my favorite design so far, just edging out the LG 600g.

Speaking of that large screen, I also like that you can get all the info you need at a glance, without even unlocking the phone. The keypad will automatically lock within about five seconds of sliding it shut, or after thirty seconds of inactivity if you were previously navigating the menus with the phone closed. However, pushing any button will not unlock the keypad, but will cause the screen will light up, not fully, but enough to see the various important indicators such as text message/voicemail waiting, signal strength, battery meter, and clock. The clock is especially important to me because I can then use the phone instead of wearing a watch. Compare this to the w376g, where the phone must be flipped open in order to view the clock.

The T301G feels like a quality device in terms of strength and composition. I am a little nervous about the slider mechanism, having never owned a slider phone before, but it’s worked very well for me so far. Only time will truly tell how well the slider will stand up to regular use, but so far, so good.

As far as the slider function, I do have one small concern. For me at least, the most natural way to open the phone is (one-handed) to grasp the base of the phone in my palm, pressing up on the sliding portion with my thumb. The problem with this is that the natural placement of my thumb then falls on the screen. Luckily, the screen is pretty resistant to fingerprints, so I haven’t yet had any severe problems with smudges.

On previous post, someone commented that they are interested in knowing how the phones slide in and out one’s pocket – the winner in that category is still the LG 600g, which benefits from rounded corners and a glossy finish. Of the three phones listed above, I would say that the 600g feels most compact, the w376g is bulkiest, and the T301G is in the middle. They’re all pretty close, though.

General Phone Function

I haven’t had the opportunity for a lot of traveling with this phone yet, but so far the reception seems to be as good as any of the other recent GSM phones. I’ve been able to make calls with it where ever I’ve needed to, but really haven’t ventured far off the beaten path. Hopefully I’ll be able to try it out against a Motorola w376g sometime soon, and include that comparison in a future review.

I have made quite a few calls since activating this phone, and I think I was able to pretty thoroughly evaluate the call quality. I went in with pretty low expectations after my disappointment with the T101G. I figured they would have identical internal components. Thankfully, I was mistaken. The call quality on the T301G is much better than the T101G, and comparable to that of the LG 600g. The T301G still falls short of the Motorola w376g in my opinion, though. As far as I’m concerned, the w376g is still clearly the best TracFone in this department.

The volume in all aspects – in call, on speaker phone, and ringtones, is good. I didn’t have any problem using the phone in a noisy car at freeway speeds, and that’s my baseline. I also haven’t had any problems hearing the ringer for an incoming call, though I’ve tried only with the various pre-loaded ringtones and a few that I recorded myself (yes, you can record using this model). I have to straighten out an issue with my data access on this phone, but once I am able to do that I’ll test the volume on mp3 ringtones.

Battery life has left a little to be desired for me. On my initial charge, I was able to get 5 days of moderate use, which was quite good. But on the next charge, I talked close to an hour, and tested the bluetooth, games, camera and web browser, and I had to charge the battery again a day and a half later. Granted, that was pretty heavy use, but I would still like to see better battery life out of a phone. The bluetooth, in particular, seemed to be particularly taxing on the T301G’s battery, but that’s to be expected as I was “searching for new devices” during much of my bluetooth use.

[NOTE: Part 2 of the review is now available here.]

Samsung T101G Review Part 3

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Samsung T101G Review Wrap-Up

Here’s the third and final segment of my review of the Samsung T101G for TracFone (and, maybe eventually, Net10). In this installment, I’ll go over the extras and the organizational tools, and wrap it up with my final thoughts. This is a follow up to my previous posts: Samsung T101G Review Part 1 and  Part 2. Links to all parts of the review, as well as my other content related to this model, are posted on my Samsung T101G index page. Here’s the grand finale:

 

 

Get Samsung T101G from TracFone.com

Get the Samsung T101G from TracFone.com

Extras

As we’ve seen with all previous TracFone and Net10 models that include a web browser, the browser on the Samsung T101G can access only content available at TracFone’s mobile site. The site was redesigned and that added a few features, but the fact remains that you won’t be able to use the browser on this phone to get to anything outside of TracFone’s offerings.

One thing that I did with this phone, though, was to download a couple of mp3 ringtones from TracFone’s mobile storefront. The experience wasn’t too bad. Of course the browser is pretty slow, so if you have the option to search for tones from your computer rather than through your phone, that is definitely the way to go.

But I downloaded a ringtone while away from the computer, and the T101G did fine downloading it. In all, it took me probably 6-8 minutes to search for and download the tone, and that process chewed up 3 minutes of airtime. The ringtone itself cost 17.94 minutes in my case, although that will vary depending upon which airtime card you last added to your phone. I’ll try to work out a post on this in the future, but the basic idea is that the bigger your last airtime card, the more it will cost you in airtime units to buy a ringtone from Tracfone.

The ringtone I downloaded was 118 kb, compared to the phone’s memory capacity of 2,465k. That’s a pretty good amount of space if all you’re downloading is ringtones (and maybe wallpapers) from TracFone.

I should also point out here that I was unable to get pics or ringtones from any source other than Tracfone’s storefront. The ringtones are saved as mp3 files, which seemed promising, but I couldn’t find any way to get any data files onto the phone.

The organizational tools are pretty standard among modern phones. The tools menu offers the following:

  • Calendar – This function offers quite a few features, with the ability to enter an appointment, anniversary (meaning a repeating event, I guess), task, or miscellaneous items. The calendar can then be viewed by day, week, month, or item type. The calendar can store up to 100 items, and repeating events (i.e. the same item occurs every day at the same time) take only one memory slot regardless of how many times it repeats. I did have a couple of minor gripes with this function, but they may not be of great importance to you: 1) I couldn’t find a way to set the default entry mode in the calendar subjects to be T9 entry. Every time I set a new calendar event, I had to switch to T9 before proceeding, and 2) I could not find a way to set a “snooze” function on the calendar events.
  • Calculator – This calculator is the easiest to use of any cell phone calculator I’ve ever used, mainly because each function is assigned to a specific key, and the map to those keys is displayed on the screen at all times. Also, the calculator allows for parentheses to be used, which means you can do some basic algebra on here if you really want to.
  • Tip Calculator – Enter the total cost of your meal, enter the tip percentage you want applied, and then enter the number of people splitting the bill (if applicable). The calculator then will determine the amount to be paid by each party.
  • Converter – Another very handy feature. Convert between different units of Currency (although I’m not sure how the phone determines conversion rates on this one), length, weight, volume, area, and temperature.
  • Timer – Enter a time and the timer will count down, alerting you when the time as elapsed.
  • Stopwatch – Count-up type timer, with up to 30 splits possible.
  • World time – Find out what time it is around the world.
  • SIM app. – I haven’t played around with this yet because I didn’t want to risk disabling my TracFone, but this appears to be the function that can unlock the phone for use on other services. With TracFone or Net10, though, it’s important to note that if this feature is indeed functional, there will be no going back to TracFone/Net10 if you do unlock it. Anyway, I suspect that the phone cannot really be unlocked, as has been the case with all phones released by TracFone or Net10 in the last two or three years.
  • Games – none. I was surprised to find no games whatsoever on this model, nor is there any possibility to download any from what I can tell. I suppose that ultimately helps with the battery life, but I also know that some people are very interested in what games are on a phone, so I had to point that out.

Summary

All in all, this isn’t a bad little device. I like the size, light weight, and appearance as well as the features that it offers, including the organizational tools and fast text sending. On voice quality, though, the Samsung T101G comes up short in comparison to the cheaper. At this price range, I’m guessing that people will be using the phone primarily for voice calls. If you fall into that category, you would be better served by a Motorola w175 or w260, or even the w370, which is currently being offered in appealing bundles from TracFone.com.

Well, that’s it for this review. Did I miss something? If so, let me know by leaving a comment and I’ll try to address it in a follow-up comment or a future post.

Samsung T301G Review – Pictures

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I’m still working on writing up a review of the T301G, but I wanted to get some pictures posted for you to take a look at. To view my flickr slideshow of pictures of this phone, click on the photo below :

[EDIT - You can now read part 1 of my Samsung T301G review by clicking here. Also, that review and this page are also indexed at my T301G review index page, here.]

Samsung T301G review - Photos

Samsung T301G review - Photos

Samsung T101G Review Part 2

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As promised, here’s part two of the review. In this segment, I take a look at the display, keypad, menu setup and texting functionality as well as some speculation into whether the T101G can be connected to a computer for data transfer or other uses. This is a follow up to my previous post: Samsung T101G Review Part 1. Here’s part 2:

Display and Keypad

The display looks nice and sharp, and is set off nicely by the chrome-like trim that I referred to earlier. It is crisper than the Moto w175, but fell short of the clarity offered on the LG 600g and LG 300.

Click here to find this TracFone Model

Click on the photo find this TracFone Model

The T101G menu layout is acceptable. The main menu is easy to read, and for the most part the menus are pretty easy to navigate. However, I did notice a couple quirks where the navigation wasn’t intuitive to me. Specifically, in editing the different sound profiles (i.e. outdoor, silent, quiet, etc), I had trouble remembering what keystrokes would bring about my desired results. I think this might be due to the fact that there were more “layers” of menu options to perform these tasks, so it took me longer to figure it all out. Once you get “deeper” than the main menu, the directional keys don’t do the same thing for each menu, which is a little confusing at first. Further, this requires that some menus be memorized, as it’s impossible to see them without knowing they are there.

Another thing I didn’t particularly like was the function of the text message menu. The T9 predictive text editor works very well for creating a message. But the problem that I have is that, when you have a new message, it can take too many clicks to get to the message and either read or delete it. This is a rather minor annoyance and hopefully is something that will become less annoying as I become more familiar with the phone, but I thought it was worth pointing out.

I was pleased, though, with how fast and responsive the menu navigation was. I didn’t notice any lag time between pressing keys and moving through the menu, nor is there a delay when loading any menus. And text messages are sent very quickly. I know many readers had complained about the time it takes for some other TracFone models to actually send a text message, but that is definitely not a problem with this model.

I also liked the feel of the keyboard. It’s not completely flat and smooth as on the Motorola w-series, nor is it as raised and distinct as on the Kyocera. The keys are just slightly rounded, like little bubbles, and provide a good tactile “click” when pressed. Further, the directional keypad is slightly raised, which makes it easier to use than on the Motorola w-series and recent LG TracFone/Net10 models.

The “soft keys” are also raised, even more so than the directional keypad. I believe this is unnecessary and perhaps problematic, as the right soft key is coded to activate the web browser. This key cannot be reprogrammed, and because it is raised so much, it is more likely to be accidentally pressed. The four directional keys, on the other hand, can be customized to provide shortcuts to your most-used menu options.

There is a nice feature on the T101G that I know I will use. You can program the phone to automatically lock the keypad after about 30 seconds of inactivity. Of course you can also lock the keypad manually, but this is a nice way to ensure that you don’t put the phone into your pocket/purse unlocked and accidentally start calling the contacts in your shortcut list.

Connectivity

There are many cables available to connect various Samsung phones to a computer via USB port. Some of these even claim to allow the phone to be used for dial-up internet access. None of these cables are specifically advertised as working with any of the Samsung models that are available for TracFone and/or Net10, but I may have to give one of them a try and see if I can get data transferred. Of course, once I figure it out I’ll let you know.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll be back in the next day or two with the final part in this series, where I’ll cover the organizational tools and wrap it all up with my final thoughts. [Note: Part 3 of this review is now available by clicking here.] For the index of all of my content related to this model, please check out my Samsung T101G Review index page.

Samsung T101G Review – Part 1

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Announcements

Before I get into the review, I have a couple of announcements and clarifications. First, I told you a few days ago that the T301G was not advertised as having Double Minutes for Life, but that I suspected it may be a typo by TracFone. It turns out I was right – when I received my phone yesterday, the packaging did indeed state that DMFL is included. Check out the T301G index page for more details.

Secondly, before I forget, my friend Jim has been kind enough to point out that Walmart is now offering the LG 600g for Net10, along with a free LG bluetooth headset, for just $49.99. As you may know, all new Net10 activations include 300 minutes of airtime and 60 days of service, so that makes this a particularly good deal if you are in the market for a Net10 phone. This offer is only valid in-store, through Saturday, though, so hurry out to Walmart if you want to get in on this deal.

Next, I have to apologize in advance for publishing a barrage of new posts over the next several days, which may clog your email inbox with daily updates if you are subscribed to receive them. Within the last week I’ve received all three new Samsung models, and I want to get the reviews out as soon as possible so I’m going to be publishing a lot of content in the next week or so.

Because I’ve been so busy getting these reviews written up, I’ve fallen behind on approving and responding to comments, but I promise to catch up by Monday sometime, after the dust settles on the holiday weekend and I have some more time to myself. But I do have a whole pile of content to wrap up, too. So much, in fact, that I’ll once again be breaking the reviews into installments.

I was initially thinking that I would to a “quick” review of the T101G, and more in-depth critiques of the 201 and 301 models. But you know me; I like to cover all the bases. By the time I finished writing up my “short” review on the T101G, I had almost 2500 words. That’s an awful lot to digest at once, so I’ll be dividing it up. Here’s part one (and please keep in mind that I skimped on the editing time, so please forgive any typos, grammatical errors, etc.):

Samsung T101G review, Part one:

Note: this page will be inexed on the Samsung T101G review index page

General Overview

The Samsung T101G is a GSM phone (i.e. the network coverage is provided by AT&T and T-Mobile) in a candy bar-style design. It weighs 2.47 ounces and measures 4.07 inches high, 1.77 wide, .59 deep. This is the lightest model ever released for TracFone, and in size it is quite similar to the Kyocera 126c. It is also similar in size to the Motorola W175, although half an inch shorter. The T101G is a very basic phone that does not have many extra features such as DMFL, Camera, bluetooth, external display, mp3 player, memory slot, qwerty keyboard.

T101G from TracFone

T101G from TracFone

External/Appearance

The appearance of the phone is pretty nice for a basic phone, I think. Of course it’s always a matter of opinion, but I like the chrome-like trim around the screen. I also like the look of the keyboard. It has enough space between the keys that they feel comfortable to use, but not so much space that it looks awkward, as is the case on the Kyocera 126 in my opinion.

The phone feels light, but does not feel as if it’s cheaply made. I did initially have a problem getting the battery cover in place, and that gave me some concern over whether it was well-designed and manufactured. However, now that I’ve gotten the cover on correctly, everything seems fine to me.

It’s one of the smallest, lightest phones ever released for TracFone, and fits comfortably in my pocket.

General Phone Function

The signal reception pulled in by the Samsung T101G is pretty much on par with most of the recently-released GSM TracFones, from what I can tell. It has been able to make calls wherever I could do so with my previous phones, so there were no surprises in this regard.

However, I was not pleased with the call quality on this model. I had difficulty understanding the people I was trying to talk to. It sounded a little like what you’d expect to hear from, say, a fast-food drive through intercom, tinny and muffled. I noticed this most when I tried to turn up the volume to compensate for background noise while riding in a car. The distortion seems to be greatest at higher volume levels. In fairness, I offered this phone as well as the T201G to my friend who has owned a Samsung AT&T phone for a year, and he thought both phones sounded fine. So I guess he’s used to the Samsung speaker, and I’m not.

I also asked the other parties on my calls how I sounded to them, and they all agreed that my voice sounded somewhat distorted. They didn’t necessarily say that I was hard to understand, just that I didn’t quite sound like myself.

The speaker phone works well enough, considering the aforementioned distortion. Actually, as far as that goes, I think that most phones have some distortion on speaker phone, so the T101G is just about on par with the speaker phone on most other models that I’ve tried. The max volume on the speaker phone was a little louder than the max on a Moto w175, and voice quality at the max volume was pretty comparable.

The speaker was fairly easy to access once a call was connected – just press the “ok” button in the center of the directional keypad. However, like some of the LG models available for TracFone, the call must actually be connected, meaning the person you are calling must pick up, before the speaker phone can be activated. On the other hand, the speaker phone on the w175 can be activated as soon as a call is placed, which to me makes a lot more sense.

The ringtone volume is quite loud – louder than the LG’s I’ve tried lately and as loud as the recent Motorolas. Especially using the pre-loaded tones, I was easily able to set the phone to play LOUD ringtones. The mp3 tones that I downloaded weren’t quite as loud, though, but that’s also been my experience with other phones from a variety of manufacturers.

The battery life is pretty good on this phone. It doesn’t have a lot of features like games, bluetooth, or camera to drain the battery, and I think that helped save the power. However, I used it quite a bit, browsing the web, downloading tones, text messaging and making probably 40-50 minutes of test calls during my review process, and so far it has been on 3 full days and the battery meter still shows two bars remaining out of five.

I’ll follow up within the next few days with part two of the review.  If you’re subscribed to receive free email updates, you’ll know as soon as I post part two, as well as reviews of the T201G and T301G. If you’re not yet a subscriber, please check out the red arrow in the upper right corner of this page to stay on top of TracFone news. And, you can always check Samsung T101G review index page for updates related to this phone. [Edit: part 2 of this review is available here, and you can find part 3 by clicking here.]

Samsung T301G now available from TracFone, Review Coming Soon

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Last week we got the T101G for TracFone and the Samsung T201G has on Net10, and now the final Samsung in the trilogy is available from TracFone. At $49.99 for TracFone (it will probably cost $10-$20 more for Net10, whenever that gets released), this is the most expensive of the three and offers the most features including bluetooth, VGA camera and, perhaps most notably, it is the first slider phone for either TracFone or Net10.

Samsung T301G for TracFone

Samsung T301G for TracFone

I’ve already got my hands full with both the T101G and the T201G to review, but I’ve also ordered a T301G so I can review that one for you as well. If you can’t wait for my review, you can buy your own right now for $46.99 if you use 23444, and you’ll get free shipping to boot. I did notice that the phone has not been released yet for all zip codes, so you’ll have to click here to see if it’s available yet in your area.

While I’m working on my reviews of the other two Samsungs and waiting on the delivery of the T301G, you can check out the specs on the newest release:

  • Features text messaging, voice mail, free caller ID, free call waiting*
  • Features Bluetooth® Wireless Technology
  • Features Downloadable Ringtones, Graphics, News, Weather, Sports and more using Airtime Minutes
  • Stylish slider design
  • VGA Camera
  • Color screen display
  • MMS Picture Messaging
  • Handsfree Speaker
  • External Caller ID
  • Vibration Alert
  • Phone Book with up to 100 Entries
  • 20 pre-loaded ringtones
  • Alarm Clock
  • Calculator and stopwatch
  • Key Pad Lock
  • Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) rating M-3
  • Lightweight – 2.92 ounces
  • Battery life with up to 4 hours of talk time and up to 14 days of standby time

I’ll have to do some side-by-side comparisons to see how this stacks up to the T101G and T201G as well as the other TracFone bluetooth models, the Motorola w376g and the LG 600g.

Right off the bat, a clear disadvantage of this phone that I see is that TracFone does not state that it includes Double Minutes for Life. I’m quite surprised, after the w376g and the LG 600g, that a phone at this price point does not include the DMFL feature. I’m hoping that I’ll get the phone and the package will indicate DMFL is included, and that the omission of that information is an error on TracFone’s site. Of course, I’ll let you know for sure in my review. [EDIT 4/9/09: My speculation was correct; the T301G DOES include DMFL. Check out this page for more info.] For now, though, I’m working on my review of the T101G for TracFone as well as the T201G for Net10, and hope to have both of those up later this week.

There’s also some other TracFone news worth sharing: Some retailers are apparently cutting their price on the LG 600g as they prepare for the new TracFone offerings. TracFone has reduced the “regular” price on this phone to $39.99, while Sears is offering it on sale this week for $30.

And, there are a few new offerings on the web from directly TracFone. The biggest change that I’ve noticed is the addition of a bundle including a reconditioned Motorola w260 plus a One Year, 800 Minute, Double for Life card for $139.99. If you really want this phone, it’s not a bad deal, but in my opinion you’d be better off buying a separate w376g for $29.99 plus a regular (non-DMFL) one-year card for $100. Then you’ll end up with the same minutes and expiration date for $10 less, and you’ll get the extra benefit of a camera and bluetooth on the w376g. To see which of these deals are available in your area, click here.

Samsung T101G, T201G early review

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I finally received my new Samsung phones (T101G for TracFone, T201G for Net10) late Friday afternoon. I had a busy weekend and haven’t had a lot of time to play with them yet, but I did get some pretty nice pics that I thought I would share so that you can take a look at them if you are interested. I still have to write up better descriptions of some of the pictures, but I wanted to at least get something out ASAP even if it isn’t perfect yet. So, here are links to the slideshows I just put up on flickr:

For my pictures of the Samsung T101G, click here.

For my pictures of the Samsung T201G, click here.

I’m planning to get some more info on these phones up later this week. If you aren’t already subscribed to the free email updates, you can click on the red arrow in the upper right corner of this page to be sure to find out as soon as the review is published.

Samsung T201G now available from Net10, Review Coming Soon

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Just a few days after its little brother T101G was released for TracFone, the Samsung T201G has made its debut on Net10′s site. As I’ve previously pointed out, it looks like the newest round of new phones will be available for both Net10 and TracFone. The pattern for rolling out these phones seems a little unusual to this point, but so far we have one new phone available for TracFone users and one for Net10, and I expect that more will follow soon.

Samsung T201G for Net10

The T201G is being offered at a price of $39.99 (although currently available discounts can bring that down to $31.99 – click here and use bonus code 34567). Historically, Net10 handsets have cost $10-$20 more than the same model from TracFone, so I am guessing that when this one is released by TracFone it will be somewhere in the $20-$30 range.

I’ve ordered one of these phones, too, so I can review it for you. I’ll be busy with both the T201G (Net10) and T101G (TracFone) to review at the same time, but it will offer a nice opportunity to compare and contrast them. I’m assuming they’ll share many common characteristics, but comparing them side-by-side will give us more info. So look for both reviews coming soon.

For now, here are the specs on the T201G as stated on the Net10 site:

  • Buy Ringtones, Graphics, News, Weather, Sports and more using Airtime Minutes
  • Compact Flip Phone
  • Vivid Color Screen
  • External Caller ID
  • Voicemail, Call Waiting, and Caller ID
  • Text Messaging
  • Handsfree Speaker
  • Auto Redial
  • Vibration Alert
  • Hearing Aid Compatible (HAC) rating M-3
  • Phone Book with up to 100 Entries
  • Lightweight – 2.98 ounces
  • Includes 15 Polyphonic Ringtones
  • Alarm Clock, Calculator, Stopwatch
  • Battery Talk Time Approx. 4 hours
  • Standby Time Approx. 13 days

The only differences I can see between this and the T101G are the clamshell vs. candy bar style, which leads to a heavier weight on the T201G. And based on the pictures I’ve seen so far, it looks like the clamshell design might allow for a slightly larger screen. Also, for some reason the stated battery standby time on the 101 is 6 days longer. I don’t know if this is a typo or perhaps related to the larger screen drawing more power on the 201, but I’ll have to test it out. And as soon as I do I’ll post the results here, of course.