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Sorry for the long delay since my last post – real life got in the way of the online world. Anyway, I’m back with more info on the Samsung r810c Finesse from Straight Talk, which I’ve been reviewing in detail. Here’s the next installment:
General Phone Function
I’ve been slightly disappointed with the reception on the r810. I’ve been comparing it to the LG 290c and LG 100c, and it seems like the LG models are a little better at pulling in a signal. In fact, as I’m writing this very portion of the review, I’m a passenger in a car traveling through a very rural area of Wisconsin. I just now tried making a test call from both the LG 100c and the Samsung r810c. The LG was able to complete the call, despite showing no bars on the signal meter. The Finesse, however, could not complete the call. I received a message “CDMA service not available.”
Further, while traveling through that same area of spotty coverage, I experience dropped calls with the Finesse, but not with the LG models. Again, this was in an area with very poor coverage, but it’s still worth mentioning in terms of the comparison.
I found this poor reception to be very disappointing, especially on a device this expensive. Interestingly, however, I was able to access the web via EVDO within seconds of a failed test call, and indeed while the phone was still showing no signal for voice calls. So I guess if web browsing is more important to you than voice calls, the reception issue might be a little less important to you.
Samsung r810c Finesse - Straight Talk
On the other hand, I thought voice calls sounded pretty good, when I was able to make them. This was dependent upon the signal strength, though, as spotty coverage unsurprisingly resulted in choppy audio. I felt that the normal audio quality on the Finesse sounded a little better than the Samsung r451c, but not as clear as the LG 290c and LG 220c, which are all available from Straight Talk as well.
I also noticed something rather interesting when comparing the call volume on these models – the Samsung Finesse produced better volume while in speaker phone mode, but the LG 290c was louder and clearer using the normal earpiece. The Finesse also produced very loud ringtones. However, it does have the annoying Samsung standard of ringtones starting out low, then gradually increasing in volume until the call is answered.
Another nice feature is that the phone can be set to announce the name or number of the person calling, followed by the ringtone. If the caller is in your contact list, the phone will announce their name, otherwise it will read off the number from which the call is coming. To activate this feature, go to Menu>Settings>Call Settings>Call Alert.
The r810c also allows for a specific ringtone to be assigned to a contact. Alternatively, you can place a contact within a group (i.e. Family, Friends, Colleagues, Business), and assign a separate tone to each group.
Battery life was an admirable 48 hours of heavy use. I used the phone for maybe 15 minutes of voice calls, did a lot of web browsing, some bluetooth use, some picture messaging, and a lot of general playing with the menus. Considering that usage, I thought 48 hours was a decent, but not great, battery life for this kind of device. This, as well as other Samsung phones, seem to charge very quickly. Mine charged in about an hour on the car charger and took about the same on the 110 volt wall charger to charge completely from nearly dead.
Internal display/keypad
I really like Finesse’s display, which measures 3.2 inches diagonally. I found it to be bright and vibrant, and very readable, even outdoors. The brightness and backlight time can be adjusted by the user. The touch-screen function gives a vibration feedback, but you can turn if off or adjust the intensity if you want to.
The menus are very nice, in my opinion. The large, bright screen makes navigation easy, and the menu layout is reasonably well-designed and similar to other Samsungs. There are also a range of customization options, starting with a shortcut bar across the top of the home screen. There you’ll find one-touch shortcuts to your message inbox, web browser, music player and bluetooth settings.
Along the left side of the home screen is the widget bar. These “widgets” are really just more shortcuts – in some cases they’ll open a specific web page such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc., and other widgets are menu shortcuts like music player, contacts, alarms, etc. I could not find anyway to create my own widget, which would be nice to create a shortcut to my favorite site(s).
The touch interface was very interesting. I have to admit I’m not coming into this review unbiased – I have an iPod Touch that I use every day, so it’s hard not to compare the Samsung r810 to the iPod Touch. The Finesse fell a little short of the iPod in terms of ease of touch, I thought. The iPod is a little more sensitive to the touch. The biggest thing I missed was the “multi-touch” capabilities of the iPod. I love using the “pinch to zoom” function. Aside from that, the Finesse compared reasonably well, and I am happy with the Finesse as far as phones go.
The Samsung’s touch screen worked fine for me for texting and dialing, especially once I got used to it. One thing that I really like on the Finesse is handwriting recognition – it’s a nice feature that not even the iPod offers (natively). I should also point out here that, while the phone does not include a stylus, most generic stylus devices will work with this phone and may help with menu navigation and especially hand-written input. I definitely don’t need one for the menus or dialing, but it is nice for the handwriting feature.
I’ve got a lot more to cover with this phone, so stick around and I’ll get to it soon. I’ll definitely have at least a couple more posts published by the end of the week, and hopefully wrap up the review in the first week of the new year.
Sorry for the long delay since my last post – real life got in the way of the online world. Anyway, I’m back with more info on the Samsung r810c Finesse from Straight Talk, which I’ve been reviewing in detail. Here’s the next installment:
General Phone Function
I’ve been slightly disappointed with the reception on the r810. I’ve been comparing it to the LG 290c and LG 100c, and it seems like the LG models are a little better at pulling in a signal. In fact, as I’m writing this very portion of the review, I’m a passenger in a car traveling through a very rural area of Wisconsin. I just now tried making a test call from both the LG 100c and the Samsung r810c. The LG was able to complete the call, despite showing no bars on the signal meter. The Finesse, however, could not complete the call. I received a message “CDMA service not available.”
Further, while traveling through that same area of spotty coverage, I experience dropped calls with the Finesse, but not with the LG models. Again, this was in an area with very poor coverage, but it’s still worth mentioning in terms of the comparison.
I found this poor reception to be very disappointing, especially on a device this expensive. Interestingly, however, I was able to access the web via EVDO within seconds of a failed test call, and indeed while the phone was still showing no signal for voice calls. So I guess if web browsing is more important to you than voice calls, the reception issue might be a little less important to you.
On the other hand, I thought voice calls sounded pretty good, when I was able to make them. This was dependent upon the signal strength, though, as spotty coverage unsurprisingly resulted in choppy audio. I felt that the normal audio quality on the Finesse sounded a little better than the Samsung r451c, but not as clear as the LG 290c and LG 220c, which are all available from Straight Talk as well.
I also noticed something rather interesting when comparing the call volume on these models – the Samsung Finesse produced better volume while in speaker phone mode, but the LG 290c was louder and clearer using the normal earpiece. The Finesse also produced very loud ringtones. However, it does have the annoying Samsung standard of ringtones starting out low, then gradually increasing in volume until the call is answered.
Another nice feature is that the phone can be set to announce the name or number of the person calling, followed by the ringtone. If the caller is in your contact list, the phone will announce their name, otherwise it will read off the number from which the call is coming. To activate this feature, go to Menu>Settings>Call Settings>Call Alert.
The r810c also allows for a specific ringtone to be assigned to a contact. Alternatively, you can place a contact within a group (i.e. Family, Friends, Colleagues, Business), and assign a separate tone to each group.
Battery life was an admirable 48 hours of heavy use. I used the phone for maybe 15 minutes of voice calls, did a lot of web browsing, some bluetooth use, some picture messaging, and a lot of general playing with the menus. Considering that usage, I thought 48 hours was a decent, but not great, battery life for this kind of device. This, as well as other Samsung phones, seem to charge very quickly. Mine charged in about an hour on the car charger and took about the same on the 110 volt wall charger to charge completely from nearly dead.
Internal display/keypad
I really like Finesse’s display, which measures 3.2 inches diagonally. I found it to be bright and vibrant, and very readable, even outdoors. The brightness and backlight time can be adjusted by the user. The touch-screen function gives a vibration feedback, but you can turn if off or adjust the intensity if you want to.
The menus are very nice, in my opinion. The large, bright screen makes navigation easy, and the menu layout is reasonably well-designed and similar to other Samsungs. There are also a range of customization options, starting with a shortcut bar across the top of the home screen. There you’ll find one-touch shortcuts to your message inbox, web browser, music player and bluetooth settings.
Along the left side of the home screen is the widget bar. These “widgets” are really just more shortcuts – in some cases they’ll open a specific web page such as Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc., and other widgets are menu shortcuts like music player, contacts, alarms, etc. I could not find anyway to create my own widget, which would be nice to create a shortcut to my favorite site(s).
The touch interface was very interesting. I have to admit I’m not coming into this review unbiased – I have an iPod Touch that I use every day, so it’s hard not to compare the Samsung r810 to the iPod Touch. The Finesse fell a little short of the iPod in terms of ease of touch, I thought. The iPod is a little more sensitive to the touch. The biggest thing I missed was the “multi-touch” capabilities of the iPod. I love using the “pinch to zoom” function. Aside from that, the Finesse compared reasonably well, and I am happy with the Finesse as far as phones go.
The Samsung’s touch screen worked fine for me for texting and dialing, especially once I got used to it. One thing that I really like on the Finesse is handwriting recognition – it’s a nice feature that not even the iPod offers (natively). I should also point out here that, while the phone does not include a stylus, most generic stylus devices will work with this phone and may help with menu navigation and especially hand-written input. I definitely don’t need one for the menus or dialing, but it is nice for the handwriting feature.
I’ve got a lot more to cover with this phone, so stick around and I’ll get to it soon. I’ll definitely have at least a couple more posts published by the end of the week, and hopefully wrap up the review in the first week of the new year.
December 28, 2009 at 5:05 pm
I’m curious as to what kind of internet is offered with this device. Are you stuck with the standard straight talk internet capability, or can you actually use/view full html pages? How fast is the internet? Can you also post a a video on youtube of you actually using the browser and email and widgets system? thanks!
December 28, 2009 at 8:08 pm
Thanks for doing the review. Hope you had a good time over the holidays – you deserve it!
You stated “…it does have the annoying Samsung standard of ringtones starting out low, then gradually increasing in volume until the call is answered.” I find this very annoying since I usually don’t hear the first rings. If one downloads ringtones to this phone do they also operate in this way?
December 29, 2009 at 11:48 am
Hello,
I find it odd that you would go through the trouble of writing these reviews and NOT write about the one thing that’s burning in everybody’s mind… How capable is the browser? Is it full HTML? Is it somewhat HTML? I mean, c’mon… you have the phone… talk about the browser.
Joe
December 29, 2009 at 3:29 pm
I just got mine a few days ago. Overall I love it, but there are a few things that bug me. The phone apparently CAN detect whether you’re holding it sideways or upright. If you go to the photo viewer and open a picture in fullscreen, it automatically rotates when you hold the phone sideways. However, even though it has the capability, the photo viewer seems to be the only thing that actually uses the feature. Knowing that, I’m disappointed that the web browser doesn’t take advantage of it and allow you to view pages in portrait mode. I also think it should be used to automatically switch the keyboard between qwerty and 3×4 depending on how you hold it. I also wish it had some sort of IMAP client. Email works fine via the browser, but it takes a little while to open the page and log in, and there is no way of knowing when you receive a new message without opening the browser. I also have not found any way to install java applications, and it does not come preloaded with any. All of these are relatively simple things that the phone technically could already do, but the software doesn’t allow them. Adding these features in a software update would greatly increase the usefulness and value of the phone, but it seems that some of them have been disabled on purpose to minimize bandwidth usage. Maybe that’s part of their agreement with verizon, to minimize bandwidth by limiting apps or something. But for the price of the plan, it’s still definitely worth it. I have spent quite a bit of time on the browser and have only used half of my 30mb. Since I tend to visit mostly the same sites over and over, all the images are cached after the first time, and it uses almost no bandwidth to re-visit pages that you have already loaded once.
December 30, 2009 at 1:04 pm
Joe, I’ll get to the browser very soon, including some videos of the browsing experience.
December 30, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Al, I believe downloaded tones DO operate the same way.
December 30, 2009 at 1:05 pm
I’ll definitely be posting video of the browsing experience, and I’ll try to demo the widgets for you too.
January 7, 2010 at 6:39 pm
I was wondering about the keypad. Is the keypad like a typewriter or does it have a number and 3 letters to each number? The research I have done says it has a qwerty keypad but I really think it is 3 letters to eaach number. I dont like texting on that keypad and that is really the only thing keeping me from buying this phone so if you can answer my question it would really help. Thank you.
January 8, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Hi! Firstly, Thanks so much for posting this forum!
Secondly, I didn’t notice you mentioning the lack of apps in your reviews. I think that for a nearly $400 phone we should be getting decent apps like the ones for the iphone, which to me is starting to sound like a better investment contract and all. On the straight talk website and samsung website, it boasts about the “amazing” widgets on the phone. Yeah. Right. I’ve searched the net incessantly to find apps for my Samsung Finesse but it seems like there aren’t anymore?
Also, there is no mobile IM feature! This was something I was greatly looking forward to and its not present. : (
On the samsung website it also says that you can connect directly to your email and receive them sort of like text messages? How does that work?
Overall I really regret spending so much money on the phone, as its not really as great as it was made out to be. Perhaps I’m just not doing something right, but it really doesn’t seem all that cool, aside from the $45 phone bill.
January 8, 2010 at 4:59 pm
donne – I will be putting up a video as soon as I have time to edit it, demonstrating the text messaging function. You can choose if you want qwerty, 3×4, or handwriting input.
January 11, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for the reply. You’re correct on the apps. It is kind of a big deal, I guess, but I had no expectation for apps at the time I bought the phone so I guess I overlooked it. I really appreciate your input and will definitely be sure to point out the lack of apps in previous and future posts, where appropriate.
I’m not sure about receiving emails like text mesages, but you could set up your email to send a text message alert to your phone whenever a new message arrives. Thus you could check your email right away.
As far as mobile IM, I haven’t tried that yet either – could you try downloading it directly from the provider of your choice? If you try this, I’d love to know how it goes for you.
Similarly, for other apps that might work on the phone, you could try umnet.com, specifically this page: http://www.umnet.com/phone/2233-Samsung_R810_Finesse I haven’t yet tried downloads from here, but on my main blog some people have reported that it works with the SAmsung t401g for Net10, so hopefully it works on the Finesse as well. I’ll definitely be trying it myself and posting the results on this site; if it works out, that could really be a huge selling point for this phone that otherwise might not have as much appeal.
Thanks for taking the time to share your point of view. A quick question for you, before I go – do you think you would be happier selling this phone, buying something like the r451c or LG 290c, and using the leftover money for an iPod Touch? I think that might be an alternative that I suggest for people that are considering the Finesse, but unsure of it.
Thanks,
Patrick
January 11, 2010 at 9:22 pm
pbushx2,
Before I read your recent post I was actually deliberating sending back my phone, getting the phone priced just under this one and purchasing an ipod touch. My boyfriend has an ipod touch, and said that without its apps it would be worthless because they are the only cool thing about it. That and the touch screen. He also said that I would be crazy if I purchased an iphone because they too have their problems.
What caught my attention about the samsung finesse was the Straighttalk plan! I’m REALLY happy with it! The internet browsing is relatively quick, and I’ve been texting and calling constantly with really decent service for the rural area which I live.
I am currently checking out upnet.com if I do download anything I will make sure to post how it goes!!! Thanks so much for what you do! It definitely makes my phone experience smoother knowing I’m not the only one that is critiquing the phone!
February 15, 2010 at 2:59 am
hi. thanks for providing your information. in part 2 of your reviews, you mention that Twitter is a shortcut on the home screen. is that really so? if so, then that sounds good. i’m more of a Twitter user and not too much of a Facebook user. could you talk a little bit more about using Twitter on the Finesse? and another question, do you have to log in everytime when you go to facebook or your email? or are there cookies on the Finesse that save that for you (like on a computer) so you don’t have to go through the process of logging in all the time. thanks for your time.
February 15, 2010 at 1:20 pm
You can put a twitter shortcut on the home screen. Then when you touch (“click”) on the twitter icon, it will load twitter in the browser. My Finesse isn’t currently active, and I didn’t use twitter much when I did have it, but I do know that the Twitter mobile version is pretty well-done.
I also didn’t have any problems with cookies – the sites that required login always “remembered” me when I went back to them.
February 15, 2010 at 3:29 pm
thanks. i’m contemplating three options: (1) straighttalk finesse; (2) twitterpeek; or (3) ipod touch. in that order of preference at the moment. yeah, at the moment. lol. whichever device, i can just see myself doing mostly twitter on it. i have a tracfone and i was waiting to see what they were going to come up. didn’t realize that tracfone would come up with the new different brand of straighttalk like with how they came up with net10. anyways, thanks so much again. i really appreciate the information that you provide. i found you first when i was looking for anything about the straighttalk finesse on youtube. it’s like you came up to the top of the search list on both google and youtube. cheers.
February 16, 2010 at 12:19 am
I have a few questions about the Finesse. Does it help you keep track of your minutes/texts/ and data?
Are you able to multitask with it? (i.e. listen to music while browsing the web?)
I went and read Straight Talks’ terms and conditions and it states that you wont be able to stream video or audio on your phone ( like youtube ).
Thanks for any info you guys and provide, and thanks for the info that has already been given!
February 23, 2010 at 2:14 pm
Hi Art Awesome
Sorry I left you hanging so long there – I lost track of your comment. I apologize.
Anyway, the phone itself doesn’t keep track of your minutes exactly. In the calls menu, there is a call timer function that lists the total time you were talking on the phone, but this isn’t all that helpful. For example, if you make three phone calls of twenty seconds each, that would cost you three minutes against your plan balance. But the timer would show only one minute used (3 calls x 20 seconds each = 60 seconds total).
The data counter is a little more helpful, as it reports the total data transferred (in either direction). You can reset this whenever you want to, so you could reset it each month when you renew your plan.
However, you can also check your plan balance on the web, or by calling Straight Talk’s customer service.
Regarding multi-tasking, it is NOT possible to listen to music while browsing the web, but you can listen while doing most other tasks, including viewing or taking pictures, or composing text messages.
And, yes, it’s correct that streaming audio or video is not possible on this model.
February 24, 2010 at 9:07 pm
thanks for the response!
just an update, the finesse will show youtube videos, BUT not on straight talk. its in their terms and conditions that’s says it isn’t allowed ( i say its a Verizon thing)
Since all of the signs are pointing to samsung no longer producing the finesse anymore, has anybody heard anything about its replacement for straight talk? I’ve goggled it and checked a few forums and have come up with nothing. other then samsung releasing their new phone the caliber. hate to spend the $$$ on a finesse and then the next week straight talk adds the caliber ( the replacement for their finesse) to their list of phones.
thanks again!
March 2, 2010 at 5:59 pm
Art, I have seen nothing about new phones for Straight Talk. I’ll post here if/when I see something new coming.
May 2, 2010 at 6:03 pm
so, the ringtones that come with the r810c finesse, are they the primary Straight Talk brand ringtones that come with most of the other phones? Or are they only finesse? Also, is there a specific email app that I canuse with GMXmail?
May 3, 2010 at 1:39 pm
Hi Tedrick
Unfortunately I can’t help with either of your questions. I recently sold the Finesse so I could try out other phones, and I don’t specifically remember the ringtones, but I think they were the same as on the Samsung r451c and maybe the r355c as well.
I’m also not familiar with GMXmail. I was able to access gmail, hotmail, and yahoo mail on the Finesse, however.
May 10, 2010 at 5:41 pm
How’s texting on the Finesse? is it hard? easy? i NEED to know Asapp . thanks.
May 13, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Hi Brit
Try this post, where I made a video to demo the text messaging on the Finesse:
http://r810finesse.com/2010/02/23/samsung-finesse-review-index/2010/01/12/samsung-finesse-review-demo-videos/
May 15, 2010 at 1:27 am
On my samsung r451c i’ve able to get free ringtones from phonezoo.com. Are you able to get free ringtones on any sites w/this phone? Thanks, Jonny
May 19, 2010 at 11:54 pm
Hi Jonny
You can get ringtones from just about anywhere. This phone is very open when it comes to ringtones.
June 3, 2010 at 5:21 pm
Can you text while you are talking on the phone with someone?
June 19, 2010 at 9:30 am
Hello,
I got this phone over a month ago and I absolutely love it. However. The Draw/Write function in the widget bar. You can save your “drawings” but I have no idea where there are being saved to or how to access them. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Andrew
June 20, 2010 at 2:41 am
hey i was wondering, does it take a long time to send pic messages?
July 25, 2010 at 11:38 pm
It depends on the size but I think it’s around 30 seconds for the pics I sent.
August 30, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Where can I buy the SAMSUNG FINESSE! It’s not located at straighttalk.com anymore????????
September 18, 2010 at 12:32 am
I just got my finesse from walmart on Sept 14. On the 13th it was 269.00 plus tax and then on the 14th it was 279.00 and now i can’t find it again. I really like it, but wish i could get a radio app. I heard that iphone radio apps worked, but my phone did not recognize the .ipa ext. If i knew what the apps ext for the finesse is, i could try and change it.
What i like is the cable that goes from the phone to the puter….but where would it plug in in the phone?
September 18, 2010 at 12:34 am
another comment, i made all my own ringtones and i have made quite a few of my own walpaper too.
September 20, 2010 at 10:37 pm
Hi Saille
The cable plugs in to the same place the charger goes, I believe.
February 9, 2011 at 6:49 pm
Well after the samsung r810c went off the market for straight talk, I baught the Nokia e71 and as I have read your review, I have noticed that my Nokia e71 is much better than the samsung.. Although it is not touchscreen it rocks! Youtube app, facebook, myspace, and many more apps that can be download from the Ovi Store, Getjar, brothersoft, and many more places.. I love this phone and I don’t think that I will enjoy the samsung at all.. Thanks for your review though!! Real big help!!
April 21, 2011 at 9:59 pm
Are you still using Straight Talk? I’m so close to trying them out. I noticed that you mentioned Wisconsin. Do you live there? I’m in Green Bay, but travel the state quite often. I’m curious about the coverage here. Do you have any knowledge of the e71? That phone seems really nice, but the TINY keyboard scares me.
Any thoughts would be most appreciated!
April 22, 2011 at 5:43 pm
Hi Dano
My wife uses the Nokia E71. We are in the Eau Claire area, and travel often between here and Madison, as well as over toward Marshfield. The Nokia uses the AT&T network and coverage is pretty good. Verizon coverage might be a little better in the more rural areas, but that seems to have improved over the last few years. I don’t have much experience in the GB area, although I know that AT&T worked fine all up the peninsula on a recent trip to Door County.
The keys on the E71 ARE small, but no worse than any other QWERTY phone. I have a similar-sized phone, the Samsung r355c as well as the 900g, and I adapted pretty quickly. The E71 is really robust phone, especially for email syncing. I haven’t tried outlook contacts/calendar syncing, but I guess that works well too once you get it up and running. The downside of the E71 is that you MUST use the $45/month plan with it.
April 22, 2011 at 5:45 pm
Also, I really like Straight Talk as a service provider. Luckily I haven’t had to call cust. service much yet, but that’s pretty much a crap shoot with any cell company these days. With ST, basically you get the benefit of AT&T or Verizon coverage at a much lower cost, without the contract. Of course, the phone selection is more limited. But I”m willing to trade that in order to safe hundreds of dollars a year compared to a contract service.
September 22, 2011 at 4:01 pm
Does the samsung finesse use Verizon towers?
September 26, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Yes it does.