I’ve spent the last month working (and playing) with Straight Talk’s Samsung Finesse r810c (available for $329 from Straight Talk, here). I’ve written up my final conclusion about the phone, below. Please feel free to ask questions in the comments section at the end of this or any post. Now, on to my review summary.

First, let’s start with the Pros of the Finesse:

• The screen is big (3.2 inches diagonally), bright, and very attractive. Indeed, the phone as a whole is sleek and pleasant to look at.
• The phone includes EVDO data access, a full html browser, and large screen make the browsing experience much faster and more usable than the other Straight Talk phones.
• The camera is better than that of the LG 290c or the Samsung r451c, and includes video recording ability.
• Battery life is good for a phone with so many features, and the phone charges quickly.
• It’s easy to transfer files to/form Finesse using USB cable or bluetooth.
• Email access on Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo is fast (mobile versions work best).
• Audio quality is very good.
• Expansion memory card slot allows you to carry a lot of pictures, songs, and even videos.
• Straight Talk offers very affordable plans.

And now, for the Cons:

• It’s expensive – currently $329 for the phone alone.
• You cannot “tether” a laptop to this phone for internet access on your laptop.
• YouTube, and other streaming video sites I tried, do not work on the Finesse.
• There’s no ability to add applications from other sources.
• The contact list does not have fields for your contact’s address or other note sections such as birthday, etc.
• The mp3 player sounds great, but navigation and organization in the player is poorly designed.
• Signal reception is poorer than the LG 290c and 220c, and I experienced a couple of dropped calls with the Finesse but not the LG models.
• It doesn’t seem to support syncing of contacts or calendars from Outlook.
• The Samsung Finesse lacks wi-fi support.

Conclusion:

I think that Straight Talk made a wise decision when they decided to offer the Samsung Finesse. It’s much more expensive than any of the other models offered by Straight Talk, but offers features not available on those other models. I think they really needed to have a phone like this to get the attention of people who might have had contracts and, therefore, better phones in the past. The large screen, full html browser, and EVDO access are very helpful, perhaps even necessary, to take full advantage of the unlimited data access offered with the $45 monthly plan.

That being said, I can’t say that I fully recommend this phone. It’s probably a good bet for people that are always on the go and want constant access to their email and occasional web browsing. But true business users will probably be disappointed by the limited address book features and lack of Outlook syncing.

Others will be disappointed with the inability to add third-party applications. That’s not to say that there aren’t any such apps that should work on this model; it’s just that Samsung (or maybe it was Straight Talk) decided to prevent this phone from installing them. Samsung touts the “widgets” as a way to make the phone more useful, but in reality those widgets are just shortcuts.

Activating the Facebook widget, for example, simply loads the web browser and opens it to your Facebook home page. Sure, it will save you a few seconds clicking through the menus, but it’s a far cry from the Facebook application available for other platforms such as the iPhone/iPod touch.

If you’re looking for a device that can do what the iPhone does, this isn’t it. The Finesse falls short of the iPhone in so many ways, I doubt you’ll be happy with this phone if you’re comparing it to Apple’s phone. That being said, you’d be saving a LOT of money over the course of the two-year contract you’d be required to sign with AT&T to get an iPhone.

Indeed, the low-cost plans offered by Straight Talk are the main attraction of this phone. As I said above, I think the Finesse r810c is probably a good bet for prepaid users that are always on the go and want to stay connected. If that describes you, don’t be too hesitant to buy this phone. Just be sure to read through my review and know what to expect. If you don’t expect too much, you won’t be let down.

But if you want more flexibility and functionality, here’s what I’d suggest:

Instead of forking out $329 for the Finesse, go with the Samsung r451c (if you want a qwerty keyboard) for $100 or, better yet, the LG 290c for $80. You might even consider going with the $30/month plan, as you won’t be using the web as much on the smaller screen and slower connection offered by these alternatives. Then take the money you’re saving, and buy yourself an iPod Touch.

You can get the 8GB iPod Touch for $185or quadruple the memory andget the 32GB version for $270. The Touch is basically an iPhone, minus the phone and 3G data connection. You can install iPhone apps on the phone, and it’s great for web browsing, email, Facebook, and much, much more especially when on a wi-fi connection. Granted, this plan will force you to carry an extra device with you, but the Touch does so many things so incredibly well, it’s very well worth it in my opinion.