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JULY 25, 2007
AT&T SYNC by Samsung - SGH-A707
 AT&T (formerly Cingular) has put together a Music/Phone package that is a serious competitor in the cell phone/music player field. The great looking Samsung Sync includes many services that were not available in previous music phones I have tested making this a very versatile phone.
The SGH-A707 Samsung Sync, when linked with Napster or your own collection on your PC, provides access to thousands of songs in a thin stylish black clamshell phone. I received a red phone that had minor problems recognizing the memory card so it was swapped for a black one. The replacement worked perfectly. There is also a blue option.
AT&T has many locations where the availability of 3G is a given. Unfortunately Key West as well as the portions of South Carolina that I visited during this test are not equipped with that service. I have been told those areas have the equivalent of 2G service. I was unable to test the faster 3G however the lesser connection worked well for most options. I did find that any function that used the internet seemed slow but usable. Just prior to completion of this review I received a press release from AT&T that gave hope to all of us in Florida that G3 is coming in the near future.
The Phone lists at $249.99. With a two year contract the phone is $99.99. A $50.00 mail-in Rebate Card brings the online price down to $49.99 under that contract. Other specials may apply. Features, Specs, Accessories, and Services can be found on the AT&T website.
IN THE BOX
SGH-A707 Phone
Battery
Manual
In this case a 60 day free trial membership to Napster
(USB cable or Stereo headset available at extra cost)
PROVIDED ADD-ONS FOR MY TEST
Music Package Retails at $39.99 included:
USB Data Cable
Stereo Headset
Software CD and Manual
ALSO
A 1 Gigabyte MicroSD Mobile Memory Kit was also provided – an accessory that retails for $49.99.
Overall Impression
The external screen is easily read. I wish the time it remained on was adjustable. The internal screen has vivid color with LARGE text and numbers for those of us with failing eyes. The menus to access options are easy to read and follow. As with any change to another phone there is a learning period for locating and understanding buttons and functions. I understand the need to miniaturize parts but I wish there were some way to connect my personal headphones to the SGH-A707 SYNC phone instead of using the proprietary headphones that fit the connector.
Napster
I downloaded 12 tunes from Napster to my PC with no problems. I synced those to the SGH-A707. I also downloaded several directly to the phone. I copied 40 WMA songs to the SGH-A707 from Windows Media player on the ThinkPad and played them with no problem.
CAMERA
The included 2 Megapixal camera is a great improvement over many previous phones.
Shooting Mode: Single Shot or Multi Shot (6, 9, or 15 shots) Great for action sequences
Mosaic Style: groups 4 or 6 shots in one photo
Effects: None - Black and white - sepia - negative
Frames: option has various decorative frame choices for those who want them.
 Timer: can be set for 3, 5, or 10 seconds so you can be included in the shot.
Camera Settings include: Size – Quality – Display - Scene
Program: Shutter - Sound Choices - Multi Shot Speed - White Balance - Default memory card
There is no Flash for the camera.
VIDEO
The video is also improved by the 2.0 megapixel camera. Video plays in Landscape or normal format. You can change lighting and zoom, as well as set a timer for length to record; 3, 5, 10 Seconds or OFF so you record as long as the memory and battery lasts.
SYNCING
I was able to use the USB connection to sync Music from Napster Music, MusicMatch Jukebox from Dell, and Windows Media Player to the Phone.
I copied 4 videos from the AT&T SYNC to the Lenovo ThinkPad using Sync and converted them to AVI files using MOVAVI software. I then copied one of them back to the Phone and played it. The rendition was perfect.
Getting photos and videos to and from the phone
I sent photos and videos one at a time to myself as e-mail attachments. This was a little time consuming. It is much easier to use the phone’s Bluetooth capability to copy or move multiple files if you have Bluetooth available on your computer. I appreciated having the Lenovo ThinkPad’s Bluetooth option for this test.
AT&T VIDEO
I accessed AT&T Video and played a shortened version of the final Sopranos episode then checked out some previews. I also tested CNNhourly news, ESPN, a short bit from the Letterman show, and the The Weather Channel. The closest city I could get was Miami. I was able to get Key West weather using MediaNET. All had clear video and perfect sound. AT&T Video can also be viewer in Landscape mode.
MusicID
I played a short section of a song and MusicID identified it correctly as Jack and Diane – John Mellencamp. It missed several others.
MediaNET
I accessed Windows Live Messenger and text messaged several contacts. AOL and Yahoo IM are also available.
I started out with a fear of breaking the covers for the charge/sync connector and the Memory card connection point as they seemed very fragile. The charger/USB sync/headphone connector takes much more use than the Memory card slot. I have to say I had no problem with either during this fairly long test period.
This is a very fine phone with many available options. It is excellent as a music player with good stereo reproduction and broad music access with Napster as well as tunes from your own library. The video and the still photos are a major step up from past products. The AT&T SYNC by Samsung - SGH-A707 works well, looks great, and has all the bells and whistles that most cell phone users who want music will need. A heavy requirement for text messaging and time organizing might be the only reason for look looking at other Phones/PDAs.
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