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Samsung Magnet a257 Phone, Orange (AT&T) | 
| Brand: Samsung
Category: Wireless
This item is no longer available
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 22497
Color: Orange
Media: Wireless Phone
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
Model: A257
UPC: 635753476903
ASIN: B0028Y4SWM
Release Date: December 22, 2007
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| Features:
| • | Affordable messaging phone with full QWERTY keyboard for easy typing on the go | | • | Compatible with AT&T's EDGE data network; access to mobile email, text/picture messaging and instant messaging | | • | Bluetooth for handsfree devices; VGA camera for still photos; 64 MB memory (non-expandable); personal organizer | | • | Up to 5 hours of talk time, up to 250 hours (10+ days) of standby time | | • | What's in the Box: handset, battery, charger, quick reference guide, user manual |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Description
Nicely affordable and stylishly appointed with a bright orange case featuring an easy-to-grip soft-touch finish, the Samsung Magnet for AT&T is a great choice for messaging mavens thanks to its full QWERTY keyboard. You'll be able to keep up with friends and family while on the go using text messaging, mobile email, and instant messaging via popular services including AOL, Yahoo! and Windows Live (messaging charges apply). Other features include a VGA camera for capturing still photos, Bluetooth for handsfree devices, speakerphone, support for downloadable Java applications, pre-loaded games, and up to 5 hours of talk time. 
The Samsung Magnet is an easy-to-use, texting machine with full text, picture, video, and IM support. | 
Other features include Bluetooth for handsfree devices and a VGA camera for snapping still photos on the go. |  | AT&T Service
This phone provides quad-band GSM coverage (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) for voice as well as GPRS/EDGE connectivity for receiving data. AT&T's EDGE network offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including full picture messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. Phone Features
A solid, basic phone that gets the job done with a minimum of hassle, the Samsung Magnet has a large 2.2-inch LCD screen with a 220 x 176-pixel resolution and a 65K color depth. Sitting below the display is the handset's navigation pad that's complemented by a dedicated email key as well as standard send/end and soft navigation keys. The full QWERTY keyboard includes an integrated numeric keypad for easy dialing as well as dedicated keys for one-press access to the camera and messaging application. The built-in phonebook can store up to 500 contacts, and it supports multiple phone numbers per contact entry, caller groups, and picture/ringer ID. The phone has a 64 MB internal flash memory, which can't be expanded. Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset and handsfree car kits. The Magnet offers a full range of email, text, and multimedia messaging options. It includes support for mobile email services such as AOL, Yahoo!, and Windows Live (messaging charges apply). You can also keep up with your instant messaging buddies using the built-in IM application that connects to those same services. Other features include: - VGA digital camera for still photos with multiple resolution options (640 x 480, 320 x 240 and 220 x 165 pixels), 4x digital zoom, brightness adjustment, and self timer (3, 5 or 10 seconds)
- Organization tools: Calendar, Calculator, Note, Task and Currency Converter
- AT&T Answer Tones enables your friends hear your favorite song or funny phrase when they call you (additional charges applicable)
- Ringtones: MP3 and 64-chord polyphonic
- Any-key answer
- Multilingual text display (English, French, Spanish)
Vital Statistics
The Samsung Magnet weighs 3.09 ounces and measures 4.29 x 2.32 x 0.47 inches. Its 800 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 250 hours (10+ days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
 I'm glad I didn't spend money on it July 21, 2010
Dana
I got this phone because I needed to upgrade from my last one, and it was free on AT&T's website.
It is impossible to text on this beast.
My camera broke after a few days. There is no flash on it anyways. And no way for me to get the data from my phone to anything else, unless I send it in a text to a friend that has a phone that connects to the internet or a computer.
The only good thing I like about this phone is the multiple settings for alarm clocks. Works pretty nice for college class schedules because you can set it for whatever days in a week you want. I think there are about five profiles...
Save yourself some money. Don't buy this piecer.
Shoddy and feature-lite April 3, 2010
D. N. Clark (Raleigh, NC USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I moved to this phone after owning/loving my LG CU500 for years. I needed something that I could text on for work, and this seemed the cheapest alternative. I glanced at the tech specs, but it did not really sink in when I ordered it just how lame this phone really is.
-First and foremost, the phone has randomly been shutting off in the middle of the day. It has nothing to do with battery life (which isn't bad), it simply shuts off for some reason. The battery appears to be in the slot tightly, so I can't figure out what's going on here. This started after owning the phone for 2-3 months.
-Second, there is no expansion memory outside of the SIM card. NO MicroSD slot! This means that you can only hold about 300 messages before you will stop pulling new ones down (until you delete some). It also means no music, and not many pictures.
-Third, the camera is terrible. I don't expect great pictures out of a phone, but the shutter speed is slow enough that nothing short of still life will stay in focus, and even pictures taken in broad daylight look bad.
Those are the big gripes. The rest are quibbles. The keyboard was surprisingly easy to use, though it's a bit harder in the days immediately after I trim my fingernails. The sound quality is fine, and I never got any complaints about people trying to hear me.
The function buttons are pretty terrible, though. The center button cannot be reassigned, and launches the web browser. If you don't have a data plan, this could be disastrous, especially if you forget to lock your phone before you put it away. Also, and this may be due to my relative inexperience with texting, but the keyboard is a bit confusing/clunky whenever you need to enter capital letters or special characters.
To sum up, this phone was mediocre when I got it, but has become nigh useless since it started cutting out in the middle of the day. If you're looking for a phone that comes free/cheap with contract, there are better ones out there. If my CU500 hadn't been dying when I got this one, I would go back to it. Instead, I plan on shelling out some money on one of the lower-end unlocked smart phones.
Frustrating March 25, 2010
Marc Anthony Zavala (Torrance, Ca United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had great success with the Samsung Propel Slider and thought I would try out the Magnet. It has the looks of the Blackberry and even though I read some average reviews I figured I'd give it a try. Almost 3 months to the day I got the phone the battery kept going out and I would have to constantly check on the phone to make sure it didn't shut off. I took it to the At&t service center and they immediately gave me a new phone. I agree with a previous review that you are automatically sent to the WAP and it can be difficult to text with the small keys (and I have little fingers). Proceed with caution.
 Great phone for what it is March 8, 2010
C. Brown (Cincinnati)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I have had this phone for about 2 weeks and have mostly good things to say about it. My experience with this phone has been remarkably different than many of the other reviewers here.
Let's start with some negatives. First, I do agree that the keys are tiny. Serious texters with high-speed thumbs could have some problems with this. But average texters (like myself) can use it with ease. Second, the image quality is mediocre and the camera only does photos (no video). Then again, people who are even remotely serious about pictures won't be relying on their phone to take them, so this wasn't an issue for me. Third, no 3G, so if you plan on surfing the web, this isn't the phone for you.
The good. It was free after rebate. Size and weight really cannot be beat. Sound quality for me has been fantastic in every respect. Outdoors where its noisy, windy, etc. I could hear just fine and others could hear me. Same with talking in my loud car on the highway, no problems at all. Sound quality on speaker phone is also quite good. Battery life has also been impressive. Granted, I don't talk for hours and hours every day, but I was able to go over 3 days without a charge. So, I don't know what other users have been using their phone for, but average talk times will still get you several days without charging.
The verdict: Just know what you're getting. This is a solid phone with a full keyboard. No more, no less. I was looking for a phone that looked good, had good sound quality, good battery life, and a QWERTY keyboard. I didn't need to surf the web. I didn't need to shoot video or take Pulitzer Prize winning photos. This phone is for people who use their cell phone mainly for talking and some texting. If that sounds like you, this phone would be a good choice.
Another reason to hate AT&T January 9, 2010
Pranil R. Patel
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
- Recently upgraded my service plan for a new SIM card because my service was bad (they dont reissue new SIM cards for old att users), and was informed that my unlocked blackberry could not be used without a dataplan. Needed a new phone, so I searched around for the least silly looking phone that would handle my texting/basic pda functions.
- Fails at texting: the conversations are not threaded, which is annoying. The keypad is horrible because the keys need alot of force to register. So if you're used to texting very quickly, messages will come out with random letters missing
for example, if you try texting "probably" too fast, you may end up with "prbbly" because the keys are too slow to respond to successive taps
- Fails as a PDA: the calendar is horrible because it does not set appointments under the times listed under each day. For example, if I click under 5pm on monday, it still brings up 8am on monday. This is obviously annoying to correct. In addition, the alarm for each appointment needs to be manually set (what is the use of setting an appointment that doesn't give a reminder?). Worst of all, sometimes the phone starts pranging out and saying that i missed appointments from days past. I then have to go back and delete all the past appointments in order to keep the phone from draining its own battery out like an emo kid in a bathtub.
- Fails as a phone: horrible speakerphone/reception. No quick way to turn up the volume on the phone if there is trouble hearing.
- Overall pretty frustrated at the lack of decent PDA phones available without data plans. The reason why this phone still gets 2 stars is because it is very cheap and has very sturdy construction.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 9
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