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As you flip open the phone, that’s where the real fun lies. In addition to the camera feature, you can record videos as well. The default is set to 15 seconds, but you can take one for as long as the storage capacity lasts. Although it’s a nice feature, the quality was pure horrendous; that’s not to say, we didn’t expect this from a megapixel lens. Sometimes companies need to be a bit more thoughtful and sensible. It’s pointless to add features just for the sake of adding features, even when the onboard hardware doesn’t justify it.

The QWERTY keyboard is all set to go for messaging fans as soon as you set the phone to landscape mode. Interestingly enough, it automatically does that for you, which is really cool. The four navigational OK key is right underneath the amazing second display with 176 x 220 resolution and 262K color support (the exterior display is nice as well with the standard clock, battery meter and the like; in addition, you can view album art and track information when in music playback mode; 96x96 resolution with 65k colors). The Send, End/Power, Clear, Camera and Voice Command keys are also situated right below the internal display. There are three additional soft keys that you can work with as well. The keypad was fun to use; all the keys stood out, which made typing fun and exciting.

From a features standpoint, you have the standard ringtone, wallpaper, e-mail (possibly for professionals?) and the like options to customize the phone. Then there’s Bluetooth connectivity, which worked great, and support for VCAST music and video selection through EV-DO. Thanks to EV-DO and its broadband-like speeds, the music and video playback was excellent. However, the videos were less than impressive. There was pixilation all across the board, especially in high-paced scenes. The video issue is a common one in a number of Verizon Wireless VCAST phones, so we can’t blame Samsung as the sole guilty party for this fault.

The audio sounded great, in normal and speakerphone modes. Even though people could tell we were using a cell phone, the quality was crystal clear and refined. Bluetooth headsets worked great as well with no loss is audio quality. Samsung SCH-u740 is expected to have 3.5 hours of rated talk time; in our test lab, we had it go up to 3.55. The standby time is set at 8.3, which we’ll take Samsung’s word for.

All in all, Samsung’s SCH-u740 is a great phone, especially for multimedia lovers, with superb audio quality and a lot of advanced features at a reasonable price tag of $149.99 with a 2-year contract from Verizon Wireless.

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