I am now using the incredible Samsung a900 “Blade” cellphone on the new high speed Sprint EV-DO network. The huge 1.8″x1.4″ QVGA screen is bright and readable in direct sunlight.

Samsung a900

For the past year I used the ultimately disappointing Palm Treo 650 on the “old” and slower non-EV-DO Sprint network. The Treo 650 had terrible sound and its ability to pull in a signal to make and receive calls was completely pathetic. Enter the Samsung a900 Blade! People call this tiny phone “The Blade” because it is Samsung’s answer to the Motorola Razr.

The a900 is a tiny phone and it is encased in metal. It is luscious to hold in your hand, but don’t be surprised by its tiny size by thinking it isn’t a communications powerhouse. This phone is a bully on your side. The a900 can make and receive calls and provide incredible clarity unlike any phone I have ever used before.

Over the last 10 years I have religiously used 12 phones all day every day and the a900 beats all of them. The best thing about the a900 is its ability to make and receive calls and that is the prime directive for any cellphone. If you can’t hear the other person you are calling or if your calls always transfer to Voice Mail, your phone isn’t a phone — it is merely a message taking service.

The a900 phone can make and take calls — and even do high speed EV-DO online work — from my basement office in Jersey City. I have lived here for five years and used five cellphones over that time here and the a900 is the only phone that I can use in the basement just like a landline phone. Jersey City is built on bedrock. To dig into the ground in Jersey City is to hit boulders, not soil.

The basements in Jersey City have three feet thick walls of bedrock. Through a tiny window crafted as an emergency exit I can get three bars of service on the a900 in my basement where my Treo 650 would barely get a single bar. Having a cellphone that now works as I work means I can have my phone on me at all times while working. With the Treo, and other cellphones, I would have to station the phone upstairs near a window to get a signal and, if the phone rang, I’d have to race upstairs to answer the phone. If I wanted to make a call I had to go upstairs.

If I needed information in the basement would have to hang up the phone and call back later because the phone would die the second I began to descend the stairs for retrieval. The a900 works everywhere and at all times. I am thrilled such a tiny phone is packed with such great receptive power with the Sprint cell towers.

Bluetooth Wireless Technology Bluetooth 1.2 allows me to wirelessly transfer contacts between Outlook 2003 and my a900. I can also use a wireless headset to make and receive calls.

High Speed Connection EV-DO means you no longer crawl around the web on your phone. You can speedily get updates and read news and pull weather in instants instead of prolonged moments. As a modem, the a900 rivals my hardwire DSL 3MB line from Verizon. I can hook up my a900 to my computer using the included USB cable and pull down information at a blazing 1MB! The difference between using the web with my EV-DO enabled a900 and my landline 3MB DSL connection is there is no difference!

I can also surf that fast in my Jersey City basement. I am now also truly untethered as I roam about the EV-DO Sprint areas. I am no longer disconnected from this blog or my email while on the road. I am seconds away from a high speed internet connection just by pulling my a900 from my pocket and hooking it up to my computer. I can also watch live streaming TV on my cellphone and the speed and sound are fine. I can listen to live streaming music from Sirius and Real. I can download songs from the Music Store and listen to them on my phone later. You get five free song downloads when you sign up for a Sprint Power Vision package.

1.3 Megapixel Camera I can take digital images and videos and email them to friends or upload them for storage in my online album. The camera lens rotates so you can take a self-portrait or use your phone as a “live” mirror.

Stereo Speakerphone

I can listen to stereo music via the speakerphone or by plugging in the included stereo ear buds headset and microphone.

Advanced Voice Recognition

By training your phone to recognize your voice you can dial names, write text messages or ignite applications into serving you.

OTA Programming “Over the Air” Programming means you can update the software inside your phone via the internet! It works really well. You no longer have to go into a Sprint store to update the software that makes your phone operate. You can do it all yourself just by choosing the update option. That is slick!

Other Goodies

You can also connect your a900 to your computer in “non-data” mode and your phone will be seen as a storage device so you can back up your information or drag-and-drop songs or images or anything else you might want on your phone. The connection is simple and speedy.

You can also download ringtones and screensavers for use on your phone. I created my own screensaver by cropping my infamous “David W. Boles Plays the Pillars” image/logo/avatar/brand down to the necessary 240×320 size and I provide it for you here in case you want to save and download it to your a900 for later continued complete immersion and admiration:

David Boles Plays the Pillars on the Samsung a900

The a900 has 47 MB available for storage and 11 MB of storage dedicated to applications/ringers/games. SMS Voice messaging allows me to send 10 friends a recorded voice message via “text” instead of having to type my note. I use Yahoo! chat on my a900 to hold real time text conversations on my phone.

The small touches Samsung adds to the phone add to the delight. Choosing your “dialing font” is just plain fun. I prefer the “feather” font over both the “Rainbow” and “Post-It Note” fonts but all the font choices are smile gathering. Sprint is a great company and their new EV-DO high speed network is astonishing and real-world tomorrow today and the a900 is your necessary access point to exploit the speed.

Samsung a900 smaller size

665 Comments

  1. Wow! My very own David W. Boles wallpaper!
    Do you have any hi-res images so that I can have a poster to put on my wall? 😉
    Hee

  2. Hello Carla!
    We are feeding the need of all a900 owners by providing great wallpaper (I think they call it a “screensaver” on the phone).
    We are willing to provide high-res versions for our other fans — in fact; we can paint your entire house in the image if it fits your aesthetic style.
    Before taking that step, however, we recommend the purchase of an a900 first just so you can try us out every day first before buying all that paint.
    :mrgreen:

  7. No I haven’t. I’m not that technologically advanced! I never knew I could!
    I might need to do that though, since when I get home the power is probably going to be out. We’ve got an ice storm down here today.
    If I’ve got the right cord, I could just plug it in my laptop?

  8. Dave, Where was your picture taken? I get the feeling that it is at an airport and the three objects in the front on the right are TV screens from the old days where people could drop a quarter and watch for a while. I might be completely wrong, however.

  9. Dave, Where was your picture taken? I get the feeling that it is at an airport and the three objects in the front on the right are TV screens from the old days where people could drop a quarter and watch for a while. I might be completely wrong, however.

  10. Hi Carla!
    Well, you couldn’t really do broadband modem via for your laptop very well until the last month or so…
    Verizon has a high speed network that lets you broadband surf and some laptop manufacturers are even building wireless broadband from Verizon into their machines.
    Data plans are not currently cheap. Mine is metered on Sprint. I pay for all my live TV stuff and I get 40MB of included data on my data plan (which isn’t anything, really) and pay $25 a month for all that.
    If I use my modem data it is pay-as-you go and then capped at $70 a month. That is an excellent deal. I plan to use my cellular modem only while out and about and in emergencies. It won’t be “constant on” where I have to worry about hitting the $70 barrier anytime soon.
    Verizon’s all-you-can-eat broadband cellular is also capped around $70 or so.
    Broadband cellular prices will only come down in the future.
    It’s interesting how you used to be able to send text messages for free — now all the major carriers are charging like $15 a month for unlimited text messaging because it is so wildly popular with the kids.
    With the right phone on the right cellular network, yes, you just plug in your phone with the included cable, start your internet connectoid for the phone and you’re good to surf super fast!

  11. Chris —
    The picture was taken at Rutgers-Newark in a rehearsal hall that was torn down a month later to make room for the Education Department.
    You are seeing theatre chairs on my right that were piled in the corner. The “front row” of the chairs next to me were actually facing backwards and you can see that better in the big picture here:
    http://urbansemiotic.com/info/
    It’s interesting that the walls — which were painted for a performance — and everything else in that image appear a nauseating green because in reality everything was a beautiful blue. The problem with shooting under florescent lighting without white balancing your camera first is florescent lights cast off a green glow. It is truly an ugly effect and that is why I avoid those kinds of lights at all times if possible.
    My head and hand are in motion because I was just finishing up yelling at Pedro who was just out of frame on my right side — but he was not out of shouting distance — he was always giving me a hard time!
    :mrgreen:

  13. Hi Randy —
    The battery life for me, so far, is fine. I’m in a good area so my signal is strong all day long. I can watch three hours of live TV and still make a few calls a day and not have any trouble.
    My wife, OTOH, ran out of juice yesterday with her a900. She goes in and out of coverage areas all day long taking trains and subways and she creates and sends lots of text messages and does other web stuff and it all drained her battery by the time she came home. We’re hoping for an extended battery soon or we’ll buy her a travel charger so she can re-juice at work during the day.

  14. How much did you pay for the phone and how much are you paying for per month for the data, and voice packages? I want one really bad!

  15. Hi Rob!
    Nice to see you here.
    Well… I was in the middle of a 2 year contract so I paid full price for both phones: $349. If you buy, CALL THEM, don’t order online. The online ordering system is royally messed up and I ended up being quadruple charged for my phones! Make sure you’re in an EV-DO coverage area first, too, or the phone isn’t worth it for you.
    I pay $25 a month for the Ultimate Sprint Power Vision service (that includes all the possible bundled streaming multimedia stuff) WITH data plan. That data plan is important to have if you plan to ever use your phone as a modem — some people try to steal modem use on a non-data plan and some get away with it for awhile while others immediately get charged thousands of dollars for using data on a voice-only plan. That data plan is called something like “Free and Flexible” and caps out at $70 so I will never pay more than that for all-I-can-eat data.
    Extras… I also pay $3 for Yahoo! chat/IM, $15 for unlimited Text Messaging and $5 for 20 extra Sirius Radio stations because the one bundled with my package only includes “Today’s Hits.” Ugh.
    Sprint charges $2.50 for each downloaded song but that’s too much for me to pay for a single song so I stopped at my five free downloads.
    The quality of the video and the audio is amazingly good and watching and listening on your phone feels really natural. It isn’t a strain at all.
    If you have any other questions, let me know! It’s a killer phone!

  16. Have you tried to use the bluetooth as a data connection? I was going to get the A-940, But after reading reviews on both, I think the “Blade is the best choice.
    I am a truck driver and travel all over the place… Is the EV-DO only is the metro areas?
    Thanks,
    Adam

  17. GalaxyBlue —
    Yes, I tried Bluetooth as a data connection and it worked fine with my Toshiba Qosmio laptop.
    Most people seem to be choosing the Blade over the 940 because of the bigger screen and the smaller overall size.
    EV-DO is being rolled out across the country and can generally be found in bigger cities first and along major highways and interstates. Go to the Sprint website, choose wireless, and do a coverage map search by putting in a Zip Code or a state. Their maps are regularly updated so keep checking back in the future if you don’t see exactly what you need today.

  18. GalaxyBlue —
    Yes, I tried Bluetooth as a data connection and it worked fine with my Toshiba Qosmio laptop.
    Most people seem to be choosing the Blade over the 940 because of the bigger screen and the smaller overall size.
    EV-DO is being rolled out across the country and can generally be found in bigger cities first and along major highways and interstates. Go to the Sprint website, choose wireless, and do a coverage map search by putting in a Zip Code or a state. Their maps are regularly updated so keep checking back in the future if you don’t see exactly what you need today.

  19. How does the outlook synchronization work for your phone? I’m trying to sync the data over a USB cable to my phone, but I can’t for the life of me find the software to allow me to do so. All I can figure out how to do is drag and drop media files onto the USB mass storage device.

  22. mickey — Try going to forum at http://sprintusers.com — they have a step-by-step guide over there on how to do this and you usually need to do the transfer using Bluetooth with upgraded drivers for 1.2.
    Rob — With the Spring Power Vision package I don’t have much need for WAP sites because anything I could wish for is already provided through that service. You, too, might want to try http://sprintusers.com for info from others.

  23. David,
    I just bought two A900s for my wife and daughter. I went to the sprint store and asked for the two phones for $100 each w/ free activation. My account with sprint was not under agreement, so I opted to activate two lines under Family Plan and drop my current plan at the end of billing cycle (spint does not prorate last month), Going this route allowed for this price reduction vs the upgrade rebate of $150 per phone. I see that the downloaded music is in ACC format from the music store. Can Music that is in MP3 or WAV be download and played on the MediaPlayer?
    Mike

  24. David,
    I just bought two A900s for my wife and daughter. I went to the sprint store and asked for the two phones for $100 each w/ free activation. My account with sprint was not under agreement, so I opted to activate two lines under Family Plan and drop my current plan at the end of billing cycle (spint does not prorate last month), Going this route allowed for this price reduction vs the upgrade rebate of $150 per phone. I see that the downloaded music is in ACC format from the music store. Can Music that is in MP3 or WAV be download and played on the MediaPlayer?
    Mike

  25. Sounds like you got a great deal, Mike, congrats!
    I believe you can drag and drop .MP3 files onto your phone but read your owner’s manual to make sure.

  27. David,
    When you power up the phone does the clock auto-set or do you have to do it manually?
    Thanks
    Todd

  29. Dave,
    I have been reading a lot about this phone, and I’m thinking about purchasing it. I have a few questions though about yours first. When you use your phone as a modem, with the power vision plan, you still get charged for Data use? I have heard reps and people say they do and they dont, so I am not sure. Since you have the phone and have done this, i was hoping you can give me a concrete answer.
    Thanks,
    Mishok

  30. Mishok —
    I am on a data plan with Power Vision, so yes, I am charged for all my modem connections. Others who try to use their phone as a modem without being on a data plan ultimately get charged thousands of dollars for improper use of their phone on the Sprint system. It is only a matter of time before they are caught and charged.

  31. David,
    Response to Mishok and being charged. I.m currently paying the $25 for my primary phone and $15 for the 2nd A900 for the Power Vison Plan, What I’m I getting for this service and what does it omit for the web user on the move?
    Also, was unable to find the answer user manual on CPU to A900 downloads for MP3 Songs.
    Mike

  33. David.
    I just bought the A900 and have a Toshiba Satellite laptop. Can you recommend a good BT USB adapter for my PC that will be the most likely to work well with the A900 for Outlook. Since technology is not my strong point, I am hoping that the latest technoogy will make the A900/PC communication easier to implement.
    Many thanks, Gary

  34. I would say your best bet is likely to get a Bluetooth adapter that supports the 1.2 protocol and not the 1.1 and then make sure you get some good Bluetooth drivers — people seem to prefer the Widcomm 1.2 drivers over the Toshiba and Microsoft versions.

  35. DAMN! The A900, at a first glance, almost appears to be a perfect solution for me. My trusty Sprint Sanyo 8100 phone is workable, but I really crave EV-DO data connectivity.
    A question for you: did you contact Sprint’s Customer Retention Department (a place you call if your contract is up with Sprint, and you’re tempted to leave)? I want to know just how firm that 40 MB cap is. I’m not quite ready to drop $200 on a new phone (and new car charger and…), but if that cap is flexible…

  36. Hi Pete!
    No, I didn’t go through retention because I still had a year left on my contract.
    Let us know if you can get more than 40MB included in your plan!
    EV-DO does not even compare with what you have now. It is broadband on a cell phone!

  37. Hi Pete!
    No, I didn’t go through retention because I still had a year left on my contract.
    Let us know if you can get more than 40MB included in your plan!
    EV-DO does not even compare with what you have now. It is broadband on a cell phone!

  38. Here’s an update that was sent to me in email:
    ***
    Pete Lee,
    I did’nt get anywhere with Sprint’s CRD or Bussiness Acct rep’s. In fact they told me that only a Sprint Store manager could adjust prices. I went to two stores & asked to speak to the manager that had the authority to adjust prices. After walking out with only a low OF $120 , the 2nd store gave me the $100 deal. The next day the 1st store’s manager called me back.
    Samsung Rep hint: To save battery life…disengage the GPS (E911) function. Told it saves 20-30% battery life.
    Mike

  39. Ok guys, i figured out how to use the data connection to drop .mp3 files onto my a900 within 15 min between getting home with the phone and strugling to get my work close on and get out to work wich i had to be at in 30 min. I had just picked up the phone on the 23rd after i returned my RazR to t-mobile within 5 days after getting it because i foud out about the a900 2 days after i got my RazR.
    1. goto http://www.samsungwireless.com/a900download and download the drivers
    2. Reboot your computer as it recommends (I did not)
    3. Connect your phone to your USB Cord provided with your phone
    4. Goto your phone and goto Menu>Tools>Mass Storage>Connect to PC
    5. It should connect to your PC and then you should be able to go to the “My Documents” folder on your computer then you will see a drive letter that you should have seen there before, then you select that drive and that is your phone so drag and drop what you like, INCLUDING MP3’S they work.

  40. Ok guys, i figured out how to use the data connection to drop .mp3 files onto my a900 within 15 min between getting home with the phone and strugling to get my work close on and get out to work wich i had to be at in 30 min. I had just picked up the phone on the 23rd after i returned my RazR to t-mobile within 5 days after getting it because i foud out about the a900 2 days after i got my RazR.
    1. goto http://www.samsungwireless.com/a900download and download the drivers
    2. Reboot your computer as it recommends (I did not)
    3. Connect your phone to your USB Cord provided with your phone
    4. Goto your phone and goto Menu>Tools>Mass Storage>Connect to PC
    5. It should connect to your PC and then you should be able to go to the “My Documents” folder on your computer then you will see a drive letter that you should have seen there before, then you select that drive and that is your phone so drag and drop what you like, INCLUDING MP3’S they work.

  42. hey, this seems like a pretty knowledgeable fourm so i’ll pose my question here – does anyone know how/if it’s possible to drag & drop mp3s (or any other file extention) into the phone using the USB connection…and have it work as a ringtone? the ringtone options are such like “single ringtone” and all that, so i’m not sure how one would put the file in a directory that could be viewed from the chooser…..please helppp!
    thanks!

  45. Anna Maria, it is not possible to drag and drop mp3’s onto the blade for use as ring tones. the phone has a separate memory location solely for use for ringtones, applications, etc. They intentionally made mp3’s not able to be set as ring tones to try and get you to download music using sprint’s online music store. However, you can get around this using PCS vision. All you need to do is take your mp3 file, cut it down to approximately 30 seconds using an mp3 editing tool (try nero wave editor), and save it as AAC (.mp4) format and then use an uploader to send the file to your phone (http://pcs.cruz-network.net/done.php). A text message will be sent to your phone with a website URL. Tell your phone to go to this location and it will begin a download. Select yes, when sprint says it’s not from a trusted source and it will begin downloading. Then you can set this mp3 as a ring tone! If you get confused do a search for ring tones on http://www.sprintusers.com

  49. Hi,
    I was on here to find out how to connect my a900 and put music from itunes into the phone if at all possible please let me know

  50. Does anybody know of a way to sync Outlook contacts and calendar to the A900? Neither DataPilot or FutureDial support it. 🙁
    TIA – Marc

  51. Marc –
    From what I can tell, it isn’t possible to sync outlook contacts to the A900 via USB cable at this time. The only way I know of to sync contacts (and I’m not even sure if it’s really syncing) is to send them over blue tooth to your computer. This seems kind of backwards to me since the bluetooth connection should basically be a wireless version of the USB connection…

  52. Right, Kuli. It’s basically doing a drag-and-drop copy from Outlook to your phone. When Bluetooth is set up properly on your computer you’ll have a “Send via Bluetooth” open available in Outlook and you’ll select the contacts you want on your phone and “send” them via Bluetooth from Outlook to your a900.

  53. Am I understanding this correctly…? You cannot sync your Outlook calendar with this phone? Any options? Thanks.

  54. When I downloaded the drivers for my PC. Windows XP said that this software hasn’t been looped or proven enough by microsoft to ensure that it is stable and that it will affect the operating system. Has anyone out there had any problems with windows XP and the drivers for A900? If so what do you recommend. I want to be able to use my PC to type in contacts/schedule event/ect… and then drag onto the A900.
    Comments appreciated….
    Thanks,
    Joe

  55. Hey david, nice review, and info! question. . . when you connect to the internet using your bluetooth and laptop, are you still getting EV-DO speeds? Do you know if you specifically have to sign up for EV-DO to get the high rate speed? Is it a simple hook up? I have the Ericcson T608 and would connect to my palm pilot, but it was excruciatingly slow. I was going to upgrade to the A900 but if i have to pay 25$ plus pay as i go for EV-DO it may not be worth it. As it is now i can connect using bluetooth and it costs me nothing extra ( i have unlimited pcs vision usage for 5$). Thanks in advance.

  56. Hey david, nice review, and info! question. . . when you connect to the internet using your bluetooth and laptop, are you still getting EV-DO speeds? Do you know if you specifically have to sign up for EV-DO to get the high rate speed? Is it a simple hook up? I have the Ericcson T608 and would connect to my palm pilot, but it was excruciatingly slow. I was going to upgrade to the A900 but if i have to pay 25$ plus pay as i go for EV-DO it may not be worth it. As it is now i can connect using bluetooth and it costs me nothing extra ( i have unlimited pcs vision usage for 5$). Thanks in advance.

  57. I talked to level 2 support at sprint and asked if there are any known issues with the a900 and was told that an error message is comming up when uploading to picture mail or sending pictures and video clips. I was told this can be reset with a tech support call and walked thru steps to reset it. But it is a known by samsung and they are waiting to see if samsung sends a fix. Has anyone had this problem? and can you tell me more about the process of getting it fixed?

  58. Thanks for all the useful tips. I also just ditched a Treo 600 for this wonderful little workhorse. I just picked it up from my local Sprint store last Friday and was excited when they answered yes to all my questions regarding the capabilities on the a900 only to be dissapointed with the lack of documentation on the “how-to’s. I am having error messages with the uploading as well, however powering down and restarting has seemed to help.
    I also have been able to upload my own AAC music ringtones as well using Kuli’s tips.
    My twist. (I’m on a Mac)
    1. Drag an MP3 into Garageband.
    2. Edit down it’s length
    3. Export to iTunes
    4. Advanced>Convert to AAC. You can tweak the ultimate file size in the preferences>advanced>Importing tab.
    5. Use the Mobile Phone Uploader to send it to your phone

  59. Hey MerchMikey!
    I am glad you like your a900. Mine still grows on me every day. I’m think I’m now a “Samsungian” forever!
    Thanks for the great ringtones tip!

  62. I’m brand new to this site but it looks like you’re all really knowledgeable. I have a question that I hope you can help with. I’ve already been able to upload a ringtone using the pcs.cruz-network.net site.
    Now, I’ve just successfully connected my A900 to my PC following Curtis’ instructions above in post #34, and now I see a few folders in the mass storage (DCIM, Bluetooth, etc). I’m trying to drag and drop MP3s to use as songs, not ringtones, but I’m not sure which folder to put them in. (or do I need to create a new one with a specific name?)
    Thanks in advance for any tips!

  63. I am looking into buying a blade, but I am currently on a shared plan. What would I have to do to make it compatable, and how much would it cost? The main phone user uses a Treo with internet, so is it already the right plan? I am also looking into buying it through a third party, this won’t be a problem, will it?
    Thanks

  64. Some Questions:
    How loud is the speakerphone function on the phone?
    Also, has anyone heard whether Howard Stern will be added on a channel on the Sirius Radio Stations currently available with Sprint Power Vision?
    And last, how long does the battery last if you do not use the phone and do not charge it (maybe this has not happened yet for you) – I tend to leave my cell phone for a 2-3 days sometimes without using it if I am working late hours and am near a landline.
    Thank you for your reply!

  65. Hi David,
    I’ve got a treo 650 and wanted to know about the calendar and document features available for the blade. Does it sync with MS Outlook for calendar and address book etc?
    Also, doesn’t it have an sd card slot?

  66. How hard is this phone to find right now? None of the Sprint Stores / Radio Shacks / Best Buys / etc. in my town, or the one next to me have this phone in stock.
    I currently have the Sanyo 8200 and have wanted to upgrade for a while. Just wondering if everyone’s supply is limited right now.
    I even tried calling Sprint to order one, and was told it was on “back-order”.
    -thanks

  67. Thanks to everyone – there’s quite a bit of helpful info. The question I have concerns the “digital dual band” designation. My current and previous phones always mentioned ‘analog’ also, but this one doesn’t. If I’m out in the sticks with this phone am I SOL as far as access is concerned?

  68. The Radio Shacks here in Houston seem to be getting two/week. None of the Sprint Stores have them. I got mine online from Sprint last week – they had them then anyway. Ordered it on the 27th, got it on the 28th.

  69. I will receive my phone tommorrow, I am quite excited!!! I wanted to know. I have had nextel for a couple of years and have been disappointed with the fact that they do not have the ringtone theme from “I dream of Jeannie” being that it is my name I would reeally love to have it!! Do you know where I might get it to download? Thanks!!

  70. Hey wade, I just called Sprint today and I should receive it tommorrow!! They never mentioned anything about backorder!!

  71. CRIPPLED AGAIN THE BLUETOOTH. When will Sprint LEARN! Look for those of you who are intrested in getting the phone. DON’T if you plan to sync your contacts constantly like bluetooth should, its a tedious process of copying files one by one… so reconsider!

  72. Thanks Jeannie … I was told to go by the Sprint Store closest to me after work tomorrow. There was a chance they might get one .. if not, I’ll call Sprint and order there.
    That’s weird they didn’t say anything about it being back-ordered. What number did you call to order yours? I just used the #2 from my phone, then was transferred.
    -thanks

  73. No prob Wade. I am an existing Nextel customer, I really dont use the direct connect feture anymore, so I was looking to change but was in contract. I called 800-Sprint1 and they transfered me through.
    John, as far as trnsfering numbers, I would have had to do it manually if I changed to the Razr anyway so that really does not affect my decision to purchase. Thanks anyway!

  74. Well, got a voicemail while I was at work today … they had some in and needed to know if I was still interested. I immediately called on my break and told them I would be there after work.
    So now I can say I’m a proud owner of the “Blade” — it is charging right now, and I’m about to start entering contacts. While I was there they told me they had received about 40 or so … and every one of them were already spoken for! This is certainly a popular phone .. I just hope it turns out to be worth the 2-year extention on my contract. 😉
    -thanks again everyone, and thanks especially to you David … it was your review that pushed me over the fence. 🙂

  77. I LOVE MY A900!!!
    Question:
    Can I load mp3s onto the phone and make them ringers???

  78. I really liked all the information on this site. It is really helping me decide whether or not to get this phone. My worry is that since batteries lose their ability to recharge to full over time, what will the battery life be like in a year? Other than that (which is a huge deal to me) I would get this phone.

  79. I really liked all the information on this site. It is really helping me decide whether or not to get this phone. My worry is that since batteries lose their ability to recharge to full over time, what will the battery life be like in a year? Other than that (which is a huge deal to me) I would get this phone.

  80. Should get my blade next week….newer cars have bluetooth enabled hands free systems installed (i.e., Acura TL)…has anyone used the blade in this manner?

  81. Hey all, I’ve had my A900 bought from my local Sprint store for exactly one week. I love the graphics, the big screen, the clarity of the calls.
    However my battery life sucks away fast and I’m in a good signal area. I dont web surf that often and limited txt mssging. Any ideas besides turning off GPS?
    Also I tried 2 Bluetooth headsets, the Jabra250 and the Motorola HS850. Both were full of static (no not in a wireless network environment) and hard to hear on. Any suggestions for a good bluetooth that wont cause my call quality to drop?
    Really appreciate any helpful info. Tawny B.
    PS Also one more question any good software applications to add contacts to your phone book?

  82. Hey all, I’ve had my A900 bought from my local Sprint store for exactly one week. I love the graphics, the big screen, the clarity of the calls.
    However my battery life sucks away fast and I’m in a good signal area. I dont web surf that often and limited txt mssging. Any ideas besides turning off GPS?
    Also I tried 2 Bluetooth headsets, the Jabra250 and the Motorola HS850. Both were full of static (no not in a wireless network environment) and hard to hear on. Any suggestions for a good bluetooth that wont cause my call quality to drop?
    Really appreciate any helpful info. Tawny B.
    PS Also one more question any good software applications to add contacts to your phone book?

  83. Hi.. I like this blog and find it more instructive than some forums cause people go straight to the point. Anyway, I’ve got an a900 with the $25 phone as modem plan and was wondering if anyone has gotten more than one confusing answer from Sprint CS about this plan. I’ve spoke with CS about a dozen times and each has given me a different answer and some have even suggested that the brouchure that I got at the store which explains the plan is completely wrong.
    Any comments?

  84. hey i just got my a900 and i read all the instructions on how to drag mp3’s to the phone but im using windows xp and i cant find the folder on my PC to whre the songs would go to drag them. i dowloaded 2songs off of the phone for $2.50 and when i connect to the pc i still cant even find those songs on my pc to drag more mp3’s there..does anyone know what folder you need to drag the mp3’s into? please please

  85. hey i just got my a900 and i read all the instructions on how to drag mp3’s to the phone but im using windows xp and i cant find the folder on my PC to whre the songs would go to drag them. i dowloaded 2songs off of the phone for $2.50 and when i connect to the pc i still cant even find those songs on my pc to drag more mp3’s there..does anyone know what folder you need to drag the mp3’s into? please please

  86. I recently bought the new BLADE phone, the phoneis fine although the battery sucks, I am trying to connevt my palm TX via bluetooth to surf the net but untill now i have bben unsucesfull, so you have any idea where i can find any help for it?
    Thank you in advance

  87. hey i just bought the the fone its amazing but how do i connect it as a non data connection? please help

  88. hey i just bought the the fone its amazing but how do i connect it as a non data connection? please help

  91. Does anyone know how to transfer contacts from a palm to the samsung a900
    Thank You

  92. hey i just got this a900, which i guess is nicknamed the blade, but anyway i was wondering how to do the following tasks:
    how to listen to the XM radio,
    how to watch the tv thing in it.
    and how to trandfer songs to my phone to be used as a mp3 player.
    thanks.

  93. can anyone tell me how to put my own ringtones on the phone cause i cant use my mp3s as ringtones

  94. could someone please post a link to the specifics on how to upload/download my contacts from outlook to the a900 phone, or if no link is known perhaps take the time to walk thru it at a very basic level:) it really is a pita to have to type them in all the time.
    thanks.
    jim

  95. I’ve had my A900 for a couple weeks now, got it 3 days after its release… was a bit laggy and all till the release of a new firmware which is downloaded and installed straight from the phone. It’s a great phone and has a lot to offer. The USB cable only lets you use the phone as a kindof flash memory where you can listen to music MP3, WMA, MP4 etc not as a ringer but just through the media player, you have to use an uploader or download them for like 2.50 each and the liscense is only good for 90 days which is annoying. But came with the USB cable, ear buds. The battery meter is kindof goofy especially at first, its not very accurate. It will show lower then what it really is. I can get 2 days outta the phone I know for sure, with average use… I have yet to just let it run till it dies, i’m used to my shitty old i90 that had to be plugged in every 12 hrs.

  96. Hi I am planning on buying a A900 next month, but I am under concract with Spprint. how can i buy it without playing $349 for it

  97. Hi I am planning on buying a A900 next month, but I am under concract with Spprint. how can i buy it without playing $349 for it

  98. john:
    1 & 2. To listen to the Satellite radio and watch tv and all that fun stuff, you need to have one of the power vision package deals, you should get the medium one for free for 30 days. Just go to the media player and click on channel listings from there click on Sirius Satellite or the other selections under “my ….” and you should be able to view those. To get the good stuff though you have to pay a subscription fee ontop of the 15 dollars or whatever your paying sprint for that stuff, which is lame as far as i’m considered, but you get several free to try out.
    3: To transfer songs to the phone to be listened through the media player… do the following… attach the phone via the usb cable to the computer, no drivers are necessary with XP, ignore any install dialogs, just close them out. go to menu, tools, mass storage, connect to Pc. From there your computer will recognize the device as storage and you can drop your mp3, mp4, wma etc files.
    rappinlilwhiteboi:, kirk:,
    #3 above should help you
    I was just thinking you may be able to set custom images as yoru background by dropping them in the digital camera’s folder and setting those as background… someone who’s interested might wanna try it

  99. For anyone asking questions about the A900. Read the previous questions and answers above. Many questions are being asked multiple times. No one wants to answer them again. Thank you!

  100. For anyone asking questions about the A900. Read the previous questions and answers above. Many questions are being asked multiple times. No one wants to answer them again. Thank you!

  102. I have the Treo 650 and have been relatively happy with the phone. I have the update 1.12. Was that the update you had on your Treo 650. I also got the RHYTHM N’BLUE Parrot Radio which works well with the Treo 650. I am unhappy with Sprint and Palm for failing to give us an upgrade to the new Treo 700P (if it ever surfaces??). I do not want the Window’s base OS but maybe I have not had a good sounding clear phone since the Treo 600. My son has the A940 and he is fairly happy with that phone. I just may try the A900 and see how it works. Have a Great Day!

  103. I have the Treo 650 and have been relatively happy with the phone. I have the update 1.12. Was that the update you had on your Treo 650. I also got the RHYTHM N’BLUE Parrot Radio which works well with the Treo 650. I am unhappy with Sprint and Palm for failing to give us an upgrade to the new Treo 700P (if it ever surfaces??). I do not want the Window’s base OS but maybe I have not had a good sounding clear phone since the Treo 600. My son has the A940 and he is fairly happy with that phone. I just may try the A900 and see how it works. Have a Great Day!

  104. Does anyone know how to transfer video clips to the phone and play them in the media player?

  105. i need help with puttin songs onto my phone i dunno how to someone PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!!

  106. Where can I find a blade for under $349.00 I am under contract with sprint

  107. Where can I find a blade for under $349.00 I am under contract with sprint

  108. I now have my first Sprint PCS bill in hand after switching to the a900 and here is how everything chills out on my bill:
    1. “PCS Data” is only charged when I use my a900 as modem for a separate piece of hardware like a laptop or a computer. Surfing on the phone itself and using the Live TV Power stuff is not billed or metered as “PCS Data.”
    2. My bill will gives me both “PCS Data” usage — that’s when I use my phone as a modem” and “Wireless Web Anytime Minutes” and that is what is included in my Power Vision Plan.
    Some Customer Service representatives will try to claim the “Data” charge is when you use your phone to surf and download as part of the Power Vision package but that is not the case in my current setup discussed here in this post and thread.

  109. David, thanks for the info on the phone-as-a-modem bill detail. So does it show you how many kb you used for PCS DATA or is it just the $ amount? Also you’re Wireless Web minutes are included as part of the Unlimited Web Power Vision on the phone correct?
    I had a CS actually trying to tell me that the phone-as-modem package did not include browsing on the WEB and that the PCS DATA charge was for that usage. Unfortunately I had a partial bill because they had screwed my plan and didn’t get the actual phone as a modem package till a was midway through the billing cycle.
    Thanks again for the great post!

  110. i would like to know is anyone has figured out how to transfer videos/songs threw the usb and use them for videoringtones/regular ringtones.

  111. When using the camera it shows the picture upside down. Has anyone encountered this? It worked fine “picture right side up” for a couple of days and now the image on the screen is upside down. Even if you rotate the phone 180degrees the image still stays upside down if you rotate the phone. I have been playing with the settings and tools but I don’t think that there is any setting to invert the image. I can’t find any help in the manual or have I been able to find an option to get the image back right side up. Has anyone experienced this? Any ideas or is there something wrong with the phone? Any help is greatly appreciated. I love the phone so far but this I gotta fix.
    Thanks,,,,

  112. Joe —
    When the camera is active, click the volume key up or down and that will invert the image. You can do that as much as you like and it will always work.

  113. Ivan —
    No, the bill does not tell you how much data you pulled or sent — you only get the dollar amount and that is wrong. I asked Customer Service for that detail and they said it was unavailable. I asked how they were able to determine the dollar amount if the usage numbers are unavailable and I was told they have the numbers but I cannot have them.
    Yes, with my package all web surfing and email done on the phone is included with my Power Vision Data package.
    You need to find a Customer Service Representative who knows where to look for the Data Plan. It can be hard to find and it is found in the “Data” area and not the Power Vision area. On my plan this is called “FLEXIBLE DATA PLAN” and I hope this all helps you.

  114. David,
    Thanks again for the detailed information. From what you’re stating it seems I’ve got the the correct plan code. As for the billing you’re right. It seems suspiciously strange that they can’t give you the kb detail and yet they state that you get 40Mb included with the plan and they only charge for the “Overage”.
    Thanks again!

  115. Ivan —
    I agree the Data metering scheme by Spring PCS on our bill is shady! They need to do detailed connections on the bill — especially since they’re charging us 2 cents per kilobyte over 40MB!
    If enough of us complain about it, I’m sure we can get Sprint to do the right thing.

  116. Ivan —
    I agree the Data metering scheme by Spring PCS on our bill is shady! They need to do detailed connections on the bill — especially since they’re charging us 2 cents per kilobyte over 40MB!
    If enough of us complain about it, I’m sure we can get Sprint to do the right thing.

  117. Soo.. are there any software programs that interface with this lovely device that I can store phone book info and sync besides outlook?

  118. David,
    I guess complain we will. BTW according to the brochure I got and the plan that I’m suppossed to have my overage should be 0.001 cents per kb over the 40MB which if my math is any good about $1 per Mb. So you should also validate that with them. But again.. if they don’t detail the kb usage we can’t really tell how much data we’re really using.

  119. David,
    I guess complain we will. BTW according to the brochure I got and the plan that I’m suppossed to have my overage should be 0.001 cents per kb over the 40MB which if my math is any good about $1 per Mb. So you should also validate that with them. But again.. if they don’t detail the kb usage we can’t really tell how much data we’re really using.

  120. For those of you who are wondering about the EV-DO (Power Vision) speeds… I’m in the Chicago West Suburbs and I’ve been able to get 1.1Mb burst on a pc USB connection and about 780kb on a BT connection to a PDA. Which is why I got the Flexible Data aka phone-as-a-modem PV plan.

  124. Thanks for the kind support, dave!
    Oh, and if you are a Sprint Power Vision Ultimate User or on the Flexible Data Plan I mentioned previously here, you also get Sprint TV Plus and Sprint TV Live bundled for free with you package!
    You just have to “buy” it to add it to your account and the billing system will see it as part of your package — it makes sense if you’re paying the highest price you should get all the features below your price point but Sprint doesn’t openly make that clear.
    I watch Sprint TV Live the most — it is quite good!

  125. Thanks for the kind support, dave!
    Oh, and if you are a Sprint Power Vision Ultimate User or on the Flexible Data Plan I mentioned previously here, you also get Sprint TV Plus and Sprint TV Live bundled for free with you package!
    You just have to “buy” it to add it to your account and the billing system will see it as part of your package — it makes sense if you’re paying the highest price you should get all the features below your price point but Sprint doesn’t openly make that clear.
    I watch Sprint TV Live the most — it is quite good!

  126. David-thanks so much for the answer to inverting the camera image!!!!!! I messed around with menus for a long time trying to figure out what I did…..outstanding blog

  129. David,
    I just spoke to a PowerVision CSR and he said he would try to setup my account so I could se my kb usage on the sprintpcs web site and not have to call them for the info.
    He stated that if he couldn’t get it done on the system that he would open up a ticket with the webteam to get that added or at least to have the formal request placed into the system.

  131. hey david,
    yeah so i got the new phone
    ijust dont know how to put mp3’s on it..
    i was wondering if u could help me
    thanks,
    TANYA

  132. Has anyone encountered problems with software like the phone grabbing the wrong picture for Caller ID calls or only displaying a distorted static looking picture? The Sprint guy talked of some software issues but those related to downloads freezing or web surfing. Yeah my name is really Andy Kaufman! Thanks!

  133. I’m a former long-time Nextel customer on a corporate plan that just transferred to Sprint (they have an agreement as part of their merger that allows this even if you’re still under an obligation to Nextel).
    I’ve been trying the A900 now for almost two weeks. Love the QVGA screen, bluetooth, camera, form factor, etc.
    But, I’m concerned with battery life — which I’ve discovered is particularly bad when stuck in a roaming area for an extended period. A co-worker suggested today (who has been with Sprint for quite awhile) that I temporarily set the phone to always roam when you know you’re going to be in an area that doesn’t have PCS service for awhile (e.g. several days). He said the phone can use as much as twice the normal power while roaming (i.e. on Verizon’s CDMA 900 network) because it’s concurently trying to restore service back to the PCS 1800 network.
    Nontheless, an extended battery from Samsung would be a very welcome option.
    I’m also a little disapointed with the charging cover, which is a bit on the “kludgy” side…
    But, the thing that really annoys me is the speed of the main menu. I think it’s sluggish because the code doesn’t see subsequent key presses until the animation for the currently selected option finishes playing. Other Samsung phones (the A920 and A940) have an option to change the “focus effect” (according to their online user guides). The A900, strangely, has no option to change this. I wonder if it’s just an oversite that we should complain to Sprint about? I suspect that if we could change the focus effect on the A900 the main menu would become a lot more reactive. I also suspect Samsung could fix the A900 menu animation code so that animations terminate early if a keypress was detected in the type-ahead buffer…
    Does this bother anyone else?

  134. Here’s an update on my request to sprint to have the phone-as-modem PCS Data usage updated on the SprintPCS web for day-to-day usage.
    I was able to get my current usage by calling the Vision Tech support team but, the downside is that they give you a guestimate.
    I sent an email to Sprint eCare and they sent responded with the following.
    1. They can’t provide the information on the web or via *4 (At least not for the moment).
    2. They only provid the info upon request at this moment (via email is the best way because they give you a break down of data usage per day.)
    The only problem with this is that the usage information that they give you by phone is a best guess by the Tech who give’s you the info and some Techs will actually tell you that the 40Mb plan includes both modem and web usage. The reason appears to be that the breakdown of modem (PCS Data) vs web (Browsing on the Phone) usage is done by the billing system which only processes this information based on your billing cycle.
    The tech I spoke to on the phone told me I had used 12Mb of my allowed modem use. NOT! .I only connected once via modem to download email headers worth less than 30kb. He told me that the way he could tell was because my phone browsing usage is always about 1

  135. Hi Ivan —
    I think your message was truncated for some reason. Please finish the thought!
    😀
    If I am following you it is outrageous Sprint can’t tell the difference between phone web usage and actual modem usage! Is this figured out in the final bill or each month or not?
    How can they offer a service in which they are unable to provide support?

  136. Here’s goes.. (the rest of the story)
    (continued) So he said the usage is always about 1

  137. Has anyone gotton the message “Request could not be honored.” when trying to send a contact from OutLook’s ‘Send to Bluetooth’? I an able to send from the A900 to Outlook but not the other way.

  139. I am having problem with the picture caller ID. The first person I entered comes out for all the calls, I deleted their picture and not a black screen comes out whenever anyone who has a picture calls. Is this me doing something wrong or maybe the phones software??

  140. I am having problem with the picture caller ID. The first person I entered comes out for all the calls, I deleted their picture and not a black screen comes out whenever anyone who has a picture calls. Is this me doing something wrong or maybe the phones software??

  141. Jeannie,
    How are you assigning the pictures to the contact? Make sure that if you do it from the Pictrure album you select picture ID and not Incoming Call. If you select Incoming call as the type then the picture will get assigned to everyone. If you select Picture ID it will allow you to look for the specific contact you want to assign the picture to.
    Hope this helps.

  142. Thank you David and Ivan. I’ve been following the blade discussion closely and this page has been a great resource for an indepth look into power vision and modem use. It has been very helpful for those of us considering the phone.
    Living in a metro area and constantly using the wireless web, EV-DO and laptop tethering sounds like a great addition to my connectivity arsenal. I would however like a clarification on the billing David (or Ivan).
    You mentioned you had the ultimate power vision plan WITH data for $25, so they aren’t charging you the additional $25 for the ‘phone as a modem’ plan. Am I correct in this understanding? I would love to duplicate this setup, otherwise $50 a month would make me consider a connection card and a visionless phone if I really need ubiquitous access.
    Thanks again for all the information.

  143. Thank you David and Ivan. I’ve been following the blade discussion closely and this page has been a great resource for an indepth look into power vision and modem use. It has been very helpful for those of us considering the phone.
    Living in a metro area and constantly using the wireless web, EV-DO and laptop tethering sounds like a great addition to my connectivity arsenal. I would however like a clarification on the billing David (or Ivan).
    You mentioned you had the ultimate power vision plan WITH data for $25, so they aren’t charging you the additional $25 for the ‘phone as a modem’ plan. Am I correct in this understanding? I would love to duplicate this setup, otherwise $50 a month would make me consider a connection card and a visionless phone if I really need ubiquitous access.
    Thanks again for all the information.

  144. Hi Scott —
    Yes, it is all confusing. Our $25 FLEXIBLE DATA PLAN includes Power Vision Ultimate and 40MB of “included” usage of your phone as a modem for a separate device like a laptop and after that 40MB you get charged per kilobyte until you hit $70 and then you stop paying.
    The regular “Ultimate” Power Vision plan is $15 a month so you’re paying an extra $10 for 40MB of “phone as a modem” data.
    My wife and I knew we were on the right Ultimate/Data plan when we learned her phone, our second line, didn’t get the 50% discount based on my plan. I pay $25 and she pays $25 — if we were on Ultimate Power Vision only I would pay $15 and she’d pay $7.50.

  145. Thank you for the fast and very clear response. I think I could handle that setup. Now I just need to wait for my 2 year contract to expire at the end of the month and I can finally upgrade from this very disappointing A620.
    If someone could comment on the battery life while using the phone as a bluetooth modem, I would appreciate it. Although if it really was an issue, I could always charge the phone off the laptop’s usb interface.

  146. Thank you for the fast and very clear response. I think I could handle that setup. Now I just need to wait for my 2 year contract to expire at the end of the month and I can finally upgrade from this very disappointing A620.
    If someone could comment on the battery life while using the phone as a bluetooth modem, I would appreciate it. Although if it really was an issue, I could always charge the phone off the laptop’s usb interface.

  147. Scott,
    I won’t go over what David explained cause he’s right on the money.
    As far as tethering goes with the Bluetooth I’ve gotten mixed results on the modem usage in terms of battery. But, I’ve not run out of juice yet. There is no OEM usb cable with power so you won’t be able to do it unless you get an aftermarket ( I haven’t seen any yet) or if you build your own (wouldn’t recommend it). But on the plus side you can use the BT modem with your laptop and connect the phone to a wall outlet with the travel/car charger if it comes that.
    Hope this helps you out!

  148. In case everyone doesn’t know this, when you surf with Spring using your a900 a modem, you are going through the Sprint network and web pages are automatically compressed — at least here in NY/NJ they are — and that can make images look chalky.
    Is there a way to turn off this compression?
    I could never use a broadband connection that renders images so awfully as my main or only internet access point.

  149. In case everyone doesn’t know this, when you surf with Spring using your a900 a modem, you are going through the Sprint network and web pages are automatically compressed — at least here in NY/NJ they are — and that can make images look chalky.
    Is there a way to turn off this compression?
    I could never use a broadband connection that renders images so awfully as my main or only internet access point.

  151. Hi Ivan!
    No, I could never get the connection software to work. Would that solve the problem? I just created a Dial-Up Networking modem connectoid to shoot online.
    Remind me where I can find the connection software if you think it would help.

  152. Hi Ivan!
    No, I could never get the connection software to work. Would that solve the problem? I just created a Dial-Up Networking modem connectoid to shoot online.
    Remind me where I can find the connection software if you think it would help.

  153. If you are using the Sprint PCS Connection Manager software there’s and Optimization option in the Menu that allows you to select Compression settings. I believe that eventhough the option is not selected the software uses this maximum compresion by default. I normaly use my PDA to browse so I don’t notice difference in image quality and it doesn’t use the Connection Manager software.

  154. Interesting, Ivan!
    I hate the compression.
    I installed the Sprint Connection software on two other boxes and it would not work.
    I now have a newer machine that has the a900 Samsung drivers on it but I never tried to put the Sprint software on this machine because I didn’t see the point…

  155. David,
    I hate to say it but, because Sprint uses proxy servers for some of the content delivery they cache and compress the data. The only way to get around it is to use the Connection Mgr software. If you install the software you have to make sure that you reboot the machine when it asks you too. There’s a glitch in the install script and it doesn’t bind the software correctly to the driver if you don’t reboot right after the install.
    I’m not aware of any other method of disabling the compression.

  156. David,
    I hate to say it but, because Sprint uses proxy servers for some of the content delivery they cache and compress the data. The only way to get around it is to use the Connection Mgr software. If you install the software you have to make sure that you reboot the machine when it asks you too. There’s a glitch in the install script and it doesn’t bind the software correctly to the driver if you don’t reboot right after the install.
    I’m not aware of any other method of disabling the compression.

  157. Hey Ivan —
    Do you have the URL for the software download?
    Will it work with my Samsung drivers already installed?
    I understand the need for compression. It isn’t too bad, really, but not really the “true” bandwidth experience I was hoping for…

  158. Hey Ivan —
    Do you have the URL for the software download?
    Will it work with my Samsung drivers already installed?
    I understand the need for compression. It isn’t too bad, really, but not really the “true” bandwidth experience I was hoping for…

  159. Thanks Ivan for confirming David’s response about the billing. It makes me a bit more comfortable knowing that the plan is billed the same way on completely unrelated accounts. You never know with Sprint.
    And now that you mention it, I do remember hearing about the lack of usb recharging awhile back. I think it’s a little odd to not have that as an OEM option, but I’m sure the aftermarket will fill the void eventually. And as you mentioned, I can always charge the phone while using BT, the wonders of the 30 ft. range.

  162. David,
    If you want to check out the PCS Connection Mgr login to your sprint account, on your Welcome screen, on the left side of your phones image there’s a link to Phone Details, that will take you to a page titled “My Phone Information” on the Right side of the phones image you see the title a900 by Samsung and below a link to Software Download. That will take you to a screen that will allow you to choose your OS. Once you pick the right one for your case you want to download Sprint PCS Connection Manager for Phone as Modem/USB Cables. And remember follow the installation instructions to the letter (ie rebooting when asked) but, if you’ve downloaded the drivers directly from samsung do not install the ones that come with the Sprint software. Oh and BTW if you’re using VPN there will be no compression 😉 the Sprint Net can’t see the content when you do that 🙂 .
    Adam,
    The A900 has an LED in the front that works as ring indicator, flash, msg waiting and charging. I believe it also works as a service indicator.. Is this what you meant by status light?

  163. Okay! Thank you for that detailed pointer, my good friend, Ivan! I will check that out. I appreciate your VPN note. That makes sense and that might just be my best way to handle the compression problem!

  164. Okay! Thank you for that detailed pointer, my good friend, Ivan! I will check that out. I appreciate your VPN note. That makes sense and that might just be my best way to handle the compression problem!

  165. Took my phone to the Sprint store and they said it was a network problem with the caller id. Is there anyway to shut off the bright irritating charging light on sub LCD when phone is off and charging?

  166. FYI; There’s a new SW update for the a900.
    Goto Menu, # (settings), 8 (Others), 8 (Update Phone Software) to see the SW update details and download.

  167. FYI; There’s a new SW update for the a900.
    Goto Menu, # (settings), 8 (Others), 8 (Update Phone Software) to see the SW update details and download.

  169. According to the details of the update, Several Bluetooth Fixes. Picturemail issues of data communication errors, online albums viewing and shares stuck in pending queue resolved.
    There’s no detail as to what the exact Bluetooth fixes are.

  171. Can anyone answer why I’m getting this message when trying to download files. “File transfer failed, No permision.”
    Thanks

  172. The new download did not resolve the Caller ID issue. The phone still is grabbing the wrong picture with either using the last call dialed or the last call received picture. The Sprint Store said this is a network issue and told me to wait for the first of the week for the issue to get resolved as they would send a notice to Sprint of the problem or they would try another phone with me.

  174. You ask an excellent question, Tony, but I don’t really know the definite answer.
    Perhaps someone else here will know.
    My understanding is it is $70 top. Not $25 plus $70 — but we’re dealing with Sprint so who knows?
    I would find it strange, though, that they would mention a hard top of $70 unless that wasn’t the real end price, but who knows?

  175. Hey hey.. I didnt know this many people had the a-900…. this phone turns so many heads I constantly get compliments all day.. But i do have a few questions…
    1. I heard from two friends both who are managers at sprint kiosks that it was possible to compress the memory on the a-900 and get more memory out of the phone. One guy claims his friend downloaded a program from samsung.com and the other claims that he went to a sprint store and got a special system upgrade that erased his memory but added more. Is this true and if so how do u do this I know everyone in here would appreciate that.
    2. I also heard from both of them that it was possible to download a driver or program onto your phone so u can stream content from the web. One said he got it off of realplayer’s website under mobile but all i saw was palm, pocket pc, and nokia. The other said his friend got it off of samsung.com
    I checked and couldnt find anything they were talkin bout honestly, so let me know.
    And also whats the most compact music file to rip to. so i can fit the most songs on my phone. Thanks

  176. Hey hey.. I didnt know this many people had the a-900…. this phone turns so many heads I constantly get compliments all day.. But i do have a few questions…
    1. I heard from two friends both who are managers at sprint kiosks that it was possible to compress the memory on the a-900 and get more memory out of the phone. One guy claims his friend downloaded a program from samsung.com and the other claims that he went to a sprint store and got a special system upgrade that erased his memory but added more. Is this true and if so how do u do this I know everyone in here would appreciate that.
    2. I also heard from both of them that it was possible to download a driver or program onto your phone so u can stream content from the web. One said he got it off of realplayer’s website under mobile but all i saw was palm, pocket pc, and nokia. The other said his friend got it off of samsung.com
    I checked and couldnt find anything they were talkin bout honestly, so let me know.
    And also whats the most compact music file to rip to. so i can fit the most songs on my phone. Thanks

  177. The Caller ID problem was resolved as all the calls I received yesterday grabbed the correct picture for the caller. Dont know though if the issue was resolved by Sprint or myself as I went through my phone book and made sure all numbers had area codes and got rid of the 1- in front of long distance numbers.

  178. David, I’ve looked through the manual for this phone and can’t find anything on uploading full music files, and to use this thing as an mp3 player. Help?
    This is a really annoying problem for me because being able to upload mp3’s is one of the main reasons I bought this phone. =\

  179. David, I’ve looked through the manual for this phone and can’t find anything on uploading full music files, and to use this thing as an mp3 player. Help?
    This is a really annoying problem for me because being able to upload mp3’s is one of the main reasons I bought this phone. =\

  180. GTurman,
    First you need to have the samsung drivers for the phone. Found here…. http://www.samsungtelecom.com/drivers/driver.asp?model=SPH-A900.zip
    Once you have installed these plug your USB adapter on your phone and then onto your PC.
    On the phone go to menu, * (Tools), 1 (Mass Storage) and select 1 (Connect to PC)
    This will create an E:\ drive or whatever letter is available on your PC. The PC will see the phone as a Storage Device or Memmory Card.
    With this just drag-n-drop your MP3’s to the MEDIA folder that appears on the drive.
    To play your song’s go to Menu, 9 (Media Player) and Select the Mass Storage. You’ll have access to your songs.

  181. Hi everyone. I just got the samsung a900 a few weeks ago… I’ve been reading posts for a while, but my only question is, what format does the song have to be on to be read? I have transferred files from both my computer and my personal mp3 player and all the songs says it is an “unsupported document format by fileviewer” what does this mean and how do I make my songs WORK??

  182. Hi everyone. I just got the samsung a900 a few weeks ago… I’ve been reading posts for a while, but my only question is, what format does the song have to be on to be read? I have transferred files from both my computer and my personal mp3 player and all the songs says it is an “unsupported document format by fileviewer” what does this mean and how do I make my songs WORK??

  183. HI, what format does the song file have to be to be accepted? I keep getting, “unsupported format by fileviewer”?!?!

  184. Hi everyone. Great blog. Just bought the blade yesterday. So far my most favorite feature is the swivel camera. That is extremely cool!!
    Vonia,
    I just tried copying a few files with .mp3 extension from my PC and they played just fine. I haven’t tried iTunes files yet, but I suspect they may not work, at least in their iPod or iTunes format. Are you trying .mp3 files?

  185. Hi everyone. Great blog. Just bought the blade yesterday. So far my most favorite feature is the swivel camera. That is extremely cool!!
    Vonia,
    I just tried copying a few files with .mp3 extension from my PC and they played just fine. I haven’t tried iTunes files yet, but I suspect they may not work, at least in their iPod or iTunes format. Are you trying .mp3 files?

  186. Vonia,
    I think you will get the error you are seeing if you try to open the files from within Tools->Mass Storage.
    Make sure you are using Media Player to play your music files. That’s Menu, Media Player (3), Mass Storage.

  187. I have had trouble with slow travle through the menu selections at different times. I like the phone but with as much as i paid i should not have to deal with this. Is there any thing i can do

  188. I have had trouble with slow travle through the menu selections at different times. I like the phone but with as much as i paid i should not have to deal with this. Is there any thing i can do

  189. I have had trouble with slow travle through the menu selections at different times. I like the phone but with as much as i paid i should not have to deal with this. Is there any thing i can do

  190. Trey or anyone else:
    Everytime I open up my CDs or mp3 player files, they show up as windows media player files. How do I convert them into mp3 files? Thanks for your help!

  191. Trey or anyone else:
    Everytime I open up my CDs or mp3 player files, they show up as windows media player files. How do I convert them into mp3 files? Thanks for your help!

  192. I need help I downloaded the drivers for my phone from the samsung website so that i can transfer media files from my pc to my phone but when I put in my usb cord it says there is a connection but when I look under my computer there is no e drive? so is there an easier way to transfer the files?

  193. Transfering photos to A900 with USB cable…
    Hello, I tried transfering multiple photos with the USB cable. I placed them into the DCIM/100SSMED folder. They were the 240×320 format. When I went to look at them on the phone through the file manager, they looked crisp and beautiful. However, when I looked at them either in the My Album section or when setting them as a screen saver, they were horribly pixelated. I can not for the life of me figure this out as it makes no sense. In file manager, they look great, but when placed as a screen saver they look completely pixelated… as if a 24×32 thumbnail were stretched to 240×320. I used photoshop to make the images. Any advice?
    PS… when I upload the same files using a SMS Uploader (like those on the web) they look fine as screen savers, etc.

  194. Max —
    It sounds to me like you are saving too much information in the file in PhotoShop. Those files need to be stripped bare to look right at all times. Make sure you use the “Save for the Web” option in PhotoShop and you should be fine. That’s what I did in my example in my post and it worked.
    The SMS Uploader programs likely strip out the extra info from you file for you in the same way “Save for the Web” does in PhotoShop.

  195. gonzospet, you can try updating your phone with the latest software, and using the numbers instead of scrolling through the menus. Other than I don’t know…
    Vonia, if the files on your computer are not in a format that the A900 can play in the Media Player (and make sure you are using Menu 3-Media Player to play them), then it would probably be easiest to search on Google for “CD to mp3” or similar. There are many utilites to do this.
    Kimberly, see message 144. (But at the end, for playing the files, it should say Menu 3-which is Media Player, not Menu 9.)

  196. Battery and phonebook transfer woes…
    Yesterday, after having the A900 for just one day, I was horrified that the low battery indicator came on after about 12 hours since being fully charged. I had talked only about 1.5 hours, and perhaps played 5 minutes of audio, and spent 10-20 minutes or so playing with the phone. Add this to the non-expandable memory issue, and I’m considering exchanging it for the A920. Just to rub it in, at the Sprint Store last night they told me they could NOT transfer my phone book from my A660 to my A900 (probably not the A920 either though). What’s up with that?!! I really don’t want to retype the 204 numbers from my old phone! (I have FutureDial software but it appears they don’t support the A9xx phones yet- which is completely ridiculous IMHO.)
    But, in the blade’s defense regarding the weak battery, although the low battery indicator came on, I kept using it (talking on it since that’s all you can do once it comes on) for at least another 15 minutes, and I didn’t charge it for another hour, and it never actually shut off. (But the beeping, and preventing me from using many other features of the phone was annoying.) I’m hoping that i5xswipe is correct about the battery meter being goofy at first (see message 80). I’ve also disabled the GPS location setting- David mentioned that he was told that might help.
    Has anyone else noticed that the battery meter might indicate lower than it actually is at first, and if so, how long before the problem went away? And have any of you had your phonebook copied from your older phone to the A900? (If yes what was your older phone model?)
    Thanks.

  197. Battery and phonebook transfer woes…
    Yesterday, after having the A900 for just one day, I was horrified that the low battery indicator came on after about 12 hours since being fully charged. I had talked only about 1.5 hours, and perhaps played 5 minutes of audio, and spent 10-20 minutes or so playing with the phone. Add this to the non-expandable memory issue, and I’m considering exchanging it for the A920. Just to rub it in, at the Sprint Store last night they told me they could NOT transfer my phone book from my A660 to my A900 (probably not the A920 either though). What’s up with that?!! I really don’t want to retype the 204 numbers from my old phone! (I have FutureDial software but it appears they don’t support the A9xx phones yet- which is completely ridiculous IMHO.)
    But, in the blade’s defense regarding the weak battery, although the low battery indicator came on, I kept using it (talking on it since that’s all you can do once it comes on) for at least another 15 minutes, and I didn’t charge it for another hour, and it never actually shut off. (But the beeping, and preventing me from using many other features of the phone was annoying.) I’m hoping that i5xswipe is correct about the battery meter being goofy at first (see message 80). I’ve also disabled the GPS location setting- David mentioned that he was told that might help.
    Has anyone else noticed that the battery meter might indicate lower than it actually is at first, and if so, how long before the problem went away? And have any of you had your phonebook copied from your older phone to the A900? (If yes what was your older phone model?)
    Thanks.

  198. my media player (3) gives me a message, “no content”, and then when i go to tools–> mass storage, it’s there. what’s the problem? Why isnt it showing up in the media player–> mass storage??

  199. David, I couldn’t agree moore, the a900 is the best phone I have ever had. Have you tried Opera mini, I used to bt to my ipaq 2415 to surf the web, with opera mini, I can surf almost any site right from the phone. I also hve the $25 plan, how does sprint know if you are using the phone as a modem.

  200. David, I couldn’t agree moore, the a900 is the best phone I have ever had. Have you tried Opera mini, I used to bt to my ipaq 2415 to surf the web, with opera mini, I can surf almost any site right from the phone. I also hve the $25 plan, how does sprint know if you are using the phone as a modem.

  201. David, I couldn’t agree moore, the a900 is the best phone I have ever had. Have you tried Opera mini, I used to bt to my ipaq 2415 to surf the web, with opera mini, I can surf almost any site right from the phone. I also hve the $25 plan, how does sprint know if you are using the phone as a modem.

  202. Hey David et al — Fantastic site. I am bookmarking this in del.icio.us right now, so I’ll be able to come back and visit often. Just got the phone yesterday here in Boston, and ditched my old Treo 650 for it — great decision!
    When I attempted to access the Power Vision TV, Sirius, etc. content (by clicking through Menu>MediaPlayer>Channel List), it’s giving me the wonderful broken English: “Sorry for inconvenient, there is no content available at this time.” Hysterical. But also, what? Do I have to call Sprint again and wait on hold for another 30 minutes?

  203. Hey David et al — Fantastic site. I am bookmarking this in del.icio.us right now, so I’ll be able to come back and visit often. Just got the phone yesterday here in Boston, and ditched my old Treo 650 for it — great decision!
    When I attempted to access the Power Vision TV, Sirius, etc. content (by clicking through Menu>MediaPlayer>Channel List), it’s giving me the wonderful broken English: “Sorry for inconvenient, there is no content available at this time.” Hysterical. But also, what? Do I have to call Sprint again and wait on hold for another 30 minutes?

  204. In regards to Ivan’s post # 120, you mention using the 900 to wirelessly (via bluetooth) connect to a computer and get online. This is what I want to do when I buy this phone, what kind of speeds are you getting doing this without a cable?
    I am using a Powerbook, will this still be possible? I am not going to get this phone if this is not a doable option, I will go with another provider that offers a phone that will connect via bluetooth to a mac and let me get online, if such a provider exists. 🙂
    Thanks everyone, this thread has been very educational.
    ~munk

  205. When I try to listen to streaming audio off the web it says get a “handler” what is a handler and where do I get one.
    And I was also wondering if you could compress the phones memory….

  206. When I try to listen to streaming audio off the web it says get a “handler” what is a handler and where do I get one.
    And I was also wondering if you could compress the phones memory….

  210. Ivan,
    Thanks, I did read the entire page but by the time I got to the bottom my brain turned to mush, 🙂 Thanks for the reply and the post #. Hopefully I can pick up this phone this weekend.
    ~munk

  211. David,
    So when you hit the 1k post’s will you partition the blog in blocks of 100 of posts or 50 or what? it’s going to be a bit big to handle in one page 😉
    You could build a decent FAQ’s list and reference the post # for more detail’s 🙂
    And just so I keep this post related to the phone here’s a TIP;
    If you want to check total MB usage on the phone enter ##786# and select 1 (don’t use 2 unless you really want to reset your phone)
    This will show you your phones:
    Life Timer in min,
    Life Data in MB,
    Refurb status,
    ESN DEC/HEC,
    MOBILE ID,
    SW Ver,
    HW Ver,
    PRL (aka Preferred Roaming list),
    Activation Date.

  212. David,
    So when you hit the 1k post’s will you partition the blog in blocks of 100 of posts or 50 or what? it’s going to be a bit big to handle in one page 😉
    You could build a decent FAQ’s list and reference the post # for more detail’s 🙂
    And just so I keep this post related to the phone here’s a TIP;
    If you want to check total MB usage on the phone enter ##786# and select 1 (don’t use 2 unless you really want to reset your phone)
    This will show you your phones:
    Life Timer in min,
    Life Data in MB,
    Refurb status,
    ESN DEC/HEC,
    MOBILE ID,
    SW Ver,
    HW Ver,
    PRL (aka Preferred Roaming list),
    Activation Date.

  213. Hey Ivan —
    If I knew how to chunk this up, I would!
    😀
    A FAQ is a good idea.
    Love the Tip! I had no idea I’ve used 65MB already! I’d say it’s impossible because I’ve used this phone as a modem very little except to test. Does that Data included the Vision stuff?

  214. Hello,
    What a great post. I have enjoyed reading through everyones comment. I have owned the blade for about four days now. One of the reasons I bought it was for bluetooth capabilty. I have tried 4 different headsets from “jabra” “nokia” and two “Motorolas” with the last one being the alleged best the h700 at the salty cost $119. Which is actually the worst as far as static/best for comfort. Does any one have any thoughts on a good headset for this phone.. I can’t believe the amount of static from this phone is acceptable for most people. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
    I am going to the sprint store today to try out a few other phone’s bluetooth features to see if it is the phone or the headset. I am not planning on parting with my blade, just may be going back to the old fashioned wired headset.
    I’ll post my un-scientific results later.

  215. David,
    The life timers include everything unfortunately. ie The data includes all tx/rx transmissions the phone has done including SW/FW downloads. Also the life timer includes all minutes including while the phone is ringing.

  219. Well darn it all. I went to the Sprint Store and paired my headset with 2 other Samsung phones; The samsung 920 with the same static issues. The 940 however was much better and only started to hear static at about ten feet.
    I then tried it on the new Blackberry from Nextel, the headset was outstanding when used with that unit. I could walk around the store with little to no static.
    I think my conclusion is that the Motorola products works much better with like products. Samsung has not got the bluetooth bugs worked out yet. At least not interfacing with other brand’s bluetooth headsets. I think for now I am giving up on the concept of bluetooth and going wired.
    Dwayne

  220. Well darn it all. I went to the Sprint Store and paired my headset with 2 other Samsung phones; The samsung 920 with the same static issues. The 940 however was much better and only started to hear static at about ten feet.
    I then tried it on the new Blackberry from Nextel, the headset was outstanding when used with that unit. I could walk around the store with little to no static.
    I think my conclusion is that the Motorola products works much better with like products. Samsung has not got the bluetooth bugs worked out yet. At least not interfacing with other brand’s bluetooth headsets. I think for now I am giving up on the concept of bluetooth and going wired.
    Dwayne

  221. Hi again ewveryone. i haven’t gotten a reply, so I thought I’d post again. My media player (3) gives me a message, “no content”, and then when i go to tools–> mass storage, it’s there. what’s the problem? Why isnt it showing up in the media player–> mass storage??

  222. Hi Everyone –
    I would like to get this phone and I have a Macintosh. I have read that you can bluetooth your contacts to the phone, but does anyone know if this can be done with a Mac? I have a powerbook G4
    Thanks for your help

  223. Hi Everyone –
    I would like to get this phone and I have a Macintosh. I have read that you can bluetooth your contacts to the phone, but does anyone know if this can be done with a Mac? I have a powerbook G4
    Thanks for your help

  224. Hi Everyone –
    I would like to get this phone and I have a Macintosh. I have read that you can bluetooth your contacts to the phone, but does anyone know if this can be done with a Mac? I have a powerbook G4
    Thanks for your help

  225. Dwayne S. check out the Plantronics 640. I have this headset and havent had any problemes with it. You can also review this BT head set at CNET.com

  226. Dwayne S. check out the Plantronics 640. I have this headset and havent had any problemes with it. You can also review this BT head set at CNET.com

  227. Dwayne S. check out the Plantronics 640. I have this headset and havent had any problemes with it. You can also review this BT head set at CNET.com

  228. In response to question 170, just to confirm are you talking about the media player on the phone or on your computer? If on the phone, chances are you placed the files from your computer into the wrong area on the phone, if you meant your computer media player that is a different question.
    I just bought the a900 today and have read through all the posts here and it seems to be a great phone. I have noticed a lot of the common issues and have had a lot of the same questions. The issues i have seen so far are:
    1) slow menu switching, it takes a long time to switch from icon to icon on the phone menu.
    2) when i go to update the software to see if there is a newer version, I dont acutally get connected, it says server busy.
    3) the memory is very weak, i have like 10 songs maybe on there and like 14 pictures and its full.
    4) sprint reps are the about the dumbest people on earth.(not all of them, just the ones I have talked to lately) LIke some of the other posts I have talked to like 8 different people to get answers on the data plan and power vision plan, and phone modem plan. It appears no one really knows all the answers and therefore i havent even subscribed to one of those addon plans. I used to have a sanyo phone with the pcs vision picture pack and on my old phone i could connect to the web, do the pictures and all that… in the area i am in I cant get the EVDO broadband but when i called sprint they told me if i didnt get that i would be charged a lot for using it. I asked them how is that possible if Im not even in an area that can recieve it? they spent 30 minutes trying to figure that out, then he said you would still be able to use it just not at the high speeds… which reverts back to my question, why cant i use the old plan the pcs vision picture pack piece and he said that wasnt compatible. I just gave up for the night.
    Some positives for the phone:
    1) its sleek, small, stylish, and well built. It’s actually made of mostly metal casing, many phones these days are plastic and dont hold up as well. I could have sworn this was plastic but when taking apart the battery cover I realized its not plastic but actually metal.
    2) the phone comes with all the cables neccesary to transfer mp3s from your computer to the phone, or vice versa. At first this seems challenging except when you read an earlier post here in this forum, its acutally really straight forwad. The songs play very well on the phone, quality is excellent and the ear buds that come with the phone work great. One of the few phones to actually have 2 ear buds that play music, most only have one.
    3) picture quality is very good for cell phones 1.3 megapixels and once transferred to the computer they look decent. back in the day a 1.3 megapixel camera was tops.
    4) Its sleek, small, looks good, and works good for making calls and carrying around – the big reasons we have a cell. It’s one of those phones that just feels good to have in your hand, you feel like it was worth it.
    Hope that helps some other readers, any other questions just email me at silverchair48@yahoo.com.
    jeff

  229. In response to question 170, just to confirm are you talking about the media player on the phone or on your computer? If on the phone, chances are you placed the files from your computer into the wrong area on the phone, if you meant your computer media player that is a different question.
    I just bought the a900 today and have read through all the posts here and it seems to be a great phone. I have noticed a lot of the common issues and have had a lot of the same questions. The issues i have seen so far are:
    1) slow menu switching, it takes a long time to switch from icon to icon on the phone menu.
    2) when i go to update the software to see if there is a newer version, I dont acutally get connected, it says server busy.
    3) the memory is very weak, i have like 10 songs maybe on there and like 14 pictures and its full.
    4) sprint reps are the about the dumbest people on earth.(not all of them, just the ones I have talked to lately) LIke some of the other posts I have talked to like 8 different people to get answers on the data plan and power vision plan, and phone modem plan. It appears no one really knows all the answers and therefore i havent even subscribed to one of those addon plans. I used to have a sanyo phone with the pcs vision picture pack and on my old phone i could connect to the web, do the pictures and all that… in the area i am in I cant get the EVDO broadband but when i called sprint they told me if i didnt get that i would be charged a lot for using it. I asked them how is that possible if Im not even in an area that can recieve it? they spent 30 minutes trying to figure that out, then he said you would still be able to use it just not at the high speeds… which reverts back to my question, why cant i use the old plan the pcs vision picture pack piece and he said that wasnt compatible. I just gave up for the night.
    Some positives for the phone:
    1) its sleek, small, stylish, and well built. It’s actually made of mostly metal casing, many phones these days are plastic and dont hold up as well. I could have sworn this was plastic but when taking apart the battery cover I realized its not plastic but actually metal.
    2) the phone comes with all the cables neccesary to transfer mp3s from your computer to the phone, or vice versa. At first this seems challenging except when you read an earlier post here in this forum, its acutally really straight forwad. The songs play very well on the phone, quality is excellent and the ear buds that come with the phone work great. One of the few phones to actually have 2 ear buds that play music, most only have one.
    3) picture quality is very good for cell phones 1.3 megapixels and once transferred to the computer they look decent. back in the day a 1.3 megapixel camera was tops.
    4) Its sleek, small, looks good, and works good for making calls and carrying around – the big reasons we have a cell. It’s one of those phones that just feels good to have in your hand, you feel like it was worth it.
    Hope that helps some other readers, any other questions just email me at silverchair48@yahoo.com.
    jeff

  230. In response to question 170, just to confirm are you talking about the media player on the phone or on your computer? If on the phone, chances are you placed the files from your computer into the wrong area on the phone, if you meant your computer media player that is a different question.
    I just bought the a900 today and have read through all the posts here and it seems to be a great phone. I have noticed a lot of the common issues and have had a lot of the same questions. The issues i have seen so far are:
    1) slow menu switching, it takes a long time to switch from icon to icon on the phone menu.
    2) when i go to update the software to see if there is a newer version, I dont acutally get connected, it says server busy.
    3) the memory is very weak, i have like 10 songs maybe on there and like 14 pictures and its full.
    4) sprint reps are the about the dumbest people on earth.(not all of them, just the ones I have talked to lately) LIke some of the other posts I have talked to like 8 different people to get answers on the data plan and power vision plan, and phone modem plan. It appears no one really knows all the answers and therefore i havent even subscribed to one of those addon plans. I used to have a sanyo phone with the pcs vision picture pack and on my old phone i could connect to the web, do the pictures and all that… in the area i am in I cant get the EVDO broadband but when i called sprint they told me if i didnt get that i would be charged a lot for using it. I asked them how is that possible if Im not even in an area that can recieve it? they spent 30 minutes trying to figure that out, then he said you would still be able to use it just not at the high speeds… which reverts back to my question, why cant i use the old plan the pcs vision picture pack piece and he said that wasnt compatible. I just gave up for the night.
    Some positives for the phone:
    1) its sleek, small, stylish, and well built. It’s actually made of mostly metal casing, many phones these days are plastic and dont hold up as well. I could have sworn this was plastic but when taking apart the battery cover I realized its not plastic but actually metal.
    2) the phone comes with all the cables neccesary to transfer mp3s from your computer to the phone, or vice versa. At first this seems challenging except when you read an earlier post here in this forum, its acutally really straight forwad. The songs play very well on the phone, quality is excellent and the ear buds that come with the phone work great. One of the few phones to actually have 2 ear buds that play music, most only have one.
    3) picture quality is very good for cell phones 1.3 megapixels and once transferred to the computer they look decent. back in the day a 1.3 megapixel camera was tops.
    4) Its sleek, small, looks good, and works good for making calls and carrying around – the big reasons we have a cell. It’s one of those phones that just feels good to have in your hand, you feel like it was worth it.
    Hope that helps some other readers, any other questions just email me at silverchair48@yahoo.com.
    jeff

  231. Hey everyone,
    This is my first time ever posting anything, i have to say i love this blog. I’ve been reading since decemeber when david only had about 10 post, I love the way everything is going on.
    This is in response to Dwayne S about a good bluetooth device, i have the jabra jx10 and it works wonders, the only concern may be the price range(149-179), but the sound quality is good even when u walk away from the phone. Hope this helps, and again good site

  232. Hey everyone,
    This is my first time ever posting anything, i have to say i love this blog. I’ve been reading since decemeber when david only had about 10 post, I love the way everything is going on.
    This is in response to Dwayne S about a good bluetooth device, i have the jabra jx10 and it works wonders, the only concern may be the price range(149-179), but the sound quality is good even when u walk away from the phone. Hope this helps, and again good site

  233. Hi everyone,
    Sorry to say that although I loved my A900, I decided to exchange it for the A920. My main reason was that the the battery didn’t last long enough for me. The A920’s battery lasts much longer. Also the A920 has a memory card expandable to at least 512MB (whereas the A900 has a fixed size of about 50MB, non-expandable).
    The features I already miss from the A900 are it’s slim size- it barely made a bulge in my pants pocket, and it’s awesome display screen. (Although I suspect the awesome screen may be part of the problem with the battery life…)I also liked the fact that the Blade’s videos could be as long as your memory will allow (it’s about one MB per minute- so perhaps 50min). The A920 only allows videos up to 30 seconds- which is stupid in my opinion since it has the ability to have up to 512MB. (The A940 can have longer videos too, btw, in case you care.)
    Vonia, (question #170),
    Make sure your songs are in the Media folder on your phone. Also, on my A920, I have 5 songs in my Media folder right now, 4 are .mp3, and 1 is something else (I forgot what kind). In my Media player, only the 4 that are .mp3 show up, so maybe if your songs are something other than .mp3 that could be why the Media player cannot see them…

  234. Hi David
    I just came across your site and I hope you can help. I have an acura mdx with blutooth. I bought the a900 specifically for it’s bluetooth capablity to talk hands free in the car. I am having trouble with recognition. It will work for only a second or 2 and then stop.
    Any ideas how to figure this out. I think it can be done but I just don’t know how. It tales more than what is available in the instrruction bool of the phone or tha car.
    Thank you

  235. Well I could not find the Jabra jx10 or the plantronics 640 locally. I am a little nercous buying online becuase returns are more difficult. With my rate of taking back headsets so for, I don’t want the headache of online return. Anybody know some major chain stores that carry either or? As an update I did try the plantronics 300 (i think) very disapointed, next to the h700 motorlola, this is the worst.
    Dwayne

  236. Well I could not find the Jabra jx10 or the plantronics 640 locally. I am a little nercous buying online becuase returns are more difficult. With my rate of taking back headsets so for, I don’t want the headache of online return. Anybody know some major chain stores that carry either or? As an update I did try the plantronics 300 (i think) very disapointed, next to the h700 motorlola, this is the worst.
    Dwayne

  237. Yeah Dwanye I hear u on the online returns. Im not sure where to purchase the plantronics 640, but i purchased my jabra jx10 from J&R music world. You can also check the style of the device on jabra.com

  238. Yeah Dwanye I hear u on the online returns. Im not sure where to purchase the plantronics 640, but i purchased my jabra jx10 from J&R music world. You can also check the style of the device on jabra.com

  239. I found my Plantronics at the local Comp USA store for $90. Yeah wouldn’t have bought it online for the fear of trying to return the item.

  240. Free Opera Mini Browser released today.
    Works nicely on the A900 — much better than the built-in WAP browser.
    Install it by directing the built-in A900 browser to:
    http://mini.opera.com
    -Dave

  241. Free Opera Mini Browser released today.
    Works nicely on the A900 — much better than the built-in WAP browser.
    Install it by directing the built-in A900 browser to:
    http://mini.opera.com
    -Dave

  242. A920 vs A900.
    I too thought the A920 might be a better solution than the A900. So I had Sprint send me one in exchange for the A900 (got my A900 through corporate accounts – so had to do it over the phone via UPS).
    Maybe the battery life is better on the A920, but the thing struck me as a toy compared to the A900. The inside screen, though nice – was clearly inferior to the A900’s QVGA resolution. The A920 seems targeted for younger audiences. The external screen saver choices would have an embarrassment. There was no simple “ring-ring” ring-tone. I’m sorry, I don’t want some silly sounding music coming from this peron when I’m in a meeting at work (yes, I normally use vibrate, but like sound at a low volume too as the A900 is not always in a pocket or the holster).
    The A920 does not support USB storage. To transfer media files you’d have to pull the flash card (not sure “card” is the proper word – the thing must be darn small) and put it in a reader or, subscribe to picture mail (which so far I’ve resisted from doing to save the extra $10/mo — cause I can d/l pictures over USB on the A900). The FTP Bluetooth profile is also missing on the A920 (another way to transfer media on the A900).
    The A920 ended up going back to Sprint instead of the A900.
    -Dave

  246. I’ll try Compusa when I get back later this week. Thanks for the advice.
    -Dwayne

  247. I’ll try Compusa when I get back later this week. Thanks for the advice.
    -Dwayne

  248. I’ll try Compusa when I get back later this week. Thanks for the advice.
    -Dwayne

  249. Dwayne,
    Regarding your search for a Bluetooth headset, I too was very concerned with this aspect of the new pnone. I purchased the A900 for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons was the Bluetooth capability(I don’t need any more tickets for talking on cellphone while driving). I was a Nextel customer perviously, and to be quite frank, the sound quality on the Nextel(i730) is superior to the A900 and the Verizon phone I tried and then returned, however, I really wanted Bluetooth.
    I did quite a bit of research and settled on the Plantronics Voyager 510. I initially tried it with the Motorola E815 on Verizon and it was horrible. I thought I made a huge mistake. Then after returning the E815, I retarted my search and landed at the Sprint Store in Crossgates Mall in Albany, NY. The salesman, Paul Young is fantastic. I went in with my Voyager 510 and used it to call friends and also leave messages for myself to listen to later and I was amazed. It sounds wonderful, and to be truthful, I believe it actually sounds better than the phone itself.
    I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please let me know.
    One more thing – has anyone had any luck figuring out how to transfer contacts from Outlook to the A900? I have tried using the Bluetooth, and other types of communication work fine, but syncing to Outlook does not.
    Thanks,
    Geoff

  250. Dwayne,
    Regarding your search for a Bluetooth headset, I too was very concerned with this aspect of the new pnone. I purchased the A900 for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons was the Bluetooth capability(I don’t need any more tickets for talking on cellphone while driving). I was a Nextel customer perviously, and to be quite frank, the sound quality on the Nextel(i730) is superior to the A900 and the Verizon phone I tried and then returned, however, I really wanted Bluetooth.
    I did quite a bit of research and settled on the Plantronics Voyager 510. I initially tried it with the Motorola E815 on Verizon and it was horrible. I thought I made a huge mistake. Then after returning the E815, I retarted my search and landed at the Sprint Store in Crossgates Mall in Albany, NY. The salesman, Paul Young is fantastic. I went in with my Voyager 510 and used it to call friends and also leave messages for myself to listen to later and I was amazed. It sounds wonderful, and to be truthful, I believe it actually sounds better than the phone itself.
    I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please let me know.
    One more thing – has anyone had any luck figuring out how to transfer contacts from Outlook to the A900? I have tried using the Bluetooth, and other types of communication work fine, but syncing to Outlook does not.
    Thanks,
    Geoff

  251. Dwayne,
    Regarding your search for a Bluetooth headset, I too was very concerned with this aspect of the new pnone. I purchased the A900 for many reasons, but one of the primary reasons was the Bluetooth capability(I don’t need any more tickets for talking on cellphone while driving). I was a Nextel customer perviously, and to be quite frank, the sound quality on the Nextel(i730) is superior to the A900 and the Verizon phone I tried and then returned, however, I really wanted Bluetooth.
    I did quite a bit of research and settled on the Plantronics Voyager 510. I initially tried it with the Motorola E815 on Verizon and it was horrible. I thought I made a huge mistake. Then after returning the E815, I retarted my search and landed at the Sprint Store in Crossgates Mall in Albany, NY. The salesman, Paul Young is fantastic. I went in with my Voyager 510 and used it to call friends and also leave messages for myself to listen to later and I was amazed. It sounds wonderful, and to be truthful, I believe it actually sounds better than the phone itself.
    I hope this helps and if you have any questions, please let me know.
    One more thing – has anyone had any luck figuring out how to transfer contacts from Outlook to the A900? I have tried using the Bluetooth, and other types of communication work fine, but syncing to Outlook does not.
    Thanks,
    Geoff

  252. One more thing.
    I picked this up from Amazon includi ng 2day shipping for for $62.55. All the local stores were selling it for full retail, which is $99.95!!!
    Geoff

  253. Thanks Geoff,
    I am going to try Plantronics 640, if no luck I will start the search with your suggestion. I am still reserved about buying a bluetooth online becuase of my track record of being dissatisfied and then taking it back. I still have one I have to take back when I get home later this week.
    -Dwayne

  254. A follow up to my own question. I couldn’t get the blutooth feature on the a900 to worl properly with my Acura MDX for hand free link usage.
    Well, after reading thru other posts here, I tried the software upgrade. Sure enough, after doing that, it worked perfectly. I was thinking of returning the phone because that was the main reason I bought it. I now love it!
    This site is a great resource. Thank you

  255. User Review.
    I thought I would come by and give my review of the phone (as if there aren’t enough here). I read this post many times before making my purchase, along with many others. I wanted to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. So far I am very pleased with this phone. I have had the Samsung SPH-A900 for one day now. I bought the phone at a local sprint store for $180 while starting new service. I had my old Verizon phone with me as I was activating my new phone. I was standing in a store located in the middle of the local mall and had no service on my verizon phone. As soon as they had my phone activated it was getting GOOD service in the same spot my other phone wasn’t. The size is perfect, and the resolution of the screen is amazing. I work in an office and I do not like loud music, so I think the stereo speakers work great. The MP3 player works wonderfully, I do wish there was a way to launch the player with the face closed, instead of starting it up and then closing it, but I do like the outside player buttons. The battery life is not the best, but I am not too concerned with that, because I think the girl working the Sprint store had a crush on me and gave me a free car charger. I really enjoy using the enclosed headset. I have never really used one before, but I do now. I have to listen to headphones on my commute to work, and I enjoy the convenience of being able to switch to a call while listening to music. I own an iPod video also but I save that for anytime I am going to be listening to music for an extended period of time. As far as tranferring songs to the player I opened up iTunes and went into preferences>importing and changed the MP3 settings to make the songs a lower bit rate and smaller size. This helped when trying to fit more MP3s. I also used some advice from post #38 from Kuli to edit MP3 files into ring tones and it worked great. I am also using a similar technique for add photos as screen savers. So far I have downloaded 15 screen savers and 6 ring tones and I still have 9.2MB out of the 11MB available. I suggest saving these files as small as you can and still be satisfied. The files I have edited and sent to my phone sound great, and I haven’t had to pay for one from the sprint store yet. Also you can use whatever song you want, since the availability on their store is limited. I haven’t tried out the bluetooth yet, because I don’t have any bluetooth devices.
    I would say overall I give the phone and 8 out of 10. I think it is a great phone. I love the size, shape and overall performance. I wouldn’t trade it for any other phone on the market. It is everything I expected it to be and more.
    Thanks for reading.

  256. User Review.
    I thought I would come by and give my review of the phone (as if there aren’t enough here). I read this post many times before making my purchase, along with many others. I wanted to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. So far I am very pleased with this phone. I have had the Samsung SPH-A900 for one day now. I bought the phone at a local sprint store for $180 while starting new service. I had my old Verizon phone with me as I was activating my new phone. I was standing in a store located in the middle of the local mall and had no service on my verizon phone. As soon as they had my phone activated it was getting GOOD service in the same spot my other phone wasn’t. The size is perfect, and the resolution of the screen is amazing. I work in an office and I do not like loud music, so I think the stereo speakers work great. The MP3 player works wonderfully, I do wish there was a way to launch the player with the face closed, instead of starting it up and then closing it, but I do like the outside player buttons. The battery life is not the best, but I am not too concerned with that, because I think the girl working the Sprint store had a crush on me and gave me a free car charger. I really enjoy using the enclosed headset. I have never really used one before, but I do now. I have to listen to headphones on my commute to work, and I enjoy the convenience of being able to switch to a call while listening to music. I own an iPod video also but I save that for anytime I am going to be listening to music for an extended period of time. As far as tranferring songs to the player I opened up iTunes and went into preferences>importing and changed the MP3 settings to make the songs a lower bit rate and smaller size. This helped when trying to fit more MP3s. I also used some advice from post #38 from Kuli to edit MP3 files into ring tones and it worked great. I am also using a similar technique for add photos as screen savers. So far I have downloaded 15 screen savers and 6 ring tones and I still have 9.2MB out of the 11MB available. I suggest saving these files as small as you can and still be satisfied. The files I have edited and sent to my phone sound great, and I haven’t had to pay for one from the sprint store yet. Also you can use whatever song you want, since the availability on their store is limited. I haven’t tried out the bluetooth yet, because I don’t have any bluetooth devices.
    I would say overall I give the phone and 8 out of 10. I think it is a great phone. I love the size, shape and overall performance. I wouldn’t trade it for any other phone on the market. It is everything I expected it to be and more.
    Thanks for reading.

  257. User Review.
    I thought I would come by and give my review of the phone (as if there aren’t enough here). I read this post many times before making my purchase, along with many others. I wanted to make sure I was getting exactly what I wanted. So far I am very pleased with this phone. I have had the Samsung SPH-A900 for one day now. I bought the phone at a local sprint store for $180 while starting new service. I had my old Verizon phone with me as I was activating my new phone. I was standing in a store located in the middle of the local mall and had no service on my verizon phone. As soon as they had my phone activated it was getting GOOD service in the same spot my other phone wasn’t. The size is perfect, and the resolution of the screen is amazing. I work in an office and I do not like loud music, so I think the stereo speakers work great. The MP3 player works wonderfully, I do wish there was a way to launch the player with the face closed, instead of starting it up and then closing it, but I do like the outside player buttons. The battery life is not the best, but I am not too concerned with that, because I think the girl working the Sprint store had a crush on me and gave me a free car charger. I really enjoy using the enclosed headset. I have never really used one before, but I do now. I have to listen to headphones on my commute to work, and I enjoy the convenience of being able to switch to a call while listening to music. I own an iPod video also but I save that for anytime I am going to be listening to music for an extended period of time. As far as tranferring songs to the player I opened up iTunes and went into preferences>importing and changed the MP3 settings to make the songs a lower bit rate and smaller size. This helped when trying to fit more MP3s. I also used some advice from post #38 from Kuli to edit MP3 files into ring tones and it worked great. I am also using a similar technique for add photos as screen savers. So far I have downloaded 15 screen savers and 6 ring tones and I still have 9.2MB out of the 11MB available. I suggest saving these files as small as you can and still be satisfied. The files I have edited and sent to my phone sound great, and I haven’t had to pay for one from the sprint store yet. Also you can use whatever song you want, since the availability on their store is limited. I haven’t tried out the bluetooth yet, because I don’t have any bluetooth devices.
    I would say overall I give the phone and 8 out of 10. I think it is a great phone. I love the size, shape and overall performance. I wouldn’t trade it for any other phone on the market. It is everything I expected it to be and more.
    Thanks for reading.

  261. I can’t figure out how to download stuff from my computer to my phone. i have no idea what software to put on my computer and if i even need to do that. can you put music from your computer to your phone? Please help

  262. I can’t figure out how to download stuff from my computer to my phone. i have no idea what software to put on my computer and if i even need to do that. can you put music from your computer to your phone? Please help

  263. I can’t figure out how to download stuff from my computer to my phone. i have no idea what software to put on my computer and if i even need to do that. can you put music from your computer to your phone? Please help

  264. Well I have to say I am rather disappointed with the discovery 640 by Plantronics. I bought and loved all the options for charging this unit. By far the most comfortable yet. As I was sitting in my car for “the trial” it sounded great on both ends and the volume was awesome. Then I put the phone under my leg and it past the crackle test. As a started up the highway the person on the other side of the conversation could no longer hear me. The road noise was prominate, it drowned out my voice. Yes its true that the roads here in Oregon suck, and the rain does contribute alot of excess noise, but is not that loud. So since I drive alot, this headset is ending up in the “crap” pile for me. The sales gal suggested the Jabra 800. That looks like number three on my next to try list. I think I am becoming obsessive about this. My kids and wife are starting to think I have gone mad. Every time they see me I have some new thing stuck in my ear. (((((((ARGGG!)))))))

  265. Well I have to say I am rather disappointed with the discovery 640 by Plantronics. I bought and loved all the options for charging this unit. By far the most comfortable yet. As I was sitting in my car for “the trial” it sounded great on both ends and the volume was awesome. Then I put the phone under my leg and it past the crackle test. As a started up the highway the person on the other side of the conversation could no longer hear me. The road noise was prominate, it drowned out my voice. Yes its true that the roads here in Oregon suck, and the rain does contribute alot of excess noise, but is not that loud. So since I drive alot, this headset is ending up in the “crap” pile for me. The sales gal suggested the Jabra 800. That looks like number three on my next to try list. I think I am becoming obsessive about this. My kids and wife are starting to think I have gone mad. Every time they see me I have some new thing stuck in my ear. (((((((ARGGG!)))))))

  266. Well I have to say I am rather disappointed with the discovery 640 by Plantronics. I bought and loved all the options for charging this unit. By far the most comfortable yet. As I was sitting in my car for “the trial” it sounded great on both ends and the volume was awesome. Then I put the phone under my leg and it past the crackle test. As a started up the highway the person on the other side of the conversation could no longer hear me. The road noise was prominate, it drowned out my voice. Yes its true that the roads here in Oregon suck, and the rain does contribute alot of excess noise, but is not that loud. So since I drive alot, this headset is ending up in the “crap” pile for me. The sales gal suggested the Jabra 800. That looks like number three on my next to try list. I think I am becoming obsessive about this. My kids and wife are starting to think I have gone mad. Every time they see me I have some new thing stuck in my ear. (((((((ARGGG!)))))))

  267. Have had no problems with anybody hearing me on my Plantronics 640 not even my deaf parents. Sorry to hear it didnt work out for you. My second choice was the Jabra BT 800 as it has a noise reduction feature. Good luck!

  268. Have had no problems with anybody hearing me on my Plantronics 640 not even my deaf parents. Sorry to hear it didnt work out for you. My second choice was the Jabra BT 800 as it has a noise reduction feature. Good luck!

  269. Have had no problems with anybody hearing me on my Plantronics 640 not even my deaf parents. Sorry to hear it didnt work out for you. My second choice was the Jabra BT 800 as it has a noise reduction feature. Good luck!

  270. Well maybe it’s the loud roads here and the rain that create too much background noise. Thanks
    -D

  271. Well maybe it’s the loud roads here and the rain that create too much background noise. Thanks
    -D

  272. Well my friends I think I have found the Bluetooth headset for me. It is not nearly as comfortable as the Plantronics but all the features plus some are in the nXZEN 5500 by Gennum. It has outstanding background noise suppresion. It also is remarkably clear in all environments that I have tried including a loud bar/restaurant. I am struggling a little with the fit, but it does work in car and outside. No crackle at all; however if I turn the unit up all the way the speaker itself distorts slighty, not bad enough for me to go insane or anything.
    It can also be used as earphones for a mp3 or something else, it come with a wired earphone that plugs in to the headset for stereo sound. It also comes with a usb charger. And it has a graphic equalizer so you can adjust the sound in the headset(s) but you must have a bluetooth capable pc to utilize this. It is on the more expensive side of what I have tried at $159. They have these at Comp USA and at Fry’s I bought form Fry’s just because it is closer to house. If I can get past the fit it will be the perfect headset for me.
    -Dwayne

  273. thanks to Kuli for the mp3 ringer… but perhaps some of you are in my situation. I paid an arm for this phone, but got the cheapest plan (it works well for me) with no add-on feactures like PCS Vision (which Kuli had referred to do ringtones).
    Is there any other way around this using the wired USB cable? I don’t want to pay for a monthly charge to get PCS Vision (I hope there are others that are in the same predicament as I). Any help would be appreciated!

  275. Being that I am complety obsessed with this Bluetooth headset thing, I could not let well enough alone. I also wanted to try the Jabra 800 before I settled for the nXZEN. I bought it and it is really cool, it has the little lcd screen which is a cool but useless feature for the most part. Its not like you can see the screen while its on your ear. It is very bulky and it certainly noticable when you wear it. Being that it that heavy, it is hard to secure to your ear. If you dont mind a loose fit then it is a good unit. I however like a snug and tight fit. I have this enate fear of it flying off my ear at a bad time or something.
    Overall though a good unit for functionality, bad for fit. The “crackle factor” was present, but tolarable. Although when I called a friend who I have tried every other set on, he could not tell I was on a headset. I am still going to stick with the nXZEN 5500. The fit is snug but not super comfortable.
    I hope these posting saves some time for newbies to the phone that upgrade for the Wireless Bluetooth headset ability. It was very difficult to find the right set but I think the mission is colpmeted. At least for now any way.
    -D

  276. Being that I am complety obsessed with this Bluetooth headset thing, I could not let well enough alone. I also wanted to try the Jabra 800 before I settled for the nXZEN. I bought it and it is really cool, it has the little lcd screen which is a cool but useless feature for the most part. Its not like you can see the screen while its on your ear. It is very bulky and it certainly noticable when you wear it. Being that it that heavy, it is hard to secure to your ear. If you dont mind a loose fit then it is a good unit. I however like a snug and tight fit. I have this enate fear of it flying off my ear at a bad time or something.
    Overall though a good unit for functionality, bad for fit. The “crackle factor” was present, but tolarable. Although when I called a friend who I have tried every other set on, he could not tell I was on a headset. I am still going to stick with the nXZEN 5500. The fit is snug but not super comfortable.
    I hope these posting saves some time for newbies to the phone that upgrade for the Wireless Bluetooth headset ability. It was very difficult to find the right set but I think the mission is colpmeted. At least for now any way.
    -D

  277. Dwayne —
    I love your crazy headset reviews because you are saving us from a similar insanity!
    Keep up the excellent work!
    I am pleased to see you found on model that suits you best.
    😀

  278. Dwayne —
    I love your crazy headset reviews because you are saving us from a similar insanity!
    Keep up the excellent work!
    I am pleased to see you found on model that suits you best.
    😀

  279. Dwayne —
    I love your crazy headset reviews because you are saving us from a similar insanity!
    Keep up the excellent work!
    I am pleased to see you found on model that suits you best.
    😀

  280. Hey dwayne S
    Im glad u finally found a bluetooth headset, i too was going to purchase the nXZEN 5500, but i thought the design was too bluky, I would love to know how it compares in size to other bt devices on the market? (Especially mine jabra jx 10) Thanks

  281. Hey dwayne S
    Im glad u finally found a bluetooth headset, i too was going to purchase the nXZEN 5500, but i thought the design was too bluky, I would love to know how it compares in size to other bt devices on the market? (Especially mine jabra jx 10) Thanks

  282. Hey dwayne S
    Im glad u finally found a bluetooth headset, i too was going to purchase the nXZEN 5500, but i thought the design was too bluky, I would love to know how it compares in size to other bt devices on the market? (Especially mine jabra jx 10) Thanks

  283. Jay,
    I was never able to try the jx 10. I cannot really comment on the exacts of that headset, I could not find the unit locally. Like I said in my earlier post, online bluetooth purchase seems to be too much of a pain because I think I have taken back 7-8 so far and have one more to take back. As far as the bulkiness of te 5500 hundred its really not too bad. It comes with three rubber pieces that fit inside your ear, which is good because it isolates the incoming sounds from a loud environment. I am not a big fan of the three choices offered as far as the earpieces go. It also offer a very soft flange that feel better in the ear. It really does not feel bulky especially compared to the Jabra (BT800.)
    The 5500 hundred fits well and does not feel like if I turn my head rapidly the unit would fly off. It seems that in a noisier environment it sounds better. I think when it is the most quit the unit sounds a little bit “tinn-y” at least that what my buddy tells me on the other end.
    D-

  284. Jay,
    I was never able to try the jx 10. I cannot really comment on the exacts of that headset, I could not find the unit locally. Like I said in my earlier post, online bluetooth purchase seems to be too much of a pain because I think I have taken back 7-8 so far and have one more to take back. As far as the bulkiness of te 5500 hundred its really not too bad. It comes with three rubber pieces that fit inside your ear, which is good because it isolates the incoming sounds from a loud environment. I am not a big fan of the three choices offered as far as the earpieces go. It also offer a very soft flange that feel better in the ear. It really does not feel bulky especially compared to the Jabra (BT800.)
    The 5500 hundred fits well and does not feel like if I turn my head rapidly the unit would fly off. It seems that in a noisier environment it sounds better. I think when it is the most quit the unit sounds a little bit “tinn-y” at least that what my buddy tells me on the other end.
    D-

  285. hi can someone please post how to transfer a picture i took on my phone to my PC/email? (or if this is even possible!) i can’t seem to figure it ot on this new Blade of mine! thanks a lot!!

  286. David,
    I just received my web usage detail from the sprint eCare team. It seems that they’ve finally got some info as to how to determine web vs modem usage. The CSR was able to detail what is the usage for each compared to previous ocasions and I believe that this is a change in their reporting system (as I had commented earlier) it seems the CSR’s at least eCare team have access to the data usage detail and I’m now able to see what the modem usage looks like. I purposely used my PAM (phone-as-modem) on a few occasions just to see how sprint was really billing me. What the eCare showed me was a report which showed the date, time, transaction type(DATA), username, kb amount and associated cost. The modem usage is labeled as username@modem.sprintpcs.com and the web usage is labeled as username@sprintpcs.com. So now we know that they can actually differentiate which is which.. I’ve not received my bill yet but based on the report I didn’t exceed my 40mb of modem use so I’ll give you more infor when I get that.
    The report I got looks like this:
    02/03/2006 9:59:07 DATA username@modem.sprintpcs.com 2 KB 0.00
    02/03/2006 10:02:45 DATA username@sprintpcs.com 6 KB 0.00
    Hope this helps.

  287. David,
    I just received my web usage detail from the sprint eCare team. It seems that they’ve finally got some info as to how to determine web vs modem usage. The CSR was able to detail what is the usage for each compared to previous ocasions and I believe that this is a change in their reporting system (as I had commented earlier) it seems the CSR’s at least eCare team have access to the data usage detail and I’m now able to see what the modem usage looks like. I purposely used my PAM (phone-as-modem) on a few occasions just to see how sprint was really billing me. What the eCare showed me was a report which showed the date, time, transaction type(DATA), username, kb amount and associated cost. The modem usage is labeled as username@modem.sprintpcs.com and the web usage is labeled as username@sprintpcs.com. So now we know that they can actually differentiate which is which.. I’ve not received my bill yet but based on the report I didn’t exceed my 40mb of modem use so I’ll give you more infor when I get that.
    The report I got looks like this:
    02/03/2006 9:59:07 DATA username@modem.sprintpcs.com 2 KB 0.00
    02/03/2006 10:02:45 DATA username@sprintpcs.com 6 KB 0.00
    Hope this helps.

  288. Ivan!
    Excellent information!
    I don’t have my February bill yet so I will be interested to see how this all plays out on paper.
    I, too, tested the phone-as-modem feature just a bit to get a reading — I didn’t want to risk piling up big charges if something went awry in the billing setup.
    If this actually works out the way we think it will work out — wowser! — this is going to be fantastic!

  290. Joe,
    Wow that is a incredible difference. I will check and see if they have a price match. If not I will take it back and go to Compusa. Funny enough, the Plantrinics 640 was $129. at Compusa and $99 at Fry’s. The price must have just been reduced because I was at Compusa and they were $159 when I was there. The miles difference is only about ten miles. Thanks a bunch
    -D

  291. This is a reply to #171, and any Mac users out there.
    Yes the A900 will work using bluetooth on the Mac.
    BE FOREWARNED: If you want to use the A900 as a flash drive for any reason, you must be using G4. Some sites will tell you that you can’t be on Tiger….not true. Tiger on a G4 will work just fine. Tiger on a G5 will not. I do not know if Panther on a G5 will work.
    So your PowerBook with G4 should have no issues using the A900 as a flash drive. The A900 will work as a bluetooth with a G4 or a G5.
    Hope that is of some help.
    Michelle

  292. Well I called FRY’S today and they do have a price match. I will go back and take care of that. JOE Thank you for bringing that to my attention.
    -D

  293. Does anybody use the Sirius Service with your Sprint phone? I’m curious how good it works? I’ve not seen anybody posts where somebody commented on the if they were happy with this or not.
    Is the reception the same if your outside or inside?
    thanks for replies.

  294. Joe, I went to Fry’s today and everything went great. Got my thirty bucks back. The headset was a liitle weird today, it tranfsfered two calls back to the phone out of the blue. It also would intermintetley send some weird, funky tones in my ear during conversation. Today was a heavy usage day, I was on the phone for several hours as drove 500 miles today. I will probably exchange and see if this is normal for this unit or it is/was a fluke.
    -D

  295. Well, my 24 months are up with Sprint, so comes the time to wheel and deal. I was finally able to stop by a local Sprint store to check out the A900, and is it ever gorgeous. It was impressive in the pictures online, but actually holding the sleek metal case is another thing entirely. I checked out the A920 while I was there, while it’s a nice phone, it’s nowhere in the Blade’s league. It looks almost toyish. Once I figure out what kind of contract I want, I can definitely see owning the A900.
    Also, thanks for the headset reviews Dwayne, very informative for someone who has never had BT. And great news Ivan about the seperate meter for PAM usage. Looking forward to having that as an option when traveling.

  296. Well, my 24 months are up with Sprint, so comes the time to wheel and deal. I was finally able to stop by a local Sprint store to check out the A900, and is it ever gorgeous. It was impressive in the pictures online, but actually holding the sleek metal case is another thing entirely. I checked out the A920 while I was there, while it’s a nice phone, it’s nowhere in the Blade’s league. It looks almost toyish. Once I figure out what kind of contract I want, I can definitely see owning the A900.
    Also, thanks for the headset reviews Dwayne, very informative for someone who has never had BT. And great news Ivan about the seperate meter for PAM usage. Looking forward to having that as an option when traveling.

  297. Well, my 24 months are up with Sprint, so comes the time to wheel and deal. I was finally able to stop by a local Sprint store to check out the A900, and is it ever gorgeous. It was impressive in the pictures online, but actually holding the sleek metal case is another thing entirely. I checked out the A920 while I was there, while it’s a nice phone, it’s nowhere in the Blade’s league. It looks almost toyish. Once I figure out what kind of contract I want, I can definitely see owning the A900.
    Also, thanks for the headset reviews Dwayne, very informative for someone who has never had BT. And great news Ivan about the seperate meter for PAM usage. Looking forward to having that as an option when traveling.

  298. Dwayne S,
    You’re welcome. This site has been very helpful with information. Glad I was able to give something back.

  299. Dwayne S,
    You’re welcome. This site has been very helpful with information. Glad I was able to give something back.

  300. Dwayne S,
    You’re welcome. This site has been very helpful with information. Glad I was able to give something back.

  301. jeff, I’ve used the Sirius service and it works great. Sound quality is great, although I must admit I haven’t actually listened to any satellite radio beforehand. Yes it works both inside and outside, but I believe this is because the signal it transmitted the via phone’s connection. i.e., I don’t think the phone receives the signal directly from a satellite. What is most likely the case is that Sprint receives the signal on their end and they retransmit it through their own network. I have no evidence to back this up but I am almost certain that this is the case. It should be the same way they let you watch live TV, which also works great.

  302. jeff, I’ve used the Sirius service and it works great. Sound quality is great, although I must admit I haven’t actually listened to any satellite radio beforehand. Yes it works both inside and outside, but I believe this is because the signal it transmitted the via phone’s connection. i.e., I don’t think the phone receives the signal directly from a satellite. What is most likely the case is that Sprint receives the signal on their end and they retransmit it through their own network. I have no evidence to back this up but I am almost certain that this is the case. It should be the same way they let you watch live TV, which also works great.

  303. jeff, I’ve used the Sirius service and it works great. Sound quality is great, although I must admit I haven’t actually listened to any satellite radio beforehand. Yes it works both inside and outside, but I believe this is because the signal it transmitted the via phone’s connection. i.e., I don’t think the phone receives the signal directly from a satellite. What is most likely the case is that Sprint receives the signal on their end and they retransmit it through their own network. I have no evidence to back this up but I am almost certain that this is the case. It should be the same way they let you watch live TV, which also works great.

  304. I just got my A900 today I love it already Wow! this site is a big help.. I just read the whole page lol it was just so interesting. Thanks alot guys.

  305. I just got my A900 today I love it already Wow! this site is a big help.. I just read the whole page lol it was just so interesting. Thanks alot guys.

  306. I just got my A900 today I love it already Wow! this site is a big help.. I just read the whole page lol it was just so interesting. Thanks alot guys.

  307. Dwayne S.
    I have gone through four wireless headsets and they all make a intermittent beeping sound at odd times. Looking through the manual for the headset (at least the 850) it says that is the loss of communications alarm/tone. I also have varying amounts of static with all of the headsets (3 Motorola’s and a Jabra). I have only had my phone about a week, so the experimenting continues. Now I am working on how the Power Vision Works. Then I will get to the Modem part, then??
    Tom

  308. Dwayne S.
    I have gone through four wireless headsets and they all make a intermittent beeping sound at odd times. Looking through the manual for the headset (at least the 850) it says that is the loss of communications alarm/tone. I also have varying amounts of static with all of the headsets (3 Motorola’s and a Jabra). I have only had my phone about a week, so the experimenting continues. Now I am working on how the Power Vision Works. Then I will get to the Modem part, then??
    Tom

  309. Dwayne S.
    I have gone through four wireless headsets and they all make a intermittent beeping sound at odd times. Looking through the manual for the headset (at least the 850) it says that is the loss of communications alarm/tone. I also have varying amounts of static with all of the headsets (3 Motorola’s and a Jabra). I have only had my phone about a week, so the experimenting continues. Now I am working on how the Power Vision Works. Then I will get to the Modem part, then??
    Tom

  310. the a900 is an awesome phone, i love it, does anyone know how to conver koz files…

  311. the a900 is an awesome phone, i love it, does anyone know how to conver koz files…

  312. Well I am an the hunt for another headset. After the unexplainable tones in the ear during a call. I could live with tones off of calls but not during. One really odd thing is that the audio quality just flat went down hill. My friend said that I sounded like “Mickey Mouse on helium”. So I went back to Fry’s and changed the set, still the sound was mediocre at best. I am tired of playing with this one so here we go again. I am not sure where to go next. Plantronics has a bluetooth headphone set that goues over both ears and has a little boom mike. That one runs $199. I really dont want that big of a headset, but what the heck, I am curious to try it out! Other than Fry’s, Compusa, Best buy or circuit city, any body no who else to try that has a brick and mortar building with a liberal exchange policy?
    -Dwayne

  313. Dwayne S
    I was recently in a best buy in the ny area and i noticed they had the Jabra jx10 on sale (179). If your near a best buy i think u should check it out since u tried everything else

  314. Jay,
    If they have one here in Oregon I will certainly try it. I really am getting tired of trying to find one. I have started eyeballing nice looking wired headsets again. But damn it there has got to be one that works with a samsung a900 well. Maybe I am just too picky I’m not sure. The Motorola phones work great with Motorola. But the Samsung phones don’t work all that great with most headsets. It is really weird. But I am sure that somewhere out there, a bluetooth earpeice is waiting for me, I think it’s destiny. :o)

  315. PLEASE can someone let me know if there is a way to transfer my pics in my phone to my computer?? if anyone knows please post. i’d really appreciate it!! thanks a ton! 🙂

  316. PLEASE can someone let me know if there is a way to transfer my pics in my phone to my computer?? if anyone knows please post. i’d really appreciate it!! thanks a ton! 🙂

  319. Jay,
    My local Best Buy does not have them. I will look around in other towns for it. I am going to Billlings MT next weeek. I will look when I am there. I did find a great deal on the Nokia Black headset at Best Buy tonight. This was one that was okay but the phone needs to be in the same side of the body to work with very little static. It is fairly comfortable, and the volume is good. It was on sale for $29. I figured with all that I have tried for as much as 5 times that amount, it was a deal. If I am going to settle for less, at least I will pay less this way. I am not done shopping, but at least I only have thirty dollars tied up while I do. Worst case I will settle with this one and the “cost per static ratio will be acceptable.” ;o
    Stephanie, I think the post’s above outline the process. Sometimes you won’t get answers if they are already posted.

  320. Glad I found this website! I just purchased the A900 two days ago and I love it! I am having a problem with one thing and I am hoping someone here can help. I figure out how to drag and drop photos and mp3 files to the phone with little trouble. The photo’s open up just fine. However, the music files will not open. Even the couple of songs I downloaded from the Sprint Music Store will not open. I get an error message that says “Unsupported Document By Fileviewer”. I have not been able to get any song of any format to work. Any thoughts?

  321. Glad I found this website! I just purchased the A900 two days ago and I love it! I am having a problem with one thing and I am hoping someone here can help. I figure out how to drag and drop photos and mp3 files to the phone with little trouble. The photo’s open up just fine. However, the music files will not open. Even the couple of songs I downloaded from the Sprint Music Store will not open. I get an error message that says “Unsupported Document By Fileviewer”. I have not been able to get any song of any format to work. Any thoughts?

  322. I tried the Jabra jx10, it was one of the four headsets I have gone through. It has just as much static as the Motorola 850, and the high low intermittent beep tones. Also it doesn’t understand voice commands as well as the 850. So it went back. I am willing to be the high low tones are a problem with the phones software, so it may get fixed. The static is an issue. I just put the phone in my shirt pocket if I am walking. It I am at my desk or in the car, the phone sits on the desk, or the seat next to me and there isn’t any static. I am not sure if a software fix will get rid of the static, we will see.

  323. Updates on PAM (Phone-As-Modem) Data Pricing.
    It seems that Sprint has updated their PAM offering. They no longer appear to have the $25 PAM package and now have two prices for PAM.
    $39.99 – 40Mb Package which includes PCS Vision (apparently no TV) and capped at $69.99
    $49.99 – Unlimited Data – with Vision also. Oddly enough theres a comment stating that you can get the unlimited for $39.99 with a 2yr Agreement.
    These prices are in the latest Sprint Brochure. So this is not based on a rumor.

  324. Updates on PAM (Phone-As-Modem) Data Pricing.
    It seems that Sprint has updated their PAM offering. They no longer appear to have the $25 PAM package and now have two prices for PAM.
    $39.99 – 40Mb Package which includes PCS Vision (apparently no TV) and capped at $69.99
    $49.99 – Unlimited Data – with Vision also. Oddly enough theres a comment stating that you can get the unlimited for $39.99 with a 2yr Agreement.
    These prices are in the latest Sprint Brochure. So this is not based on a rumor.

  325. That is strange news, Ivan! What do you think is going on? Are Sprint going broke on the $25 plan? Can they revoke it from us?
    I just received my second bill — they charged me for Sprint TV Live, but not Sprint Plus TV — and there was ZERO billing detail about PAM charges even on the more detailed online version of the bill. I used the phone as a modem but there is no evidence of such on my bill. I was planning on calling them today to ask what happened but now I don’t know if I dare.

  326. David,
    Based on previous experience, I don’t think they will revoke your service as you have a contract and normally to keep customers they don’t change the plan unless you aske them to. Also the $25 dollar plan (according to the brochure I’ve got includes Sprint TV Ultimate which includes a lot of the Live content but not all of it) My Vision usage was about 26.3Mb and my Modem use was only 86KB on my last invoice so even though they can identify what is modem and what is vision so I still can not validate 100% if they’re actually capping all of the usage at 40Mb or just the modem.
    My interpretation of the whole thing is that yes they do differentiate between data and modem and like you stated Sprint apparently had 2nd thoughts on tht offering and now decided to bill similarly to what the connection cards offer. And Since they where providing a lot of content for $25 they decided to only offer basic Vision with the PAM service. With this in mind it seems more evident that they are actually capping only the modem use and it made perfect sense (to them) to bill seperately for the TV service to make up for some lost revenue.
    What I would do in your case is not to ask about the new services. Instead send an email to eCare@sprintpcs.com and ask them to give you your detailed data use for the billing cycle. You don’t have to explain the reason but if they do just state that your re-considering whether you need the expensive plan or not and want to know what your usage looks like. That way they should give you a detailed report on how you used your data service. If your vision service exceeded the 40mb a month and the modem usage and you’re big into the TV service then I wouldn’t do anything with the plan.
    P.S. For the moment I’m not changing anything in my plan. It seems that after the Nextel merger Sprint billing is screwed up and I alway’s end up seeing charges that shouldn’t be there.

  327. David,
    Based on previous experience, I don’t think they will revoke your service as you have a contract and normally to keep customers they don’t change the plan unless you aske them to. Also the $25 dollar plan (according to the brochure I’ve got includes Sprint TV Ultimate which includes a lot of the Live content but not all of it) My Vision usage was about 26.3Mb and my Modem use was only 86KB on my last invoice so even though they can identify what is modem and what is vision so I still can not validate 100% if they’re actually capping all of the usage at 40Mb or just the modem.
    My interpretation of the whole thing is that yes they do differentiate between data and modem and like you stated Sprint apparently had 2nd thoughts on tht offering and now decided to bill similarly to what the connection cards offer. And Since they where providing a lot of content for $25 they decided to only offer basic Vision with the PAM service. With this in mind it seems more evident that they are actually capping only the modem use and it made perfect sense (to them) to bill seperately for the TV service to make up for some lost revenue.
    What I would do in your case is not to ask about the new services. Instead send an email to eCare@sprintpcs.com and ask them to give you your detailed data use for the billing cycle. You don’t have to explain the reason but if they do just state that your re-considering whether you need the expensive plan or not and want to know what your usage looks like. That way they should give you a detailed report on how you used your data service. If your vision service exceeded the 40mb a month and the modem usage and you’re big into the TV service then I wouldn’t do anything with the plan.
    P.S. For the moment I’m not changing anything in my plan. It seems that after the Nextel merger Sprint billing is screwed up and I alway’s end up seeing charges that shouldn’t be there.

  328. David,
    Based on previous experience, I don’t think they will revoke your service as you have a contract and normally to keep customers they don’t change the plan unless you aske them to. Also the $25 dollar plan (according to the brochure I’ve got includes Sprint TV Ultimate which includes a lot of the Live content but not all of it) My Vision usage was about 26.3Mb and my Modem use was only 86KB on my last invoice so even though they can identify what is modem and what is vision so I still can not validate 100% if they’re actually capping all of the usage at 40Mb or just the modem.
    My interpretation of the whole thing is that yes they do differentiate between data and modem and like you stated Sprint apparently had 2nd thoughts on tht offering and now decided to bill similarly to what the connection cards offer. And Since they where providing a lot of content for $25 they decided to only offer basic Vision with the PAM service. With this in mind it seems more evident that they are actually capping only the modem use and it made perfect sense (to them) to bill seperately for the TV service to make up for some lost revenue.
    What I would do in your case is not to ask about the new services. Instead send an email to eCare@sprintpcs.com and ask them to give you your detailed data use for the billing cycle. You don’t have to explain the reason but if they do just state that your re-considering whether you need the expensive plan or not and want to know what your usage looks like. That way they should give you a detailed report on how you used your data service. If your vision service exceeded the 40mb a month and the modem usage and you’re big into the TV service then I wouldn’t do anything with the plan.
    P.S. For the moment I’m not changing anything in my plan. It seems that after the Nextel merger Sprint billing is screwed up and I alway’s end up seeing charges that shouldn’t be there.

  329. BlueTooth adapters for PC. If anyone it thinking about using BT as a modem with the phone I found a great BT USB adapter for it at CompUSA. It’s the IOGear GBU321. It’s BT v2.0 and USB 2.0. It’s class 2 device so it’s reach is aproximately 300feet (100m)Since it’s BT v2.0 it supports all of the newest profiles. I’ve used it with my a900 as a modem and also used my PC as a hands free device and used it to transfer mp3’s and files to/from the phone. The interface could be a bit more user friendly for initial setup but, once you pair 2 devices together it works great. I’ve also used it to sync my PDA while the PC is connected to the internet via my mobile phone and it’s worked flawlessly. It’s small but also has a USB extension cable aprox 6″ long if you need to move it around to improve reception/transmission. The cost is aprox $39 which is not bad comparing it to other brands with don’t even support BT v1.2. It’s also got a 3yr warranty.
    Check it out at:
    http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GBU321

  330. BlueTooth adapters for PC. If anyone it thinking about using BT as a modem with the phone I found a great BT USB adapter for it at CompUSA. It’s the IOGear GBU321. It’s BT v2.0 and USB 2.0. It’s class 2 device so it’s reach is aproximately 300feet (100m)Since it’s BT v2.0 it supports all of the newest profiles. I’ve used it with my a900 as a modem and also used my PC as a hands free device and used it to transfer mp3’s and files to/from the phone. The interface could be a bit more user friendly for initial setup but, once you pair 2 devices together it works great. I’ve also used it to sync my PDA while the PC is connected to the internet via my mobile phone and it’s worked flawlessly. It’s small but also has a USB extension cable aprox 6″ long if you need to move it around to improve reception/transmission. The cost is aprox $39 which is not bad comparing it to other brands with don’t even support BT v1.2. It’s also got a 3yr warranty.
    Check it out at:
    http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GBU321

  331. BlueTooth adapters for PC. If anyone it thinking about using BT as a modem with the phone I found a great BT USB adapter for it at CompUSA. It’s the IOGear GBU321. It’s BT v2.0 and USB 2.0. It’s class 2 device so it’s reach is aproximately 300feet (100m)Since it’s BT v2.0 it supports all of the newest profiles. I’ve used it with my a900 as a modem and also used my PC as a hands free device and used it to transfer mp3’s and files to/from the phone. The interface could be a bit more user friendly for initial setup but, once you pair 2 devices together it works great. I’ve also used it to sync my PDA while the PC is connected to the internet via my mobile phone and it’s worked flawlessly. It’s small but also has a USB extension cable aprox 6″ long if you need to move it around to improve reception/transmission. The cost is aprox $39 which is not bad comparing it to other brands with don’t even support BT v1.2. It’s also got a 3yr warranty.
    Check it out at:
    http://www.iogear.com/main.php?loc=product&Item=GBU321

  332. Ivan!
    Thanks for the detailed response.
    Hmm… what a strange mess this is with Sprint backtracking from their $25 deal. I think the $25 deal is perfect! It should not be the same sort of price for the PC Card because you had to lug around the USB cable along with your phone. The PC Card solution is much cleaner for that kind of ongoing broadband solution and it doesn’t drain you phone’s battery.
    😀
    Now if they offered me PC Card access AS WELL AS modem access via my phone with Sprint Ultimate TV for those prices, I would be very interested in moving up to the more expensive plans.
    I just checked my plan via my online account setup and I’m on the $25 plan so it may be best to just leave everything alone and see how it all shakes out.

  333. One comment on my USB/BT adapter. The IOGear GBU321 is Class 1 not 2. Class 1 BT devices offer 100m (330ft) range vs 10m (33ft) that the Class 2 provides.
    FCC Class determines the transmitter power levels as regulated.

  334. David, I agree like the old saying “He who hits first,Hits Twice”. I used to have the old original Vision service. I only paid $10 a month (actually 7.50 cause I have a corporate discount) and I got everything Unlimited. Messaging, web, PAM.. everything. (I lost that when I moved to the new PowerVision but, not my discount 🙂 ). After that sprint realized the popularity and the additional services they could offer.. Picture, MMS.. So they decided to provided different Tier’s at different rates.. Now it’s the same thing.. They threw the PAM for $25 to see if there was really a market for it.. They did it so cheap that a lot of people got into it.. So now with the new phones new features allow them to offer different Tier levels.
    Now we ($25 PAM with Ultimate PV user’s) where able to Hit first. So we got (in my opinion) a better deal than those who will now pay $39 for the 40Mb PAM with only PV access.
    In my case I would change my plan if they offered the PV Ultimate TV TV Live with PAM Unlimited for $39. Then it would seem like I’m getting more for more not less for more.

  335. Ivan!
    Yes, I like how you think! You are certainly right we got in while the gettin’ was good!
    😀
    I loved Sprint TV Live — it was the only thing I watched. The Sprint Ultimate TV — as far as I could see — is just clips of old shows.
    The Live TV stream really showed the power of the medium, but I’m not going to pay extra for it. I also cancelled my Sirius Radio subscription — I’ll just take what’s bundled with my $25 and leave it at that.
    Let me know if you hear any other strange rumblings in Sprint PCS Land!

  336. Ivan!
    Yes, I like how you think! You are certainly right we got in while the gettin’ was good!
    😀
    I loved Sprint TV Live — it was the only thing I watched. The Sprint Ultimate TV — as far as I could see — is just clips of old shows.
    The Live TV stream really showed the power of the medium, but I’m not going to pay extra for it. I also cancelled my Sirius Radio subscription — I’ll just take what’s bundled with my $25 and leave it at that.
    Let me know if you hear any other strange rumblings in Sprint PCS Land!

  337. Ivan!
    Yes, I like how you think! You are certainly right we got in while the gettin’ was good!
    😀
    I loved Sprint TV Live — it was the only thing I watched. The Sprint Ultimate TV — as far as I could see — is just clips of old shows.
    The Live TV stream really showed the power of the medium, but I’m not going to pay extra for it. I also cancelled my Sirius Radio subscription — I’ll just take what’s bundled with my $25 and leave it at that.
    Let me know if you hear any other strange rumblings in Sprint PCS Land!

  338. In response to #219
    stephanie, its very easy to transfer your picture to your phone. the A900 comes with its own USB cable. There is another post here with driver information, but I dont think drivers are needed. Just connect the phone to the compuer and winxp will have a pop-up asking you for drivers. hit cancel, then go into the phone menu > tools > mass storage > connect to PC. as soon as it connects winxp will have another pop up (similar to connecting a drive or inserting a cd) then select browse. then copy away :>
    I think there is also a way to transfer files using the bluetooth / ftp function, but I havent messed with it.

  339. In response to #219
    stephanie, its very easy to transfer your picture to your phone. the A900 comes with its own USB cable. There is another post here with driver information, but I dont think drivers are needed. Just connect the phone to the compuer and winxp will have a pop-up asking you for drivers. hit cancel, then go into the phone menu > tools > mass storage > connect to PC. as soon as it connects winxp will have another pop up (similar to connecting a drive or inserting a cd) then select browse. then copy away :>
    I think there is also a way to transfer files using the bluetooth / ftp function, but I havent messed with it.

  340. In response to #219
    stephanie, its very easy to transfer your picture to your phone. the A900 comes with its own USB cable. There is another post here with driver information, but I dont think drivers are needed. Just connect the phone to the compuer and winxp will have a pop-up asking you for drivers. hit cancel, then go into the phone menu > tools > mass storage > connect to PC. as soon as it connects winxp will have another pop up (similar to connecting a drive or inserting a cd) then select browse. then copy away :>
    I think there is also a way to transfer files using the bluetooth / ftp function, but I havent messed with it.

  341. Hi
    Is it possible to save typed words in auto type, if so can someone tell me how…. Thanks

  342. Hi
    Is it possible to save typed words in auto type, if so can someone tell me how…. Thanks

  343. Hi
    Is it possible to save typed words in auto type, if so can someone tell me how…. Thanks

  344. i just uploadit some mp3 from my computer and my phone says it dose not support that file

  345. i just uploadit some mp3 from my computer and my phone says it dose not support that file

  346. I continue to use my plantronics 640 without problems. Has anyone heard if Sprint is going to make an extended battery?

  347. Does the Power Vision service that I get on my PCS phone include unlimited SMS text messages? Because right now I’m paying $20 (i believe) for Vision and $10 for unlimited texts but im not sure if this is redundant

  348. Does the Power Vision service that I get on my PCS phone include unlimited SMS text messages? Because right now I’m paying $20 (i believe) for Vision and $10 for unlimited texts but im not sure if this is redundant

  349. Does the Power Vision service that I get on my PCS phone include unlimited SMS text messages? Because right now I’m paying $20 (i believe) for Vision and $10 for unlimited texts but im not sure if this is redundant

  350. Max,
    SMS text messages are seperate from your vision service. Sprint may be cruel sometimes, but I don’t think they would let you pay an extra $10 for something that is already covered. I hope not anyways because I am doing the same thing as you.

  351. hey i wanna know plz step by step how to upload mp3s to my phone n actually use em every time i do it it says that the phone doesnt recognize the type file.
    another question is that i already uploade pictures to my phone now how can i put em as wallpapers in my phone.
    thanx

  352. Hey guys. Alright here’s my biggest problem.. Im not sure if you have alreayd answered this but here I go… I went to a ringer upload website. I uploaded a ringtone from my pc, I received a text message giving me the link. I then typed the link on my phone and i downloaded my personal ringtone. NOw they are in My Contents and I can set them as a ringtone.. However, when someone calls me it wont ring. It on the highest volume but the ringtone wont play.. But when I go to my Content to play the ringer it works fine.
    Does anyone know what im doing wrong??

  353. Alex,
    First things first. Did you upgrade the software on the phone? (Menu, # Settings, 8 Other, 8 Update Software). Also check the volume settings on the phone the ringer may not be recorded with high enough db and your volume level may be just low enough not to play the tone . I have noticed that when setting custom images or ringtones the ringer will take a couple of seconds to play but, have never experienced a no ringotne issue. Als

  354. Well i did install the update…. and the volume is up so it should play but its still not playing…And its MP3 format and the ringer is supported by Mp3 so i ahve no idea what else to do. Thanks for the advice though Ivan.

  355. I just got my A900 yesterday and for the life of me I can’t figure out how to transfer an mp3 file from my RAZR to my A900 using Bluetooth. I can see activity showing that the transfer is taking place, but I can’t find the file anywhere on the A900. I’m probably missing something really easy here, but any help would be appreciated!
    Thanks in advance!

  356. I just got my A900 yesterday and for the life of me I can’t figure out how to transfer an mp3 file from my RAZR to my A900 using Bluetooth. I can see activity showing that the transfer is taking place, but I can’t find the file anywhere on the A900. I’m probably missing something really easy here, but any help would be appreciated!
    Thanks in advance!

  357. I just got my A900 yesterday and for the life of me I can’t figure out how to transfer an mp3 file from my RAZR to my A900 using Bluetooth. I can see activity showing that the transfer is taking place, but I can’t find the file anywhere on the A900. I’m probably missing something really easy here, but any help would be appreciated!
    Thanks in advance!

  361. Help! I bought my plantronics 640 over the internet and I can’t get it to work with my a900. I think I have done everything right. Wait for it to tun on and you have 30 seconds to pair it using the search function on the phone. Nothing, it says no device in range.
    ANY IDEAS???

  362. Help! I bought my plantronics 640 over the internet and I can’t get it to work with my a900. I think I have done everything right. Wait for it to tun on and you have 30 seconds to pair it using the search function on the phone. Nothing, it says no device in range.
    ANY IDEAS???

  363. Help! I bought my plantronics 640 over the internet and I can’t get it to work with my a900. I think I have done everything right. Wait for it to tun on and you have 30 seconds to pair it using the search function on the phone. Nothing, it says no device in range.
    ANY IDEAS???

  364. Nevermind about the plantronics 640, I finally figured it out. Thanks anyway. First try seemed to have a little static but not bad
    Thanks

  365. Nevermind about the plantronics 640, I finally figured it out. Thanks anyway. First try seemed to have a little static but not bad
    Thanks

  366. Hello All,
    Great site David!! I am hoping you or someone hear can help me. I updated the firmware on my phone today and now I cannot see a thing on my main screen. I did not interrupt the update but after the phone rebooted I see nothing. Any thoughts?
    Thanks

  369. I updated too and after the reboot the main display is completely white and not functional.
    Would not advise anyone else to apply the update at this time….

  370. Snoop – how was your problem with the main display resolved after you did the update?
    I have almost the same issue after the update (main display is solid white and unusable).
    After spending nearly an hour on hold, etc., Sprint tech support told me to take the phone into the store.

  371. Snoop – how was your problem with the main display resolved after you did the update?
    I have almost the same issue after the update (main display is solid white and unusable).
    After spending nearly an hour on hold, etc., Sprint tech support told me to take the phone into the store.

  372. Snoop – how was your problem with the main display resolved after you did the update?
    I have almost the same issue after the update (main display is solid white and unusable).
    After spending nearly an hour on hold, etc., Sprint tech support told me to take the phone into the store.

  375. I’ve had this phone for about a month, and not one complaint. The short battery life doesn’t bother me .. I keep my conversations short, and recharge every other night or so.
    Here’s my question: I notice that the screen goes black after about ten seconds of connected conversation. I’ve tried turning off all of the power-saving features, but this still happens. I’d prefer that it stay on .. power consumption isn’t an issue for me.
    Is there a setting I’m missing?

  378. Man..was this a pain. Sprint told me that it may be one of two things. A.) my phone has an application conflict or B.) it was one of the first releases and there is a memory problem. After two trips to the Sprint store I finally got a new Blade and all is well. Warning!! I just got off the phone with India and the store accidentally charged me for the phone. Make sure when you get yours replaced that you are not charged.
    The update was worth it– finally good bluetooth.

  379. For those who mentioned turning off the GPS function to extend battery life, I tried it and it definitely improved the battery life drastically.

  380. For those who mentioned turning off the GPS function to extend battery life, I tried it and it definitely improved the battery life drastically.

  381. cg3772,
    This is not a option I like either and have also not figured out a way to keep the diplay screen on when talking besides pushing a button. If you figure it out let me know.

  382. cg3772 and Andy,
    I’ve had samsung’s before and although I’ve not tried it on this phone normally the you go to setting’s, Display and Backlight options, Set the option to Flip Open and this should enable the display to remain on as long as the flip is opened. Give it a try and let me know.

  383. cg3772 and Andy,
    I’ve had samsung’s before and although I’ve not tried it on this phone normally the you go to setting’s, Display and Backlight options, Set the option to Flip Open and this should enable the display to remain on as long as the flip is opened. Give it a try and let me know.

  384. cg3772 and Andy,
    I’ve had samsung’s before and although I’ve not tried it on this phone normally the you go to setting’s, Display and Backlight options, Set the option to Flip Open and this should enable the display to remain on as long as the flip is opened. Give it a try and let me know.

  385. Snoop, I’ve read about this issue on other forums and It’s believed that this is a HW problem. Try to do a full device reset by entering ##786# and then clear memmory. The only catch is that you’ll need your provisioning code and will have to talk to sprint to re-program the phone. Otherwise I would take it in to Sprint to get it reset or replaced.

  386. Snoop, I’ve read about this issue on other forums and It’s believed that this is a HW problem. Try to do a full device reset by entering ##786# and then clear memmory. The only catch is that you’ll need your provisioning code and will have to talk to sprint to re-program the phone. Otherwise I would take it in to Sprint to get it reset or replaced.

  387. I took the A900 (with the solid white main screen thanks to the update) into the Sprint store. It almost ended without any progress, because they said I’d have to call Sprint corporate tomorrow to get a replacement (cause the store in my area is an “affiliate”, and for some reason they don’t play well with folks who buy phones through Sprint proper) — but I happened to think that since an “update” got me into this mess maybe down-reving would get me out of it. So I asked the guy if he could reinstall an older software version. He took it into the backroom, started the reinstall, and 20 (long) minutes later low-n-behold it was working again.
    After I got home — not being content to run with “old” software, I started thinking “why…”? Twice before I’d upgraded the phone using the built-in method without a problem. What was different this time….? The only thing I could think of was the Opera mini-browser.
    I don’t know if it being installed was the problem (because along with it I uninstalled a couple of other expired trial applications that were on the phone when I got it), but after I held my breath (OK, several breaths), and launched the built-in upgrade again, it worked OK after the restart.

  388. Ivan —
    Thanks for the response. However, I already tried this. Switching to “flip open” on the backlight and the keys does cause the lights to remain on while the phone is open .. until you connect a call .. then the screen goes black after 10s.
    I’m thinking this is an unavoidable problem .. maybe a software update will change this in the future.
    Thanks anyway for the response, and thanks to David for maintaining this site. It’s a great help.

  389. Ivan —
    Thanks for the response. However, I already tried this. Switching to “flip open” on the backlight and the keys does cause the lights to remain on while the phone is open .. until you connect a call .. then the screen goes black after 10s.
    I’m thinking this is an unavoidable problem .. maybe a software update will change this in the future.
    Thanks anyway for the response, and thanks to David for maintaining this site. It’s a great help.

  390. Ivan —
    Thanks for the response. However, I already tried this. Switching to “flip open” on the backlight and the keys does cause the lights to remain on while the phone is open .. until you connect a call .. then the screen goes black after 10s.
    I’m thinking this is an unavoidable problem .. maybe a software update will change this in the future.
    Thanks anyway for the response, and thanks to David for maintaining this site. It’s a great help.

  391. my Picture ID is messed up. I’m already on my second a900 in 3 days and both have been govong me the same problem. no matter who it is..if a picture ID is set for that caller, i get a blank screen. it worked fine at first, then the next day it just went blank. is it a glitch?

  392. my Picture ID is messed up. I’m already on my second a900 in 3 days and both have been govong me the same problem. no matter who it is..if a picture ID is set for that caller, i get a blank screen. it worked fine at first, then the next day it just went blank. is it a glitch?

  393. cg3772,
    This must be a bug. Unless samsung’s changed the function. You’re probably right and a software update will fix this or considering the battery concerns of a lot of users maybe they will never enable this.

  394. Great website you have here.
    I have read every post on here and most of my questions have been answered. I am most likely going to purchase this phone after being with sprint for over 2 years and not upgraded my phone yet. However, I’m still confused on a couple of issues. I went to a sprint store today and they aren’t they really didn’t help me at all. One, the whole thing about going over 40mb. I am looking into the power vision plan for $20/month (not sure if that $25/ month is worth it). With this plan I will have the ability to view channels such as the NFL network, Fox sports Unlimited web access etc. What I am curious is to what you will be charged when you go over 40mb or what that actually means.
    Another question I had is about text messaging. Now I don’t really use text messages but I will occasionally recieve one or send one. Do I have to pay $5 to be able to recieve or send text messages or can they just charge me I believe its like 10 cents a message or something.
    Last thing really isn’t a question. I have read that you can transfer your songs from you computer to the A900 phone. But why does sprint charge you $2.50 for a song when they allow you to get songs from your computer for free. Am I missing something here?
    Thanks in advance for anyone that can help me with these questions!!!

  395. Well I have done the update with no problem at all. Thanks for letting us know about it.
    Just wanted to add an update on my search for a good bluetooth headset. I bought a G-LITE from Gold Lantern. It was very light and the volume was extraordinary. The static factor was tolerable. However the noise reduction tended to cut off the first sounds in the first word in the sentence. The sound was a little fuzzy for the person I was talking to. I would say it was an okay unit in all. Still not the perfect one.
    I am currently testing one made by Sony Ericsson. It is called the AKONA HBH-602. Cost $119. I will be posting in a few days to let you know about this one.
    -Dwayne

  396. Well I have done the update with no problem at all. Thanks for letting us know about it.
    Just wanted to add an update on my search for a good bluetooth headset. I bought a G-LITE from Gold Lantern. It was very light and the volume was extraordinary. The static factor was tolerable. However the noise reduction tended to cut off the first sounds in the first word in the sentence. The sound was a little fuzzy for the person I was talking to. I would say it was an okay unit in all. Still not the perfect one.
    I am currently testing one made by Sony Ericsson. It is called the AKONA HBH-602. Cost $119. I will be posting in a few days to let you know about this one.
    -Dwayne

  397. I’m getting my A900 tomorrow but had one question since im too excited to do tomorrow and waste time doing it while i have my phone. Is there any other type of software i can use to cut an mp3 song to about 30 seconds other than nero wave editor which i have to pay to use, according to some webistes i visited.

  398. I’m getting my A900 tomorrow but had one question since im too excited to do tomorrow and waste time doing it while i have my phone. Is there any other type of software i can use to cut an mp3 song to about 30 seconds other than nero wave editor which i have to pay to use, according to some webistes i visited.

  399. Kristopher,
    For your first question, i have no experience and i dont think i will be able to tell you anything about the 40 MB thing, but yes, i researched the phone and its diverse plans and if you are into sports, the Sprint Power Vision Plus pack would be good for you, unless there is a football game on NBC.
    For your second question, the 100 text messages are optional for 5 dollars, you may however choose to only pay 10 cents per message, but that would cost twice as much as the 5 dollar choice once you reach 100 messages. (there is a choice for $8 and it gives you 500 text messages or even unlimited for 15)
    And lastly, Sprint thought hard about it. People put their own music onto their phones because they have an mp3 player BUILT IN. Personally, if i had to buy the music, i wouldnt buy the phone unless it had an expandable memory
    card slot or something in that nature. They make their money though, buy not letting people use their own music as ringtones
    The comments numberred 49 and 38 are detailed enough to show you exactly how to get mp3’s to use as ringtones, and hopefully, someone can answer my question on an editting tool?

  400. Just came across this site … great reading … thanks David ..
    I have ordered the A-900 and the Sero plan, so waiting to see just how unlimited a data plan i get for $30 a month. Any other Sero users out there with info on how data usage and tethering is working out? When i speak of sero, i mean the sprint employee referral offer (www.sprint.com/sero). Howards forum has more info as well, but seeing that there is good user feedback here, i figured that someone might have more info on their sero experience? Here is what plan gives Sprint Vision or Power Vision Included Free
    Anytime Minutes Per Month=500
    Weekend Minutes=Unlimited Night & Weekends
    Contract Term=2 years
    Monthly Service Charge=$30.00**
    Additional Minutes=$5 for every 50 minutes for 501 – 1000; Above 1000 minutes, $0.10/min
    Long Distance Charge=$0.00
    Roaming Charge=$0.00/min – Included
    Activation Fee=$0.00
    Early Termination Fee $150.00

  401. Just came across this site … great reading … thanks David ..
    I have ordered the A-900 and the Sero plan, so waiting to see just how unlimited a data plan i get for $30 a month. Any other Sero users out there with info on how data usage and tethering is working out? When i speak of sero, i mean the sprint employee referral offer (www.sprint.com/sero). Howards forum has more info as well, but seeing that there is good user feedback here, i figured that someone might have more info on their sero experience? Here is what plan gives Sprint Vision or Power Vision Included Free
    Anytime Minutes Per Month=500
    Weekend Minutes=Unlimited Night & Weekends
    Contract Term=2 years
    Monthly Service Charge=$30.00**
    Additional Minutes=$5 for every 50 minutes for 501 – 1000; Above 1000 minutes, $0.10/min
    Long Distance Charge=$0.00
    Roaming Charge=$0.00/min – Included
    Activation Fee=$0.00
    Early Termination Fee $150.00

  402. Please. Can anyone explain to me STEP BY STEP how to upload mp3 files to the phone? I thought I tried what would work but apparently not. When I go to Menu->Media Player, I get a message saying “no content” but when i go to Tools->Mass Storage, i see it there. Why does it show up in Tools but not my Media Players storage? Also, when I try to play the file from by Tools Storage I get an “unsupported format by fileviewer” message. A reply to this post would be grealy appreciated. Thanks.

  403. Marissa, I think I can help. I had the same problem at first. I found out at the Sprint store that when you drag the mp3 files to your phone you need to place them directly in the “MEDIA” file. So, connect the phone to the computer then go to “TOOLS”. then to “MASS STORAGE” and then to “CONNECT TO PC”. The phone will show up on your computer as a seperate drive. Within that drive there will be several file options such as “BLUETOOTH” and “MEDIA”.Then, go to your mp3 file and right click on it. Go to “SEND TO” and send it to whatever drive letter the phone is. Once you have sent it to that drive you need to open that drive and drag the mp3 to the “MEDIA” file. That shoud be all you need to do. Now you should be able to open the media player and select mass storage and the song should be there. Just clicking on the mp3 while in your file manager will not start the song. You have to open it in the Media Player. It is a lot more simple in practice than it sounds. Hope this helps!

  404. Marissa, I think I can help. I had the same problem at first. I found out at the Sprint store that when you drag the mp3 files to your phone you need to place them directly in the “MEDIA” file. So, connect the phone to the computer then go to “TOOLS”. then to “MASS STORAGE” and then to “CONNECT TO PC”. The phone will show up on your computer as a seperate drive. Within that drive there will be several file options such as “BLUETOOTH” and “MEDIA”.Then, go to your mp3 file and right click on it. Go to “SEND TO” and send it to whatever drive letter the phone is. Once you have sent it to that drive you need to open that drive and drag the mp3 to the “MEDIA” file. That shoud be all you need to do. Now you should be able to open the media player and select mass storage and the song should be there. Just clicking on the mp3 while in your file manager will not start the song. You have to open it in the Media Player. It is a lot more simple in practice than it sounds. Hope this helps!

  405. I got my phone last week and am loving it. I have one question. I can’t figure out why the green light is flashing on the front of the phone. It’s not plugged into the charger nor do I don’t have any type of messages that are unread. It’s actually starting to drive me crazy. I checked the manual and it said a steady green light meant the battery was fully charged. This just started yesterday around 4 o’clock after I received a call.
    Is this normal?

  406. Lisa,
    What you are seeing is called a service light. It is designed to let you know that you are in Sprint service. If you wish to shut it off, as I have for power conservation, you need to go to “setting” in you options area, then “display” and then “service light” change it to off and your flashing green light will go away.
    BLUE TOOTH UPDATE….so far so good with the new AKONO not too many weird noises and everyone can hear me okay. However it is not the most comfortable one out there for sure. But for now I am sticking with it.
    Dwayne-

  407. Lisa,
    What you are seeing is called a service light. It is designed to let you know that you are in Sprint service. If you wish to shut it off, as I have for power conservation, you need to go to “setting” in you options area, then “display” and then “service light” change it to off and your flashing green light will go away.
    BLUE TOOTH UPDATE….so far so good with the new AKONO not too many weird noises and everyone can hear me okay. However it is not the most comfortable one out there for sure. But for now I am sticking with it.
    Dwayne-

  408. Hello Dwayne,
    Thank you for your quick respond. I was able to successfully stop the flashing light.
    Lisa

  409. okay, so turning off the service light, bluetooth, and the location service can help conserve battery life. Is there anything else you can do, to help improve the battery life on the phone. and if so, how much longer did your phone’s battery stay alive?

  410. Like Dave and others here, I too did a software update that ended in the white screen. I took the phone to the Sprint store and they gave me a new phone. I had Opera mini-browser installed too.
    I also had done two updates on the first phone that worked fine. Only after installing Opera mini-browser did it glitch. So after reading Dave’s post I tend to think we’re on to something. However, as of tonight, I’m still afraid to retry the update.
    Has anyone else had this problem (white screen) and if so, did you have Opera mini-browser installed?
    Thanks in advance for any input.

  411. Hi
    I’m thinking of buying the phone. Owing to this, I’ve read several opinions about it. Unfortunately I spotted some great disadvantages and I want to ask you how it is. Many people have problems with sending mms, changing some options and configurations. They cannot set their own ringtones, and download what they want to. Majority of them have to go to Sprintservice and replace the phone another one. I’m from country, where samsung a900 is not provided so I’m afraid of these malfunction. Please, give me some information about them. Thank you in advance.

  412. Connie,
    The phone has a separate memory location solely for use for ringtones, applications, etc. They intentionally made mp3’s not able to be set as ring tones to try and get you to download music using sprint’s online music store. However, you can get around this using PCS vision. All you need to do is take your mp3 file, cut it down to approximately 30 seconds using an mp3 editing tool (try nero wave editor), and save it as AAC (.mp4) format and then use an uploader to send the file to your phone (http://pcs.cruz-network.net/done.php). A text message will be sent to your phone with a website URL. Tell your phone to go to this location and it will begin a download. Select yes, when sprint says it’s not from a trusted source and it will begin downloading. Then you can set this mp3 as a ring tone!
    The previous is cut and pasted from another source which works fine for me as far as setting my own ringtones.

  413. NOTE TO ALL:
    Please do not post links to for-profit comment/support websites because it is becoming overdone and I will either delete your message or edit your message or place your comment in moderation to stop the shill.
    Thank you.

  414. I have a Titanium Powerbook G4 that I bought in August of 2003 – I don’t believe it has bluetooth built in. I just bought an A900 and entered in a bunch of numbers into the phone by hand – how can I get these numbers onto my computer – so I have a back-up?

  415. so, i have had my phone for a few days now, works great the battery life actually dissapointed me on my first few days but now its unbelievable because today i took it out of charging(because it was at capacity) and i watched some news and played the radio for a few hours and took some pictures, navigated the on demand feature and also managed to upload new music onto it and play it while in the mall.. i made a few calls back and forth to some friends for plans and such. now.. nearly 12 hours later.. i still have 3 bars on my battery..
    how does sprint make you pay for using the web? do they make you pay using your minutes or the .002 cents a kb

  416. so, i have had my phone for a few days now, works great the battery life actually dissapointed me on my first few days but now its unbelievable because today i took it out of charging(because it was at capacity) and i watched some news and played the radio for a few hours and took some pictures, navigated the on demand feature and also managed to upload new music onto it and play it while in the mall.. i made a few calls back and forth to some friends for plans and such. now.. nearly 12 hours later.. i still have 3 bars on my battery..
    how does sprint make you pay for using the web? do they make you pay using your minutes or the .002 cents a kb

  417. so, i have had my phone for a few days now, works great the battery life actually dissapointed me on my first few days but now its unbelievable because today i took it out of charging(because it was at capacity) and i watched some news and played the radio for a few hours and took some pictures, navigated the on demand feature and also managed to upload new music onto it and play it while in the mall.. i made a few calls back and forth to some friends for plans and such. now.. nearly 12 hours later.. i still have 3 bars on my battery..
    how does sprint make you pay for using the web? do they make you pay using your minutes or the .002 cents a kb

  418. I cannot seem to find the proper download to link the phone to my PC for downloading pictures. Does anybody have the right link to the software?
    Thanks

  419. I cannot seem to find the proper download to link the phone to my PC for downloading pictures. Does anybody have the right link to the software?
    Thanks

  420. I cannot seem to find the proper download to link the phone to my PC for downloading pictures. Does anybody have the right link to the software?
    Thanks

  421. SKK, check my post #232 above for the info. If your running any OS other than XP, then im not sure.

  422. SKK, check my post #232 above for the info. If your running any OS other than XP, then im not sure.

  423. SKK, check my post #232 above for the info. If your running any OS other than XP, then im not sure.

  424. SKK you might also want to check post 144. Although the number for the options are slightly different depending on which menu style you use.
    Also to all! Please remember to do a text search on this page before posting questions/answers to avoid duplicates since the web log is quite extensive 🙂

  425. SKK you might also want to check post 144. Although the number for the options are slightly different depending on which menu style you use.
    Also to all! Please remember to do a text search on this page before posting questions/answers to avoid duplicates since the web log is quite extensive 🙂

  426. SKK you might also want to check post 144. Although the number for the options are slightly different depending on which menu style you use.
    Also to all! Please remember to do a text search on this page before posting questions/answers to avoid duplicates since the web log is quite extensive 🙂

  427. AKONA HBH-602 appears to be a good Bluetooth headset for this phone. It is fairly comfortable and certainly loud enough. The battery length is moderate and the “Static Factor” is tolarable.
    Not alot of unexplainable noises and simple to use.
    I am keeping this one, AT LEAST FOR WHILE. Things could change but for now, out of the 15 headsets I have tried, this is the best.
    -Dwayne

  428. AKONA HBH-602 appears to be a good Bluetooth headset for this phone. It is fairly comfortable and certainly loud enough. The battery length is moderate and the “Static Factor” is tolarable.
    Not alot of unexplainable noises and simple to use.
    I am keeping this one, AT LEAST FOR WHILE. Things could change but for now, out of the 15 headsets I have tried, this is the best.
    -Dwayne

  429. AKONA HBH-602 appears to be a good Bluetooth headset for this phone. It is fairly comfortable and certainly loud enough. The battery length is moderate and the “Static Factor” is tolarable.
    Not alot of unexplainable noises and simple to use.
    I am keeping this one, AT LEAST FOR WHILE. Things could change but for now, out of the 15 headsets I have tried, this is the best.
    -Dwayne

  430. Hello,
    We have a good place to post ,keep it cool, you ask a question you get an answer, on top of that the site has taste.

  431. Hello,
    We have a good place to post ,keep it cool, you ask a question you get an answer, on top of that the site has taste.

  432. dave I was wondering how do you set the A900
    as a modem can you tell me
    step by step instruction?
    by the way great review .

  433. David,
    Great space! Very helpful set of entries everyone.
    My two cents are a response to post 171 by Michael S who was wondering how to transfer contacts via BlueTooth to a Mac.
    I placed most of my contacts from my Thunderbird Address book into the Mac Address book through a simple sync between the two and then figured out how to move it to the a900.
    Once you transfer them you’ll actually think the process of transferring the card data is relatively simple! Its just that the documentation is so hopeless and there are several setup hoops that need to be jumped thorugh initially. I actually just fuigured it out by trial and error!
    Step 1: Turn Bluetooth on your a900.
    Step 2: Turn on Bluetooth on your Mac.
    Step 3: On your Mac’s BlueTooth drop down menu (Bluetooth icon on the top right of your screen), choose browse device and pair the two devices together.
    Step 4: Open up Mac address book where all your contacts are and go to preferences and choose Vcard and under vCard format choose 2.1 instead of 3.0.
    Step 5: Now open your finder and navigate to your “public” folder – has a yellow street sign looking icon next to it. This is a folder on the Mac that allows you to place content that can be shared with other devices without having to worry too much about security issues. Inside the public folder, if there isn’t a folder called drop box create one.
    Step 6: Now go back to the address book and highlight the contact name, one at a time, you want to transfer to the phone. Right click (hold down the ctrl key if you don’t have a two button mouse) on each contact and choose export vCard. A dialog box pops up. Navigate to the drop box folder you’ve created in the public folder and click save. Repeat for each contact.
    Step 7: Go back to the BlueTooth drop down menu on the top right hand corner of the screen and choose “send file”. A window opens. Navigate to the drop box folder inside the public folder that contains your vCards, highlight all of the cards you wish to migrate, then hit the send button. It will transfer over multiple entries simultaneously.
    Step 8: A screen on your phone appears asking to accept the data transfer. Choose yes and the transfer between computer and phone begins.
    Once done you can go and check to see if transfer has been successful by simply clicking on the contacts option of your phone. Transfers eveything seamlessly except for street addresses which The a900 may not support.
    Good luck!

  435. I’ve figured out how to connect using my a900 to the internet via bluetooth. It connects and then gives me an error saying username and password may not be correct. Where do I enter a username and password? Anyone know? (My OS is WindowsXP)

  436. I’ve figured out how to connect using my a900 to the internet via bluetooth. It connects and then gives me an error saying username and password may not be correct. Where do I enter a username and password? Anyone know? (My OS is WindowsXP)

  437. I’m trying to get my Powerbook G4 to use the A900 as a modem through blue tooth and it won’t seem to work. The devices link via bluetooth but when I try to connect as a modem it says “connecting” and after a couple of minutes it times out.
    I’ve been on hold with “advanced tech support” with sprint for hours yesterday and today and never get anyone to answer.
    Am I missing something?

  438. I’m trying to get my Powerbook G4 to use the A900 as a modem through blue tooth and it won’t seem to work. The devices link via bluetooth but when I try to connect as a modem it says “connecting” and after a couple of minutes it times out.
    I’ve been on hold with “advanced tech support” with sprint for hours yesterday and today and never get anyone to answer.
    Am I missing something?

  439. I’m trying to get my Powerbook G4 to use the A900 as a modem through blue tooth and it won’t seem to work. The devices link via bluetooth but when I try to connect as a modem it says “connecting” and after a couple of minutes it times out.
    I’ve been on hold with “advanced tech support” with sprint for hours yesterday and today and never get anyone to answer.
    Am I missing something?

  440. Hey David or anyone who has had the similar problem I am having below and can guide me in the right direction please!!
    I need your assistance since it looks like you are man with the master plan when it comes to issues related to the Samsung A900(Blade) phone. I currently have a Samsung A900 device, along with the USB Cable and the drivers for the Samsung A900 have been installed as well as Sprint Connection Manager for USB is loaded on my home computer. I currently have the phone as modem plan provisioned on my Sprint account. Please note I am using a home dell computer and not a laptop to use my phone as modem and connect to the internet using my home computer.
    Here is the problem I am having….I connect my Samsung A900 to the USB port(the one that is in the front of my Dell Tower), my computer does detech the phone, because on my phone it indicated USB is connected as well as in Device Manager on my computer if you go to modems it does list the CDMA Samsung Modem, so I open up Sprint Connection Manager and it will say initiazing and then say connect your phone but it will never authenicate or go any furture, but the phone is already connected, I went to diagnostic under Menu on the Connection Manager it shows the modem on the top, but I am not sure where the problem is, has anyone experienced this before and do you possibly have a remedy for my problem.
    I read in the postings something about #777 never heard of this if this is a possible solution can you give me some information on it, is this setup under network neighborhood setup a new connection and for the phone number I would enter #777 or is it because I am using my home computer and the Phone as MOdem can only work on Laptops, My computer is less than six months old, Windox XP, 512RAM, 80GB HD so it is compatible.
    Anyone have any ideas?/?
    How is your phone as modem setup?

  441. Hey David or anyone who has had the similar problem I am having below and can guide me in the right direction please!!
    I need your assistance since it looks like you are man with the master plan when it comes to issues related to the Samsung A900(Blade) phone. I currently have a Samsung A900 device, along with the USB Cable and the drivers for the Samsung A900 have been installed as well as Sprint Connection Manager for USB is loaded on my home computer. I currently have the phone as modem plan provisioned on my Sprint account. Please note I am using a home dell computer and not a laptop to use my phone as modem and connect to the internet using my home computer.
    Here is the problem I am having….I connect my Samsung A900 to the USB port(the one that is in the front of my Dell Tower), my computer does detech the phone, because on my phone it indicated USB is connected as well as in Device Manager on my computer if you go to modems it does list the CDMA Samsung Modem, so I open up Sprint Connection Manager and it will say initiazing and then say connect your phone but it will never authenicate or go any furture, but the phone is already connected, I went to diagnostic under Menu on the Connection Manager it shows the modem on the top, but I am not sure where the problem is, has anyone experienced this before and do you possibly have a remedy for my problem.
    I read in the postings something about #777 never heard of this if this is a possible solution can you give me some information on it, is this setup under network neighborhood setup a new connection and for the phone number I would enter #777 or is it because I am using my home computer and the Phone as MOdem can only work on Laptops, My computer is less than six months old, Windox XP, 512RAM, 80GB HD so it is compatible.
    Anyone have any ideas?/?
    How is your phone as modem setup?

  442. Hey David or anyone who has had the similar problem I am having below and can guide me in the right direction please!!
    I need your assistance since it looks like you are man with the master plan when it comes to issues related to the Samsung A900(Blade) phone. I currently have a Samsung A900 device, along with the USB Cable and the drivers for the Samsung A900 have been installed as well as Sprint Connection Manager for USB is loaded on my home computer. I currently have the phone as modem plan provisioned on my Sprint account. Please note I am using a home dell computer and not a laptop to use my phone as modem and connect to the internet using my home computer.
    Here is the problem I am having….I connect my Samsung A900 to the USB port(the one that is in the front of my Dell Tower), my computer does detech the phone, because on my phone it indicated USB is connected as well as in Device Manager on my computer if you go to modems it does list the CDMA Samsung Modem, so I open up Sprint Connection Manager and it will say initiazing and then say connect your phone but it will never authenicate or go any furture, but the phone is already connected, I went to diagnostic under Menu on the Connection Manager it shows the modem on the top, but I am not sure where the problem is, has anyone experienced this before and do you possibly have a remedy for my problem.
    I read in the postings something about #777 never heard of this if this is a possible solution can you give me some information on it, is this setup under network neighborhood setup a new connection and for the phone number I would enter #777 or is it because I am using my home computer and the Phone as MOdem can only work on Laptops, My computer is less than six months old, Windox XP, 512RAM, 80GB HD so it is compatible.
    Anyone have any ideas?/?
    How is your phone as modem setup?

  443. Reply to Mike Rentner’s post (#289). Not sure if this helps but exactly the same thing kept happening to me and I too was on with “advanced tech support” who in turn asked me to make sure I check with the account people.
    They said check that the “phone as modem” option was actually part of my plan and I am glad I did call because Sprint had shipped me an a900 with a voice calling plan and a data plan for a Blackberry instead of a phone-as-modem data plan for my a900. Suffice it to say there is no Blackberry in sight here…
    The account folks did scratch their heads, rectified it, and told me to try to use the a900 as a modem again in about 4 hours. I went through the same steps I had initially done, and I was on.
    If no account silliness is involved, try the following (Mike you probably already did this but…):
    Step 1: Turn Bluetooth on your a900.
    Step 2: Turn on Bluetooth on your Mac, making sure both devices are discoverable.
    Step 3: Choose “Bluetooth” > “open bluetooth preferences” from the system preferences pane or from the drop down status menu bar on the top right of the screen.
    Step 4: Choose the “devices” tab in your bluetooth preferences pane and then “set up new device”.
    Step 5: Go through all the screens until you’re given the six digit access code by your mac, accept the pairing request and enter the access code on your phone and confirm by clicking the a900’s OK button.. You should now be paired but not necessarily connected as a modem, so…
    Step 6: Click the “Access the internet with your…” button, click continue.
    Step 7: Next screen, choose Sprint PCS Vision from the drop down Modem Script and in the phone dialog box enter #777. THIS MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM HERE… No username or password is required, then hit connect. (great #777 tip courtesy of Matt Simerson.)
    Step 8: Since your settings are now set, you shoudl be able to access the BTed a900 modem through the BT/modem pane of Internet Connect. If you click the “show modem status in menu bar” it will become a drop down somewhere near your spotlight bar on your screen. A quick reaccess to the a900 as modem is initiated by going under the drop down, choosing the a900 as your device of choice, and then “connect”.
    Phew!
    Do make sure your plan is correct, I was rather surprised by that in my case. Hope this works for you…

  444. Reply to Mike Rentner’s post (#289). Not sure if this helps but exactly the same thing kept happening to me and I too was on with “advanced tech support” who in turn asked me to make sure I check with the account people.
    They said check that the “phone as modem” option was actually part of my plan and I am glad I did call because Sprint had shipped me an a900 with a voice calling plan and a data plan for a Blackberry instead of a phone-as-modem data plan for my a900. Suffice it to say there is no Blackberry in sight here…
    The account folks did scratch their heads, rectified it, and told me to try to use the a900 as a modem again in about 4 hours. I went through the same steps I had initially done, and I was on.
    If no account silliness is involved, try the following (Mike you probably already did this but…):
    Step 1: Turn Bluetooth on your a900.
    Step 2: Turn on Bluetooth on your Mac, making sure both devices are discoverable.
    Step 3: Choose “Bluetooth” > “open bluetooth preferences” from the system preferences pane or from the drop down status menu bar on the top right of the screen.
    Step 4: Choose the “devices” tab in your bluetooth preferences pane and then “set up new device”.
    Step 5: Go through all the screens until you’re given the six digit access code by your mac, accept the pairing request and enter the access code on your phone and confirm by clicking the a900’s OK button.. You should now be paired but not necessarily connected as a modem, so…
    Step 6: Click the “Access the internet with your…” button, click continue.
    Step 7: Next screen, choose Sprint PCS Vision from the drop down Modem Script and in the phone dialog box enter #777. THIS MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM HERE… No username or password is required, then hit connect. (great #777 tip courtesy of Matt Simerson.)
    Step 8: Since your settings are now set, you shoudl be able to access the BTed a900 modem through the BT/modem pane of Internet Connect. If you click the “show modem status in menu bar” it will become a drop down somewhere near your spotlight bar on your screen. A quick reaccess to the a900 as modem is initiated by going under the drop down, choosing the a900 as your device of choice, and then “connect”.
    Phew!
    Do make sure your plan is correct, I was rather surprised by that in my case. Hope this works for you…

  445. FYI —
    Beware if you subscribe to any multimedia content because you CANNOT UNsubscribe or cancel from your phone even though your phone tells you it is possible via Content Manager.
    You must instead go online and login to your account and go to “Content Manager” there and then — get this — click on the “Request a Refund” hotlink in order to fully stop the dang subscriptions and, the kicker is… you can only UNsubscribe to two features per billing cycle!
    You have been warned!
    😀

  446. I have noticed an issue with my contact list. I would select the name of the person I would like to call but end up dialing another number from my phonebook. I find myself engainging the launch pad to choose the right number when the contact entry only has one number listed. has anyone else experienced this?