PCS Phone Samsung PM-A740 (Sprint)

by Samsung

Product Details

Product Manual [1.21mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 3.3 x 1.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0006JLJM8
• Item model number: PM-A740
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,596 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

With a VGA camera and flash, dual color displays and voice dialing, the PM-740 is a great mobile companion and a great way to get and receive images on the go. It's the perfect complement to Sprint PCS service and Sprint PCS Vision wireless services.

Design
The PM-740's sleek clamshell form factor houses an internal 128 x 160, 65,000-color display. There's also a supplementary, 96 x 96 full-color display that displays pictures, call information, battery life, time of day, signal strength and more. An extendable antenna is located on the top right side of the phone. The VGA camera and LED flash unit are housed just above this display. Handy up/down buttons are located on the left side of the phone for quick menu navigation. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button above the handset's dial pad. A 2.5mm headset jack is also provided. Power charging is handled by a port on the bottom of the phone.

Calling Features
The phone's built-in address book allows you to assign up to 300 contacts with up to 6 entries per contact. You can customize your caller ID by linking a downloaded image or photo to a specific phone number in your contact list. Polyphonic ring tones are supported and there's also a vibrating alert to keep things discreet. The ringer ID function lets you assign ringtones to specific callers, and the voice dialing feature allows for quick, voice activated calling of pre-programmed contacts. The PM-740's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911 (where available). Perhaps most importantly for users in rural areas, the RL-A760 is a tri-mode phone, meaning it can operate on Sprint's digital PCS network, as well as analog networks that serve many outlying areas.

Messaging, Internet and Tools
The PM-740 covers the messaging basics with support for sending and receiving text and picture messages. With Sprint PCS Picture Mail, you can take a picture anytime and send it to family and friends instantly while on the Sprint PCS Network (Sprint messaging charges apply). Easily save your pictures on your PM-740 or store them online at sprint.com/picturemail, where you can share and upload unlimited pictures to create albums. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built-into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The PM-740 also supports PCS Vision email and instant messaging capabilities. Sprint PCS Vision transforms the wireless experience from something that's simply functional into something visual, entertaining and highly personalized. MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL Instant Messenger are all supported by Sprint's PCS Vision service. PCS Vision mobile Web services let you check out sports scores, get your seven-day forecast, check your flight status, and stay up to date with the latest news. Experience full-color graphic versions of popular Web sites.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the PM-740 including a calendar, a calculator, an alarm clock and a to-do list. A voice recorder lets you record short memos for later retrieval.

Imaging and Entertainment
The fun really starts with the PM-740's built-in VGA camera. Capture great pictures in low-light situations with the built-in LED flash. The camera also features image brightness control and a handy self-timer-- so you can be in the picture, too.

The PM-740 lets you choose different screensavers and backgrounds to make the phone suit your style. With PCS Vision service, you can download games like Tetris and Pac-Man, as well as additional ringers, screensavers and backgrounds.

Vital Statistics
The Samsung PM-740 weighs 3.46 ounces and measures 3.5 x 1.8 x 1 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 192 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the AMPS 800/CDMA 800/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
PM-740 handset, AC battery charger, lithium-ion battery, user's manual.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of Many Samsung Phones I've Had Over the Years, January 26, 2005

By 

Win2000 - See all my reviews

This review is from: PCS Phone Samsung PM-A740 (Sprint) (Wireless Phone)

I have always had Samsung phones. I made a switch back in September of 2004 to a Sanyo 8200. It had the speakerphone and so many features plus everybody told me how great the Sanyo phones are compared to all the other offerings from Sprint PCS. Well, I just returned the 8200 last weekend. It was the biggest piece of garbage phone I've ever used. To start, the audio was terrible on calls. But anyway, enough about the Sanyo.
The Samsung PM 740 is a great little phone. I wanted a small phone that had not only a bright screen but also a brightly lit up keyboard. This phone is one of the brightest lit up keypads I've ever had. I used to have a Samsung A 500 a couple of years ago. It was a great phone. Also small. The 740 is smaller. I would agree with the other reviewer tht the menu screen should be changed from icons to a list as it is hard to tell what the pictures represent. Audio quality is top notch...very loud on calls. The ringer could be a little louder...at full volume up, the ringer is a little weak...not a huge deal as it does have vibration alert too. The battery that comes standard is OK but I know already that a longer life battery is a purchase I will soon make as they really do extend life between charges. It's construction seems like it will last without any problems. One thing I like about the Samsung phones much better than the Sanyo phnes is that if you want to call somebody that either called you or you dialed within the last 20 calls, all you have to do is push talk and scan up or down a few numbers and push OK or talk to dial. On the Sanyo, you have to navigate to the call log, then search for outgoing or incoming, then navigate up or down, and it is just a lot more pushing of buttons which can be a nuisance when driving. Also, this is the first phone that I remember from Samsung that has finally placed the "OK" button in the middle of phone keypad where it belongs, instead of on the left side which was hard to get used to. I would reccomend this phone to anyone who is looking for a very small and lightweight phone that also has a quality feel to it. Love the really, really brightly lit keypad!!!

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great features - some issue with the sound, January 27, 2005

By 

Doug Lifer (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: PCS Phone Samsung PM-A740 (Sprint) (Wireless Phone)

I agree with just about everything that the previous reviews have said about the features. One thing I really like on Sprint with this phone is you can very easily send SMS or E-mail directly from a menu without going through a web page (which takes like several minutes). Very useful tool!

The only issue I have with the phone is the sound quality. On some calls it seems perfect on others, especially with other Sprint phones, the A740 seems to "clip" the sound and you get a noticable sound as if someone was switching on and off a mute button. I returned one phone that had this problem and got another which seems to do it less but still does it. I have an older LG phone and tried them side by side and the LG has none of these problems on identical calls in identical places - it also seems like the problem is worse when the battery is not at 100% charge. I took the phone to a local SprintPCS retail center and they tested it ok and told me that "nobody else is returning theirs". If you have one of these and notice anything, maybe you could send me an e-mail at leifer "at" delcoms.com

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I recommend!, January 7, 2005

By 

Seth H. Kaplan "kappy1234" (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: PCS Phone Samsung PM-A740 (Sprint) (Wireless Phone)

I purchased this phone last weekend and have been quite happy with it, so far. By no means am I a technical expert when it comes to cell phones (so this review may be a bit lacking) but everything seems great.

Usability:

The menus are easy to navigate. The first change I'd make on the phone is to pick a new format for the menu. I'd view the menu in a list format. The default is set to show the little picture icons. It's a little hard to tell what each small icon is. The small size of the navigation arrows are a bit frusterating, but something I've already gotten use to.

Reception:

The reception seems fine. I'm able to get decent reception (at least 2 bars when the antenna is down.) Most areas are either 3 or 4 bars. My old phone was a Sanyo 4900 and I notice the same type of call quality.

Volume:

Ringer volume and earpiece volume are both good.

Camera:

This is my first camera phone, it works well. Don't plan on using the camera a whole lot, but of course, it's great to have.

Overall Quality:

This is the area that I really look for in a purchase like this. I have yet to find an aspect of this phone that does not seem well built or that worries me about breaking in the future. Okay, maybe the antenna is a bit flimsy when extended, but I'm not concerned. There is nothing on this phone that screams, "Break me." That's a good thing!

As I said, this phone has been very good so far. I recommend it.