Samsung Eternity a867 Phone, Black (AT&T)

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.3 x 2.2 x 0.5 inches ; 3 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Note: Gift-wrapping is not available for this item.
• ASIN: B001KN384G
• Item model number: a867 Eternity
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (84 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #13 in Cell Phones & Service (See Bestsellers in Cell Phones & Service)

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Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
The multimedia-rich Samsung Eternity for AT&T provides one-touch access to AT&T Mobile TV and a full-touch QWERTY keypad access via its large, vivid 3.2-inch touchscreen. With AT&T's Mobile TV offering, you can watch TV-quality programming from Comedy Central, ESPN, Fox, NBC, and more. This quad-band GSM phone also runs on AT&T's dual-band HSDPA/UMTS high-speed 3G network, making it easy to download music purchased from AT&T Mobile Music. This GPS-enabled phone is compatible with the AT&T Navigator service for turn-by-turn directions as well as its Video Share service, which enables you to send video of yourself to another compatible phone while making a voice call. Other features include Samsung's intuitive TouchWiz interface, a 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth for handsfree communication and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion to 8 GB, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5 hours of talk time.

The touchscreen-enabled Samsung Eternity offers one-touch access to AT&T Mobile TV and a full-touch QWERTY keypad.

AT&T Service
This AT&T phone can handle high-speed data connectivity via AT&T's 3G mobile broadband data network, which is available in most major metropolitan areas. The AT&T 3G network uses the dual-band UMTS 850/1900 MHz network, which provides download speeds ranging from 700 Kbps to 1.7 Mbps, and upload speeds ranging from 500 Kbps to 1.2 Mbps. This makes it possible to enjoy a variety of feature-rich wireless multimedia services, and it gives you the advantage of offering simultaneous voice and data services.

In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the AT&T EDGE network, which offers availability in more than 13,000 US cities and along some 40,000 miles of major highways. Providing average data speeds between 75-135Kbps, it's fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services, including video and music clips, full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go. You'll also enjoy quad-band GSM connectivity, which allows you to make calls in more than 190 countries and access data applications in the more than 135 countries where AT&T offers international data roaming.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Video Share service, which enables you to send a live, one-way video stream to another compatible phone during a standard voice call. The service also allows you to switch the direction of the video stream during the same phone call. (Customers must be in an area served by the company's 3G network and have a Video Share-enabled phone.) A majority of users in the architecture, engineering and construction industries rated the ability to share live video through Video Share highly, according to research commissioned by AT&T. Video Share lets you see progress on a job site or review the day's work without having to drive from an office or other site to do so.

You can take advantage of the AT&T Navigator GPS software and service, a full-featured premium navigation application that includes audible turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic updates and re-routing options, and 3D moving maps (additional charges applicable). AT&T Navigator offers several other features to make your commute more enjoyable and reliable, including mobile access to Yellowpages.com. Additionally, AT&T Navigator is the only mobile phone-based GPS service that provides integrated speech recognition for address entry and points of interest search.

With 3G connectivity, you'll be able to access AT&T's Cellular Video (CV) service and the Internet while on the go. Cellular Video features content from CNN, The Weather Channel, iFilm, Comedy Central and exclusive premium content from HBO and much more. And you get access to AT&T Mobile Music, which enables you to buy tracks while on the, access the Napster and eMusic subscription music services, stream music video, discover what's playing with Music ID song-recognition software, and find out what's hot with The Buzz music news portal. (A MEdia Max subscription bundle is recommended for accessing AT&T's Internet, video, and music services.)

The phone has a built-in web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. AT&T's MEdia Net service enables you to receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more.

AT&T Mobile TV
AT&T Mobile TV with FLO is a revolutionary video service that delivers full-length television content and sporting events from top networks to your phone while you're on the go. Joining with MediaFLO USA's award-winning FLO TV service, AT&T Mobile TV with FLO provides an intuitive program guide that makes it easy to flip from one channel to the next. The service includes more than 150 simulcast and/or time-shifted programs, as well as live sports events, from CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, FOX Mobile, MTV, NBC 2GO, NBC News2Go and Nickelodeon. Additionally, the Mobile TV service includes two channels exclusive to AT&T users:

• PIX, from Sony Pictures Television, offers a variety of contemporary films, including comedies, cult classics, action films and family favorites from the studio's vast library.
• CNN Mobile Live provides users with access to 24 hours of breaking news with live streaming anchored coverage from CNN.com Live as well as CNN's most popular programs, including American Morning, Lou Dobbs Tonight, CNN Election Center, Larry King Live, Anderson Cooper 360°, and CNN International.

AT&T provides several packages for accessing Mobile TV, and it offers parental controls that provide content filtering and purchase blocking on your phone so that you can restrict access to content that may be inappropriate for younger viewers.

It's packed with a 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth stereo music streaming, and MicroSD expansion up to 8 GB.

Phone Features
An attractive black and chrome device with a large, vivid 3.2-inch touchscreen, the Eternity features three dedicated keys--call, end call and back--on the front of the device under the touch screen. It has an accelerometer that automatically detects motion and the orientation of the device, allowing for autorotation of the display, motion sensing games and photo scrolling by tilting the device. It also has haptic support, enhancing your sensory connection with the phone and providing subtle vibrations that confirm your selections.

The Eternity also provides quick and easy access to a your favorite features through Samsung's innovative TouchWiz user interface, which has specially designed widgets to customize and personalize your phone. The quick and simple drag-and-drop feature provides instant access to your favorite functions, such as the clock, music player, instant messaging photos, and AT&T Mobile TV--all from the home screen.

The Eternitiy has an internal 200 MB memory that is shared between the address book, MP3 player, and camera, and it's expandable via optional MicroSD memory cards up to 8 GB in size. The internal phonebook can store up to 1000 contact entries, with support for caller groups, photo/ringer ID, and 8 one-touch dialing numbers. It also displays the last 30 outgoing/incoming/missed numbers.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking--surf the Internet, send email, and access files from a server.

The 3.2-megapixel camera can shoot still photos up to 2048 x 1536 pixels in resolution--great for creating 8 x 10-inch prints. It also features a 3x digital zoom, multi-shot capability (up to 9), brightness adjustment, and self-timer with three settings. You an also capture up to 60 minutes of video.

The 6650 offers a full range of email, text, and multimedia messaging options. It includes support for mobile email services such as AOL, Yahoo!, and Windows Live. You can also keep up with your instant messaging buddies using the built-in IM application that connects to those same services. T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for entering text on handsets, is built into the unit--a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

Other features include:

• Organizer tools: Calendar, tasks, memo, calculator, converter, world clock
• 72-chord polyphonic and MP3 ringtones
• Vibrating alert
• Multi-lingual text display (English, French, Spanish)
• USB connectivity
• Bluetooth version 2.0 with the following profiles: A2DP (stereo music streaming), AVRC (remote control), HFP (hands-free car kits), HSP (communication headsets), BPP (basic printing profile for text, email), DUN (dial-up networking), FTP (file transfer), OPP (object push for business cards, calendar items, and pictures), SPP (serial port profile)

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Eternity weighs 3.88 ounces and measures 4.3 x 2.2 x 0.5 inches. Its 1300 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 240 hours (10 days) of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as AT&T's 850/1900 MHz UMTS/HSDPA 3G frequencies.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 96 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very impressive and nice alternative to iPhone IMHO, November 15, 2008

By	Geekapoo "the_geekapoo" (Somerville, MA USA) - See all my reviews

Was looking to replace my current phone. Already have a work phone (BB) for email/texting. Was looking for a personal phone with good reception so I could close down my land line. Also wanted a phone with good form factor and ability to access the net w/good resolution viewing the pages. Initially tried an unlocked Nokia n78....great reception (Nokia has the best), loved in particuolar that it has an FM transmitter. The browser was fast and the screen nice but did not like that you have to go into the menu to rotate the screen and zoom. Aso, the keyborad buttons are very tricky. So....next went and bought an iPhone, which I thought an amazing gadget. Loaded with features. I was stunned however to find that the phone reception was erratic and often poor (many dropped and missed calls). Found out that this is a common problem with the 2nd gen iPhone (do a web search on "iPhone reception problems..). Also thought the iPhone a tad too large (especially as I aso frequently need to carry a work BB) and the camera mediocre.

Bought the Eternity two days ago. Fantastic form factor and great price for the features. Love how it has behaved so far as I put it through the various tests. Like the touch interface, menu interface and the auto rotation screen. Keyboard is nice, best once rotating the screen the long way. Call quality is as good as the iPhone but not as good as the Nokia. Reception is MUCH better than the iPhone (which at times was borderline defective) but not as good as Nokia. Unlike the iPhone, you can add external memory (micro SD). Apple charges 199 for an 8G and 299 for a 16G iPhone....$100 for 8G iPhone memory upgrade vs. $20 for an 8G card. Expect iPhone upgrades in the future of 24G, 32G etc for $100 or more a pop LOL. You do the math.

For web access through ATT, I pay $15/m for the Eternity and would have paid $30/m if I kept the iPhone (it is more data intensive). Overall, I love this phone so far....better price, better monthly payment, great form factor, fast browser, nice mp3 interface with quick access to preset equilizer settings. The only other phones on my radar screen are the BB flip, HTC Touch Diamond and the Nokia n85.....but this one seems a keeper, especially given the price. If I get bored or something new comes out that is a must have, I'll just buy it (will need to be an unlocked phone unless it's upgrade time) as I'm only down $100 with this phone ($50 if through Amazon). Happy shopping.

Pros:
Form factor (size/shape)
Price (phone and web plan)
Can use MicroSD cards
3.5mm headphone jack
accelometer
bright nice rez screen
bluetooth, 3mp camera, easy access preset equalizer
great battery life
GPS and ATT TV capable (if you are into either feature)

Cons:
Does not come with USB cable for computer hookup
Does not have iPhone-like zoom feature
Wish it had Nokia-like reception

Dec. 2 2008 update:
Returned the phone. Found that I was only getting 1-2 bars at home and occasionally missing calls. In contrast, my old phone (Sony Ericcson 810i) and my wife's Blackberry 8300 were getting 4-5 bars (all phones on the ATT network). Took a trip to VT...had no reception in one town while my wife had 2-3 bars on her Blackberry. Both the Blackberry and Samsung Eternity are 3G. Overall, an amazing gadget but lacking with respect to the feature I wanted most....A PHONE I COULD DEPEND ON FOR MAKING/RECEIVING CALLS.

62 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great as messaging device, but lacking as a phone, January 12, 2009

By	Bob D (Cary, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This is a really neat little device; the QWERTY keyboard is really good and it makes an excellent messaging device, but the lack of voice dial and speed dial *greatly* diminish the usefulness of this device as a phone. The old "phonebook index + #" trick is pretty useless since it only works with numbers stored on your SIM, and there's no way to know which number is at what index. On top of that, if you were to store your numbers on your SIM so you can use the really crude "speed dialing" others have alluded too, it doesn't store your entries as it does in the phone's memory, so the messaging features don't integrate well. What was Samsung thinking???? (My guess is that Samsung was asked by AT&T to specifically disable voice and speed dial functions to force customers to use AT&T fee-based voicedial feature.)

As it stands, this phone is downright DANGEROUS to use in the car. Sure you can use a bluetooth handsfree kit to receive calls, but to initiate a call you have to fumble through multiple menu selections to find the number you want, then initiate the call manually. While the device may have some neat new functions previously not available in non-smartphones, as a phone, it's just very cumbersome.

Other dislikes include:
- The nifty little widget bar can't be customized beyond disabling the standard widgets.
- No way to quick dial. This kinda falls in the "no speed or voice dial" complaint. There's simply too many steps to initiate a call. It's a real PAIN! My 2-year old Razor is light years ahead of this thing in terms of PHONE useability.
- I don't like the way it automatically locks the touch screen once a call is established. Makes more enabling the speakerphone more cumbersome.

On the plus side, the touchscreen implementation is very good. The QWERTY keyboard is really nice, and is the only reason I'm even keeping this phone. I just hate messaging using the standard phone keypad that much. Battery life is good, call quality is good, the Music Player works good. All that's needed to make this a top-notch phone is for Samsung to implement the basic functions that have been available for years on just about every phone out there.

63 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent handset, some very pleasant surprises., November 15, 2008

By	A. Gift For You "GadgetFiend" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I just recently purchased the Eternity to replace a Sony Ericsson W580i (great phone, not without annoyances though) and so far this has been a very good phone! I was almost going to take it back because it doesn't have some features I wanted, I was going to purchase a Fuze in its place at a couple of hundred bucks more. Here's why -

I wanted a handset that had 802.11b/g, not a deal breaker since I have a Nokia N800 if I want portable web surfing and e-mail, but it would be nice to have a single device that covers that purpose, the Eternity clearly doesn't have Wifi, but it is a 3G capable device and because it's a " dumb " phone, you can stay on AT&T's 15 dollar unlimited MediaNet plan. Which leads me to the other reason why I chose to keep it.

I wanted a handset that could at least let me view MSOffice docs and spreadsheets, PDF's and was capable of being a media device for short trips and times when I don't feel like carrying a seperate device. I was pleasantly surprised to see it has an unadvertised feature. You can view MSOffice docs and PDF's through Access (think NetFront Browser) and they can be viewed landscape or vertical, zoomed, etc... Very nice surprise feature! Makes this " dumb " phone a little better than the iPhone, especially when you factor in the 3.5mm headset jack, the 8gb MicroSDHC and the countless free J2ME apps like Gmail, GoogleMaps, and Opera Mini that you can install for free. Plus, the accelerometer works well, the haptic feedback is great, although the onscreen keyboard can be tricky at times. Overall, there is very little to dislike about this handset. I wish it had a flash on the camera, which is stellar in decent lighting and has some cool features, like a six frame panorama stitch. I also some of the Java apps used the accelerometer. The widgets are a nice touch and I personally like the uncluttered look of the home screen. If you want a solid iPhone alternative, look no further, or just looking for a killer non WinMo phone that does just about everything a normal, non business-centric person would need, check this one out!