Samsung a707 SYNC Red Phone (AT&T)

by Samsung

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.9 x 2 x 0.7 inches ; 2.9 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000MSDIV8
• Item model number: A707
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,838 in Cell Phones & Accessories (See Top 100 in Cell Phones & Accessories)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

If you're looking for superior multimedia capability wherever you go, look no further than the Samsung SYNC SGH-a707, one of Cingular's first high-end 3G flip phones. This high-speed, media rich phone features quad-band world phone connectivity, while its domestic UMTS and HSDPA capabilities will allow you to download data at speeds only dreamed about before. In fact, because the a707 supports the HSDPA protocol for high-speed data transfer, you'll be able to stream TV and high-speed video, and more, straight to the a707. Packaged in a stylish clamshell design, the a707 phone is the ultimate multimedia device, and the perfect complement to Cingular Wireless service.

Design
The a707 design takes the standard clamshell form factor to the next level with its impressive media and data capabilities while maintaining a stylish and cool exterior. A large 240 x 320 full-color display with over 262,000 colors dominates the inside of the top cover. The outside cover of the handset sports a supplementary external display that can display time, call information, battery and signal strength, and more. The external screen can even be set to display a large analog clock. A TransFlash/MicroSD memory card slot is located on the right side of the phone while a 2.0-megapixel camera lens is housed above the external display. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button on the handset's control pad. Lastly, charging and USB data cable ports are placed on the bottom of the phone, keeping the phone's design compact and portable.

Calling Features
The a707's internal phone book can hold up to 1000 contacts while the phone's picture ID system allows you to assign pictures to your most common callers. It also supports polyphonic ringtones, and comes stock with unique ringtones built right into the unit, while more ringtones can be downloaded from Cingular Wireless' MEdia Net service. For times when you want to be discreet, there's a vibrating alert, and a built-in speakerphone makes it easy to talk without having the phone to your ear.

Because the a707 is Bluetooth enabled, wireless headsets can be configured with the phone for total handsfree operation.

Messaging, Internet, and Tools
The a707 is a messaging and wireless Internet powerhouse. With UMTS and HSDPA support built right into the phone, you'll be streaming and downloading at speeds so fast your head will spin. When used in combination with one of Cingular's MEdia Max plans that supports Cingular Video and MobiTV (additional Cingular charges apply), the a707 will allow you to play high-quality news clips, sports clips, weather clips, and more--right on your phone. And with Cingular's exclusive partnership with HBO Mobile and HBO Family Mobile, you'll never be at a loss for something good to watch.

Into sending and receiving pictures, text, graphics, and sound and video via messages? When used in combination with the phone's built-in still and video cameras, MMS opens up a whole new world of messaging fun. Instant messaging is also supported via AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger, and ICQ (Cingular messaging charges apply). There's also a built-in Web browser for MEdia Net downloads and mobile web browsing. Cingular's MEdia Net service lets you do more than just stream videos--it lets you receive and send emails, read news headlines, get weather updates, download games and ringtones, and more. A predictive text entry system 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.

Getting on the Internet with your laptop or PDA is easy with the a707. When used with a Cingular data plan and the phone's Bluetooth or USB data capability, the phone can be used as a wireless modem for laptops and PDAs.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the a707 including a voice memo recorder, a calculator, a calendar, and an alarm clock. Use the phone's Bluetooth capability to set up a wireless link with a Bluetooth accessory or connect to a computer or hand-held device to exchange and synchronize data.

Imaging and Entertainment
With features like 29 MB of built-in memory, and a preloaded mp3 player, the a707 shines in the entertainment department. When the feeling strikes you, jam out to your favorite music on the unit's advanced mp3 player, and because the a707 sports a microSD/TransFlash memory card slot, you can load up all your favorite music and bring it with you (memory cards sold separately). And because the phone supports MobiRadio, in addition to streaming video and TV, you can listen to your favorite radio station via the supported digital radio service (additional Cingular charges apply).

The phone's 2.0-megapixel camera features still photo and camcorder capabilities, so you can capture all those soon-to-be priceless memories. Capture stills and then send them to your friends via MMS messaging or email, or to your PC via USB or Bluetooth. The a707 also supports custom graphics for wallpapers so you can dress up the phone to suit your fancy. Support for Java gaming is built into the phone and games are available for download via the Cingular MEdia Net service.

The a707 also sports an airplane mode feature, which allows you to safely use the non-wireless functions of a phone (such as music, games, or organizer functions) on an airplane during flight.

UMTS Wireless Broadband Coverage
Learn More about where UMTS coverage is offered.

Warning: If you want to enjoy the full audio and video capabilities of your UMTS phone, please select a MEdia Max service plan option during checkout. If you do not sign up for a MEdia Max service plan option, you will be paying per KB when you use the over-the-air UMTS audio and video features on your phone (upwards of $10 per minute).

Vital Statistics
The Samsung SGH-a707 weighs 3.49 ounces and measures 3.72 x 1.99 x 0.65 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4 hours of digital talk time, and up to 240 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 GSM/GPRS/EDGE and 850/1900 WCDMA frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

Product Description

The Cingular SYNC is a great device for customers interested in a multimedia rich device to handle their voice, messaging and entertainment needs in one sleek, thin, clamshell form factor. The SYNC gives customers the ability to maximize their phone capabilities by providing fast, easy access to Cingular Video, Cingular Music and a variety of multimedia/messaging capabilities. This is a great device for customers looking for a phone that has it all in a nice compact design. Features of The SYNC include the following

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Awesome Phone, August 17, 2007

By 

C. Dworkin - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samsung a707 SYNC Red Phone (AT&T) (Wireless Phone)

The Samsung Sync SGH-A707 is by far the best cell phone I've ever owned, and even though I've had it over a month, I'm still excited to have it. It's not perfect, there are some problems which I'll list, but the Sync SGH-A707 has all the features I could want in a cell phone, except for one major omission, voice dialing, and everything works well.

My number one criterion for a cell phone is voice quality. No matter what extra features the cell phone comes with, in the end I use it as a phone and I need excellent voice quality both for transmission and reception. The Sync SGH-A707 delivers. I've had no fuzzy calls, no fade-outs, and no dropped calls. All my calls have been clear on my end and when I've asked, I've been told my voice can be heard clearly at the other end.

The phone is large, but not too large and the weight is right. It fits exactly perfectly in my hand and the ear piece lines up with my ear while the microphone is right in front of my mouth. However, if you send a lot of text messages and are a speed texter with your thumb, you will have to get used to the phone's width. Since it is slightly wider than other phones I've used, it slows me down somewhat trying to stretch my thumb across the keys to enter a message. But I don't see this as a problem.

The Sync's screen is large, awesomely colorful, and the menus are easy to use. It's too bad you cannot change the order of the menus, however there is a configurable menu that is accessible from the Options key so you can put your most frequently used menu items up front. The keyboard has a four-way navigation key with a button in the center. You can configure what functions each of the four arrow keys brings up but you cannot change the function of the center key. When you are not in any menus, the center key always brings up the web browser. I don't have use for a web browser on a cell phone, the screen is too small, so I'd prefer it to call up a menu. But that's not changeable.

The Sync has six profiles, or modes, that change the way the phone operates. The profiles are Normal, Silent, Driving, Meeting, Outdoor, and Airplane. The Airplane profile allows you to listen to music, watch videos, play games, use the calendar or calculator or other programs but disables the cell phone function so you can use the Sync on a flight. The Outdoor profile sets the volume controls on maximum and causes to the phone to ring loudly and vibrate when calls are received. The Meeting profile silences the phone totally and causes the front screen to flash when a call or text message is received. You can switch quickly and easily between the Silent and Normal functions by holding in the hash (#) key for 3 seconds.

The Sync SGH-A707 comes with a 2 MP camera which takes fairly decent photos and movies for a cell phone, remember, it's not a camera, it's a cell phone. You can take a photo with the clamshell closed or open. Since it can take a 2 Gb microSD card you can take a lot of photos or movies and save them on the SD card.

The Sync can receive XM satellite radio (for an extra fee, of course), mobiTV (again, for an extra fee), and has an internal MP3 player and can take a 2 Gb microSD card which can hold several hours of music. The sound quality is good for a cell phone; remember it's not an iPod, it's a cell phone. I've loaded it up with tunes and listen all the time. It also can play movie files but I can't imagine who would want to watch movies on a 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm screen (one and three-eighths inches by one and seven-eighths inches). The MP3 player has external controls so you don't have to open the phone to pause or skip a song, however the controls are so very sensitive that if you lightly touch them they activate. Every time I put my phone in my pocket I end up either skipping a song or pausing. The phone corrects for this by making the controls inactive after 30 seconds. So once I start a play list I have to hold the phone for 30 seconds until the outer controls become inactive before I can put the phone in my pocket. To reactivate the controls you have to hold a side button in for 3 seconds. That means if you want to skip forward a few songs you first have to hold a side button in for 3 seconds to reactivate the controls. Or you can open the lid of the phone and use the inside controls. This feature is annoying, but it's even more annoying to have such extremely sensitive controls on the outside of the phone that you have to be careful what you touch.

The two most major negatives for the phone in my opinion are the lack of voice dialing and the very badly written user manual. Whoever designed this phone and left out the ability to do voice activated dialing is an idiot. Why would I want to use a hands-free bluetooth earpiece and then have to open the phone to dial it? If you want a phone with all the features of the Sync A707 and you absolutely require voice activated dialing, buy a Nokia N75. The N75 is almost an exact duplicate of the Sync A707 with the differences being that it has voice activated dialing, it lacks the stereo bluetooth capability that the A707 has, and to access the N75's microSD card you have to open the battery case, while the A707's microSD card can be accessed from the side of the phone. (For me, I'd have had to pay $95 for the N75 while I got the A707 for free so I chose the A707.)

The second major negative is the lousy user manual. It is obtuse and doesn't explain everything about the phone, and what it does explain, it doesn't explain well. For those of you who own the phone, did you know that pressing the hash key (#) and holding it in for 3 seconds will quickly switch the phone between silent mode and normal mode? This is a feature I use all the time and it isn't mentioned once in the manual. I know about it because it is a feature of all Samsung phones that have a silent, vibrate capability. In many reviews of this phone that I've read online I've seen comments that it's too bad the phone is missing some capability that I know the phone has. But the reviewer didn't know about it because you can't find it in the user manual or it's not explained well in the user manual. For example, a reviewer here recently said the outside screen shuts off and you can't see the time unless you open the phone; in fact, if you press the left side volume key you see the time. (You can change the outside screen to stay lit longer but it sucks battery.)

In conclusion, on the whole, in spite of it's faults, I love this phone and I'd strongly recommend it to anyone.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Going from cellphone-phobic to cellphone-philic, August 23, 2007

By 

EliYah - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung a707 SYNC Red Phone (AT&T) (Wireless Phone)

I've always been cellphone-phobic, but this phone has completely changed that. Granted, I've always bought the most basic device available, and this phone is a huge upgrade. But it not only does everything I want; it's got me using functions I never thought I'd use. In fact, I used to have the cheapo 250/month plan and last month was surprised by a 100 minute overage. Now I've got 450 with rollover and may upgrade yet again.

I'm a pretty basic user. I want to make and receive calls and get messages, and I want flexibility in the phone's settings. The speaker has to be great, and my hearing-impaired Dad has to be able to understand me. I want to be able to see the display and feel the keys. I want to be able to dial it with my thumb while holding it in my hand. And the speaker phone has to be usable when I'm in the car. I don't spend all day on the phone; even if I used it at work I'd be running maybe 2-4 hours.

Nerd that I am, I sat around with the owner's manual when I activated it. I highly advise spending some time doing this; many reviewers simply haven't spent any time going through the well-organized menus, setting preferences, and learning which key does what.

Basics: The keys are large and highly visible, and the display is fantastic; I can easily see it without my glasses or in poor light & glare. The call quality is great, and the phone's speaker and the speakerphone are very clear. Even my Dad can understand what I'm saying. The keys are big enough that clumsy me can actually text a little (a completely new experience).

Glamour factors: The phone's feel is great. The exterior is soft and slightly rubbery in a good way, so it doesn't slide around and slip out of my hand or off the edge of the desk. I've had it bumping around in my purse for a month now and it has no scratches. Sure, the display shows fingerprints, but that's what shirtsleeves are for, right? I quickly learned how to open it with one hand; then I learned that you can silence the ringer or reject calls from a toggle on the left side while the phone is closed. The toggle doubles as a volume key. And I like the soft 'clunk' noise it makes when you close it, and have left the cute bleeping keypad tones (you can change that but it amuses me). I'm almost embarassed by how much I like to handle the phone. As for accessories, I plan to get a snap-on belt clip that doesn't obscure it's pretty color, and a headset adapter so I can use my favorite headset. And maybe a data cable and memory card...

Functions: There are options on options in the menus, which can be set to show sub-menus as drop-down lists. The soft keys are easy to set, and you can set tons of shortcuts in the options menu. I've actually used the camera and downloaded one ringtone, though I haven't bought a data cable or memory card yet. The phone charges quickly, and the charge lasts me a long time. ven when I was very ill, forwarded all my other phones to this one, and talked on the phone for hours a day, it took most of the day to run it down.

Any downsides? OK, the power cord and headphone jack are one and the same, which is dumb but hasn't bugged me yet. I only use a headset for driving, but the speaker phone is good enough that I can just hold the thing in my hand. Speaking of headsets, I need to get an adapter, because it doesn't take a 3/8 inch plug, another silly thing; however, you can buy an adapter for under $5 on Amazon. Also, I'm used to having the display always showing as long as the phone is turned on, but the external display on this phone (which I have set to an old-fashioned analog clock so I can see it from a distance) can be turned on by pressing an outside button for a few seconds; however, it turns itself off after only 10 seconds.

I never would have tried this phone if it weren't free, but I'm delighted with it. I'm not about to get rid of my ipod, and I'm not going to start using my phone to checking email or surf the web; I don't want to be THAT connected. But this does the job delightfully. It's just too bad that it took me this long to get a phone that works for me.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Phone That Grows On You, June 9, 2007

By 

M. Missbach "Amateur Chef" (Provo, UT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Samsung a707 SYNC Red Phone (AT&T) (Wireless Phone)

I bought this phone after much deliberation. Previously I had the (not sure of the technical name) white slider phone from Cingular by Samsung, and I ADORED it, so when it got stolen I was crushed. Since I absolutely loved that phone, I bought another Samsung, hoping it would have the same quality.

Overall, it is just O.K. It is very large, and I'm not sure I like that. It gets VERY easily fingerprinted/scratched/dirty. The camera is pretty good, but only if you hold it PERFECTLY still, and it takes awhile to turn it on and zoom in etc. But its really very good if you have the right circumstances. The red color is hot, its not as cherry-red as in these photos.

It has some texting glitches, which bug me as I am an avid texter. I don't really use the music function, and I couldn't if I tried, because you have to pay extra to get a cord to transfer music from the computer to the phone. You can't use full songs as ringtones, either, and it is very difficult to clip them down. I don't use the internet or play games, so I have no idea how that works.

Basically, I text and call people. That's about it. The address book works just fine, the texting is buggy but fine, its all just fine. Call quality is mediocre to good.

Its just a FINE phone. I don't love it, I won't buy it again, and I'm looking to get the new Sony Ericcson.

UPDATE (12/6/08): Well, as time wore on with this review, I came to love the phone more and more. I think I just get attached to my one phone and then hate anything new at first, but it really is a fantastic phone. I don't find the texting to be "buggy" anymore and can't think why I thought that originally, and while the music feature doesn't REALLY work, a phone is a phone and not an mp3 device, after all.

The real pro about this phone is its durability. I dropped it in water twice and on the floor (including hard stone tile) more times than I can count, and the phone never experienced any problems. Sure, the display got way scratched up, but remarkably, the phone never stopped functioning. It worked perfectly right up until the day it flew out of my pocket while I was riding a motorcycle and got instantly run over. I nearly cried.

Overall, this is a great phone, and I would highly recommend it.