The Verizon Samsung Convoy (SCH-U640) is a rugged Push-to-Talk mobile phone that meets the military specifications 810F standards for shock and dust resistance, vibration, salt fog, humidity, solar radiation, altitude and low and high temperature storage. The Samsung Convoy is similar to Motorola’s Barrage. It has a an internal color display and an external display, and features a 2 Megapixel camera with Night Shot, Bluetooth 2.1 and support for EVDO Rev.A 3G network. The Samsung Convey is available in Nov 15, 2009 for an MSRP of $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year contract.
Specifications
Display
The small external display can support 65,000 colors at the resolution of 128×128 pixels. For the external display, only the contrast can be adjusted. On the external display, a couple of the phone’s features are displayed such as the date, time, signal strength, and photo caller ID. The external display goes on to function as a viewfinder as well for the camera lens. It can also be used for quick access to certain features such as the calendar, Bluetooth, the music player, and voice commands. Opening the phone up, there we can find the internal display. It measures 2.2 inches and comes with a resolution of 220×176 pixels and supports 262,000 colors. For the internal display’s menu interface, users can choose from here menu styles provided and users can also adjust the position of icons and replace the standard menu choices with their favorite apps. Users can also change the backlight time, clock format, dial font size, and menu font size and style. Below the internal display there’s the navigation array that comes with includes a large toggle with a central OK button, two soft keys, a camera shutter, a voice dial control, a clear button, and the talk and End/power keys. The toggle found on the phone can be used to set up shortcuts to four user-defined features. There are also flat buttons on the keypad.
Design
The Convoy is designed in a clamshell form factor that comes in Charcoal grey color. The design of the Samsung Convoy is said to be durable. It has also been mentioned that it has an easy to use design. It comes in a rugged design with hard plastic skin and rubber sidings. The design is made in a way that it is certified to the military specifications such as in situations such as humidity, dust, shock, temperature, and salt fog. It has a solid feel to it and comfortable at the same time. Above the external display, there’s the camera lens. Just below the external display, there are three music controls such as play/pause, next and previous. Below the controls is where the speaker is located. There’s the microSD card slot on the right side. On the same side, there’s the speakerphone control and a 2.5mm headset jack. While on the left side, there’s the programmable shortcut button, a volume rocker, and the port for Samsung’s proprietary charger.
Network
It has 3G and GPS.
Camera
It comes with a 2-megapixel camera.
Phone Features
The handset features stereo speakers and is powered by a 1300 mAh capacity battery. It has a 2.5mm headset port and a proprietary charger jack. It also comes with a music player.
Other Features
Other features on the Verizon Samsung Convoy includes VZ NavigatorSM which allows users to get audible turn-by-turn directions to more than 15 million points of interest and share the directions with others; a 2.0 megapixel camera with Night Shot, panorama, color effects and more to capture images and share them with friends and family; Bluetooth® version 2.1 wireless technology that supports synchronization and connectivity to compatible devices; support for headset (mono and stereo), hands-free, dial-up networking, serial port, object push (vCard and vCalendar only), basic image, basic printing and phonebook access and features a personal organizer with calendar, tip calculator, currency converter, notepad, alarm clock, world clock and stop watch.
Reviews
“Despite a couple of design complaints and a missing feature, the Samsung Convoy is an easy-to-use phone with great performance.”(CNET, 2009)
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