Samsung Factor

A flip phone launched by Samsung this year would have to be the Factor (SPH-m260) which is slate gray with a smooth body. The handset measures 3.8 x 1.9 x 0.7 inches and it weighs only 3.2 pounds, making it easy to carry in the pocket. On the front of the phone there’s a small 1.2-inch CSTN display that can show up to 65k colors. This external display can show date & time, signal strength, battery life as well as message notifications. It also doubles as a viewfinder for that VGA camera that sits just above the display.

Opening the Samsung Factor will reveal a 2-inch TFT internal display that has a resolution of 128 x 160 pixels (QQVGA) and can support up to 262k colors. This resolution is considerably grainier than the QVGA resolution (240 x 320 pixels) which is common on these affordable, entry-level handsets. We do like that the colors are bright enough but a sharper screen would have been better.

Below the screen you’ll notice the 4-way navigation toggle with an OK button in the center, along with a camera & photo gallery button, two soft keys and a Back button as well. You will also find a second set of controls below that includes Talk, End and speakerphone keys. The dial pad buttons occupy half of the entire keypad and all of the keys have a rubberized texture that makes them responsive and comfortable. Even though these keys are not fully separated, they have been raised above the surface and are also slightly domed in the center.

On the right spine of the device is a microUSB port hiding behind a sliding cover, along with a camera shutter. On the left side of the Samsung Factor is the volume rocker, and that’s about it as there’s no expansion slot for a microSD card.

The phonebook of the device can hold up to 600 entries and in each of these there’s room for several phone numbers, URL, e-mail, birthdate, note and an address. The phone features a Java application that is able to offer support for Web mail (POP3 and IMAP) from your Yahoo, Gmail and AOL inboxes. Also on board are Bluetooth and a WAP browser, along with a few essential tools like a calendar, alarm, world clock, calculator and a memo pad. The VGA camera is able to take photos up to a resolution of 480 x 640 pixels but the photos are quite grainy and blurry.

The battery of the Samsung Factor is rated to last for up to 8.8 days in standby or 4.45 hours of talk time, while its digital SAR rating is of 0.82 W/kg, according to FCC’s radiation tests.