Pretty on the outside like a fresh Apple mixed with tar
Samsung has come a long way since it started manufacturing cellphones. Over the past two years, I’ve seen a lot of great phones appear with the SAMSUNG logo plastered on the front of each device. But lately, Samsung hasn’t been doing much to impress. Repetition and competition are key points to blame when it comes to figuring out the dullness in these phones. Companies like Sony-Ericsson and Nokia are beefing up the features and charging a lot more cash for their phones. Is Samsung doing enough to keep up? Is the Blast the adrenaline shot it needs to revitalize itself? Perhaps.
The Blast sure is a purty phone. Unpacking it doesn’t yield anything particularly special, but the crimson red backing and black front look great from any angle. In your hands, the Blast feels like a solid phone. A real piece of work if you will. You’d be pretty happy if someone gave it to you. You can even power it on and the UI looks familiar, yet polished. Easy to use, great apps, and loads of features. All that’s left to do is slide the phone open so you can place a call…
Are you serious??
DAMN SAMSUNG! What the hell were you guys smoking? Crackberries laced with embalming fluid? See, the Samsung Blast features a keypad similar to that of a Blackberry Pearl. You know, the keypad where each key is assigned two different letters and you double tap. It’s supposed to be easier to use but not in this case. Talk about a true pain in the ass. It took me over three minutes to send a text message to my roommate. Not cool, especially for Samsung.
Samsung is banking on the hope that this new keypad will be what you’ve always wanted. Now you can send text messages and IMs to your friends quickly and efficiently! Yeah right. I can spew out that same text that took me three minutes in 10 seconds on my RAZR. Alright so you get it. The keypad sucks. What about the other features?
I’d say the Blast’s features are a bit recycled. First off, the phone only has a 1.3-megapixel camera and it’s way bigger than the old school T809. That had a 1.3-megapixel camera in it, so why doesn’t this have a 2-megapixel sensor? It makes no sense. If Nokia is shoving a 5-megapixel camera in some phones and Sony-Ericsson is following suit, why wouldn’t you up the ante as well? Maybe Samsung has some beef with T-Mobile at the moment. Who knows. The camera does get the job done though. Here’s a photo I took with it (below). You be the judge.
Not bad, but nothing to write home about
Samsung’s UI has always been great. I’d say it’s probably my favorite UI on a cellphone. Pleasing on the eyes, responsive and quick, and simple. Navigating isn’t a problem and unless you lost your fingers while mountain climbing, I doubt you’ll have any problems using the Blast. The IM client features Yahoo!, ICQ, MSN, and AIM – all the popular services. I tried out AIM on the device and like how fast it is. It’s almost good enough to leave the laptop or Sidekick 3 at home, but not quite. The keypad sucks too much, so I’d suggest bringing your arsenal of gadgets with you during travel.
Also features on the Blast is a built-in media player. It does videos and music fine and there’s not much to complain about. Load up your MP3s or AACs on a 2GB microSD card and go to town. You should be used to this by now. Same deal with every other phone on the market. Only issue I have is that Samsung and T-Mobile don’t include a wired set of headphones. Guess your music library isn’t of much use now!
So by now you’re probably thinking, “Alright, sounds like a cool-looking phone with a crappy keypad and mediocre features. I give up. How’s the reception at least?” Well I’m glad you asked! This phone features quad-band GSM, so reception is lovely wherever you are. Around NYC it works fantastic and calls are loud and clear. I noticed walking to the subway, there wasn’t a ton of background noise interrupting my conversation. In the words of Bill & Ted: Excellent!
Overall, I’d say the Samsung Blast is worthy of a trial. I’m sure after a few weeks of use, you’ll pick up the new keypad design just fine. T-Mobile lets you try out phones risk-free for two weeks, so I highly recommend giving the Blast a whirl. If you want a pretty looking phone with good reception, then I’d definitely say pick one up. For $99 it’s not a bad deal, but if you have the cash, look around a bit more or wait for other phones to come around.
The keypad really isnt that bad.
I have had the blast for two days and the first day it SUCKED!
Then the second day i loved the keypad. after you really get thee hang of it!
Glad to hear it improves in time!
Nice review. Just a note: The blackberry pearl does have a similar keyboard layout, but you do not have to hit the “as” key twice for “s”. their sureType technology works really well in knowing what you mean… sorta like t9 but better. the pearl is one of the few phones that makes it truly easy to type with a single thumb and get the job done.
Well, the phone looks great. Yes, the keypad is a pain to use at first but seems to get easier. My problem and i hope this is a very unusual one and not a design flaw, the numbers 1, 4, and 7 stopped working completely after day one and reception has been awful; reminiscient of talking underwater, if one could.
Verdict, unhappy but will try again with another Blast.
i got the blast the day it came put and i like it the key board is real easy but i would of got the black berry pearl if i could
You really bang on the keyboard too much. After a few days of it you’ll notice that your typing messages on it so much faster then you could without a qwerty keyboard.
I’ll be the first to admit that the double-tap QWERTY keyboard takes some getting used to, but now I feel like a fish out of water trying to type on the traditional T9 keyboard.
@suzie: It sounds like you may have gotten a faulty unit. I hope you can get it swapped out.
–Travis Hudson, MWW Group on behalf of Samsung
Has anyone else had trouble getting Gmail to work correctly with this phone?
In my case, I can send emails and receive the summary/list view — but not download and view an entire email message. For this, I was told I need T-Zones service. I spoke with both a tech person, a senior tech person, and the manager about this. This is contrary to all advertising for the phone.
I’m hoping this is getting fixed, as it’s very misleading advertising as it stands. I will report back if this gets resolved.
Does anyone know if the email client uses imaps? This is the secure, encrypted mode imap where usernames and passwords aren’t sent in the clear.
I just got the Blast Sept 1st and so far I love it. There are a few things that are kind of disapointing but other than that it’s a great phone. When it’s on silent, if you hit the volume key it deactivates silent mode…. Which is a bad thing when you’re in class(though I haven’t had it go off yet) if some one would hear it or something. Also, it’s so pretty I’m kind of scaired to really mess with it, and the screen part seems kind of wobbily, but just slightly, so I try to be as careful as I can be with it. On to the pros; I’ve never had a phone with a qwerty keypad on it, but it seems pretty easy to get used to. The word predict thingy… I don’t know what it’s called… Is good. It has all the slang in it, for the most part. I liek that ir rings and vibrates at the same time, unlike my t509, and it rings loud. It’s sleaker than I though by seeing it on T.V. and t-mobile.com and it slides pretty smoothly. I would def. recomend it, expically if you’re some one who’s owned an older(not old but, still) samsung.
the keypad really is pretty easy to use after a day of it, and i think it goes much faster than my old phone,
i would definantly recomend it to all tmoblie ppl, considering most of their phones suck
I LUV IT SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH ITS AWESOME IAM A FREAK ABOUT IT EXEPT I DONE HAVE 1
I LUV MYSPACE 2
i bought the samsung blast when it first came out and i have no problem with it at all!!! its so awesome and all my friends love it…its such an elegant phone with class too
Ive experienced the keypad being a little non responsive while texting, which results in many words being mispelled, really annoying. also, may be unique to my particular phone, but the battery tends to die a lot faster than my previous phones, most times not even lasting a full day- and thats not because of constant usage
This phone is sweet.
Sincerely,
Al Kaida
I just bought a Blast about 2 days ago and I really like it so far. I see what you mean with the keybored beinga pain in the ass. It took me forever to find letters the pirst time I texted on it. I text a lot and I’ve gotten better at remembering where the keys are but it’s still really hard to text. Only time can tell when I will be fully used to it. Nice work on the revew. it really helped me out if I was going to get it or not.
i just got the samsung blast a few days ago, yeahh the keyboard will take some getting used to : } i love the camera and how you can customize this awsome phone!!
ilove it. best phone i’ve ever had. great for teens like myself!
wtf…..are you retarded? That keypad is s much easier to use. Second best, next to the full Qwerty keypad! How could it not be easier? It’s like typing on a small computer keyboard. This phone is awesome! Although pics aren’t that good.
I give it a 9 out of 10.
Well the weight of the phone is amazing the , it’s almost as thin as my Razr , considering we looked at the Blast today in a BestBuy. It looks to be a pretty decent phone . Im going to get one.
Good luck
and happy holidays!
haha i just ordered the blast today and i’m feeling pretty good about my decision due to all the comments i have read.
the picture seems pretty clear to me, and i’m sure the keypad would take some getting used to.
so on a fully charged batt. how long would it last 4?
the blast rocks! i got mine for free, but i had to drive 120 miles to get it. overall it was worth the drive and the phone has yet to dissapoint me
I’ve had the Blast for 4 days now and it’s a blast. My other phones are/were sanyo 3200 and Moto Q. The pictures are the worst part of the phone, better than the Q but worse than the 3200. The calling signal quality is excellent, puts both my others to shame. The keyboard is taking me time but it’s a hell of a lot better than a std keypad. I’m getting better and now it’s actually getting easy, but it does take a little time to get used to. The music player is sweet and I love the overall ease of use of the whole phone for a guy that really doesn’t keep up with new stuff. The real only downer for me was I had a Moto S9 stereo headset and it won’t work with the blast. I took both back and after trying 3 different Blasts and 2 known working S9’s and we figured out they don’t like to talk to each other. The phone call part is fine but the music drops constantly ie.. it drops after about a minute and won’t re-sync. That sucks but I have some not so cool looking but better sound wise Cardo S2’s coming to try out. I’ll let you know how that works since music sync seems to be an issue.
OK..so the Cardo S2’s look like space ear muffs but the sound quality is much better than the S9. It also plays much louder and clearer with better bass. The controls are much easier to work than on the S9 also. Unfortunately, I still like the looks of the S9’s better but maybe if I wear a baseball hat all the time these ear muffs won’t look quite so geeky. Ok.,so I guess I’ll just stay behind the tinted windows in the truck and not let anybody see me. The Cardo’s are also very comfortable to wear for long periods of time. If you don’t mind the looks or have long hair where you can hide em these have awesome sound quality and the controls are easy to find blind and operate.
Oh…one last thing. I’ve been about 45 feet away from my phone before it starts clipping. Not too shabby.
hey all, i was wondering if you could help me out with a question i have. i just got the blast for xmas and i love every aspect of it except for one thing. the background highlight color on the menus and the phonebook is a dark pink. ive looked everywhere to see how i could change this, and i cant come across anything. i know for a fact its not in the display settings menu because ive checked out everything in that menu. anyways, im seriously considering returning the phone simple cause of that (i know that sounds a little juvenile, but it seems retarded that samsung wouldn’t give the consumer the option to change the highlight color). anyways, i would really appreciate any help on this. thanks
all u people that r hating on the phone go do something with your life cause i have the phone and it is great. stop comparing it 2 the pearl who cares if it has the same keyboard so does the Shadow noboday compares those 2 so shut up:[
I got the Blast and I think it’s the best phone I’ve ever had. The keypad takes a few days to get used to but it’s much easier to use than the traditional one, especially with the text prediction. This guy needs to get over his phobia of a different keypad setup.
hey i have a really quick question.
i’m thinking about getting the blast because i was stuck between the motorola slider or samsung and i chose the samsung because as of right now i have a samsung and it’s always been reliable, i’ve never had any problems with it. i know the keypad will take some time to get use to so i’m not worried about that, the only thing i’m worried about is that someone told me that you can’t use your bluetooth downloads as ring tones. i don’t believe him, but i just wanted to make sure. i didn’t see anyone mention anything about that flaw so i’m assuming it is a feature that does work.
hey,would u think the samsung blast would be a good phone for a male teenager?
also, do u think it is a good phone??
please reply,thanks
yes cuz my boyfriend has it and i though te phone was really cool so am getting one too
i was stuck just like u. between a sidekick slide and a blast. i got thesidekick. n it wouldnt charge or register my SIM card. i called t-mobile,the guy from tech. support actually recommended me not to keep the sidekick slide b/c motorola hadnt done so well, n it was rushed, ergo full of problems. im waiting for the blast to come in. im really excited. i had the white samsung phone that came with the plan. That fone is undestructable. well, point is, trust samsung better, it has a better rep. that motorola. come on doesnt anyone remeber the white screen on the razors? exactly. i <3 samsung
I had the razr v3t and got this phone..it kicks the razr’s butt!!! i love the new keypad i can text A LOT faster than on the razr. PLus the software is a lot faster. The camera also has more effects and the red looks really cool. Now my next phone will the sidekick lx..too bad i cant afford that anytime soon :(
hey,quick question
would u think the samsung blast makes a good phone for a male teenager?
also,truthfully
would u consider this a good and reliable phone,that u wouldnt like after 2 days?
i consider this fone reliable, but if anything, lets say u get it and u dont like it, u can call tmobile or call custermer service and tell them that u have “buyers remorse” they’ll ask u to return the handset n u can choose another model. i think they charge 18 dollars now, not sure. n honestly, i do not reccomend the sidekick slide, it’s too expensive n unreliable and u can get all the features from the slide on the blast. o yea,when u get the slide u have to pay an additional 20 dollars a month to get the full applications on the fone. if u have a 2 year contract, thats 480 dollars. i like samsung better.
well I’m a 16 year old male, and I’m getting the phone in about a week. I really like it. I was playing with one in a t-mobile store, and I liked it even more. I can’t wait to get it. I’m sure whoever your getting it for will love it. And if they text a lot I’m sure the qwerty style keyboard will help.
i want a new cell phone that is cool easy to use and has has some cool features and is a slider im stuck between the blast and moto rizr idk what i want. i will be willing to get used to the keypad but i dont really text much anyway so…. and if it has great reception thats great, and i dont care if the music player sucks bcuz i have an ipod. it sounds cool so i might get it. let me kno what u think.
ummm exuse me but the keyboard kicks butt, and the pictures are something to talk about, ok first of all i can type faster on my blast than the keyboard im typing on right now. for typing “homework” it took me like 2 seconds ( i only had to press 3 buttons) and took me like 4 secs on sisters 9 button phone. and you know there is such thing called t-9 and thats what the phone was meant for. AND ABOUT THE CAMERA IT TAKE AWESOME PICS AT LOW mem, it take 9 kb and it took a pic like it was 3 megapixel. and in case you didn’t already know the keyboard is the same as a blackberry’s.
the only thing i didn’t like about the phone is that you can’t multi-task, besides that i give this phone 4 stars.
p.s. this phone is the most bought phone for the “younger” crowd
what about the sidekick lx?
Yah i like the keyboard its designed as a layout of a computer keyboard (Smart idea imo) its sweet, takes a while tho!
Overall, the phone looks great. It’s thin, lightweight, yet suprisingly solid ( a lot more durable than the Chocolate). I’d give it a 9.5 out of 10. Nice job Samsung!
well, i have the sidekick lx, well i’ve never
known when i have not had a keyboard phone.
hmm.
well anyways i think im ready to hang the whole
“celebrity” thing, and trade myself in for a
more educational look.
im looking for a smaller phone,
i was thiking this? or the Nokia 6301
hmm, wich one is better?
I have had my phone or almost 7 months. I can’t stand the phone. I will try to get acsess to my phonebook and it will say phonebook sync in progress and then finally after 5 minutes i have acsess to my phonebook. But is what it did is it like tripled like evrybody in my phonebook so almost everyday like 4 times a day i have to go through it and delete. If you like the phone because of its Keyboard i recomend the Blackberry Pearl. Thats a great phone i was told by manyy people. Almost everybody i know with samsung phones say thier phone is horrible. I do not recomend this phone at ALL!
I hate how the keyboard is flat. My phone is really slow and my inbox and outbox together only hold 200 messages. I’m not going to waste 40 or 50 bucks to go geta memory card on a horrible phone
i have the same problem as irratatedbysamsungblast.i just got blast about a week ago and my contact list keeps tripling. Like irrated said, i have to erase contacts 4,5 times a day. I’m thinking of calling the customer service cause when i went into phonebook—>mangement—->default saving, default saving is disabled so i cant even press it. the word DEFAULT SAVING is in gray so i cant press on it. Also when i go to phonebook——> management—> memory status, my SIM memory is in gray so i cant press on it. Its like as if my phone cant detect my SIM card. So I took my SIM card out from my phone and put it in my dad’s samsung phone,which the system is almost identical as blast, it clearly says that i have about 50 contacts on my SIM. i don’t know what to do!!! driving me nuts!!!
this is the same person as earlier yahhh my phone kept freezing up… so i got the brand new sidekick. I love it so muhc. If you want a good phone get the new sidekick… its the best phone ever!!!
my wife had the sony ericsson w5801. great phone. long battery time. then her phone got wet and quit working. my wife put her claim in to what was then suncom before t-mobile brought them out. long story short she was sent the blast. the phone is wack, suck, whatever you want to call it. battery life maybe 4hrs before you get low battery icon. no memory stick. 1.3 camera, come on dude my sony ericsson has a 2.0 and it’s way odler than the blast. my wife has been on the phone for 3days trying to get a new phone and t-mobile won’t do it. so as of monday my wife and i plan to sue t-mobile ,suncom and their insurance compines.
KEY BOARD issues with the blast. I can’t use the “on” button on my phone because the button just froze and stopped working. When I am on a call and want to end it bu using the slide down feature, my call won’t end until the other person hangs up. I went over my minutes last month because I did not notice it immediately. The battery life is the worst on the face of the earth. I had NOKIA’s prior to getting a SAMSUNG phone and I would talk for hours on my NOKIA phones, but with the SAMSUNG BLAST, I hardly talk for 1 hour and I get baterry low alert. For some strange reason, the reminder tone also only alers you with one really low beep. The phone is WACK…
I just got this phone and it is o.k…i guess. I am trying to transfer music from my computer to the phone without buying their $60.00 kit. I brought a kingston SD chip and the micro SD mem. usb drive. The stupid pone won’t recognize the music off the card. How can I get music off my computer to my phone?
i love the samsung blast the keypad works awesome for me because im always on the computer and thats where its based from BUT for some reason my screen freezes up wen i slide it now..and ive had it for about..like three months a little less..but other than that its awesome! but i DO text alot which is probably why the screen is jacked up..
Good review…I just have a question, how much is the phone without signing to a 2-year contract? I already have T-Mobile as my service but, the phone that I currently have is a real piece of shit so, obviously, I was thinking of buying this one but, when I went to the T-Mobile page, it said this phone was $179.99 which is fine with me and then I went to the mall to a T-Mobile kiosk thing and this lady there was trying to tell me that it costs $350 >_> Um, well..thanks for this review, I still wanna buy the phone hah..I’ll get used to the crappy keyboard soon enough
LOL na it aint 350. itz $179.99 im thinkin’ bout gttin’ it dis week…
Well First off if you have half of a brain you would be able to use the keypad with ease , it has the ability to be quicker at texting then any phone on the market based on fewer buttons pressed (that is if its in the right hands. Besides that the predictive text is adaptive and very good making texting that much easier. All of the features are very nice with a fairly wide collection of them ( minus the mediocre music player). well this comment is running on so i will cut to the point. YOUR REVIEW SUCKS COCK. SO PRINT IT AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS.
does it have a usb
the keypad actually is incredibly fast if you use t9 because there is less keycombination possibilities you can have ur shitty ole razor ahaha.
btw the battery life is great? what are these ppl talking about? it goes low fast but it lasts on low battery for 2-3 hours
I love this phone, except for when you first open the text messaging it starts out trying to guess the word you want (whatever that is called) other than that it has been really good to me. Today I found my phone in the washer, it still works but when I charge it…it vibrates non stop. I don’t know if I have ruined it completely or if this will go away when it completely dries out.