vB Easy Archive - **Samsung SYNC (a707) availability / purchase / where to buy thread**

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**Samsung SYNC (a707) availability / purchase / where to buy thread**
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Posted by: .7

Please post all Samsung a707 availability related information here. This includes posts related to where to buy, website availability, availability through retail or other sales channels. Please keep this thread revelant to the topic and refrain from off topic discussion. If you would like to discuss the functions and features of this device, please do so on the forum sticky.

Thanks,

.7

Posted by: FungFlex

Played with the phone today at a Cingular Store in Denville, NJ today. So I can promise they have it in stock. I actually came in to ask about the 8525/i607 and the guy looked at me like I was crazy but sitting on the counter was an A707, I asked if I could play with it for a second and its a really nice phone, very snappy in speed and nice and sexy, only problem is it is a tad larger than I would have expected.

Posted by: edmund

we have them in stock in my store. got em today.

Posted by: .7

Played with one today...incrediable screen but its one of the bigger clamshell phones Ive seen in a while.

They should be out in most COR locations today.

Posted by: Mazzel

.7 can you size comparison to the cu500??? also earpiece volume???

Posted by: .7

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

.7 can you size comparison to the cu500??? also earpiece volume???

When I get both of them together I will on the a707 sticky. Lets keep this thread for availability releted info.

Posted by: cuidinsider

i got mine lol it burns that cu500 i had one befor ethis

Posted by: swiftbmx

Can anyone give the cingular sku for this phone off the box? I'd really appreciate it.

Posted by: FungFlex

cingular sku: 64627
cingular blue sku: 635753462531

coming right off Cingular's November/Holiday season price sheet.

Posted by: Mazzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by cuidinsider

i got mine lol it burns that cu500 i had one befor ethis

where did you pick it up???
i'm hoping someone from the south florida area will announce arrival and availability at the stores...in the west palm area

hows the earpiece volume and size???

Posted by: bigmike20

So many questions being asked but so little answers!

Posted by: ivwshane

Official launch for cor stores will be on the 6th.

Posted by: Mazzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigmike20

So many questions being asked but so little answers!

absolutely true...obvious questions being asked re previous problems with samsung, ie earpiece...i can't wait to get my hands on this and at least give it a little run in the store to see if its worth swapping with the lg...

i'm wondering if any of the stores since they have them and are in inventory will part with them this weekend???

Posted by: Blazers4ever

Quote:

Originally Posted by FungFlex

cingular sku: 64627
cingular blue sku: 635753462531

coming right off Cingular's November/Holiday season price sheet.

Cingular blue SKU??? So you're saying former ATTWS customers can get this phone without migrating to Cingular?

Posted by: mush10

Have people been able to purchase these anywhere? I called a store by me and they said they had them, but would not be for sale until Sunday.

Posted by: kirbo20

Product Advisory: Samsung a707 STOP SELL/STOP SHIP – DO NOT MERCHANDIZE
PRIORITY: RED – Heavy Impact to Existing Inventory. Samsung has discovered an issue with the production a707/Cingular SYNC devices.
(Fri, November 03, 2006)
Issue/Volume number:
The device presents error messages and does not allow the sync and load of Windows Media rights-protected music. Cingular believes this is related to an issue or failure in the manufacturing process.

Due to the seriousness of this issue devices should not be sold until a root cause and root solution is identified At this time, devices should not be returned to the Distribution Center. Additional information regarding the disposition of these units will be provided in an update to this advisory.

Posted by: Mazzel

what??????????????
they can't do that to us!!!

Posted by: i0wnj00

Quote:

Originally Posted by FungFlex

cingular sku: 64627
cingular blue sku: 635753462531

coming right off Cingular's November/Holiday season price sheet.

And this means?

Is there anyway to buy Cingular phones at full retail price through the phone or online?

Posted by: hitechy

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirbo20

Product Advisory: Samsung a707 STOP SELL/STOP SHIP – DO NOT MERCHANDIZE
PRIORITY: RED – Heavy Impact to Existing Inventory. Samsung has discovered an issue with the production a707/Cingular SYNC devices.
(Fri, November 03, 2006)
Issue/Volume number:
The device presents error messages and does not allow the sync and load of Windows Media rights-protected music. Cingular believes this is related to an issue or failure in the manufacturing process.

Due to the seriousness of this issue devices should not be sold until a root cause and root solution is identified At this time, devices should not be returned to the Distribution Center. Additional information regarding the disposition of these units will be provided in an update to this advisory.

You're joking aren't you? There's no way that Samsung wouldn't check to see that the most advertised feature of a phone "SYNCing with Windows Media" is working before shipping them out.

Posted by: Michael95GT

Wirelessly posted (My HTC BlueAngel or S/E Z710i: SonyEricssonZ710i/R1EF Release/Sep-08-2006 Browser/NetFront/3.3 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

I guess this question is moot for now, but will it be sold in "3G only" areas like the CU500 was at first? I was thinking about going out looking for it today.

Posted by: Mazzel

i agree, that can't be right, a music playing error on a music oriented phone...sounds just like something cingular wouldn't bother to check...

Posted by: CavMan

First, the screen is amazing. 320x240 and QVGA. I was working with opera mini and it was displaying the shrunk down version of the whole web page. Significantly better than the CU500. It is the sharpest screen I have seen and rivals the new blackberry and the ming in terms of clarity and sharpness. It is also extremely bright.

Music: put a 2gig microSD card in and it picks it up immediately. I transferred the songs onto the card from my laptop (has an SD slot on it) so I can not comment about the alert that was posted above. The music player works great. The speakerphone is loud and clear and the music buttons on the front aren't really buttons, they are touch sensitive. You can fast forward/rewind as well as going to the next track, but it is very sensitive to the touch. It locks the touch keys after about 15-20secs of inactivity and you have to push the camera button on the side of the phone to re-activate them. This appears to be so you can put the phone in your pocket with the music playing and not have it start skipping all over the place.

Camera: very solid. 2mp. Haven't used it a lot. but pictures are razor sharp and the pic is much larger than my V3i pic.

3G: wicked fast. Was getting around 370-390kb. very nice.

software: significantly better than CU500 but I still prefer the customizability of Motorola. For instance, I can not figure out how to scroll to different phone numbers for the same name (ie scroll through work, home, mobile #s) without having to click on the whole name in the address book and then scrolling down to the proper number i want to dial. most phones have the ability to hit the left or right arrow keys to scroll through the contact's numbers. This phone does not appear to have that capability. annoying to me.

size: it is slightly taller than my V3i, but is the same width and is much lighter. It feels more plasticky than the V3i but still feels solidly built. Keyboard is great.

Sound: very loud. great RF. Seems comparable to V3i which I view as a high-water mark.

Battery life: seems excellent. I was surfing a ton, xferring about 200 phone contacts via bluetooth (one at a time unfortunately) and I still had 1 bar left. My V3i (the transferrer of the phone contacts) died midway through and had to be recharged.

I don't know how to post pics but suffice to say this is the best phone I have ever owned. I love the screen and the screen is the key to using the HSDPA. This phone blows the CU500 away on almost every conceivable level.

I have been a die-hard motorola man the past 2 years but no one is taking this a707 out of my hands for quite a while.

Post other questions and I will try to answer.

Posted by: bigmike20

Like the cu500,when using a java program,does it ask for permission every time it needs access to the internet?
Also can u post pics taken with the phone?

Posted by: Mazzel

how is the load time on video, after a day of playing is the earpiece up to par with the cu500???

Posted by: kirbo20

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

i agree, that can't be right, a music playing error on a music oriented phone...sounds just like something cingular wouldn't bother to check...

Sorry forgot to tell my source. "CSP"

Posted by: Mazzel

thats just garbage...any announce date on the re-ship date, i remember when they did the recall on the z520 they announced a return date back to stores???

Posted by: cing3760

I Picked One Up Yesterday Here In Iowa And I Have Had No Problems With The Sync. There Is One Issue That Drives Me Crazy, When You Charge The Phone The External Display Remains On All The Time, Just Like The Samsung D-807.
Otherwise This Phone Is Awesome, I Came From An Lg Cu500 And This Phone Is Much More Solid In Quality And Capabilities in every respect except the sound volume of the speaker phone (cu500 is better).
price in my area is 319.00 without a contract.

Posted by: anubis9278

Quote:

Originally Posted by kirbo20

Sorry forgot to tell my source. "CSP"

confirmed, this ****** is on recall status. pull all merchandise, and have a coke and a smile. they took mine back.

Posted by: hitechy

Why couldn't they just do any OTA update if the issues isn't that big?

Posted by: CavMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigmike20

Like the cu500,when using a java program,does it ask for permission every time it needs access to the internet?
Also can u post pics taken with the phone?

thankfully, no it DOES NOT ask for permission before each change of webpage. Believe me, if you own the CU500, run, don't walk, to get this phone instead.

I do not know how to upload pics. i apologize.

Posted by: hitechy

Quote:

Originally Posted by CavMan

Go to www.imageshack.us , upload file(s), copy the "Hotlink for forum" URL and paste in a post here

Posted by: flokati

Quote:

Originally Posted by hitechy

Why couldn't they just do any OTA update if the issues isn't that big?

That might be possible...im just guessing, though...but no one is sending the phones back, just not able to sell them!!

Posted by: Mazzel

they told me in a store today that they were working on the problem and that they might be able to give it to me later...i have NO IDEA what that means, an OTA update might come quick enough if cingular pressures samsung enough as to not embarrass the launch of the cingular music...

i was not disappointed in the phone, but i was not as happy as i thought i would be, you can see my mini review in the other thread...

i'm hoping to get a call later if they are able to let them go, maybe we will get lucky and they will do an OTA quickly and get these bad boys out the door

Posted by: NOSintake

cavman, how much did you pay for this phone? and did you get a new contract?

Posted by: CavMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOSintake

cavman, how much did you pay for this phone? and did you get a new contract?

Paid retail $299. Did not sign a new contract. I am still holding out hope that Cingular will get the v6 maxx and then I might re-up for that one.

Either way though I will keep this phone. The screen is just too amazing to describe. I will NOT buy an HSDPA phone again without a 320x240 screen. It makes web browsing impossible without such a great screen.

The height (closed) and width are almost identical to a v3i. The a707 is slightly thicker, but I mean very slightly. When open, the a707 is a little taller. The phone is considerably lighter than the v3i.

Hope that helps.

Posted by: Mazzel

cavman...after a little more time with it, how are you feeing with it...most regards to battery life, reception and earpiece volume???

Posted by: cuidinsider

the phone is not for sale shortly after launch in csp a posting about the handset not being compatible with DRM'd WMA files and DRM'd MP3's lol

Posted by: mentalcase

Yesterday the phone was on display and today we took it down. LOL it was the funniest thing ive seen all week. Go samsung/cingular.

Posted by: I have a phone

Quote:

Originally Posted by mentalcase

Yesterday the phone was on display and today we took it down. LOL it was the funniest thing ive seen all week. Go samsung/cingular.

yeah for backing the product that get's you those huge pay checks

Posted by: Mazzel

perhaps someone was drunk during testing...

Posted by: I have a phone

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

perhaps someone was drunk during testing...

perhaps you're right

Posted by: mush10

I guess now we understand why some phones take forever in testing. Better to stay in testing then have a phone launch disaster. Have to be honest, I was looking forward to picking this up this morning.

Posted by: CavMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

cavman...after a little more time with it, how are you feeing with it...most regards to battery life, reception and earpiece volume???

I am not sure what is the problem with the phone that Cingular is worried about. The thing works phenomenally well and I have zero interest in returning it. Again, I have been a diehard motorola fan the past 2 years.

The battery life seems impressive, even with browsing and using bluetooth. The volume seems very good to me. V3i and V3 have never been loud enough and this phone seems louder to me than those. The RF seems comparable to v3i, at least in terms of bars that it is showing.

I put my v3i and a707 next to each other again. They are exactly the same height when closed. The a707 is slightly taller when open. They are exactly the same width. The a707 is slightly thicker than v3i. The a707 is lighter than the v3i.

I am no samsung lover, but the only thing that I don't like about this phone is the phonebook. I am not able to use the left/right arrows to view the contact's other phone numbers. Instead, I seem to have to click on the contact's name, and then, once having the contact "open", have to scroll down to the other numbers. If anyone has a workaround for this to allow me to scroll left/right while highlighting the contact, please let me know. When I scroll left/right it takes me to "groups".

Screen is phenomenal. Bluetooth works great (also has the stereo headphone profile), hsdpa is awesome, camera is terrific, RF is also very good (comparable to v3i), music player is cool, battery life seems excellent. Oh, and someone else asked about video loading. It doesn't seem as smooth as the CU500, but is very fast/clear.

Of interest, when i go to "software update" in the menu, it shows "1) continue software update" but I can not push #1, nor can I hit ok.

Posted by: Mazzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by CavMan

Of interest, when i go to "software update" in the menu, it shows "1) continue software update" but I can not push #1, nor can I hit ok.

interesting information about this, i'm still thinking or maybe its hoping that this problem can be solved via an OTA software update, keeping the phones in the store gives me hope that this problem will be solved expeditiously....i'd hate to launch a music store without a phone announced in the same press release...

hopefully when someone gets to work today the CSP will have good news regarding a potential release date which hopefully remains tomorrow!

Posted by: kirbo20

Samsung has determined this was an issue with the manufacturing process and sequence of final software programming. A process change has been instituted at Samsung's factories. Updated product will begin shipping from the Distribution Centers on Monday, November 6, 2006.

All unsold affected product must be returned to the Fort Worth, Texas Distribution Center immediately.

Posted by: Mazzel

any idea of a new release date???

Posted by: hitechy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

Well, it is very possible that since phones are being shipped out tomorrow to stores, that it could still be on the website tomorrow. I think Cingular is really making an effort I can tell to get this phone out on time.

Posted by: Mazzel

hmmmm lets see what happens...its possible however unlikely cingular could have had them shipped today with an arrival scheduled in stores for tomorrow...ups and fed ex still move shipments on sunday, maybe...but unlikely, just hoping

Posted by: mush10

Here's to hoping we see it Monday or Tuesday again.

Posted by: Mazzel

anyone have information today about availability???

Posted by: pcmagsascha

Cingular told me tomorrow:

http://www.gearlog.com/2006/11/cing..._samsung_sy.php

Posted by: pcmagsascha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

they told me in a store today that they were working on the problem and that they might be able to give it to me later...i have NO IDEA what that means, an OTA update might come quick enough if cingular pressures samsung enough as to not embarrass the launch of the cingular music...

i'm hoping to get a call later if they are able to let them go, maybe we will get lucky and they will do an OTA quickly and get these bad boys out the door

From a Cingular corporate perspective, just boxing them up and sending out new ones was easier than relying on all the store managers to step through an OTA on all the phones. They OTA'ed my review model, but considering the phones weren't on sale yet, they just decided not to put any of the buggy ones out there. I think that's a good call.

Posted by: Mazzel

thats fine...i fully expected that to be the case, although cingular has never slouched when it comes to fixing devices when suspected firmware is found, i stand by the z520a white screen or split screen fiasco and cingular was on the ball with getting them out as quickly as possible...

its good to see that tomorrow could be the day, sascha first opinions??? earpiece volume, a little taste of a review before an article releases??

Posted by: locogrande

when the new ones get released, you think there will be any way to tell if I got one with the new software and not one that the store neglected to send back?

of course, I could test the DRM music thing, but I dont even really know what that means, nor do i plan to really use the phone for music.

i know this seems very paranoid and skeptical, but I live in NYC. there's a lot of scumbaggery going on here.

Posted by: kstab

good question, loco ... although.. it doesn't seem as though it would be the end of the world if you did end up with one of the "broken" ones, as an OTA update can fix anything that's wrong.

correct?

Posted by: Michael95GT

Cingular SYNC commercial on during HERO'S tonight.

Posted by: pcmagsascha

Quote:

Originally Posted by locogrande

when the new ones get released, you think there will be any way to tell if I got one with the new software and not one that the store neglected to send back?

The only way to find out, in my experience, is to try to load protected music (i.e. music bought from Napster, Yahoo! or another WMA based music store.) That's the only feature that I found the bug affected. If you don't intend to use this feature, you may never know, though perhaps there's a software version number that got updated.

Posted by: Mazzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael95GT

Cingular SYNC commercial on during HERO'S tonight.

i saw that too, i went into my room right after the commercial and added to the other a707 thread...awesome commercial played during an awesome show!!

Posted by: pcmagsascha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

thats fine...i fully expected that to be the case, although cingular has never slouched when it comes to fixing devices when suspected firmware is found, i stand by the z520a white screen or split screen fiasco and cingular was on the ball with getting them out as quickly as possible...

its good to see that tomorrow could be the day, sascha first opinions??? earpiece volume, a little taste of a review before an article releases??

Yes - as I said, if you (as a company) discover a bug, admit it, and fix it for free, I'm not going to get on your butt. Sure, their testing clearly failed, but they performed a successful fumble recovery and took it to the goal line. Or something like that.

I think the phone's music sync capability is a big thing, and a good thing. It syncs better and more flexibly than any other non smartphone. It also syncs video with one click from WMP 11 on the desktop, which is terrific. HSDPA speeds are solid, and it doesn't have that annoying "ask every time" Java insanity. That said, it isn't the loudest phone, and there's hiss. You'll have to read my review Wednesday for more

Posted by: Mazzel

awesome...i'll be looking forward to it...is the volume at least acceptable for everyday use...you are easily considered an authority with the capability of testing a multitude of phones so you'd perhaps be one of the best judges...would it satisfy everyday use??

Posted by: Michael95GT

Quote:

..awesome commercial played during an awesome show!!

Yeah, HERO'S is one of the best of the new shows this season. I'm totally addicted.

Posted by: panerai7

I can't wait to try this phone. Finally a good clamshell on Cingular, that's comparable with what europe and japan have had for a while now.

Mazzell, just a question, are you def or something? I mean you keep asking the same question about the loudness of the speaker in this phone in every question or comment in this thread. I am just asking because I have had a lot of phones and always found no issue with the loudness of the speaker in any of them.

Thanks

Posted by: Mazzel

am i def or something...let me ask you a question, do you understand the meaning of the word tact...i can thankfully say i am not def, but considering samsungs track record on their previously released samsung models i choose to ask those who own the phone their opinion which will help influence whether or not i should pursue an interest in this phone...

i often find myself in situations where the phone simply isn't loud enough, on the street, in the car, in a bar/club and these are the situations i'm hoping to find a phone that works, the cu500 is far and away an amazing earpiece/speaker volume...yet i am attracted to the looks and allure of the a707 and for what its worth...its my right to ask that question as often as i want unless you can find some by law or guideline that says i can't ask those who own this device their opinion

and by the way...your signature...its disease[I]

Posted by: panerai7

Wow, guy, no sense of humor, i was just kidding with you.

By the way your profile "lovin 30 days" comment makes you look like a typical tire-kicker. So what's the difference what speaker volume is like, you're gonna return the phone anyway for something else. That 30-day is not designed for you to try for FREE every d*mn phone Cingular has to offer.

That's what drives the prices of the phones buddy. You're probably one of those guys that comes up with a fake reason every time he returns the phone while shamefully looking away, afraid to look at the associate's eyes

Cheers

Posted by: Mazzel

wow you presume without thought or consideration about me

i happen to be pretty good at buying phones and not returning them as i have an extensive collection of devices purchased at upgrade, full retail, e-bay and other various retailers...my "lovin 30 days" isn't an example or an all out battle cry for me to try every phone in the store, its clear as day that i will take advantage of that to try out one other model not 12...

what difference does the volume make?? bright statement...i'll let you contemplate why it might matter on your own

i'm going to return the phone anyway...no, but good attempt at calling me out

30 day policy, i worked there for 3 years, i know the policy...and i will honor it just as often as i made others

thats what drives the prices of the phone buddy??? ok...your knowledge of the industry shows its true colors there and there alone...

one of those guys that comes up with a fake reason...see 3 lines up

afraid to look at the associates eyes...seriously before you respond to this, sit down...take a deep breath...think of some good stuff, make notes if you have too...

but do me a favor...presumption, its the mother of all ****ups...so don't do that

Posted by: panerai7

you're funny and i don't mean your sense of humor.

take care and keep checking the volume on those phones, by the way if you want a lot of volume just get a RAZR and adjust the gain table 'til your ears bleed

Cheers

Posted by: Mazzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by panerai7

you're funny and i don't mean your sense of humor.

take care and keep checking the volume on those phones, by the way if you want a lot of volume just get a RAZR and adjust the gain table 'til your ears bleed

Cheers

wow...i see wit isn't one of your strong points...and yes about 12 of my phones have gain table adjustments, but i'll keep trying them thanks buddy!

Posted by: panerai7

if you think anything you posted was witty, you must be high. Stop being so defensive - you were just annoying the hell out me by asking every single poster about the same thing. Buddy, just wait, the phone will come out and you can listen to it to see if it's sufficient enough.

By the way if you had to adjust 12 phones' gain table for loudness, then i guess i was right - you are def

or you need to stop getting crappy phones.

Later

Posted by: Mazzel

you get annoyed by posts i place here on this forum...sad

i'm done though as i wish to regain the topic and focus of this thread

Posted by: wcl884

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

you get annoyed by posts i place here on this forum...sad

i'm done though as i wish to regain the topic and focus of this thread

While I ususally stay out of these pissing contests to see who's antennae is smaller - but this is getting very sad. Can you guys do this via PM?

I admit it's entertaining to read - but I'm reading this thread so I can know when this phone will be available.

I do have to say though, if you are going to ask someone a question - don't call them deaf.

W.

Posted by: cingularfreak12

Take you annoying squabble to a chat room, or something. Some of us use this forum for business, and we don't need to watch people ***** back and forth at eachother. Thanks.

Posted by: mush10

Hopefully will see this today.. I believe most shipments are in before noon. So I will call my ususal places after lunch.

Posted by: Mazzel

will also be calling, my old store never got a shipment later than 12...so i'll start calling then...hopefully i won't run into the same problem i did on saturday, store reps who don't know what phone i am asking for...lets hope today is GO TIME

Posted by: pcmagsascha

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

i often find myself in situations where the phone simply isn't loud enough, on the street, in the car, in a bar/club and these are the situations i'm hoping to find a phone that works, the cu500 is far and away an amazing earpiece/speaker volume...yet i am attracted to the looks and allure of the a707 and for what its worth...its my right to ask that question as often as i want unless you can find some by law or guideline that says i can't ask those who own this device their opinion

In my experience, there are "loudness people" who like really loud phones. They are happiest with Motorolas on Nextel, or with Sanyos on Sprint. The A707 is not up to those levels of volume. I also didn't have as good an experience with the CU500 as you've had, I suspect because my model had some earlier, buggy firmware. (You can read my review, which explains.) The A707's volume is fine for most people - it does not end up on my list of "too quiet to use" phones. But it probably will not satisfy the "volume people" who like to pump up Sanyo speakers all the way. I personally find that a Sanyo at maximum volume hurts my ears.

Does that make sense?

Posted by: Mazzel

that works for me...my concerns stemmed really from the zx20 where i just heard way too many reports about the volume being such a serious issue that its returns were heavy and although motorola phones are easy enough to raise the volume levels on i'd prefer not to "hack" my samsung which is not as easy to fix should something go wrong...

still...i think this phone and what is being labeled as an awesome lcd is still something i will canvass my area looking for today and although the cu500 to me was fine, this samsung looks to be even better

Posted by: Jeff_Gomes

Looks like cingular website is down for maintenance. Might be for releasing the new music service in conjunction with A707.

Posted by: mush10

I REALLY hope I can get his today. Should find out after lunch.

Posted by: Mazzel

its working fine for me

Posted by: kstab

I'm not sure where any of the information suggesting this phone would be in today came from, but I'm hoping it is correct.

Cingular customer service has no info on the phone and all three stores I've called said they have heard absolutely nothing about the phones even being reshipped.

Posted by: Mazzel

the store by my house has them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! going to get it after lunch...one of my old co-workers is holding one, they aren't in the inventory yet so i have to wait a little

Posted by: Chayse

Sounds great. Any store in/outside Philly have them? I want to just hold one in my hands and look at it before I pull the trigger.

Posted by: mush10

I am searching Philly now......I will post if I find it somewhere..

Posted by: macizcool

So would it be stupid to assume Best Buy will get this phone?

I would like to get one for my Dad's line, but my account is so messed up (in a good way), and I am too afraid to go to Cingular to get upgrades..... I feel if I went to Best Buy, they wouldn't have the power to mess things up on the account.

Posted by: Mazzel

alright i'm off to get it...i'll report back in a little, good luck in your searches boys

Posted by: kstab

Anyone know what the one year contract price on this is going to be? I'm not eligible for the 2 year.

I hope I still get a mail-in rebate w/ the 1 year. Otherwise I might just buy it outright.

Anything to get rid of this stupid Treo.

Posted by: Bloom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

alright i'm off to get it...i'll report back in a little, good luck in your searches boys

Mazzel,
Please let us know about the earpiece volume on this phone. I'm in your camp: I need a phone with LOUD earpiece volume, and feel that about 95% of the current models are much to quiet to use in a noisy, let alone normal, environment.

Also, if you have an opportunity, can you see how loud the music player goes? I had the CU500 for a while as well, and thought the maximum volume on the media player was very weak at best.

If it has good earpiece volume, I may be able to look past the lack of voice dialing (although I still don't understand why on earth they wouldn't put it in there for such an advanced phone). Looking forward to hearing back from you!!

Posted by: Chayse

I called a bunch of stores in the Philly suburbs. I only found one that had the phone in stock. I did not ask if it was the new model, however the person on the phone seemed like he knew what I was talking about right away. A couple of stores still said that they are no longer selling the phone. They did not seem to know about the latest shipments. BTW the store that said they had them was Doylestown, on Easton Rd.

Fred

Posted by: mush10

I just got mine.........Haven't had a chance to play with it yet..

Picked it up at the CIngular Corporate store in the Plaza at the King of Prussia mall. Delivered today.

Posted by: Mazzel

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bloom

so far so good with the earpiece...its not the cu500, no stereo speaker but it sounds good, i've only made a few calls with it and i haven't had any problem, the speakerphone itself is very good...i was able to hear loud and clear in the car with the windows down and the music on...very impressed by that

so far the menu is speedy and the camera is GREAT...its big...so beware, but its not heavy at all...i almost immediately missed the feeling of the LG in terms of what felt like its durability but i'll make up for that in weight because the samsung is def lighter...its large, but still pocketable all the same...i still can't get over the camera, its awesome...for a phone

have not tried the music yet, i'll upload it later...like pcmagsascha said though, the volume for the ringtone is rather low...i'll try another ring tone later as i have the theme to prison break but i'll try it later with a song and see if the volume gets a little louder...

i'll write more later and post some pics if anyone wants

Posted by: mush10

I will give some info later tonight.......I can't play too much at work. Initial impressions are very positive. I think it feels great in the hand and is put together solid. I really like the feel and the screen looks awesome.

Posted by: Bloom

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mazzel

Mazzel, yeah, please do. Glad to hear the earpiece volume isn't as bad as I was thinking it might be. Would you say it's louder than the D807 or SE W810i?

Another question for you: can you put a contact's physical address in the address book? Also, is there a calendar where you can add things like birthdays, anniversaries etc?

Posted by: jyalexop2003

Many are saying this is a 'big' phone, although
all I've read is it is 17mm thick. How wide and tall?
I thought comaprable to the RAZR and CU500.
If it is simialr to the Samsung Z560 then it
is 97 x 51mm.
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_z560-1439.php

Posted by: Mazzel

yes to the physical address, when you try and add a contact to the phone theres a place to make notes as the last option, i can't see any reason why an address couldn't be placed there...the volume is higher than the w810i...clearly although i can't determine if the voice quality is better than the cu500...so far the only thing i think i liked about the cu500 more was the metal of the casing which seemed durable...but little annoying things caused me to look elsewhere...i'm sure i'll be happy with this one...i need some time to play with it and get used to the size...i'll be playing with it after i eat something and then i'll get some more things i notice up on here

Posted by: Chayse

Quote:

Originally Posted by mush10

I just got mine.........Haven't had a chance to play with it yet..

Picked it up at the CIngular Corporate store in the Plaza at the King of Prussia mall. Delivered today.

I thought i called them. Oh well, if they have it that's great. It's not too far out of my way from work.

Posted by: jyalexop2003

Isn't he CU500 (97 x 50 x 19mm)
about the same size as the
A707/SYNC (97 x 51 x 17).
I don't undersatnd the size issue in relation to the SYNC.
The V3 is 98 x 53 x 12 (I like thin better for my pocket).

Posted by: Mazzel

i should mention so far reception has been great, no problems, not even dropping to edge at all once...i know its hard to be accurate as the 3g reception and the edge reception may be different but i'll know more later

Posted by: mush10

Quote:

I thought i called them. Oh well, if they have it that's great. It's not too far out of my way from work.

They are not on display, but they are there. Its weird, the cor store in the court does not have them, but the one in the plaza does.

I do not think this phone is big at all. Very narrow and has a good feel to it. Volume is also a non-issue. I won't really get to play with it until tonight, but so far so good.

Posted by: Chayse

Quote:

Originally Posted by mush10

I always forget which side of the mall is which. Is the Plaza the one with Nordstrom?

Posted by: mush10

One other thing.........the screen is awesome......great for internet and medianet. I am sure CV will be sweet too.

Posted by: JBoogie

In the description it states that it has a flash.. I dont see a flash in any of the pictures.. Does it have a flash??

Posted by: mush10

Quote:

I always forget which side of the mall is which. Is the Plaza the one with Nordstrom?

Yes.......Plaza is the big side.

Quote:

In the description it states that it has a flash.. I dont see a flash in any of the pictures.. Does it have a flash??

I don't think it does. At least not a noticable one.

Posted by: pokey

So I am checking around my area and none of the corporate stores have the phone; BUT, one of the authorized independent stores does! The guy tells me he has had the phone since Thursday. He says he knows nothing about the phone having an issue and he has received no notice from Cingular. Do I buy the phone from him, or wait until the local corp. stores get them in?

Posted by: Chayse

depends...Do you see yourself using the DRM'd Windows Media files in the near future? I'm sure there will be a way to OTA the new firmware soon. I would not expect it right away though because they are already shipping new product.

Posted by: cingularfreak12

Anybody know of any stores in the Indianapolis area that are carrying the phone? I can't seem to track one down anywhere.

Posted by: locogrande

i have called a couple of stores in manhattan and have yet to find one who knows what phone I am talking about. they all are thinking D807

Posted by: Bloom

Got to partially check out the new A707 today at lunch. The one they had on display was the “old” version, so I’m not sure how it will compare to the new one overall. Here’s my quick observations:

Earpiece volume wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It’s not the loudest phone, but it’s better than the other Samsungs I’ve heard before. Ringtones seemed very quiet, even at the loudest setting. I’m not sure if the phone supports MP3/MP4 ringtones; I’m hoping it does.

Tried to get into the media player, but since there was no music on the phone, I couldn’t get the application to open. Not sure if it has an equalizer function or how loud it can go (The LG CU-500 music player volume wasn’t as loud as I would have liked it to be) as I didn’t get to try it.

Cingular Video loaded very quickly, but was surprisingly choppy while it played back. You have an option of switching to “landscape” mode while watching videos, but it was very pixilated, and surprisingly, didn’t take up the entire screen, even in landscape mode. Maybe this is because it’s the older firmware.

The display is gorgeous. Much nicer than the LG CU500 in a lot of respects, especially the menus.

There’s a button on the side of the phone that you push to bring up the camera/music player. There looks to be an insignia on the button that would normally indicate voice dialing, however I couldn’t find any voice dialing prompts or commands in the phone. Maybe down the line with an OTA update perhaps? Seems silly not to have it.

Calendar seems pretty robust. If you choose “anniversary”, there’s an option to add birthdates directly to the calendar from your contact list (like Sony Ericsson phones), however, I couldn’t get this feature to work, even after adding a generic test contact to the phone. It kept giving me a message to save the contact to the phone, which I would do, then I would go back into the calendar, try to add the birthdate from the contact list, and get the same error message. Again, I’m not sure if this is because of the earlier firmware, or if I was doing something wrong. Either way, this would be an awesome feature (if it works!!).

That’s all I was able to find out. They didn’t have the new versions on sale yet so I wasn't able to buy one. I was told hopefully later this week. Definitely looking forward to hearing feedback from those of you that have already purchased this phone.

Posted by: bigmike20

Any online reviews yet on this phone?

Posted by: Centex99

In stock in a Dallas TX area corp store... wouldn't let me play with it. I was wanting to try CV and the loudness and compare to my CU500. I need to figure out if I want to return the CU for this phone or not... I'm nearing my 30 days.
They mentioned something about the new ones they can sell having orange dots or stickers on them... just an FYI.

Posted by: quillhill

Argh. I want, I want, I want!

Is this showing up on the Cingular web site yet? Last I looked in my zip (98038) it didn't pop up. I haven't tried any local stores in the Seattle area (South King County, Kent/Tukwila/Renton/Auburn) and stupid me, I was in Southcenter Mall and didn't even ask at any of the Cingular kiosks or go to the corp store near the mall. Der.

What's really horrible and frustrating is that I'll have the cash for this next weekend. Or I will be eligible for a rebate on Sunday. I must resist the urge to use my rebate. Fate prevented me from getting the SE w600i right away last year with my rebate due to limited local availability. So, who knows. I will start checking with stores locally tomorrow if no one else in this area has.

Posted by: CavMan

And I like it more and more. I have one of the phones that is supposed to go back but I can not find anything wrong with it. I am not sure what the DRM issue is but I have xfered tons of music onto the 2gig microSD card and it works flawlessly. Having said that, I will be swapping this one out when my local store receives their new supply.

Today I took a picture and emailed it. The picture is HUGE and amazingly detailed. It looks as good/big as a decent digital camera. I was extremely impressed as were the other people in my office who saw the pic. Emailing was also pretty quick thanks to HSDPA although I am pretty sure the uplink is slower than the downlink.

The speakerphone is very good. It's loud and clear.

The earpiece volume seems very good to me.

The speaker volume from the media player could be louder, but I will be going with stereo headphones so it shouldn't matter too much.

The screen is AMAZING. Clearest/brightest screen I have ever owned. It is the kind of breakthrough to me that the SonyEricsson t68 was when I first saw a color screen on a phone. I am not sure if it is the 320x240, or the QVGA or what, but the screen is phenomenal.

I don't like the phone book. I have mentioned this before but you can not just hit the left or right arrow keys on the d-pad to scroll through a contact's other phone numbers. Instead you have to go through the additional step of selecting to "view" the contact and then you can see all of their numbers. This is a wasted step.

I would also like to be able to customize the soft keys as well as the directional buttons like you can with a Motorola. On the Samsung, you can only customize the directional buttons.

Other than the phone book and the softkey issue, which are VERY minor issues, this phone is fantastic.

I thought I would have trouble leaving my V3i, but instead I have moved on without looking back.

Posted by: sdfrfv

A707 and A701(telstra.au) are country adaptation model of Z560. There is no video calling VGA camera in A707 which is involved in A701 and Z560. Is new phone comming soon for video calling?

Posted by: bigmike20

Any sample pics yet taken from the phone?

Posted by: NOSintake

how is texting on this phone?

Posted by: absolutazn87

I saw on cingular.com

Cingular SYNC - a707
Price $349.99
2-yr Contract Price $199.99
Online Discount - $50.00
Mail-In Rebate - $100.00
*Your Price $49.99

is it 49.99 in cingular retail stores also or only at cingular.com since i saw the online discount? any information on that? because i'd prefer not to buy it online.

Posted by: tstp

what comes in the box with cingular's a707

Posted by: Clyde099

We need pictures! Anyone?

Posted by: mush10

Quote:

what comes in the box with cingular's a707

Just a charger and a phone.

Posted by: bodeh6

The phone just popped up on my premier site. $109.99.

Posted by: egale1

Its $159 on my premier site. Cheaper to go to the regular site where there is a rebate and final price of $49.

Posted by: cnutt

Just received our fixed batch today at the Lakeside Mall store in Sterling Heights, Mich. USA... the world....

Posted by: Patsfan123

I seem to remember seeing that the no contract price was reported to be $299.99, but from what I gather from the web it's 349.99. Anyone know for sure what the no commitment cost is?

Posted by: xxCingularxx

out on my zipcode!!!! ordered it!! yeahh!!!!! from cingular.com

Posted by: istevano

got it yesterday at the Chicago - Monroe store downtown.
It's awesome. I have had a ton of unlocked phones as Cingular has never previously had anything this good.

Screen is bright and clear. Reception is solid - I now get signal in the elevator!! Size is a little larger than the razor (slightly taller), but its not uncomfortable to hold. It's also very light (relatively).

3G is lightning fast, the keypad is excellent and combined with the large clear screen and excellent UI, it makes for a good texting experience.

The UI for cingular was hella suprising - its better than the samsung unlocked phones, but obviously based on it. Fonts are clear and easy to read and its very fast. You can assign caller ringtones, but through the contacts themselves, not through the "my stuff" (aka media library).

A few things I didn't like: can't use MP3's as ringtones like my previous unlocked samsungs (d500, s500i, d600, x820), message tones are pretty limited and you cant assign your mp3's as tones, repetitive key functionality (menu shortcut button is pretty useless - there are already dedicated keys for the menu button functionality - except for the end-all button). If this menu button was customizable for other apps, it would totally rock, but I havent fingured out if I can change this yet (I should read the manual).

The camera button on the right side is actually a mixed use button - giving access to camera, media player and profiles - and this lil guy supports ring and vibrate at the same time unlike previous samsungs. Video is 176x144, not as good as other unlocked sammies but nonetheless, workable. I have a digital camera, so I don't really use this all that much anyway.

Overall - worth the upgrade. Most feature-packed Cingular phone I have seen to date. I dont have my bluetooth usb dongle handy or I would upload pics (it has obex profile!!!). 2mp cam is the same as the d600 and x820. Solid in daylight, not bad in the office, and sketchy at night. Sound on both sides is excellent - callers hear me clearly and as long as I line up the speaker correctly with my ear, volume isn't a prob. Ring volume is OK, but the ring and vibrate resolves any concern of missing calls.

I give it a thumbs up, I got it for $49.99 after the $100 rebate (its a mail-in, boo) with a required media max package. Between the rebate and selling my X820, it was a wash and I end up with a better piece of equipment that is supported and warranty-tastic. I dig it, maaaaan.

Posted by: xxCingularxx

You can't set mp3's as ringtones? and the rebate doesnt require any packages, i just checked.

Posted by: jyalexop2003

No voice dial is bad news. Wht have a blutooth phone with no voice dial.
This to me is ridiculous. I may have to wait for the Nokia N75.
IOts has voice dialing and FM radio as well.

Posted by: myke81

the hell i've went thru with cingular. BEUC is worthless. I tried to order it with my current zip code, it's not available. Where I'm moving to, on 12/1, only 15-16 mi. away, it's there. I changed my billing address with cingular so i can get right up to that very moment when they tell me they won't autho my cc, simply cuz my bank and cc's haven't updated my new address records yet. cingular's making me jump through hurdles to order this damn phone.

Posted by: Mazzel

leave it to cingular to make life tough for its customers...

Posted by: NOSintake

so basically you cant have any custom ringers? or you cant use the entire song as a ringtone? are fingerprints a problem on this phone like the CU500?

Posted by: istevano

I will doublecheck my rebate form when I get home, Thanks for the heads up xxxcingularxxx.

custom rigtones can be purchased from cingular, but I haven't found a way to make music mp3's ringtones.
the screen area picks up prints easily, but the rest of the body doens't seem to pick them up as quickly.

Posted by: Centex99

I went ahead and traded the CU500 for this phone... so far I'm happy... the video quality isn't as sharp (not sure why) but it steams just as fast... the screen size is definately larger and much nicer for everything else... The landscape mode on the video player is definately a plus over the CU500 though.
I decided the video could suffer a bit for the nicer screen. The music player plays just fine... and speaker quality is decent, but not quite as loud as the CU500's two speakers. Speaker quality for phone calls seems comparable to the CU500.
I have gotten opera mini to work as well as google maps. No annoying (but fixable) java message for accessing the net. I can not however seem to get the new gmail app to work. If you have, let me know how.
The built on webbrowser has some nice zoom/size features as well.

Posted by: Mazzel

i too have been unable to get the new gmail app to work, i suspect its not been rendered for this phone yet...

Posted by: quillhill

Issaquah store a no go, which sucks, since I got my LG CU500 there the minute it came out. The agent store I checked at in Kent (East Hill, 104th and 256th) says they'll have one on Friday because the store manager doesn't think he'll have much demand for it. Sigh.
Thankfully it is at least available on the web site in my zip code (98038) but seeing the no contract price ay $349 is surely a downer, but since that's only going to be an additional $75 plus tax out of pocket, I guess I'll suck it up. I don't care to use my upgrade at this stage.

So, it's looking like I will be getting this next week, hopefully. I may credit card it and pay the credit card from PayPal, if Citi Bank will let me. LOL

Posted by: Superpimp

We have a huge snafu with this device it's funny but I can't talk about it

Posted by: troyboy30

Quote:

Originally Posted by CavMan

And I like it more and more. I have one of the phones that is supposed to go back but I can not find anything wrong with it. I am not sure what the DRM issue is but I have xfered tons of music onto the 2gig microSD card and it works flawlessly. Having said that, I will be swapping this one out when my local store receives their new supply.

Today I took a picture and emailed it. The picture is HUGE and amazingly detailed. It looks as good/big as a decent digital camera. I was extremely impressed as were the other people in my office who saw the pic. Emailing was also pretty quick thanks to HSDPA although I am pretty sure the uplink is slower than the downlink.

The speakerphone is very good. It's loud and clear.

The earpiece volume seems very good to me.

The speaker volume from the media player could be louder, but I will be going with stereo headphones so it shouldn't matter too much.

The screen is AMAZING. Clearest/brightest screen I have ever owned. It is the kind of breakthrough to me that the SonyEricsson t68 was when I first saw a color screen on a phone. I am not sure if it is the 320x240, or the QVGA or what, but the screen is phenomenal.

I don't like the phone book. I have mentioned this before but you can not just hit the left or right arrow keys on the d-pad to scroll through a contact's other phone numbers. Instead you have to go through the additional step of selecting to "view" the contact and then you can see all of their numbers. This is a wasted step.

I would also like to be able to customize the soft keys as well as the directional buttons like you can with a Motorola. On the Samsung, you can only customize the directional buttons.

Other than the phone book and the softkey issue, which are VERY minor issues, this phone is fantastic.

I thought I would have trouble leaving my V3i, but instead I have moved on without looking back.

DID YOU SAY 2 GIG CARD? It recognizes the whole 2 gig? I did like the side loading slot for the tf card when I looked at it though.

and no mp3s for ring tones or message tones?

I thought the a707 had stereo speakers just like the CU500?

and why would cingular video be worse on this phone than the CU500..I saw the same comments somewhere else.

How modible are samsungs? I'm on with CS now fixing to exchange my CU500
for this phone..wise choice I hope. If not guess I'll send it back in for the 500 back lol

Posted by: mush10

Quote:

We have a huge snafu with this device it's funny but I can't talk about it

Posted by: CavMan

U can use mp3 as ringtone u just have to cut the size down. I have several that are 125kb and they work great. It also recognizes the full 2gb flash card. Hope that helps.

Posted by: anubis9278

Quote:

Originally Posted by mush10

i think he found out that it doesn't work with Verizon.

Posted by: Superpimp

Quote:

Originally Posted by anubis9278

i think he found out that it doesn't work with Verizon.

I work for Cingular chief

Posted by: troyboy30

Quote:

Originally Posted by CavMan

U can use mp3 as ringtone u just have to cut the size down. I have several that are 125kb and they work great. It also recognizes the full 2gb flash card. Hope that helps.

cool!!!! Whos got the deals on the 2 gig cards?

Posted by: kstab

As far as the "snafu" goes, do everyone a favor and don't bother posting about it if you don't plan on providing further information. No one cares about any "insider knowledge" you might have unless you intend to share it.

Otherwise, I've just gotten home with the phone.

Initial impressions: feature packed and lightning fast, screen is gorgeous. One negative is that the external styling of the phone is pretty bland and unimpressive. Also - previous complaints about the phone being too wide are way off base, if anything the phone is too long/high.

I'll post more impressions once I've spent a little more time with the phone.

Posted by: jyalexop2003

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstab

As far as the "snafu" goes, do everyone a favor and don't bother posting about it if you don't plan on providing further information. No one cares about any "insider knowledge" you might have unless you intend to share it.

Otherwise, I've just gotten home with the phone.

Initial impressions: feature packed and lightning fast, screen is gorgeous. One negative is that the external styling of the phone is pretty bland and unimpressive. Also - previous complaints about the phone being too wide are way off base, if anything the phone is too long/high.

I'll post more impressions once I've spent a little more time with the phone.

The phone is shorter than the V3 and about the same as the CU500.
Do you mean 'to tall' when it is opened?
Is the scree larger than the V3?
It is narrower than the V3 is it not?
Canthe outside media buttons be accidentally pressed when in your pants?

Posted by: NOSintake

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyalexop2003

i was wondering the same thing about the external keys. i would assume they would only be active when in music mode, like the k1m

Posted by: kstab

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyalexop2003

I actually think it is the smaller width of the 707 that makes it seem longer (you are right, I put it next to my wife's RAZR and it is the same length. That said, I think the Razr being wider makes it easier to handle.

I *love* the features on this phone so far, but there's no getting around it being plain and a bit ugly on the outside.

Posted by: kstab

Can anyone recommend a email program to download onto the A707. It seems the mobile email in the phone will only work with set providers.

I'd like to be able to use my existing IMAP/POP3 email accounts.

Posted by: CavMan

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOSintake

i was wondering the same thing about the external keys. i would assume they would only be active when in music mode, like the k1m

They are only active when the music player is active and then, after about 10-15 secs of inactivity, the front locks and the only way to bring back the front key functionality is to push the camera key on the side once (to bring up a message that says 'press and hold to unlock' and then you hold down the camera button and then the front music keys are active again. that way it won't start switching songs on you while it is in your pocket.

Posted by: cingularfreak12

AMAZING PHONE!!! I've posted this in every Sync forum, because I've never been so smitten w/ a phone before! LOVE IT!!!! Go out and get it if you can!!! Works great w/ EDGE or 3G!!!

Posted by: Jeff_Gomes

SYNC price in down to 49.99 on my Premier site --no rebate necessary. Was 159.99 earlier today. Glad I waited it out!

Posted by: absolutazn87

if i have a business employer discount can i get that discount at a cingular store or do i have to order it on the site?

Posted by: Patsfan123

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeff_Gomes

SYNC price in down to 49.99 on my Premier site --no rebate necessary. Was 159.99 earlier today. Glad I waited it out!

Same thing for me here.. Maybe its time to use that upgrade..

Posted by: NOSintake

what is the premier site anyways?

Posted by: raver0600

Yeah, I'm really glad I wated til' the afternoon to order. Instead, got me a SYNC for $48.77 shipped!

There is no general premier site, but you can check if your work/school has any special deals with cingular by entering your work/school email address at http://business.cingular.com/ . They'll send you a link with the exclusive offers. If there aren't any, then your email will simply be invalid on the website.

Posted by: yessirrom

My local store in Dallas got them yesterday. I picked one up for 149.00 with 100.00 rebate. They said they only received three of them.

Posted by: JBoogie

I picked this phone up yesterday in Austin (I-35 and 620 store) and so far so good. I traded in my CU500 for it

First thing i did was put my 1gb card in to see how my mp3's play/sound. I was a little frustrated by the front buttons and their inability to start the music player (the LG does this nicely). There are 2 ways to start the music player:
1. Press and hold the right side button to get an option menu to appear.
2. Open the phone and press the music key.
When playing music there seems to be some noise (like a hissing sound) in the background and about a 1/2 second chop off of the first note of music. this was with the Jabra stereo bluetooth headphones.. I really dislike how fast the front music player buttons "timeout" and then u have to hold down the side button to make them active again.. I really DO NOT like that function.
The charger/headphone jack just simply sucks!! (no way am i gonna be able to hook up a car charger while driving).
The volume (during calls) seems a little low to me (the LG was great and my "modded" V3i was perfect) it needs about 2 more clicks of volume to get to where i would like it. I am usually in noisy places so the volume might be fine for most.
I also picked up the music bundle that is dedicated to the D807 (i think) it gives u a data cable, stereo headphones and some sync software. I havent installed the sw yet but my laptop saw the phone when i connected it. The sw is also on Samsungs website.
Im still playing around with learning the menu's and where everything is (my first samsung phone). I love the face that u can customize the direction pad (the LG couldnt). This phone isnt as "customizable" as a Moto but it sure does beat the LG.
Over all this is a very nice phone for only $49. What other have said about the connection speed and the display are spot on! I might have to pick up another one for the wife

Posted by: ScruffyGuy

I tried calling customer service and they said the Samsung Sync (A707) wasn't available to purchase through them (even though its on the website). Does anyone know when they will have it for purchase. I am exchanging my LGCu500 for this phone and this seems to be the only way to purchase the phone for an upgrade.

Thanks!

Posted by: quillhill

Found it at the Tukwila (aka Southcenter) store today. Played with it. I am head over heels in love with the phone. The test calls I made -- the same test calls I make on every phone -- were very loud. Samsung has finally gotten the earpiece down. I remember as recently as the P777 the quiet volume and the slight hissing in the background. I found the audio to be loud, warm and clear and this was right out of the box with the A707.
I am hoping my replacement Visa card comes in the mail soon. I am seriously considering using my upgrade to buy this phone. The screen is..unf! I love the size of it. I have to have it. Let's just hope the RF tests bear it out to be worthy.

I've got a buyer lined up for my LG. Poor thing is unloved. I haven't used it in a month. So...just need my plastic...yes, I only have one credit card. Heh.
Now, the question...to upgrade or not to upgrade?

Posted by: WirelessAndy

Looking foward to hearing your hands-on assessment of the A707, Kris!

Posted by: bodeh6

Alrighty, just go mine shipped though premier for $0. Just gotta pay the $18 upgrade fee. Will see how 3G is in Detroit. Will have it tomorrow.

Posted by: hitechy

Quote:

Originally Posted by bodeh6

Alrighty, just go mine shipped though premier for $0. Just gotta pay the $18 upgrade fee. Will see how 3G is in Detroit. Will have it tomorrow.

Dang, who do you work for?

Posted by: bodeh6

Quote:

Originally Posted by hitechy

Dang, who do you work for?

I am a student. Wayne State University. I get $50 off equipment (which is what made the A707 free. If it was anymore expensive I also get $25 off online orders. Like a W810i would be $25 for me.

Posted by: istevano

it has a text autoreply option for each of the profiles. I had heard about this with Nokia's, but having it now on this phone rocks. very clever and helpful.

Posted by: Nitrochicken

Thats almost the same thing that happend to me when i had verizon...motorola didnot check to see if the e815 had vcast service. so they had to pull all of the phones and not sell them until that issue was resolved

Posted by: Michael95GT

Has anyone bought one outright at a store? If so what was the price before taxes. I'm not sure I wanna waste an upgrade on it. The "A707 Released" post states $299.99 No Contract, but Cingulars web site for my zip has "$349.99"

Thanks in advance

Mike

Posted by: Michael95GT

Well, I just got back from the store. "No Contract" price is $349.99. I got it for $299.99+tax. I got the $50.00 Instant Rebate for having an Unlimited MediaNet package; plus they filled out the rebate form for me for the $100.00 Rebate.

Posted by: kstab

I think you'll find yourself taking it back after paying that price.

The phone has a lot of features, but a lot of problems as well. I think most of the problems are solveable via firmware updates - but unless Cingular issues those within 30 days, I'm not willing to risk being stuck with a botched software implementation.

Posted by: troyboy30

problems like what? I have yet to run into any except for this dern 'error 619' when trying to tether using bt. Also the s/w cd that came with the music bundle for the D807 will not work, you will need to d/l the newest version from samsung. You guys may also be interested in the 'free a707 data cable' thread in the samsung forum. Seems you may be able to join us lucky few who have either gotten free data cables or discounts due to a statement in the owners manual that the cable is included on page 90.

Posted by: troyboy30

well finally got hooked up via cable....speeds are as follows

Your Download Results
Your Results 1050.672 Kbps

Your Upload Results
Your Results 360.08 Kbps

You ran this test on Nov 12, 2006 4:30 AM

not too bad since I just got a result of 33 kbps using my v3i via BT! lol

Now If I could figure out WTF is wrong with my tether via BT!!! Anyone wanna trouble shoot this for me? I can't get past this 'error 619'

Modem type: Bluetooth Modem
11-11-2006 23:23:47.953 - Modem inf path: oem25.inf
11-11-2006 23:23:47.953 - Modem inf section: Modemint
11-11-2006 23:23:47.953 - Matching hardware ID: {95c7a0a0-3094-11d7-a202-00508b9d7d5a}\wcbtmodem0
11-11-2006 23:23:47.953 - 115200,8,N,1, ctsfl=0, rtsctl=1
11-11-2006 23:23:47.953 - Initializing modem.
11-11-2006 23:23:47.953 - CD is high while initializing modem.
11-11-2006 23:23:47.968 - Send: AT<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:47.984 - Recv: AT<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:47.984 - Command Echo
11-11-2006 23:23:48.000 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.000 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:48.000 - Send: ATE0V1&D2<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.015 - Recv: ATE0V1&D2<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.015 - Command Echo
11-11-2006 23:23:48.015 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.015 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:48.015 - Send: ATS7=60L3M1X1<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.046 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.046 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:48.046 - Waiting for a call.
11-11-2006 23:23:48.062 - Send: ATS0=0<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.062 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.062 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:48.062 - 921600,8,N,1, ctsfl=1, rtsctl=2
11-11-2006 23:23:48.062 - Initializing modem.
11-11-2006 23:23:48.062 - CD is high while initializing modem.
11-11-2006 23:23:48.078 - Send: AT<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.078 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.078 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:48.093 - Send: ATE0V1&D2<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.093 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.093 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:48.109 - Send: ATS7=60L3M1X1<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.125 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.125 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:48.125 - Dialing.
11-11-2006 23:23:48.125 - Send: ATDT*##***/#<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.140 - Recv: <cr><lf>CONNECT<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:48.140 - Interpreted response: Connect
11-11-2006 23:23:48.140 - Connection established at 921600bps.
11-11-2006 23:23:48.140 - Error-control off or unknown.
11-11-2006 23:23:48.140 - Data compression off or unknown.
11-11-2006 23:23:49.062 - CD dropped--Remote modem hung up. ModemStatus=00000038
11-11-2006 23:23:49.062 - Hanging up the modem.
11-11-2006 23:23:49.078 - Recv: <cr><lf>NO CARRIER<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.078 - Interpreted response: No Carrier
11-11-2006 23:23:49.093 - Send: ATH0<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.093 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.093 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:49.093 - 115200,8,N,1, ctsfl=0, rtsctl=1
11-11-2006 23:23:49.093 - Initializing modem.
11-11-2006 23:23:49.109 - Send: AT<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.125 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.125 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:49.125 - Send: ATE0V1&D2<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.140 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.140 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:49.140 - Send: ATS7=60L3M1X1<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.156 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.156 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:49.156 - Waiting for a call.
11-11-2006 23:23:49.171 - Send: ATS0=0<cr>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.171 - Recv: <cr><lf>OK<cr><lf>
11-11-2006 23:23:49.171 - Interpreted response: OK
11-11-2006 23:23:49.171 - Lowering DTR before closing port
11-11-2006 23:23:49.281 - Session Statistics:
11-11-2006 23:23:49.281 - Reads : 0 bytes
11-11-2006 23:23:49.281 - Writes: 0 bytes

Is the V3i BT connection I have been using causing issues?

Posted by: kstab

Quote:

Originally Posted by troyboy30

problems like what? I have yet to run into any except for ...

Problems/letdowns like:

- 1.8 HSDPA vs. 3.6, why either the CU500 or A707 were made as 1.8 is beyond me
- no way to download images without degrading them incredibly for browser display (thus no way to download wallpapers, only receiveable via MMS)
- images loaded onto the phone via SD card are blurred to do a problem in the software's display resolution settings (reported, not experienced personally yet)
- IM software fails to keep alive
- IM software reboots the phone 90% the time when using AIM protocol
- not possible to use MP3/WAV/etc for messaging alert tones, only polyphonic .mmf files
- aesthetics and form factor inferior to V3
- front panel light stays on throughout charging (which no doubt makes it take longer to charge)
- no headphone jack, ridiculous samsung 807/707 output jack
- speaker quality less than impressive
- Cingular Video displays terribly (possibly an understatement) on the QVGA screen
- "email" on this phone is really just a browser shortcut, no support for IMAP/POP3/etc mail reading

Certainly some of these problems could be just MY phone, but I've not been informed of solutions to any of the above yet despite my searching/asking for them. I'm hoping that's the case.

All this said, don't get me wrong, I still enjoy the phone. It is just clear that when serious HSDPA phones start coming out, this one wouldn't be worth considering (at least I'd hope so). Again, so far I'm happy with the phone and glad I made the purchase (at the 49.99 price). But I am carefully waiting to see what's on the horizon so I can decide whether or not to return it w/in the 30 days.

Posted by: macizcool

Wow, it looks like the same old Samsung problems have made it to this nice phone. What a shame!

Posted by: stoneycase

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstab

Anyone have any idea why the 707 will allow you to use MP3/WAV/etc for ringtone settings, but will only allow .mmf files to be used for the text message alert sound?

I hope I'm misunderstanding something, otherwise this is an incredibly stupid limitation.

So which is it...you complain you can't use mp3 as ringtone but also post the above statement.

Mine shows on Tuesday. From what I've read thus far, this is the best option, especially when you consider bang for the buck...

the w810i (walkman) has hissing issues...
the lg cu500 loses on specs alone...
personally, i think the v3 is shiat...

Posted by: Michael95GT

You can use mp3's as ringtones just fine, but as stated above, for some stupid reason you can't use them as message alert tones. Only .mmf and .midi.

Posted by: fearthedreadlox

"You Qualify! Congratulations!

You get discounts on Cingular Wireless products through your employer.

Check your work email now to access your discounts."

Hmm, looking into this, seems there is so much hype around this phone. Will this be the next phone that everyone wants?! Wish i would've known about this premier buisness before i got my w810i.

Posted by: stoneycase

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael95GT

You can use mp3's as ringtones just fine, but as stated above, for some stupid reason you can't use them as message alert tones. Only .mmf and .midi.

thanks for the clarification.

can't wait for the phone, i'm interested in experimenting with the wallpaper issue myself.

with such a big screen, i'm expecting a pretty damn good picture. what are your experiences with the picture-gone-blurry effect?

Posted by: bigmike20

For the wallpaper issue,you guys should try to resize the pics first onto a computer to the resolution of the screen (240*320) and transfer it to the phone and see if it still come out blurry?

Posted by: xxCingularxx

does this phone use the same usb cable as the d807?

Posted by: Michael95GT

Quote:

what are your experiences with the picture-gone-blurry effect?

I've got several 240x320 wallpapers from when I had the 6131 and T809 and they all work perfect, but NONE of my 176x220 images look good. I'm pretty sure thats what the problem is; the phone is stretching them to fit the screen, hence the blurry/soft focus appearance.

Posted by: troyboy30

Quote:

Originally Posted by kstab

Problems/letdowns like:

- no way to download images without degrading them incredibly for browser display (thus no way to download wallpapers, only receiveable via MMS)
- images loaded onto the phone via SD card are blurred to do a problem in the software's display resolution settings (reported, not experienced personally yet)
- IM software fails to keep alive
- IM software reboots the phone 90% the time when using AIM protocol
- no headphone jack, ridiculous samsung 807/707 output jack

My images look just fine, sorry to hear about yours.

My IM (yahoo) Software has been 'alive' for over 10 hours today...All other clients work the same for me.

I had the reboot problem with the IM software on my CU500, that's the reason I returned it for the a707. Send yours back is well!

You can get an adapter for the headset jack if so desired.

Posted by: kstab

Quote:

Originally Posted by troyboy30

I haven't had the blurry image problem, was just restating the issue that others have had. For me, it's been the annoyance of not being able to download and save images without the phone optimizing them for browser display before saving them (thus turning a 500kb high res image into a 3k piece of junk).

Glad to hear about your IM software, maybe the IM issues ars just my unit. I'd like to hear from more people on this one before I go back with it. If I take it back, that'll make it my third A707 already (first one locked up every 10 minutes).

And yeah, the headphone jack issue isn't the end of the world, just an annoyance.

I forgot to mention that my IM software also fails to save my text input method preference, so I have to reselect "T9 Abc" everytime I reload the software. Are you having this problem?

Opera Mini won't save bookmarks or history, etc once the app closes either.

Posted by: sc2178

Just placed an order through Premier for the SYNC, at $0.00 and free shipping!

I'll be upgrading from a Motorola V551 so hopefully I am impressed!

Posted by: NOSintake

Quote:

Originally Posted by sc2178

Just placed an order through Premier for the SYNC, at $0.00 and free shipping!

I'll be upgrading from a Motorola V551 so hopefully I am impressed!

nice. ill be upgrading from a v551 also

Posted by: quillhill

Quote:

Originally Posted by NOSintake

nice. ill be upgrading from a v551 also

I think you'll freak out, IMO, over the Samsung. Heh.

I had a Moto v551 two years ago when I first signed up with Cingular (I've become a bit of a phone whore since coming over from Sprint) and I got rid of it after six months. I loved the phone, but I had a crappy battery and was too lazy to XBM it.
But, the Samsung is such a huge improvement in specs alone, I think you'll enjoy it.
If not, I owe you a beer.

I am getting one as soon as humanly possible, i.e., sometime this week. I may even put down my Blackberry for a week to give it a full test-run. That is a shocker. Heh.

Posted by: istevano

Have the AIM feature on all the time. Not a problem yet.

As for the wallpapers - hearing about the prob some people are having - that really sucks. I haven't had that issue at all, all of my pics that I loaded onto the phone (VIA BT) come in just fine. It's odd - most are pics from my d600 (come in perfectly) or pics I cropped down from the original files (pieces of 6mp photos at odd sizes - my wallpaper currently is 955x985 slice of a halloween pic of my gf) and its centered and perfectly sharp. Could it be an issue with some models, like the supposedly "sent back" batch not actually being sent back?

Posted by: panerai7

I am glad to hear that d600 stuff works on a707 flawlessly, since i have d600 as well and can't wait for FedEx to bring my new a707 to me. By the way is the menu similar to d600 or is it completely changed by Cingular? For instance, can you turn off the screen while the phone is charging, like d600 has a setting off/dim/bright while charging? What about SMS, do you have an option to send a reply with/without the original message and do you have an option to save/not save Sent messages? Sorry for so many questions, just happy to see another d600 user getting a707.

I wonder if you can flash d600 firmware onto the a707 - that would be the perfect phone with not faults that i see Cingular introduced with messing with the phone. it's probably similar hardware, specs are practically the same, same camera and stuff. I can't wait to get the phone, there's a secret menu there to adjust gain table for the speaker and other volumes, so people can stop whining about their volume. Should be here on Wednesday according to FedEx.

Posted by: mvc753

Quote:

Originally Posted by panerai7

I can't wait to get the phone, there's a secret menu there to adjust gain table for the speaker and other volumes, so people can stop whining about their volume. Should be here on Wednesday according to FedEx.

Can you tell us about this secret menu?

Posted by: istevano

the UI is very different looking as compared to the d600.
1.No way to shut off the xternal screen while charging.
2. your outgoing texts are auto-saved. No save and send or just send options
3. Opera works, but the gmail app doesn't, unlike the d600.
4. No option while browsing or opening MP3's or AMR's to set as ringtones
5. No email client like the unlocked sammies have. You have your choices for using their interface with hotmail, yahoo, etc. But no true email client like the d600 had in order to use with google, etc.
6. no text option to reply with the original message.
7. They keypad is much larger and "softer". I wish they would have used the more solid-feeling keypad from the x820 (which has slightly raised and very tight-feeling keys) - the a707 keypad is flush (which I don't mind), but feels much cheaper than the d600 or the x820's, especially if you are a heavy texter.

I like the Cingular UI - fonts are solid and easy to read, menu's are like the d900's - but Cingular just locked out some functionality. I went from a d600 to the x820, but I kept thinking I lost the x820 because it was so light and thin. I moved to the A707 because it also had 850 and had enough extra body to be noticed - plus the blazing fast 3g. If you liked the d600, this handset will feel more plasticky (vs the solid feel and rubberized goodness of the d600), but overall I think the 3g and the improved antenna on this phone make it better than the d600 functionally. When the d900 variant with 3g comes out, I make have to move to make the move again..haha.

Posted by: istevano

I hope you like the a707.
Is your vodafone 703 unlocked? I am asking because my friend's wife just moved here from japan and she has one, but I can't find anything about unlocking the japanese version - just the UK version. Email me if you know anything about unlocking the Japanese version? thanks. and enjoy your A707 (mmm...3g...delicious!)

Posted by: stoneycase

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvc753

Can you tell us about this secret menu?

yes, please..do tell!

received my A707 today from Cing. A day ahead of schedule, imagine that...

I am Central Coast, CA. Have no idea if they are in the stores here or not, but I ordered this on Fri, 10 Nov via the website...damn quick if you ask me.

Posted by: stoneycase

Quote:

Originally Posted by quillhill

I am getting one as soon as humanly possible, i.e., sometime this week. I may even put down my Blackberry for a week to give it a full test-run. That is a shocker. Heh.

heheh, i don't know about the freakout...i had a v551 for over two years. originally purchased from amazon free ar on a new cing contract. it was a fun phone. hofo helped me really screw with it. ah, good times.

opening the box on the A707 today i was definitely excited. when i opened, the first thought was damn, ok that's a good looking phone. asthetically, it's just straight, soft lines. they didn't try to overdo it (lg style, you know what i'm talking about, with that extra on the clamshell). it's pretty much a standard gunmetal grey. it does attract some prints, certainly more than the v551 - but i've definitely seen worse. i think the dark grey helps.

screen real estate is a big upg, that's a given. just finished some bt and contact crap. activated the sim. i'll post some more when i've got some use-hours in.

Posted by: quillhill

Heh, stoneycase, looking forward to your impressions. For some reason we didn't get any mail today. Or it just hadn't come by the time I got home from work...sigh. No credit card, no phone.
I want, I want, I want. Waaaah! Lol.

Posted by: panerai7

Quote:

Originally Posted by istevano

I hope you like the a707.
Is your vodafone 703 unlocked? I am asking because my friend's wife just moved here from japan and she has one, but I can't find anything about unlocking the japanese version - just the UK version. Email me if you know anything about unlocking the Japanese version? thanks. and enjoy your A707 (mmm...3g...delicious!)

Yes, my 703shf is unlocked. i bought it this way, but i would recommend tim at umobileco.com to unlock your phone, he's reasonable and reliable. You can't flash uk 703 firmware on 703shf because jap. version has an aquos asv screen which is better but not compatible with the cheaper, less featured uk 703. Plus it's got felica... anyway, so you can only unlock it - works great minus T9.

So, as for a707, I am waiting for it to arrive so I can play with the service/secret menu to boost gains on the speaker/phone speaker. i will post the results if it works.

One last question, can you change a theme like d900 from black/orange to white? Yeah, it's a shame euro 3g phones don't work on cingular 3g (i mean can't use 3g services), otherwise d900 would kill this a707. I wonder if we can get a hold of an unbranded firmware to flash on this cell.

Posted by: istevano

thanks for the tip on unlocking. She's Japanese, so I doubt she would want to flash it with Euro firmware. The point, I think, is so they can text in Japanese

You can't change the skin on this one. On my x820, you could, but I cant see anything in the menus to allow me to do it on the A707.

I agree, the euro phones are the best, just sux about the 3g and most, if not all samsungs being tri-band. I have been addicted since I bought my d500.

Posted by: istevano

one more thing. I saw the volume boost codes on GSM arena (yeah, I am a phone junkie), so let me know if it works. I think this phone is pretty loud, but it would be interesting to see if those work - does the volume hack mess with the warranty?

Posted by: panerai7

Quote: