Samsung - Brightside Cell Phone - Black (Verizon Wireless)

Overall I'm happy with the phone which replaced an older flip phone. It has a nice touchscreen so people won't think you're Zack Morris but it still isn't a smartphone, which was just fine with me. I can't stand the Android OS and am not much of an Apple fan either. I got a Body Glove rubberized shell on it and ergonomically the phone is perfect now, with the right amount of weight and size either in the pocket or in use. The cell reception seems fine but it's hard to tell for sure because I seem to live at the end of all known cell towers' range and any phone on any carrier is spotty at best here. At the very least, the signal is more consistent with this phone. I am picky with electronics, and notice gripes that aren't necessarily a big deal in their own right, but the annoyances can add up and make you wonder who designed these things sometimes. If you too like to nit-pick objects you spend your hard earned money on that should work better by now, feel free to read on. 1. If held in, the lock button bypasses the screen lock page, which defeats the purpose. Still, no pocket dials yet. 2. I get "out of memory" errors with no rhyme or reason on about every third time using the camera. With a new 8GB SD card and pics set to be saved there, it makes no sense. Usually I can take a picture with no problem but other times I'll hit the shutter, get the error, try three more times and on the fourth, the picture will then magically take with no other intervention. It appears to be a known issue on Verizon's support forum. 3. The date stamp on texts in conversation mode only show beside the last text of the day. In other words, if you texted someone back and forth ten times today, only the last one will be labeled with the current day on the list, as all previous ones look like they were sent the day before. 4. The camera can't be focused. Even for a basic phone, it's a feature that should exist by now, even if just digitally. Pictures at full resolution still look like a child's painting on a larger screen. Also, the shutter speed is painfully slow, so don't try any action shots like your cat rolling over during a nap as that kind of speed will leave you with a big blur. 5. The max video resolution is ridiculously small, especially given the pretty decent screen size, even when used horizontally. It's like having a 55" TV framing a 13" image. I have a phone from 2004 with the same max resolution. Nine years Samsung... 6. The bottom function buttons aren't backlit, which was a dumb design choice since some people are using their phones at night now. On a smartphone (which this phone is trying to aspire to) and on older style flip phones, these functions are lit one way or the other. 7. When replying to a text in conversation mode, you can only barely see the text before it. So if someone wrote you anything more than a one word text previously, it's near useless having conversation mode since you can't see their part of it. You might as well be starting a new text from scratch without the benefit of the previous text being viewable. Good luck completely answering in a timely manner that special person in your life who asks or comments about multiple, unrelated, complicated subjects on every single text. 8. Some decent features (like the pretty cool "Driving Mode" which reads back Caller ID and text messages while you're driving) are buried in the "Replace Menu Items" sub-menu and not in more logical places, like say "Tools". And yes, you most definitely can change what tiles are on the main menu and their positions, but five of the twelve are locked to always be present no matter where you put them. You should try to customize what you can because some areas of the screen are sensitive and prone to launching features when you don't want to, especially when sliding out the keyboard. Related, I do like the keyboard, which is laid out well and works better for typing if you have normal adult sized hands. 9. Messages in Drafts can sometimes disappear and then mysteriously reappear later. 10. The Document Viewer can open HTML, PDF, DOC and XLS files on an SD card (maybe other file types too) but it's pretty awful with the speed and scaling at which it does it, so you're not going to impress anyone with it if you need to read a document without a more capable phone or PC around. 11. The swipeable lock screen and banner can actually have conflicting times on them. You may have to see it, to notice how odd it is. It's one thing if my microwave and the stove under it are a minute off, but this is two clocks on the same phone's LCD panel two inches away from each other and they can be up to seven minutes apart. And why can't the main menu screen have the day & date too? 12. The call list doesn't always update. The most basic status record a phone has and it's intermittent. If you need to convince someone that you DID try to call them, don't rely on the "Recent Calls" list as it may let you down.

I do not want nor need a smart phone so we are forced to purchase what is available for a regular phone. We saw reviews that told us that the next group of standard phones coming up for Verizon are TERRIBLE so we hurried to buy these before they ran out. These phones are discontinued and what is available in stores is all that is left we were told. The phone is mostly easy to use, has great battery life, takes reasonably good photos and call quality is fine. So overall it is a good buy for this price point. The only issues I have had is that 1) I can not seem to figure out how to lock the thing so that it does not accidentally place calls. It seems that the way it is set up I am still, once in a while, able to accidentally place calls when the phone is in a pocket. 2) It is far to easy to turn on the camera when you are trying to open to type on the keyboard. This could just be my fat little fingers.

This is a great phone, durable, and has great sound quality. We added a micro SD card so it can be used as an MP3 player. It is perfect for someone who does a lot of texting.

It's an okay phone, but I was hoping for a picture that I could see better without putting it into my file and using zoom. Sound is good, but screen is VERY touchy. Have often called someone when I didn't know it. MUST lock it EVERY time after use. Many adjustments for me but I will learn. Case is way to slippery, should offer a "grippy" case so it doesn't drop so easily. Often hit buttons when opening for texting. Still feel I'll adjust.

We needed phones with a larger screen and keyboard, but also did not want to have a data package. We purchased three of these phones 2 months ago and they have held up so far. The only issue is that it unlocks pretty easy. If data was not blocked, I would have already racked up some pretty high usage numbers, when the phone unlocks. Battery life and apparent durability seems to be good. Of course we purchased cases and screen covers to help with durability. Overall I am satisfied with these phones.

Phone works as anticipated. Great for us folks who want a nice phone without stepping up to full-fledged smartphone (and all their DATA upcharges!). Would be nice if you had icons and a changeable desktop background. Instead these tiles look a little amaturish. You can change what tiles are displayed, but that's about it for the customization. User is 15 and uses it for about 95% text and 5% talk. It is perfect for that having a nice slide-out keyboard and large, vibrant display screen. Battery life seems to be very good. Probably charges it every couple of days (whereas most smartphones need a nightly charge).

I have had this phone for about a month and while it is easy to use and is probably the next best thing to a Smart Phone, it does have some drawbacks. First and most noticeable is the super sensitive touch screen. If you don't hit the Lock/Unlock key while the phone is not is use, any pressure on the touch pad could activate that function. If a call is received while the phone is in an inactive mode, before you can answer it, you have to drag the screen first to access the phone mode.

It was time to upgrade my phone and I wanted something similar to my last one. I love the slide out keyboard. Makes texting super fast and easy. Being able to tap directly on the screen for what you what or moving your cursor makes it so easy to use. Camera function is quick to use and automatically saves the pictures. Screen is very sensitive to touch so sometimes I tap something not meaning too. I've gotten in the habit of locking the screen to prevent this. My old samsung had 3 different main screens which you could put different short cuts on and I do miss that. I wish I could take off some of the ones I never use but get pushed accidentally, I've dropped it a few times and the back and battery pop out easier than my last phone but doesn't hurt it. It is a great phone and just what I was looking for!