This phone is great for talking and makes a great MP3 player when you get a micro-sd card to go with it. light, small, good sound, good battery life... etc.

T-Mobile has however crippled some of the functionality that make this phone look really apealing:

1) No full screen video.
2) No ringtones or wallpapers off the microSD card - files must be copied to phone.
3) No 3rd Party Apps
4) No JAVA app connectivity to the internet - thus killing lots of options.
5) No JAVA Serial support
6) Codes for usual samsung features (JAVA Serial, etc) do not work
7) The only highlight color for the display is pink - unchangeable.
8) No changing softkeys in standby mode - unchangeable from "Menu" and "t-zones". This should be a simple option in the software as it usually is, t-mo took it out.
9) Crippled pop3/imap support. bleh.
10) Ringtones capped at 30s.

Some people have complained about a file size limit on MP3s but I can listen to 22MB MP3 podcasts from the memory card on mine. The caveat with MP3s is that they must be 192kbps or smaller in quality.(bitrate)

You will be satisfied with this phone if you want a phone and mp3 player with a half decent camera, but heavy customizers should look elsewhere (Samsung X820).

Pretty much everything about the various features of this phone have been debated in the reviews so I'll skip that. However, one thing that should be noted is that this phone is way too fragile. I recently dropped the phone off my desk, a height of not even 4 feet and the screen is utterly destroyed. I'm about to go attempt to somehow either get my money back on my phone or get it repaired. However, if a company is willing to make a phone that cheap, I have a feeling that they probably save money on customer service as well.

I love this phone, it works GREAT. I haven't had any problems with it while i was taking. I find that the only problem is that it is to thin. I have a habbit of putting my phone in my back pocket, but once i sit down i think i will snap it in half, but I haven't yet. Other than that this phone is GREAT!!!!

First off, I'm not much of power cell phone user. I tend to make calls very occasionally (once a day if at all).

I have had the phone since October 2006. I bought it when my old clunky phone (Denso Touchpoint with Sprint) fell and broke. My main requirement was a thin and light phone that wouldn't make my pockets sag. At < 3 oz and rated the thinnest phone in the world, this phone more than satisfies the requirement. Its thinness, lightness, and good looks have gotten many a compliment!

Call quality is very clear and I seldom have dropped calls. This is as much a property of the provider (T-Mobile) as it is of the phone. I have also used the phone for SMS and basic web browsing and checking email through T-Mobile's data plan (very reasonable at $5.99/mo unlimited which is the only reason why I even bother with data on the phone).

The keys are sometimes hard to press, but not enough to really be a bother for me. The one that I have the most problem with is the navigation key in the middle.

With respect to the data plan, most regular web pages do not load due to insufficient memory in the device. However, things like checking gmail and stock quotes, and reading news works just fine.

The speakerphone works pretty well. I often use that when I'm driving and it's worked OK so far -- have to raise my voice a bit.

The phone has an average-quality 1.3 megapixel camera with zoom and brightness controls. To get acceptable quality, the camera and the subject have to be very, very still. So it's not something that I use often, but then again, I don't know I would care about this feature in any phone.

The phone updates the date and time automatically on power up. It has a slot for accepting micro-SD and it supports bluetooth. I haven't used either of these features yet. It doesn't have voice recognition, but neither did my old phone, so it's not a feature that I miss.

Battery life is poor, but that is to be expected with such a tiny battery coupled with a large, bright LCD display. I have to charge it nearly every day, but I do use it a lot for checking email.

Great little phone - it's tiny and flashy. The call quality is good, but the ringer is kind of quiet even when turned all the way up. I miss a lot of calls when I'm in a noisy place. The camera is decent - not great, but perfectly adequate. Screen is bright and big and easy to see except in very bright sunlight. The navigation is generally easy and intuitive although there are a few things that don't make sense.

The reason I got this phone in particular is because you can save any mp3 as a ring tone - no more buying ring tones! You have to edit the mp3 first however as a whole song is too long. Just do a search for mp3 editing software - there's lots of free options out there. I find that a 20 to 30 second snip works best as a ringtone.

Overall a fun little phone. Everywhere I go people pick it up and marvel at how small it is!

Let me WARN you. The battery life sucks. It usually last only 2 days and NO more than 3 days with less than 10 minutes talk / day. My other Nokia last 7+ days with the same usage.

lots of small annoyances with this phone, but if you're mostly interested in something thin that won't bulge in your pocket, the problems are all tolerable. i'm happy with mine.

the best and worst things about it:

best:
- thin, light
- looks great
- sturdy enough, screen is hardly scratched after 6 months of use

worst:
- menus not customizable, some basic functions burried
- battery life so-so (at most 3 days of regular use)
- sound quality is worse than the good ol' nokias
- buttons too sleek - good luck trying to hit 'OK' with your thumb


Background: I owned a Nokia 3595 before I purchased this phone. It is a nice good dependable phone that has great reception, loud ringtone, comfortable keyboard, and is hard to damage ( I work in a rough environment and this phone has taken all the beatings). It only lacked a big bright screen and long battery life.

I was growing a little anxious to update my phone so I purchased the Samsung t519 based on online reviews and recommendations from the sales representative. That was a big mistake. About a quarter of the calls I make have terrible sound quality. Every so often I get a dropped call without notice, so I end up talking to myself which is frustrating The ringtone I selected doesn't play when a myFaves contact calls me. The system responsiveness is slower than my Nokia. The keypad is too small. The included headset is uncomfortable. The battery life was way worse than my Nokia. Overall it was a waste of my money. On the plus side it did have a bright screen, but that doesn't make up for its failures.


I have a habit of smacking my Nokia on my desk when I get frustrated. It's a bad habit, but my Nokia could take the punishment. When I did it to this phone I broke it in half. Korean quality at its best. So I'm out some big money just because I wanted something nicer. My recommendation: get a cheap used Nokia and avoid this mess. I've reverted back to my Nokia. I've learned my lesson.

Cell phone makers need to produce quality phones. Not phones with all the bells and whistles, but instead ones that are durable and can make calls with good reception. I don't need an mp3 player, fancy web browser, or sub par camera.

...it could use some lite improvements.

This is nothing new Samsung has been making cell phones for years and for some reason a lot of the customer complaints doesn't seem to be penetrating their newer models. Improvement is nothing new. A lot of the flaws that are found on this phone are available on other Samsung phones. Not huge flaws just minor tidbits that I like having on my cell phone. For what they were charging when this phone was initially released there should be no reason why it wasn't included. I give this phone a 3.5 stars not a 4. Now I got this phone for free because that's the current promotion with T-Mobile. So I decided 2 get it. I am going to be honest; I am a HARDCORE Samsung phone FREAK!!! I love Samsung phones & that's all I ever buy when I upgrade my phones. I currently have a new Samsung cell with Cingular & I love it. I got this one because it was calling my name & I just had 2 fiddle with it. I try different brands like LG & Motorola & they just don't compare to Samsung on any level and I just end up having 2 get rid of them. Now this phone is great but the way its setup upsets me. I think when it originally came out the going price was $150.00 with a new 1 year service contract. $150.00 is a lot for a phone with limited features. This phone is great since it was free & T-Mobile is famous for giving you a free international plug with their cell phones & a free ear piece which is great. No other carrier does that. Everyone seems to be complaining about the volume & 2 be quite honest I really don't have that big of an issue with it except that the volume max is a level 5. After all these years you would think Samsung for T-Mobile would take its customers advice and adjust it so that the capability of going 2 a level 10 is there. I live in New York City so the streets are always crowded with people and id like 2 know that I can adjust the volume so I can hear better during the rush hour mob scene. But as I stated it's not that bad, I can hear people perfectly clear. Once again after all these years it still doesn't offer Vibrate/Ring capability at the same time. I am starting to think that feature is not possible with GSM phones. Because my Samsung Cingular phones just cant do that. All the models I've had can never do that unless they are on the Verizon Wireless/Sprint PCS wireless service. I don't care for the MP3 player because I have my iPod. So having songs is not a concern, other then that I am pleased with my free product purchase. Below is a quick break down of my pros & cons.

Pros:
Being ENVIED when I walk down the street talking on this phone
Stylish design
Metallic Phone (Not Cheap Plastic)
Ultra thin/Slim Design
Beautiful tint/color on the phone (Seems like a light type of goldish color)
Great setup
Nice Camera (I wish there was a light included on the camera)
Includes free ear piece (Samsung brand which is the best part)
Kool 1 touch 2 access speakerphone but you can only utilize it once the call is connected (My current Samsung/Cingular doesn't have that problem)

Cons:
2 me they are minor cons, but I wish they were included in the phone functionality)
Not enough wallpaper choices
Unable to change the easy access keys
Unable to change the skin color
Unable to change the menu style
Unable to change the font/color
Camera has no flash light included
Camera is 1.3 Mega Pixel which is great but I wish it was 2.0 mega pixels like my other Samsung phone
Volume is fine, not as bad as everyone is making it seem (But I do wish the volume level was not restricted to only volume 5, as that is the highest it can go. My current Cingular Samsung can go to level 7)
Great design, but since its ultra thin it makes it very fragile, so be careful.


Yes, this phone is sleek. The buttons are hardly raised, and the ports on either side (for charger/earpiece and memory card, respectively) are covered by thin strips of plastic held on by some sort of elastic material. If you carefully look at these, however, they seem easily broken! Be careful lest you snap them off. Other reviewers have raved about the form factor, but personally I find this phone TOO slim! I feel I can't get a good grip on it while I'm holding it next to my ear, and I am quite afraid I'll drop it into one of the sewer or subway grates that pepper the sidewalks of New York - or worse, an elevator shaft! (A friend of mine did this with a flip phone!) Suggestions to buy a protective case should not be taken lightly.

Battery life: I pulled the new phone out of the box, charged it fully, then used it normally (about 10 calls a day, some Music Player usage, Bluetooth on for 1/2 hour, mostly standby). I got a low battery warning less than 60 hours later. It died in another 12 hours of standby. Not very impressive at all, although it might take a couple of cycles of full charges and discharges to reach normalcy.

Update: After a week of full charge/discharge cycles, the battery life has not improved at all. With normal usage, I get at most 72 hours out of a discharge. I can imagine someone using this phone to make more phone calls would experience an even shorter battery life. Thumbs down!

Mac users beware! YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SYNC YOUR CONTACTS OR CALENDAR ITEMS. Just because it has "Bluetooth" does not mean it's compatible with iSync. As of this writing, no Samsung phone is compatible with iSync. This is due to Samsung's refusal to support the open-source transfer standard iSync uses (instead of a proprietary one), and not Apple's fault. OS X's built-in file transfer app will function just fine, but the phone does not give you access to the all-important contacts and organizer files, so tricks that work on other Samsung phones (like vCard splitting your Address Book items and transferring to the phone manually) DO NOT WORK ON THE T519. Be prepared to spend several hours importing your phonebook manually, or try saving to your SIM card from your old phone and retrieving contacts that way. Forget about using the organizer, it's trash, and mostly useless if you're used to the visual luxury of iCal to enter your appointments then syncing to your mobile.

On the menu: although some essentials are truly buried (O alarm clock, where art thou? hint: menu-6-5-1), nearly every single menu item has a reference number! So, for example, by pressing Menu-9-5-1 you can quickly turn on or off Bluetooth from the main screen. This is similar to the old Nokia phones, whose easy-to-use interface I have long admired. The new-text-message and silent-mode features are also available at one click from the main screen (L and # keys). An annoyance: the dedicated T-Zones button on the main screen, although it's an issue with many T-Mobile exclusive phones, is still a user nightmare. It can't be changed to something more useful (in fact, no menu items can be changed), and clicking it loads the browser app, (which can take a few seconds to dismiss), taking you straightaway to T-Mobile's bill-gouging downloads center. Stupid.

On the MP3 player: this seems like a late addition to the T519's software. It's feature-poor, and the phone itself gives you very few options for playback. Furthermore, you can use the phone for playback, but that's all it will do until you close the player app: messaging and playback, for instance, are mutually exclusive. And there's no headphone jack! Forget about plugging in your favorite Grado Labs or Sennheiser cans, you are forced to go with the included earpiece, meant for phone calls - and what a P.O.S. this thing is. It's one-eared (and thus, mono, obvs.), and the quality is terribly poor. Are you thinking of buying this phone for the player? Better you didn't. (Also, Samsung customer service could not name any compatible bluetooth headphones, and if you want more than a couple songs on the device, you need to purchase a memory card.) This is not to say it doesn't work well as a phone! But an iPod it's not.

In sum, the T519 is a sleek little phone that should have been great but isn't. As with other Samsung phones, the presence of Bluetooth connectivity is misleading for Mac users, who are unable to use it with iSync. The Organizer and Music Player apps are feature-poor, but if you just want a phone, this is less of an issue. Menu complexity is not necessarily a problem if you take the time to learn numeric shortcuts for the things you use often, and a few oft-used items are one click away by default.

To the reviewer who complained about the pink menu highlighting: this might be a T-Mobile branding issue rather than a gender-bias issue.

I bought this phone right after Thanksgiving, and as of yet I have no real complaints with it. This phone is great. It looks nice, it feels good in the hand, all the features are great. I was worried about buying a thin phone with a large screen, as I was afraid the screen would scratch or break. As of yet it is completely fine and I do not have a case for it (I'll get one soon). I have yet to have any dropped-call or reception problems. I only have minor critiques for it.

Pros:
1.) Very thin and sleek, takes no room in my pocket
2.) Amazing screen/picture quality
3.) Great features and extras (music player, bluetooth, 1.3 mp camera, removable memory card)
4.) Great battery life/talk time - I thought the screen would drain the battery, but it lasts a very long time. I don't think I could drain the battery in a day if I tried. On a charged battery I can send texts all day, take a bunch of pics and sort them, have a 3 hour conversation and not worry about the battery dying.

Cons:
1.) I wish the volume could be further increased. When I am talking in a crowded or loud area it can be difficult to hear - even on the hands-free. I can usually make things out though.
2.) The charger and the hands-free set use the same port. You can't charge and use your hands-free at the same time.
3.) The arrow pad is small and can be difficult to operate, especially if you are trying to do 2 things at once. It is nearly impossible to use with gloves.
4.) Some of the navigation menus are confounding.
5.) You cannot silence the camera. You have multiple shutter sound options, but you can't turn off the sound.

The critiques are minor and not enough to detract away from the overall quality of the phone. This is, by far, the best phone I have owned and actually one of the best phones I have seen.

This is a pretty hot-looking phone, thin, elegant, with great features. I especially like the ability to import mp3 clips as ringtones. No more paying money for ringtones! It's almost a little too thin, though, as it can be hard to pick up off the counter because there's nothing to grab onto. The menu system is a disaster. It takes about 8 clicks to do anything, there's very little ability to customize, and worst of all, you can only see two numbers at a time when browsing the phone book. Can you imagine that? It's as though they had all these features they were trying to pack in, but didn't think at all about what it's like actually to use the phone. I'm crossing my fingers for a software update. It makes me appreciate my old Sony-Ericsson T610. That was a smart phone.

I've had this phone for a few days, and it was immediately apparent that this phone is targeted towards women. This is not a bad thing, but something to be aware of.

For instance, the menus are all highlighted with pink, and there is no way to change this. I've even spoken with customer service on this. To me, the pink is not such a huge deal as is the fact that I can't change it at all.

Second, there are only four options for text message tones. While there are plenty of options for the ring tone, it's very odd to find that I can pick only four different tones for incoming text messages. All four options are, how should I say it, whimsical. Again, not in of itself a bad thing, but what really bothers me is that I can't change the text message tone to something I like.

The camera isn't the best cellphone camera I've seen, even for a 1.3 megapixel camera.

On the plus side, the screen is very bright and large, and I like the form factor.

The lack of customizability of the colors and tones makes this phone a loser in my book. However, the pink and the available tones might not bother you enough to outright ignore this phone.

I upgraded to the T519 and am satisfied enough with the good things to keep it. My BIG problem with this phone is using it outdoors in sunlight. Even with the display brightness at its highest setting, it cannot be seen. All functions of the phone are useless if they cannot be viewed on the display.

For being the thinnest phone on the market, this phone is EXCELLENT. Yes, there are a few drawbacks, but nothing compared to the great parts of this phone. I'll address some of these drawbacks and give possible solution

First, the small buttons for navigation. Yes, they are SMALL, which does sorta suck. But, even though I have somewhat long fingernails and yes, I do have chubby fingers, I'm still able to push the buttons with my fingers. How do you ask can I navigate well?? Well, you have to know where the point where your bone most protrudes through your finger. maybe this is getting a bit technical, but if you know where that point of closest contact is, you can navigate actually quite easily. If you feel the pad under your thumb, you can just feel your way and when you push, you'll hit exactly where you need to. It probably helps that I play piano so i can do that. Like i said, I have fat stubbly fingers, so anyone can do it.

As for volume, it does suck. Its not bad, but I've called friends in a club that have phones where they can actually hear me about the techno. I would not be able to even hear anything on my phone if I were in a club. I suggest getting a good blue tooth for the phone.

As for mp3, that is dumb. You can't even enjoy mp3 music on this little thing. Anyway, its a phone, you aren't buying it for mp3 crap anyway. Compare this phone with that blackberry stuff. its pretty close to those phones also. You can message people through the phone by calling specific people with IM's or you can send messages through yahoo, aim, msn. Its pretty cool.
Plus a bunch of other features combined with the fact that it is super thin!

I BOUGHT THIS PHONE AND IM THINKING ABOUT RETURNING IT. IT SAYS 5 HOUR TALK TIME BUT THATS DEFINITELY NOT SO. I HAVE TESTED IT FOR ABOUT A WEEK AND IT HOLDS ABOUT A GOOD 1 1/2 HOUR OF TALK TIME BEFORE HAVING TO BE RE-CHARGED. THE FEATURES ARE NICE FOR THIS PHONE AND CAN'T REALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PHONE NOT HAVING PROFILES, OR VIBE AND RING, OR A LONGER LASTING SNOOZE FOR THE ALARM, MORE STURDY FLAPS, THOSE ARE ALL FEATURES I WOULD LIKE THE PHONE TO HAVE BUT MOST OF ALL THE BATTERY LIFE IS A MAJOR CONCERN. IT DIED ON ME DURING THE DAY AND GAVE ME A SHORT NOTICE OF THE LOW BATTERY AND THEN COMPLETELY TURNED OFF A SHORT TIME AFTER THAT. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR LONG BATTERY LIFE THEN THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE RIGHT PHONE FOR YOU. HOPE THIS HELPS.

This phone is seriously the best I've owned. I've tried a Motorola and a Sony Ericsson, and this one outclasses them by far.

First of all, it's a great looking phone, as thin as the RAZR opened up (yes it is!).
Voice quality is great(although max volume could be just a little bit higher) and reception is excellent. I get 3 bars in places where I used to get none.
Also, it has most useful features I need.

Overall, a very highly recommended phone.

I just received this phone and switched carriers to T-mobile. At first the coverage in my area with t-mobile would've been close to having no reception, but once I turned the phone on, I was surprised to have full receptiion! I am pleased with my purchase and it's something I would not normally purchase (I am used to flip phones) but the plan w/ t-mobile is better than most carriers and the phone is cool and sleek.

Also, the transaction was smooth and I was able to transfer my current number to my new t-mobile service. I'll definitely purchase through Amazon (maybe T-mobile too, depending on how the serivce goes).

I ordered my samsung trace before reading the reviews here, and good thing also because I would have been scared off by some the comments posted. This is a great little phone! Yes, the buttons are tiny and you do have to use your fingernail somewhat to use the "ok" and direction buttons, but it is a small phone...use a stylus if it bothers you to use your fingernail.

Another issue raised here was low volume and speakerphone quality...I am outside a lot and make calls from the sidewalk near traffic often and have never had a problem hearing or being heard while using the phone..speakerphone is a decent quality also...could be more adjustable, but what do you want for this price ??

Here are the cons/wishes:
I wish I could reconfigure the buttons...I would like to be able to push one button to activate the camera or recorder for example.

I wish it had a flash for the 1.3 megapixel camera.

but look at the pros:
1.3 megapixel camera
small candy bar sized (make sure you get a good, padded case)
mp3 player (I currently use the 1GB micro SD, interchangeble)
pretty sturdy design.

Overall I am very satisfied with this purchase

I went from a Motorola RAZR, to the T519. My main reason for ditching the RAZR was simply this: It's slow when it comes to doing simple tasks in the menu, and the web browsing is painful. I also didn'y enjoy the display on the RAZR.

For the T519: PROs
+ Excellent display
+ The browser will attempt to display anything you throw at it, and generally accomplish.
+ Quick operation when going through the menus, etc.
+ Good call quality
+ Very slim and stylish
+ Built well

CONs:
- The directional pad/"back button" are in a bad location. Anyone with larger fingers will need to use their fingernails to hit the down arrow. YOU MUST play with a demo model before purchasing this phone. Some people are able to work around this, some not.
- The camera quality isn't the greatest
- The signal is a TINY bit weaker than my previous RAZR

Overall, I simply love this phone.

1) Keypad - I have decent sized fingers, but don't have trouble with the pad as a lot of users do. It is fairly small though, and the buttons are only slightly raised, which can make touch dialing a bit of a pain for some. The OK button in the directional nav IS fully flush, but I have had no problems with this personally.

2)Input/Output - Here's the deal with this phone, and why you need fingernails. The cover to the charger/headphone jack is remarkably difficult to open on the side of the phone. I have the 'Church Key' on my keychain for many electronic devices, which is a tiny paperclip for reset button pushing. On this? I use that to push into the little lip for the charger cover so I can pull it open. The downside of this I/O port is this - Samsung made an MP3 player phone with a proprietary port design. You cannot use your own headphones with this phone, at least not that I have found. You must have a custom headset that uses the jack design, assuming you can pry the bay open to plug it in. Thumbs down on that, Samsung.

3) Screen Quality and Camera - The camera is much what I'd expect from a run of the mill snapshot feature in a phone. It has average quality, but did exceptional in outdoor sunlight when I snapped a few quick shots. Also, it has many goofy options some people might like. You can change contrast/brightness/flip the image viewfinder. Also, there are simple filters like sepia, greyscale, solarize, and a few others. A picture frame option is in the phone, with some preloaded options there. Overall, nifty. It's a cellphone camera though, so you get it sort of as an afterthought rather than defining feature. As for the screen itself, the thing is gorgeous and scratch resistant enough to have survived without a single scrape in a pocketful of change and keys on more than one occasion. That portion will not disappoint.

4) Sound Quality/Dropped calls - I have yet to have a dropped call on this phone. It's rare that I'm even at half signal while driving through the mountains, where friends' phones give out near the foothills. The sound quality is very nice on receiving and sending, according to several folks who noticed I sounded much clearer on my new phone. As for the MP3 quality, the integrated speaker is actually stereo and sounds fairly good for a small speaker. It does have a metallic touch to it, particularly on high notes and white noise, where MP3s are typically a bit sharp anyway. But again, this is a tiny speaker that can really pump out some volume. Beware a ringer on high!

5)Connectivity/Storage - You can shove a MicroSD in here! Sure, that's all well and good, and very useful, but you can't actually use media files from the SD storage. They have to be copied out into the phone memory to access them. This, it is worth noting, will prevent uninformed users from linking to their SD card if they get it, then removing it only to mess up all of their ringers and media that's suddenly no longer available. But even so, it's kind of a pain to have to copy out a file from the SD to the phone if you want to use it then clear it to make space for the next. Bluetooth is a dream on this phone, I have to say. A few clicks, and you're up and running. It even has dumbed down security options to make it really accessible for the average user. Nice.

6) Menus/Customization - This phone suffers here. Quite a bit. You can't reassign hot keys on your directional pad, menus are cramped and short on features. Settings are few to come by, and you can't do one simple, highly desirous thing. There are no theme changes for the menus. It's T-mobile's grey pink and white for you all the way. Yuck! This is not the phone for people who like to have a device that works exactly how they want as far as shortcut keys and options.


Overall Impression - I really do like this phone. It's hot, thin, light, and makes people stare. It is, plain and simple, a sexy phone. The average user will love it because they just want to make calls, text, and play a game here and there, or take goofy pictures of their friends to set as caller pics. It's great for all this stuff. Battery life is good, it sounds good, it looks good. However. Samsung - Add more customizable menu and shortcut options. Dump this proprietary charging and headphone jack. You have a winner on your hands after that.


Pros:
Very Small.
Great battery life (phone goes to sleep in 30 seconds.)

Cons:
- Drops calls constantly. Could it be the T-Mobile Service? I was experiencing dropped calls in the middle of New York City - where I'd expect the coverage to be good.
- Sound quality is inferior. Volume is low. People complain they cannot hear me. Connections are rarely clear.
- The phone has a built in MP3 player - but the phone has no headset jack, songs play via the small tinny speakerphone speaker and the MP3 player doesn't play through the Bluetooth headset - what's the point of including the MP3 Player?

Size is great, functionality is not.

Will be returning and replacing with something soon.

Stop playing marketing games that force me to dig so deep to find a simple price for the Samsung T519. By all means, stop feeding potential buyers trash like: "the price is too low to show"! I refuse to buy from anyone that plays such games. If you want to sell the item, give the price and other needed information up front so that potential buyers can make an informed decision.

Sam-sung is one of my fav. cell phone company.
not surprisingly, I got this T519 phone immediately the day they became available to public.

I don't think anyone would really use the build in MP3 since it can ONLY HOLD a certain amount of songs. so,if u r looking for a good MP3 and cellphone, i don't recommend it.

I love love the speaker option, it easier to talk, and very convenient while driving.


Pros: sleek, light weight, nice build in system.
CONS: *you DO need a screen protector(u can get it anywhere these days)
*because it is so light,it gives me a hard time to find it..(some people might find it a good thing tho)

other than that, I think this is a pretty decent cellphone...

I tried my best to describe it, hope u find it helpful.
thanks




I have had this phone for about 2 weeks. Although some reviews say the photos arent that good, this is true only in low light/indoors. Good quality in daylight. Bluetooth works great, I was able to transfer data (after conversion) from my Nokia 6610 backup to the Samsung phone. MP3's play well. Using the keyboard was a bit of a challenge, but I got the hang of it. The two cons I find are (1) Speakerphone is soft and (2) No handstrap attachment point.

PROS:
-Thin, sleek design
-1.3 Megapixel Camera (with filters)
-MicroSD card slot (for MP3s and such)
-1000 Contact List
-Bright vivid screen (262k colors)
-Bluetooth
-Speakerphone
-EDGE Technology
-Good world phone
-GSM Phone (can be unlocked to any carrier)
-80MB integrated memory
-Fast menus (could be better, but fast)
-Very affordable
-Good battery life (around 6 hours)

CONS:
-No voice dialing
-Buttons are too flat, hard to navigate with center button flush
-Too much button, not enough screen
-Low volume
-Camera take so-so pictures
-Hard to see screen in direct sunlight

BOTTOM LINE: A great phone for young people. Sleek design makes this very portable and cool. Although the volume was kind of low, many other features this phone has make it something to seriously consider, especially at the current price point.

A first look at this phone and you will be tempted to buy one! But remember, there is a variety of phones to choose from in this category. That is why I think it is worthwhile to go through T519's features and then only make a buying decision.

In my opinion, following are the Goods and Bads of this phone

The Goods:
-The thinnest and lightest (2.5 ounces) phone I have ever come across.
-Quad band (operates on 850 MHz,900 MHz,1800 MHz and 1900 MHz)
Internationally useful
-Good reception and sound quality.
-Bluetooth Wirelsss capable.
-80 MB internal memory. Micro SD Memory Slot, if you wish to store your data/music on a memory card and then carry/use it along wherever you carry your phone.
-1.3 megapixel camera that can take photos and does VIDEO RECORDING.
-Camera has a variety of pixel modes you could save your image in.
Zoom feature is decent enough.
-Music Player that supports MP3, WMA, and ACC file types.
-Supports high speed data transfer (internet) using EDGE technology.
-Voice recorder.
-Speakerphone
-Good amount of talk time (5.5 to 6 hrs).
-Voice messaging and picture messaging.
-Conference Calling (talk to two people at the same time).
-Very attractive look and finish (Champagne Color).
-T-Mobile MyFaves capable.

The Bads:
-Navigation keys are placed very awkwardly and very close to each other.
I had to use my finger nails to press the correct key. YOU MUST TEST AND SEE IF YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH ITS NAVIGATION KEYS.
-The volume is relatively low. Various published consumer reviews including a CNET review, confirm this. So make sure its volume meets your expectactions.
-No voice activated dialing. I was surprised not to find this feature in a hi-tech phone of this kind.
-Its a tall candy bar phone. If you are used to small flip phones, this style may not appeal to you.

Overall it is a good phone except the navigation keys and the absence of voice activated dialing. One can live without voice activated dialing but the navigation keys can be a hassle each and every time you operate the phone.

Early Negatives:
1) Bluetooth can only send stuff to the phone's memory, which is only some 15-20MB, and then files need to be moved on the phone to the memory card. Thus, transferring takes forever. This can be solved with SD card reader though (get one on eBay for $10 including shipping).

2) Customization is extremely limited:
a. Music can only be used for ringtones if on phone memory, not card memory
b. Cant set txt message ringer to anything but the 5 sounds that come with the phone
c. Cant customer home screen shortcuts (i.e. cant set up arrow to go to call logs, left to messages, etc)
d. Cant customize any views (phonebook view to show more data and fewer names at once or vice versa, etc)

3) there are no "modes" or "profiles;" in other words, you can have silent mode on or off, but other than that, you have to go into the phone's settings, sound settings, incoming call settings just to change from ring to vibe-then-ring

4) phone cannot vibe and ring, only vibe then ring

5) ringer and earpiece volume should be louder

6) music player is extremely limited in functionality. Cant even FF/Rewind in a song. Cant do anything else while listening to music. If call or message interrupts music, song can not resume (can only start over). Navigation will be difficult with 1GB of music since there is no organization of music; rather you can create folders (which do not arrange in any order other than the order in which you created them) and everything is just as it was added, listed by filename (but not sorted by filename). The view when you are browsing is also annoying because, like all other screens, it is not customizable, and you can only see some three files at once. Again not good when working with 1GB of music.

7) proprietary headphone jack. this seems to be a common condition among mp3 player phones. the included headset can be used for music and calls, but it is a single earbud and not very comfortable. quality not great. better headphones apparently not even offered yet

8) numeric keypad is somewhat difficult to use, especially with one hand or in a no-look situation

Early Positives:

1) the volume on the music player, both in the single earbud and on the speakerphone-speaker, are very good. Sound quality also has been good.

2) the phone is slimmer than any I've ever seen! It's so sleek that someone actually called it "sexy" on Saturday. In fact I think she did so twice.

3) clarity on calls has been really good so far

4) phone charges from zero to full in some 2 hours


I know the negatives seem to outweigh the positives above, but I am actually happy with the phone overall. I just think it's more important to know the negatives about a prospective purchase. But please note that I would NEVER recommend this to someone as an iPod (or other MP3 player) replacement. The music player software is vacuous; I still carry my big ol' iPod whenever I actually want to listen to music.

I think the general story is you surrender some otherwise-expected functionality (especially with the music player) in return for the very desirable form. You don't even notice this thing in your pocket.

having this phone for 12 days

the good features:
------------------

[1.] sleek phone, light weight, good overall size
[2.] good picture quality from cell phone's camera,
[3.] memory expansion slot(haven't used this feature yet)
and mp3 player(haven't used this feature yet)
[4.] cell phone signal reception and talk sound quality is ok in my area
[5.] bluetooth wireless(havent used this feature yet)
[6.] good screen size
[7.] battery lasts good amount of time
[8.] build/assembly quality is decent
[9.] instant messengers(haven't used this feature yet)


the desired to be better features:
----------------------------------

[1.] my biggest problem: other person's voice sound too low to my liking

even set to largest volume setting, talk volume is too low. this applies to both ear piece and hands free speaker phone. i also tried external plug in headphones, no help.

interestingly its ringtone music definitely sound louder than talk volume. i think the talk volume problem can be fixed by a software(firmware) update, if samsung and tmobile choose to do something about it.

i called tmobile customer service, and asked to speak to a tech support. i explained my problem and observations, but the tech support person didn't seem to get my point. in the end, i was reminded that i have 14 days trial period.

[2.] cell phone's user menu(user interface) need improvements.

the user menu is not intuitive to use and unrefined. although this cell phone has good screen size, it often don't show much info/content on the things that u want to see. some menu items are confusing, like it seems there are 4 phone pin/passwords. some features take many steps to navigate to, like setting alarm.

a better user interface(UI) will definitely improve user experiences. among my suggestions are

1. provide five or six UI different themes, currently there is none choice, that define sets of icons, colors, fonts, frames, menu trees, and sizes.

2. more default ringtones, currently there is none choice

[3.] cell phone lacks data cable to connect to computer

this data cable connects from a proprietary connector on cell phone to usb connector on computer.(most computers have usb) (and why dont cell phone use standard mini usb connector?) while this cell phone boasts IM, MP3, Contacts, Calendar, Video, Pictures, and memory expansion features, it doesnt come with a data cable to transfer data.

how stupid is that. it's causing inconvinience and irritation. at this time, tmobile is selling a data kit for $60, which include the data cable and software(but this is readily downloadable from samsung website). this is not cost effective for cell phone customer.


other thoughts:
---------------

while this cell phone's camera has decent picture quality, it's no replacement for your good digital camera.

while this phone offers many features to be customized, it's really another way of putting it: most default features are stripped to minimum, and anything a customer want to do, it's steered toward paid-for-services. (to be fair, all cell phone companies are going in this direction.)

some important gotchas are not included in user manual document, like:

what's the memory expansion capacity?
?? (kind of open question)

what's bluetooth wireless limitation?
can't use it to listen to mp3, doh

It plays mp3, really?
it only supports bitrates up to 192kbps. (128kbps, 192kbps, 256k, and 320kbps are all common mp3 encoding formats.) it's 50% handicapped

this cell phone is GSM quad band, worldwide compatible. cool!!??

but it only can be used with tmobile. go feature, which cell phone company has worldwide coverage? unlike CDMA network, GSM allows change of SIM card(it stores specific cell phone carrier info, etc) without changing your physical phone, to quickly connect into local communication network. it's 100% handicapped.


Conclusion:
-----------
It's an ok BASIC phone. If samsung and tmobile fix the speaker volume problem, It'll be a near excellent BASIC phone. It has potential to be a much better phone if given positively MORE support from samsung and tmobile.




Pros:
* Samsung E105-sleek in design and lightweight

Cons:
* too sleek design - unless you are looking at the phone, it is difficult to tell one number from the other. Makes texting difficult. The "5" has raised touch areas. But they are not raised enough to differentiate between any of the other keys. So, you can't use it as a touch guide.
* arrow keys are not space far enough away from the OK area. It is easy to select ok instead of a direction. In fact, pressing the down button sometimes send you left for right
* speakerphone is too low even when set at the highest volume
* volume key on side of phone do not allow mute only lowest volume 1
* screen font display is a hard to read font and outline style. Does not appear to be able to change this.
* the menu screen is only in icon mode no option for listing
* the alarm sound is as loud as when you last used the phone. there is no option to set it to a different volume level when it goes off
* flimsy tab insets where the charger and additional memory cards go. slide open and close slots would have been better.

No comments on the camera or music features. I don't use them.


Samsung Trace is really a good phone packed with all the desired features into a super-slim design. The phone looks awsome as well as the super thin and light body makes it a perfect choice for me. I would recommend anyone who wants to buy a cany-bar phone as it is the best choice amongst the phones i've used. Also the menus and functions are user-friendly like any Nokia phone, and the fit and finish of the phone is exceptionally good.

Generally speaking, T519 is a nice functional phone with bluetooth, music player, and camera. The appearance is sharp too. However, it really lacks some basic features in software.

1. NO VOICE DIAL SUPPORT. It is hard to imagine this is not in when it has been so popular for so long. Although I never used it before, it would be nice to have when using bluetooth headsets. It is awkward to require accessing the phone when calling from headsets.

2. NO MENU SHORTCUT CUSTOMIZATION. This should be an easy feature to add. I never use t-zone. Why waste the right button there? And no other ways to customize the phone menu for the user. My previous Nokia 3220 is much better in this aspect.

3. NO CLOCK DISPLAY IN STANDBY MODE. It is a surprise to see this feature being missed in T519. At least the same candy bar type Nokia 3220 has it.

If Samsung can easily address these, T519 will really be an ideal phone, at least for me.

I bought 2 of these phones. One for me and the other for my husband. We wanted a new phone with T Mobile service, so this phone seemed like a great buy.

Its really surpassed my expectations because of the features it has is way ahead of our 4 year old phones from Nextel. My only gripe with the phone is the volume of the phone when it rings. I have missed some calls because I could not hear the ringer. However, a plus is that the phone is very light-weight. My husband doesn't notice it in his pocket and it doesn't add noticeable weight to my purse.

We are very pleased.

When considering a new phone I wanted it to be as thin as possible. I didn't really care about the features, I just wanted it thin and light. The t519 fits those requirements perfectly.

It does a great job with the core features that are expected on a phone these days. Nothing too fancy, but all the basics in a really great thin packaged that is reasonably priced. I carry my phone in my front pocket or in the inside pocket of a jacket. That's why I love this thin phone so much. If you just love the Josey Wales cell phone slinger look, why bother with this phone? Don't be a dork with a phone on your hip cowboy, get this phone and slip it in your pocket or purse.

Call quality is pretty darn good and there is a good range of volume adjustment on the ear piece which I really like.

I'm not a cell phone power user so the battery life seems great to me.

The camera says it's 1.3Mega Pixels but who cares, the lens is not that great so the pictures are, well, what you'd expect from a phone. Not great, not horrible. The display however is quite nice, except in the sun of course. Sure the keys are small and some reviewers do not like the 4 position rocker switch due to its small size. I think it works just fine for normal opposable thumbs.

The speaker phone is quite nice and the ability to enhance the onboard memory with a microSD card is really great. The phone plays music but you'll need an optional adapter to listen in stereo. It's no iPod but having some songs to tide you over in a pinch is cool.

The menus are much improved from the 2yr old Samsung I upgraded to, yet they are familiar and clear. You can do things like multi-select making the chore of deleting a bunch of things all at once easier.

Basically this is what I expect from a $100 phone (price after rebates) but the thin size has exceeded my expectations. It's so nice to not feel or see the phone in my pocket. T-mobile has great customer service and has been my favorite cell carrier so far, and I've tried them all.

I bought this candy a month ago and i got say that i really like it! The one & only negative comment about it is the Battery! (The most important thing on a cell phone) If you talk alot then this phone is not for you unless you would carry another battery with you.


I have been with T-mobile for 3 years now, and have been very pleased with their service. My previous phone was an older model flip phone, the Samsung E105. I have been very impressed with that phone. My review of the t519 is based on only 5 days of usage, so keep that in mind.

Positives:
- Nice, sleek looking phone
- Very nice, bright screen
- Extremely light phone, hardly noticeable in my pocket
- Battery life seems very good
- Reception in my area is good, no dropped calls in the 5 days of usage
- MP3 player
- Expandable memory (Micro-SD memory Card slot)

Negatives
- Akward to hold, seems almost too thin, feels like holding a credit card.
- No way to customize the 4-way directional button
- Camera button not very reponsive, takes multiple presses to activate the camera
- Can't check time without 'waking up' the phone (this is one feature I miss from my clamshell phone, but if you are used to candy bar phones, probably not a big issue)
- No stero headphones included, only single earbud. I really haven't had an opportunity to hear how good this little phone sounds because I only have the mono earbud.
- Speaker phone feature is not very good. My wife said that I sound like I'm in a swimming pool when I talk to her on speaker phone.
- Volume could use a little more of a boost for the loudest setting


I have not tried the bluetooth, so can't comment on that. All in all, I think I will return this phone and pick up a different one. The main reason being that I prefer clamshell phones to candy bar ones. This may be the phone for you if you prefer the candy bar type.