 The Convoy's high-quality stereo speaker, extended battery life and multiple messaging options make it the ideal device to stay connected in the toughest conditions. |
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The Verizon Wireless Push to Talk service leverages EV-DO Rev. A technology, which provides customers with fast two-way, walkie talkie-style communication with one person or a group of people. In addition to the simplicity of one number, national coast-to-coast coverage and no hidden charges or fees, this service also offers Presence Information, which shows you who is "on" and available to receive a Push to Talk call.
Vital Statistics
The Samsung Convoy weighs 3.88 ounces and measures 3.85 x 2 x 0.94 inches. Its 1300 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 537 hours (22+ days) of standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 frequencies as well as EV-DO, Rev A 3G frequencies.
What's in the Box
Samsung Convoy handset, rechargeable battery, wall/USB charger, battery cover removal tool, quick start guide, user manual
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On PCs running the Windows XP or higher operating system, you can also browse, preview and purchase music using the V CAST Music with Rhapsody software, which is available as a free download from the V CAST Music with Rhapsody download website. Additional subscription charges applicable.
The service offers unlimited viewing of Basic Videos and the ESPN MVP channel. You can choose from 14 categories, including Entertainment, Kids, Music, Sports, Comedy, News, Pop Culture, Information, Women, Latino, Home & Leisure, Multicultural, Cutting Edge, and Hollywood. Additional subscription charges applicable.
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Average Customer Review: based on 12 reviews
WOW! SUPER BATTERY LIFE, GREAT PHONE!!!
December 11, 2009
Reviewer: Chief Justice "JCR" (Phoenix, AZ United States) -
I got this when I first came out ,and I am sure glad I did, Verizon is out of stock! Let me share with this phone does it all-tough, rugged, but modern and all the basics needed! Let me walk through this, in order of features I love!
1. Battery Life-Hate charging your phone daily? This is FOR YOU..... A CHARGE WITH FULL USE FOR FOUR DAYSSS! WOW! I use my phone SEVERAL HOURS DAILY, and text all the time, and this phone goes down ONE bar in four days! WOW! I love it ...don't even need a car charger!
2. ADJUSTABLE SIZE FONTS FOR TEXTING AND OTHER THINGS-for us middle aged and older folks , this is great! Can adjust size of fonts for texting, wow! Quick text enables you to simply push a button and send a pre-picked phrase (running late, call me asap, etc), and you can add your own phrases and delete at will!
3. GREAT SPEAKERPHONE. works well, loud, and great voice command and Bluetooth connection!
4. Tunes-who needs an iphone and pay tons of bucks a month? Download your own tunes!! MP 3 player
5. Military Spec-water, salt , fog, altitude, shock, dust, solar, cold resistant.....this phone is a manly phone, thick, but still fits in pocket well. Rubber side grips.
6. DON'T NEED TO OPEN FOR ACCESS-can text, read texts, and check voice mail without opening flip
(BTW, lots of folks complain you cant' see the clock as it is not always on -I like that, saves battery, and you can push a button to get time if you want. You CAN leave clock always on but this will shorten battery life.
7. PTT Don't use this feature, but is a nice one.
8. VZ Nav for directions, and automatic location finder to track kids or elderly and find location of phone (and them) on Verizon site.
THIS PHONE IS SUPER.....NOT FANCY, NOT BELLS AND WHISTLES< but solid, LONG battery life, and great Verizon service!
Great Basic Phone, Could Be Easier to Use
February 7, 2010
Reviewer: John K. (Gaylord, MI) -
A pretty rugged phone for voice and occasional texting. Although packed with many additional "features", most require extra $$$ to use. Don't kid yourself into thinking this phone is a budget version of the iPhone or Blackberry - it's a good basic phone, with some additional features scabbed on. Nothing more.
Performance is excellent in all voice-related categories. Good signal capture, great handset and speaker quality (plenty loud, too), acceptable Bluetooth performance, easy-to-read displays, and keypad buttons that a full-sized human can actually use!
So far the phone has held up well in the real world. Mine travels a lot, and is used on the job almost daily. I'd recommend an external case if ruggedness is a priority. It's built pretty tough, but won't survive many drops out of the box. I added a leather case, and expect this phone to handle reasonable abuse for quite a while.
Can't comment on features like VCast, PTT, or Internet connectivity - I don't use any of that. It's a telephone, and it does that job very well. If I want to check e-mail, browse the 'Net, or download tunes, I fire up the laptop - without incurring Verizon's additional charges. Really folks, do you think a palm-sized cell phone will give you the performance of a decent PC? You get what you pay for...
Overall, the phone is pretty easy to use. You won't need a manual to set up the basics. Good thing, since this phone doesn't ship with a manual. Don't know what they were thinking. You can download the manual online, which I would recommend.
My only real gripe is with Verizon's system software - not the phone itself. I won't list all the petty little annoyances, but the list is long. The menu options are severely limited as far as customizing to my liking - but your mileage may vary. Anyone who is used to Verizon's software will understand what I'm talking about. Not a deal-breaker, but you'd think after all this time the company would have designed a more intuitive interface with better options. Too many hoops to jump through for everyday tasks - maybe a future software update will address this.
Battery life is phenominal, in my experience. No need for a car charger on a 3-day trip. Sweet. Best battery life of any phone I've ever used. The built-in camera is surprisingly good, even without a flash. Nice feature.
Some folks complain about the unit's bulk, but this isn't an issue for me. Even with an external case, the phone fits in the pocket of a work shirt. It's a bit on the heavy side, due no doubt to the large battery. This, in my opinion, is a fair trade-off. If you want a little toy phone for yakking on the city streets, there are many other models to choose from.
If you need a phone that will send and receive calls under all conditions, this is a great choice. Seems to be solidly-built, so I expect several years of service. It's not a swiss army knife - just a solid little phone that will be there when you need it.
Great "simple feature" phone
February 17, 2010
Reviewer: Robert H. Lytle III "Rob L" (Augusta, GA, USA) -
I know the younger crowd wants (and probably uses) every feature they can get in a cell phone. My primary - and usually only - use for a cell phone is as a phone. For this, the Convoy is great. The battery life is several times longer than my previous LG phone and the phone is rugged (I dropped it on a hard floor the first couple of weeks I had it - not a scratch and the caller was still on the line). Reception and sound quality are good. My only complaint is that the carrier has locked most of the internal storage and the two main providers of PIM software for phones - BitPIM and DataPilot - aren't supporting the phone yet (despite what DataPilot says at this point). Contacts can be backed up and maintained via VZW's Backup Assistant, but this this application is only designed for use with one phone at a time (and we have three in the family). Looking at the big picture, though, these are just irritants and not show-stoppers. I'm very happy with the phone for my purposes.
susie
February 18, 2010
Reviewer: susie q
Got the phone the other night. So far it is so easy to use. Little bit on the heavy side, but okay. Feels like a phone. The only thing is the Alarm.. No Snooze. No button on the side for calls coming in to silence. Nice grips on the side so the phone won't slide or drop out your hand. Like it!
Verizon good/bad, Samsung good
July 5, 2010
Reviewer: J. Donaldson "Cal-diver" (Camarillo, CA USA) -
I've had this Samsung Convoy U640 phone on Verizon for two weeks. I am pleased with it and would recommend it.
This is a basic phone to be sure, exactly what I wanted. No extra cost data plan or text plan for us. In fact we had Verizon block all data so we wouldn't incur any surprise charges due to accidentally selecting a menu option that uses small amounts of data. We just want a phones that will last and that work well. Having a camera was a bonus, in the past I've found a couple of good uses for quick shots (pictures of things in stores on which to do more research, car accident photos) so it is nice to have one handy all the time.
Pros:
- Solid feel, good construction and materials
- Large backlit buttons
- Plastic external display - I've broken glass displays in the past.
- Large (for this type of phone) bright display on the inside - also plastic.
- Camera button is inside - I've had phones with side mounted camera buttons that took pictures in my pocket!
- Large numbers displayed front and inside for my old eyes
- Functional, if a little picky, voice controlled menus and calls. This was a bonus because I didn't have to program anything. Every contact in my list is a potential voice call.
- SD Micro memory card slot for extra photo, video, or mp3 files. I can pop it out of the camera and into my computer for file transfers. This is simple and quick rather than using a manufacturers USB cable and special software.
- MP3 player
- Bluetooth, seems to pair well and stay connected.
- Speakerphone, loud and clear.
- Camera with still or video capability - quality seems okay for a phone. If I want real quality photos I'll bring my camera.
- Very good battery life that has improved as the battery has matured over these two weeks.
- Speaker phone works quite well and is activated by a side button that has to be depressed for a couple of seconds. I find this much better than a menu option and soft key.
- The durable aspects of the phone were a big attraction to me. I use it on the boat with less concern for having wet hands when handling it.
Cons:
- Verizon menu system. I wanted a Samsung Convoy, not a Verizon Convoy. Verizon's menu system isn't too bad but there are customizations that are not allowed or provided. For example I wanted to replace the main screen "Message" soft button with "Recent" (calls) but that was not an option.
- 2.5mm earphone jack. Since I never use a wired headset (that's what Bluetooth is for) I'd like to listen to music with my standard 3.5mm earphones but can't without an adapter. When are phone manufacturers going to get this right?
- Voice call system can be annoying. If it doesn't understand my command it starts to offer other choices (some quite dumb) and is too persistent. I wish it would simply give me another chance and not offer other names or options for me to say "yes" or "no" to. I understand one can do some voice training to improve it but I haven't bothered as it works well for the few people I call often.
- It is a little thick, especially considering it isn't a fancy feature phone requiring a lot of electronics. However it isn't as thick as I thought it was going to be and I don't mind it in my pocket.
On the general subject of Verizon: We just switched from 11 years of having AT&T wireless service to Verizon. On AT&T my wife complained of lack of coverage and dropped calls. My problem with AT&T was poor call quality, so bad I really didn't want to use the phone. Over 11 years we had various phones and there are three of us on the plan but the call quality problems persisted. Now that we are on Verizon we are so pleased with the call quality; it feels like we have useful service for the first time. I just wish they would leave the manufacturers operating system and user interface alone.
nice phone
March 26, 2010
Reviewer: Robert L. Lyman
this phone does everything i wanted in a phone. the battery life is awesome. if you need a phone that is just a phone without all that fancy crap this is the perfect one. it is a little larger size than some so think about that before you buy,
Fantastic battery life
June 22, 2010
Reviewer: FUBK "FUBK" (Cincinnati,OH) -
This is a great little phone if you only need to use it as such. No bells and whistles just a solidly built phone with exceptional battery life. Easy to use and carry around in your pocket.
great audio and reception, strong battery
June 6, 2010
Reviewer: D. Starkey "Jesus is Lord" (Hemet, CA, USA) -
If you are mostly interested in a rugged phone that has great sound quality,good reception and a super long lasting battery. this phone is the one. No, it doesn't have all the bells that other phones do but this is the best phone I've ever owned. And I've owned the Droid Eris and two Blackberrys.
Convoy Music Trick
July 24, 2010
Reviewer: Cappy124 (Ocean County, NJ) -
To put MP3 music on yer Convoy,
1-Format a micro sd card in your phone
2-insert card in yer computers card slot
3-drag any mp3 file from my music to the formatted cards my music folder
4-when finished, insert microSD in the phone
5-go to my music, options, scan card for new music
6-your phone now has the music on it!
Great Phone At Great Price!
May 31, 2010
Reviewer: J. Morbidelli
This phone is perfect for the price. It has long battery life(2 Days). Good call quality and sound. It also works great as an MP3 player. It can play videos, but sometimes when I try to watch them it restarts the phone. It is a very tuff phone. I dropped it on gravel with it open and it didn't even scratch the screen.
To the person who said: Good phone, retarded software. I think it should be: Good phone, retarded user. This reviewer complains that you can't listen to music on head phones. Thats weird, because I listen to music using headphone all the time. Also you can use Windows Media player for transferring music. Again, I think its Good phone, retarded User.
Great Phone don't hesitate to buy.