The camera is outfitted with a Xenon flash, 16x digital zoom, video capture capabilities, and six shooting modes as well as easy access to your favorite online photo sharing sites. This touchscreen-enabled phone has a large, brightly colorful 3-inch screen, and it includes Samsung's intuitive and easily customizable TouchWiz user interface. It also offers built-in Assisted GPS (a-GPS) navigation, which allows you to utilize location-based services including turn-by-turn directions. Other features include Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, MicroSD memory expansion (up to 16 GB), and digital audio player, access to personal email and instant messaging, and up to 5.5 hours of talk time.
 The Samsung Memoir's 8-megapixel camera makes it easy to capture photos and videos on the go without sacrificing the quality of your point-and-shoot camera (see larger version). |
In areas where the 3G network is not available, you'll continue to receive service on the via T-Mobile's EDGE network (which stands for "Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution"). This high-speed, mobile data and Internet access technology is fast enough to support a wide range of advanced data services (with average data speeds between 75-135Kbps), including full picture and video messaging, high-speed color Internet access, and email on the go.
While this phone is optimized for use with T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network, many of its functions will also work well on the moderate-speed EDGE network. If you plan to access the Internet extensively on your phone, 3G network coverage may serve you best.
Activities that work well on EDGE or 3G networks:
It's compatible with T-Mobile's myFaves service, which allows you to call up to five of your most common contacts--on any network, even landlines--without using any of your minutes. Learn more about myFaves from T-Mobile.
Download cool new games, HiFi Ringers (real songs by today's hottest artists), MegaTones (instrumental versions of songs), and wallpapers quickly, as well as stay connected via the Web, instant messaging, and email.
This phone is compatible with T-Mobile's Mobile Backup, a free service that stores your phone's contact information is case your phone is lost, stolen, or damaged, so you do not have re-enter all of your contact information when you get a new phone.
Phone Features
The slim Samsung Memoir camera phone delivers impressive images on it large 3-inch LCD color display (240 x 400 pixels, 262K colors) and offers haptic responsive feedback that vibrates when you press a button. For easy operation and navigation, the stylish Memoir features three dedicated keys--call, end call and back--on the front of the device under the touch screen. The Memoir also provides quick and easy access to a customer's favorite features through Samsung's innovative TouchWiz user interface, which has specially designed widgets to customize and personalize your phone. The quick and simple drag-and-drop feature provides instant access to your favorite functions, such as the clock, music player, instant messaging and photos and a custom widget for myFaves. The Memoir's full-touch virtual QWERTY keypad and multiple messaging capabilities--including text, multimedia messaging, instant messaging and email--make staying connected quick and easy while on the go.
 Other features include Assisted GPS, Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music streaming, and MicroSD memory expansion to 16 GB (see larger version). |
The phone has a 180 MB internal memory, which can be expanded via optional MicroSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook can store up to 2000 contact entries, each with multiple numbers per contact and support for caller groups as well as picture/ringer ID. You can download MP3 real-music and 72-chord polyphonic ringtones, and the phone also includes a vibrate function for when you need to keep things silent.
Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones.
Other features include:
Vital Statistics
The Samsung Memoir weighs 4.4 ounces and measures 4.17 x 2.11 x 0.55 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5.5 hours of talk time, and up to 300 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies as well as 1700/2100 MHz UMTS/HSDPA 3G frequencies.
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Average Customer Review: based on 19 reviews
Ahhhh so close!
June 5, 2009
Reviewer: Aekero
I've been waiting for a good camera phone for a long time, and it seemed like the Memoir was the answer for me. Unfortunately, it falls just a little bit short on the camera side.
Pros:
*Looks sharp
*Good call quality
*Great music quality, I was surprised at the speaker quality, and it's easy to set any mp3 to be a ring tone.
*Nice voice dialing, never really thought I'd need it, but I used it.
*Great pictures in good light.
Cons:
*Touch screen isn't responsive enough, playing around with my Memoirs touch screen vs iPod Touch is night and day, you have to press a bit too hard, which ends up in misclicks.
*Shutter lag, the camera just flat out takes too long to take the picture once you hit the button. It takes too long to process between pictures as well, but really I'd be willing to overlook that.
*Flash issues, I'm not sure if this just stems from shutter lag as well, but taking night pictures is pretty bad. Overall action + night shots come out badly.
Overall I still like the phone, but as I really wanted the camera phone to be a replacement for my regular phone, it's a bit of a disappointment.
Not a SmartPhone, not for email use, decent camera, horrible touch screen
July 22, 2009
Reviewer: Lee A. Dye "Lee Dye" (Simi Valley,CA) -
Was anticipating this phone for some time with it's 8 megapixel camera, stylish exterior,etc. With some time under my belt I can say that it does have some serious flaws which are not compatible with my needs. I use this phone on the TMobile network along with my hacked Iphone3G which in itself is a truly incredible piece of hardware.
Sound/Music quality:
Excellent. Phone exhibits great sound quality on both sides of the call. Music sounds good and on par with my Iphone. Speakerphone works decent if a little pitchy.
Reception: After having almost 10 phones with TMobile I can say this is on par with the best of them. No issues with reception and better than most of the phones I have had. TMobile generally has pretty decent reception where I am located. Far better than ATT, at least in Southern California.
Aesthetics:
Stylish and very portable. Fits nicely in my palm and though not the best for texting, it certainly can get the job done.
Touch screen:
Horrible touch screen interface. Now keep in mind I also use my Iphone often and can say this Samsung is not even in the same ball park in terms of touch screen interface. The Samsung is clunky and often times you will end up opening an application instead of just scrolling. Even when it does scroll it lacks any polish/smoothness that most phones have. This alone would have me return the phone. This is hardware, not software, as the Memoir uses resistive screen technology vs capacitive in other phones such as the Iphone.
Applications:
Extremely limited. Even Samsung's own PC Studio does not offer the full set of features. The Telenav GPS that comes with the phone will cost you $9.99 a month. Other phones offer free GPS without the annoyingly long start up time of this GPS. Also, nope, Google maps cannot be used on this phone. Not only that, to cancel this GPS you have to call and not only get transferred several times, the wait time is ridiculous.
Email, forget about it. You have to hack it to do POP3 email accounts, otherwise it converts your emails to Text and you get billed for them!!!! Even then you cannot give the POP3 accounts their specific names to identify them. You can use provider email services such as yahoo,gmail, etc.
Camera
Keep in mind one thing. Megapixels does not determine the quality of a picture just the same as magnification does not indicate the true resolve of a telescope. That stated, for a cel phone the images are good. They are not breath taking, they certainly do not compare to my pro equipment or even a cheap 5 megapixel $60 camera. Noise level is significant. Any motion will be captured as a blur even if the camera is placed in the action shot mode. Again, for a cel phone it is very good, as a camera it is not. EDIT: The Nokia N85 takes just as good if not better quality pictures even though it is 5mp which again proves it's the glass and sensor that count, not megapixels. The photos are certainly better than my new phone-HTC Touch Pro 2.
Battery:
Good, does hold a charge a while which is nice, and in usual Samsung behavior they placed the charging port behind a little silver door (another for the SDcard also) which must be pried out with your fingernails every time just to plug it in. Yes, this causes chips and wear on the door as my practically new unit is already exhibiting this.
Outlook compatibility/MS Exchange Service.
Ok, so this is where we separate the boys from the men and this is where this phone just falls on its face.
NO MS Exchange service to check corporate email accounts.
Outlook? Excel? Nope, PC Studio is NOT compatible with Office-any version-with this phone. I tried Outlook 2007, forget about it. What use is the software if contacts cannot be synchronized with the most popular email software on the planet? A search will review the countless complaints about this very issue. If you want to sync Contacts from Outlook your only option is to simply type them in. Now if your a hermit or someone with bad hygiene with only a couple of friends-fine, but if you have a list of contacts.......
Some would try to argue that this is not a SmartPhone even though it is priced above most SmartPhones and it requires the $25.00 data plan for internet use. I say that even cheapo $50 cel phones are available that offer real POP3 email and sync contacts with Outlook-not this phone.
That sums it up, if you are looking for a nice quality phone with a decent camera (for a phone) then this is for you.
If you are a road warrior of any kind and require your contacts to be sync'd with Outlook, and also require Exchange access, get an Iphone ,Nokia , or Blackberry, as this phone is not geared for the professional.
Wow..yellow and blurry pictures
May 4, 2009
Reviewer: Hi-Tech
Well, the title says it all. I was so excited to get this phone but after I took so many pictures I found out that most of my indoor pictures are yellow (flash is not strong enough) and blurry. It's on the way back to Tmobile now. The outdoor pictures are not great also. It's about the same as my old Tmobile Dash phone.
Forget the GPS
May 21, 2009
Reviewer: H. razvi "Photog" (Chicago IL) -
The only way the GPS on this phone works is if you subscribe to the Telenav software service for a fee of $9.99 a month. The phone is unable to download the free google maps program which will do the same job for free. Also the GPS software will waste a few minutes while it connects to Telenav to verify your account. After that you still have to go into the menu to activate your gps reciever and wait a few minutes to get a signal.
That is the biggest complaint I have about this phone. I upgraded from my nokia N93. Compared to the N93 I found that the memoir does not have WiFi, a focusing lense, a flashlight, and is unable to take video in lowlight conditions.
The best reasonably accessible camera phone available
December 22, 2009
Reviewer: TECK13 (Birmingham, MI) -
Before I dive into reviewing the Samsung Memoir SGH-929 first some notes regarding my perspective/biases. I am memorized by cameras and have been messing around with them for 40 years on and off. I have been shooting with digital cameras for nine years and they have come a long way in those short years. My "regular" cameras include a prosumer Nikon SLR and a Fuji compact. My previous camera phone was a Samsung FlipShot. In spite of "only" being 3MP I got some awesome shots with it.
All this is to say that my critical comments will be primarily focused around the camera. I can see someone NOT into photography getting the Samsung Memoir but for all-around phones there are clearly better choices - starting with the iPhone.
My bottom line is similar to others. This is probably the best reasonably accessible camera phone available right now but it does not even match a $75 dedicated compact camera. First off, it does not have an optical zoom. Since the Memoir has 8 MP, under ideal conditions, you can zoom in around 50% and still have a pretty good shot, which is a partial work around to no zoom.
Outdoor shots with strong light look surprisingly good. Nice resolution and very accurate colors. Edge to edge sharpness is pretty good too. Focusing is a bit slow but works extremely well. Even in low light situations where a red focusing assist light illuminates. Exposure is good too and the ability to select matrix, center weighted or spot is very useful. Unfortunately if you focus on something (with the shutter button pushed half way) and then recompose the shot, the Memoir WILL hold the focus but the exposure continues to adjust in real time. Bummer that.
Indoor pictures are pretty grim. With the flash off, almost all the pictures are dark and the white balance is way off. If there is a light source it tends to be surrounded with purple fringing. And, as others have noted, there is a yellow cast to everything. Activating the Xenon flash gives a little welcome light but actually aggravates the yellow cast. Ah, but there is something that will help the more critical half of this situation, that no one else seems to have noted. Take the camera off auto ISO, with or without flash. Set it on ISO 400. The pictures will be a bit grainy but you do get the shot and the dreadful yellow cast can easily be fixed in post processing. Of course, using ISO 400 also "turbo charges" the light from the flash moving it from an almost useless range of a couple of feet to 6 or 7 feet. In Auto ISO, even in very dimly lit rooms, the camera simply doesn't seem to push past ISO 200, resulting in the dark pictures.
The camera is slow. It is faster than my FlipShot but that still leaves it as sad. Push the shutter and a second or two later the picture is taken. Then several painful seconds must pass before another picture can be taken. Sports photography is out; even capturing the dog is a challenge. A quick rant. When, oh when, will the BS marketing MP thing end? My first dedicated digital camera had only 3MP and its pictures walk all over the 8 MP Memoir due to an excellent Carl Zeiss lens and an excellent digital processing engine. Put 6MP max in a cell phone, then it is easier to make it work in work in low light and shoot fast. This year we'll see cell phones with 12 MP. Please. Make the camera better, not the marketing.
Back to the Memoir. The layout and controls of the Memoir are superb. It looks and handles like a dedicated camera. As stated before the only important thing missing is an exposure lock button. The screen is large enough and of sufficient quality to see if you got the shot and to share pictures with other people. Nice. The geotagging works well but it is slow to lock. I do wish, when one is reviewing the details of a phone in camera, that it would display the ISO setting of the picture.
Videos seem surprisingly good for a phone but I am less critical about video than the photo picture quality.
Non-Camera Stuff
The phone works better for me than my Flipshot did. The quality of the calls also beats my wife's iPhone but that's not saying much. For strict phone quality, the various Motorola phones I have used were head and shoulders above the rest.
I downloaded one game, Asphalt 4, and it is unplayable. Abysmal. A total embarrassment. Dodgy controls, horrible ancient graphics. My 3-year-old FlipShot had far superior driving games available. And T-Mobile's selection of games for the Memoir seems juvenile and poppy.
Web stuff is OK but it's no iPhone. The weather widget is cool. Simple pleasures.
The keyboard is great and texting is a pleasure. The phone book is robust. The music player is more than serviceable but the proprietary headphone jack flat out sucks. The size of the phone to me is just right. For actual phone conversations I prefer the clamshell design but for photos a larger screen is required. However, the Memoir is not so big that it is uncomfortable to use as a phone and it doesn't look like you are holding a tablet up to the side of your head.
I am sure someone else has said this but my POV is that the best camera is the one you have with you. I often carry my compact camera with me, and on most near and far adventures I try to take my SLR. But most of the time the only device on my person is my phone. The Memoir is not the camera phone I would design for myself or other real camera buffs but as far as subsidized camera phones go only the Sony c905a comes close. Nokia makes a better camera phone but it is not subsidized.
With patience and some skill shots that will blow away most people when they learn they came from a cell phone are as close as the Samsung Memoir in your pocket.
Smartphone.... devoid of essential smartphone features
August 23, 2009
Reviewer: Monti "Monti" (Suwanee, GA) -
I bought this phone a couple of weeks ago, but returned it last week. This phone is being marketed as a smartphone, which is actually devoid of features like wi-fi, built-in modem to be used with laptops, and lack of downloadable applications (both from Samsung, and T-mobile).
Its not worthy of a smartphone based only on 8MP camera. Hopefully, Samsung should make better phones in coming months with better all-round phone performance, and can increase downloadable applications to provide a better experience while using the phones.
Camera is good, but lack of wi-fi is short-sighted. Overall, the phone should be nothing but a free phone.
This is not a camera phone
April 16, 2009
Reviewer: Sony fans
I'm in the process to return a two days old Memoir. I paid $200 with a new 2 years contract for this phone because I want to be able to take good pictures. However, the picture quality for this phone is worst than my old Motorola Zine. The outdoor pictures are comparable with the Zine but the indoor pictures are the worst.
Touch screen is o.k. It cannot be compared with the iPhone. The screen is kind of low quality also. The GUI (icons) is kind of cheap compare to other phones.
Overall, it's an o.k phone that is not worth the $500 retail price and the pictures are not good to prove that this is a 8MP camera. The picture quality is about as good as a 3MP point and shoot cameras.
Ordinary
November 2, 2009
Reviewer: Nazeer B. Shaik "Nazeer" (FL, USA) -
not a good phone, too good for just phone users(take and accept calls).
and too bad for those who browse on the phones. touch sensitivity is not that great.
battery life is not that good. it discharges in a day, have to charge everyday.
there are good features in call register, phone book, camera. etc..but those are basics.
I got it for $50 with contract, good for that price. but if you putting anything more than that is not worth.
Not extremely impressed.
July 1, 2009
Reviewer: T. Criswell "just-some-girl82" (KY) -
I am a busy mother of two young children, work full-time, take online classes, and do freelance graphic design. I upgraded to the Memoir as an alternative to carrying my phone, camera, and Palm handheld everywhere I go. Suprisingly, and despite other reviews, the camera is the best part about this phone. The color depth and clarity of pictures is comparable to my 12 MP Canon Powershot. Any that I have taken inside have turned out well, even though other reviews say otherwise. No, it doesn't take perfect shots of something 20 feet away in complete darkness, but neither does my Canon.
Call clarity is decent, but tends to get a little distorted if you are in a noisy area and have to use a high volume. The handset volume gets loud enough to hear in a crowded atmosphere, but just isn't as clear. The speakerphone is also loud enough to be useful in a car on the highway with the windows down, but oddly enough... the ringers lack that volume. Even on the highest setting, it is sometimes hard to hear the phone ringing.
The touch screen takes some adapting, but I haven't really experienced any problems navigating it or using the virtual QWERTY keyboard. The vibration feedback is a good tool for learning to use the phone in absence of physical keys, and can be turned off if so desired.
Mobile web and data applications are very slow to load. I loved using the TeleNav software on my previous phone - a Sony Ericsson - but have yet to get it to run correctly on the Memoir. Maybe this is due to the fact that I can only get half - or less - the signal that I got with the Sony. We live in an area with very strong T-Mobile coverage, but sometimes this phone still has zero bars, whereas the Sony always had a full signal.
What bothers me most is, for the $500+ retail price on this phone, I expect to be able to customize it anyway I please. The 'widgets' are functionable, but only programmed to a set group of features. The music player and alarm options cannot be removed from the widget bar at all! The calendar can be added to the home screen, but not the 'tasks' or 'memo' functions. To-do lists and memo notes are my best friends, but I have to scroll through the menu options to get to these functions, as well as many other features of the phone. There is no screensaver customization and I have had no luck finding useful additional applications for the Memoir.
The visual aspects of the large touchscreen aren't anything to write home to mom about, but it is still nice and clear.
Cosmetically, yes, it looks great. The best part is how people react when they think you are talking on a digital camera! Bottom-line, though...I can spend $500 on a nice pair of shoes and get about as much use from them.
Awesome!!
April 21, 2009
Reviewer: Consumer 007 (Atlanta) -
I've had this phone for a week and a half and every day I've been excited to find cool new features. I knew it would be great, but was really surprised by how far it exceeded my expectations. It's definitely not perfect - there are several things that could be improved - but overall I really love it.
Great:
- 8MP Camera.
- Takes better outdoor pics than my old 5MP digital camera. Seems to like sports cars - those pics always come out awesome!
- Nice, clear screen. Zooming in/out works great.
- The touchscreen works well, and I haven't even calibrated it yet.
- The display rotates based on how you're holding the phone.
- Call quality is better than any cell phone I've ever had.
- The speakerphone is loud and clear.
- GPS works well.
- Mobile internet sites load fast and work well.
- I love having email access on my phone!
- Text messaging works great - far better than my old Samsung flip phone.
- The 'www.' and '.com' buttons are cool for web address entry.
- Alarm settings are easy to work with.
- Overall I love the Touchwiz interface - it's easy and fun to use. The whole phone works well as one integrated package, and is very well organized and designed.
- Setting up internet bookmarks is easy.
- Porting my number to the new service/phone was easy and fast.
- It took nearly an hour of video on a single battery charge, with juice left over for surfing and taking a dozen pics.
Ok:
- USB file transfer seems faster than Bluetooth, and charges the phone simultaneously
- The Samsung software (downloaded from their website) works well to pull images and videos off the phone via USB, and to work with the files on my PC. But why should these be required? Why not let the PC recognize and access it as a native device like it does via Bluetooth?
Could be better:
- Regular internet sites can fail to load or display, or take a really long time to do both. (That's partly the cellular service.) I'm spending most of my time on sites that have a mobile version for phones.
- Picture quality varies depending on lighting. Indoor shots frequently come out yellow and fuzzy.
- Sometimes the camera seems to focus on anything but what you're aiming at, so the subject is blurry but the background and foreground is sharp. (I have not tried different settings yet - just pointed and shot.)
- The screen could be bigger. Especially since I'm so addicted to it and am using it to surf all the time!
- Bluetooth file transfer (of 8MP pics) isn't very fast and uses lots of battery power.
- The phone doesn't tell me when it's fully charged while using the wall charger. (It does if it's charging via USB.)
- Amazon signed me up for a $19.99 100MB/month data plan that wasn't compatible with the phone. Only the $24.99 unlimited data plans (and higher) seem to work.
