Samsung E720 review: Design and functionality

And business too

The phone has a well-tried calendar with an option for month, week and day views. The week starts with Monday (you can always change this setting according to your preferences). These facts may seem self-evident to most of you, but since they were not present in the older Samsung models I think they should be mentioned here.

Month, week and day view at the calendar

Use the control key to move between the days of the month view. The number and type of the events for the day are displayed below the table. The phone's memory can take in 100 notes of any kind; that is 400 altogether. Just like in Samsung D500, alerts can be synchronized with the computer.

New event entry • memory details

The alarm clock - the extra function which has become critical for many of us - has been left unchanged. There are three alarm clocks altogether. For each one of them you can set activating days and choose whether it should play when the phone is off.

Samples of extras

Here are some other extras: a calculator, a converter, a world time list, and voice notes. The voice notes could be one hour long. The time functions - stopwatch and countdown are also available. Game fans are another group of users to remain satisfied. The phone is boosted with six games of various genres.

Game list is quite extensive • some of the games are carefully elaborated

The overview of multimedia data is attended by a simple file manager, which lets you search the content of each item, send selected files through Bluetooth or attach them to a message; you can also rename files, delete them or mark them as favorites.

File manager • searching files with pictures • memory state details

Internet capabilities

Pretentious users may get disappointed to find out that the phone does not support EDGE quick data transfers, but has a common GPRS of Class 10 only. Even though there is a standard WAP browser for surfing the internet, the phone is not able to open common web pages.

WAP browser

Samsung uses Bluetooth or a data cable for communicating with the surrounding environment; there is no infrared port. If connected to the computer, the phone can serve as a hardware modem.

You will not find communication software on the CD delivered with the phone. It can be downloaded from Samsung's website. The pack of programs whose name is EasyStudio 2.0 is identical with the one used in the D500 model. That is why I will not waste time describing it here, but will refer you directly to the Samsung D500's review, where even the smallest details are fully explained.

Multimedia companion

Samsung E720 is a modern mobile, which sticks to the latest tendencies in the industry and has significant chances for success. Its main strength is the design, inspired by the successful E700 model, which has not lost its magnetism since it was first launched almost two years ago. The built-in MP3 player, which can be controlled directly from the front cover, will probably be the main lure for the mass public, regardless of the limits set by the phone's memory and the player functions. Some other magnets for the mass users may be the megapixel camera, the high quality displays and the ringing. Pretentious users will appreciate the email client as well as the elaborated address book which enables synchronization.

Although Samsung constantly learns from its previous mistakes, there are still plenty of details to work on. The lack of ringing profiles or the small size of the email attachments, for example, could be considered a great disadvantage by some users.

Samsung may turn out to be its own competitor. The older D500 model, which featured even better equipment in some aspects, will be offered at a lower price. The price of Samsung E720 may reach 430 euros, while the D500's price has already dropped below 400 euros. As a matter of fact, within this price category one can already get mobiles with operation systems and basically identical multimedia equipment. Still, those interested in a stylish mobile phone with an affable user environment will rather go for Samsung. Phone's direct competitors at this moment are only Nokia 7270 and Motorola V635.

Another point of view

I must say Samsung E720 disappointed me a bit. It is not the functions I am blaming, but the design. Perhaps I used the older E700 model for too long time and got used to it… Anyway, I expected the new model to come out with more innovations. A copy of the outlook of the year and a half old model, which was undoubtedly a huge success, was not the best move to make. I also hope to see this mobile offered in another color version, different from the boring grey. As for its functional equipment, Samsung has definitely made progress. E720 is an excellent example of mobile equipment - just like the D500.

Marek Lutonský