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Sleek and slim, the Samsung E900 slide phone is exemplary of the sophisticated yet simple design that has become associated with Samsung models.  With a simple colour scheme of black and silver, a gloss finish and a touch screen, which avoids the need for an obtrusive keypad, the E900 has a classic, simple look, which sets it apart from the other phones on the market.  At 93 x 45 x 16.5 mm, fitting comfortably in the palm of your hand, this is one of Samsung’s smaller phones, perfect for fitting into pockets and small handbags.  Despite the E900’s relatively small dimensions, the TFT LCD 240 x 320 pixel colour screen is large, easy to read and well-proportioned in relation to the rest of the phone.  Weighing in at just 93g, this little Samsung is a great buy for those who are fed up with bulky, cumbersome phones and are looking for something light and sleek.  Visually, it’s a real beauty.

Having admired the phone’s aesthetics, it is time to see if the Samsung technology can live up to its slick design and whether I am still such a fan after having got to grips with its features.  Playing with the slide, it is noticeable that although the E900 does not feel spring-loaded like the D600e, it slides much more smoothly than earlier models such as the E350. As the top half of the phone slides away, the touch screen lights up and a push button keypad is revealed.  Being used to this regular style of keypad, the touch screen is quite difficult to get used to, particularly as the hang up/cancel button is positioned very close to the scroll down button. Irritatingly, this means that half way through scrolling down a text message you often find yourself back at the menu screen having inadvertently pressed cancel, the two buttons being less than a thumb’s breadth away from each other. Although you do adapt to this after using the phone for a certain period of time, it is definitely the disadvantage of having a touch screen, as aesthetically pleasing as it may be.

The E900 has all of the standard features that you would expect from a Samsung, including a calendar, timer, stopwatch, calculator, currency converter, to-do list, clock and Worldtime.  Where it starts to shine is in its advanced features such as the 2.0 mega pixel camera with 4x digital zoom, LED flash, a timer, photo frames and effects and single, multi- and mosaic shot functions.  There is even a nifty mirror by the lens to allow you to line up shots properly when taking photos of yourself with your friends.  While some phones have a great camera, few have the memory to allow you to store all of the photos you take, something the E900 addresses with its 80MB memory, which can be expanded further with a memory card.  You can even link your phone to your TV, so you can see your photos and videos on a bigger screen, an excellent feature, making it easy to show your photos to your friends.

The phone is fully WAP enabled with Bluetooth® wireless technology, email and the additional bonus of SyncML, which allows you to upload information from the phone onto the computer.  The E900 also has a video player, video recorder and capability for video messaging.  When it comes to text messaging, this Samsung has T9 predictive text input and both SMS and MMS message functions.  The buttons on the keypad are of a good size and do not compromise either the speed or accuracy of texting, a major plus for regular texters.  Another nice touch is that on receiving a message or a missed call, the E900 does not only display this basic information, but also the caller ID, showing you who the text or call is from.  The only drawback when it comes to call settings is that, like other Samsung models, if you want incoming calls to be signalled by both vibration and melody, the only option is for the vibration to precede the melody rather than being simultaneous from the beginning.  This is rather annoying, especially if you have a new ring tone, which you never get to hear because the vibration goes on for so long that you have to answer before the melody kicks in.

In terms of entertainment features, the Samsung E900 certainly has enough to keep you occupied during those moments of boredom.  With dual music access and an in-built MP3 player, not only can you listen to your favourite music on the go, but you can also set your favourite tune as an MP3 ring tone (that is if you don’t like any of the 64 polyphonic ring tones there are to choose from already).  There is also a good selection of games to play including Lemmings, FIFA06 and Midnight Pool, all of which are in colour, with excellent graphics making the old favourite, Snake, look extremely dated.  Furthermore, there are lots of screen settings, colour schemes and wallpapers to play with and help to personalise your phone, something that also helps to keep your phone looking fresh and, if you are a phone addict, stop you getting bored with it quite so quickly.

The Samsung E900 is an undeniably beautiful phone with first-rate features including a high quality 2.0-mega pixel camera and excellent messaging capability.  While this phone is an extremely solid performer with a range of unique screen settings to play with, the touch screen is something of a mixed blessing.  Although it does help to create the sleek look that Samsung is aiming for, it often compromises usability and could pose problems for people who find it difficult to use phones with smaller buttons.  However, this minor factor should not put people off the E900, which is ultimately not only sophisticated but also top of the range in terms of features, with an ergonomic design that makes it a joy to use. Sexy, sound and capable of doing anything its rivals can, the Samsung E900 should be seriously considered by anyone looking for a phone that is easy to use, fun to play with and certain to impress.

Reviewer: Andrew - London
Reviewed on: 3rd October, 2007
Rating: 9/10
This is a great phone. Not as wide as it looked in the photos, although that means the screen could be a bit bigger for web browsing. Good battery life though. Does everything it says on the box.

Reviewer: carla-mix race barbie - uk brap!
Reviewed on: 6th November, 2007
Rating: 10/10
sik phone bruv im lovin it!!!!!

Reviewer: Lucy - Shropshire
Reviewed on: 18th November, 2007
Rating: 9/10
The Samsung E900 pink is a really good phone, it is cool and stylish with a lot of cool features and a really good sensitive touch screen pad. you can have all your favourite music on this phone because it has a mp3 player and bluetooth. this phone is so cool and stylish.

Reviewer: ss_noorpuri - london
Reviewed on: 20th November, 2007
Rating: 1/10
hi we got three phone in the family with 18 month cotract from orange . when we bought the phone looks beutiful with all the latest functions. but this the most defected phone i ever seen withen first three month all the phones screen is gone . even after very little jerk the screen stopped working and when asked for repair the car phone warehouse people said they will charge even to see whats wrong with it. so after three month in to contract we end up buying new phones.so i don't recommend this samsung phone to anybody

Reviewer: molly - Omagh
Reviewed on: 25th November, 2007
Rating: 10/10
Great phone. No problems with the touch sensitive buttons.

Reviewer: Elle Manley - New York City
Reviewed on: 30th April, 2008
Rating: 8/10
I absolutly luved it init m8. It looked a bit Naff @ 1st but ya get used 2 it!

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