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Cellular Phone Forum / Providers / Sprint PCS / July 2006A900 vs 920 vs Kitana?
I have been a Sprint customer for a long time, and I still have my original phone, the Samsung 8500. I like the phone, obviously it has proven to be pretty durable, since it has lasted about 4-5 years. I was looking to get the A900, but at the store, the clerk said the battery life isnt good and that I should get the 920 instead. Then he said the Kitanna is just about the same as the A900 but is more durable. Hows the quality/durability on these phones? I like the design of the 900 and kitanna better. But my concern with the kitanna is that since it is so new, the 'bugs'/problems wont be known for awhile, while the 900 has been around for awhile, so the bugs are pretty well known. The only bug I heard about the 900 is the battery life, but someone told me that if I disable the GPS chip then its a lot better....true? (and is it easy to do) Thanks > I have been a Sprint customer for a long time, and I still have my > original phone, the Samsung 8500. Excellent phone for its day. Standard old CDMA .. no 1x. > I like the phone, obviously it has proven to be pretty durable, since > it has lasted about 4-5 years. > > I was looking to get the A900, but at the store, the clerk said the > battery life isnt good and that I should get the 920 instead. I held the A900 and immmediately decided it was flimsy and was constructed very cheaply. The price you pay to get a super thing phone I guess. The 920 has a wonderful feel and is by far the nicest phone I have even owned (for all of 24 hours). I found that the 920 is digital only and that it really didn't want to roam onto another digital provider unless I forced it too. It preferrred stay on Sprint's network, even though the signal was not usable [all call attempts result in "signal faded"]. I work in a fringe area, so I was accutely aware of this issue. Having said that, its reception is fabulous, as long as you don't expect it to roam automatically in an area where it really should. I suspect most people would not be in a situation such as mine, so it is probably not a big deterrent for you. Oh yes ... keep in mind it has not extendable antenna, which may or may not matter. My current Sanyo 7400 certainly benefits from extending the antenna. > Then he said the Kitanna is just about the same as the A900 but is more > durable. I have little doubt he is correct on that point. > Hows the quality/durability on these phones? > I like the design of the 900 and kitanna better. The 920 was very durable and I highly recommend it above the thinner form factor. The Katana is my next recommendation, but that recommendation is based upon what I have read, as I have not held that phone, although it MUST be more durable than the Samsung A900. > But my concern with the kitanna is that since it is so new, the > 'bugs'/problems wont be known for awhile, while the 900 has been around > for awhile, so the bugs are pretty well known. It's a Sanyo, I wouldn't worry too much about that. The Samsung A920 updates its software over the air, so you get the latest fixes quickly, but I am not sure they are going to do that with the Katana as it doesn't support EVDO. > The only bug I heard about the 900 is the battery life, but someone > told me that if I disable the GPS chip then its a lot better....true? You probably want to disable EVDO, not GPS (for battery conservation purposes).  SignatureThomas T. Veldhouse Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1 > I have been a Sprint customer for a long time, and I still have my > original phone, the Samsung 8500. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I was looking to get the A900, but at the store, the clerk said the > battery life isnt good and that I should get the 920 instead. I don't know about the earlier Samsung A900, but I just got the Samsung A900 to replace the Sanyno 8200, and so far I have no issue with the battery. I only have the A900 for about 2 weeks, and using a cheapie $20 (after rebates) Bluetooth to know much about the sound quality. - I read the newer standard battery is around 900 mAh instead of original 500 mAh? - The battery does go down quick *unless* you turn off the GPS then the standing by would last for few days (3-4 days at least?). - Ringtone seems little softer comparing to the Sanyo 8200 - There is NO SpeakerPhone button, you have to use Opion - SpeakerPhone command > Then he said the Kitanna is just about the same as the A900 but is more > durable. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > told me that if I disable the GPS chip then its a lot better....true? > (and is it easy to do) Yes, that's what I read before getting the A900, and it makes a big difference. I read the newer software version (firmware) does help, and you can upgrade software directly from A900. > Thanks > - The battery does go down quick *unless* you turn off the GPS then the > standing by would last for few days (3-4 days at least?). > > told me that if I disable the GPS chip then its a lot better....true? > > (and is it easy to do) > > Yes, that's what I read before getting the A900, and it makes a big > difference. I read the newer software version (firmware) does help, and you > can upgrade software directly from A900. I went to the store and asked the clerk about this. He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal Law to have it in cell phones, so you cant turn it off. How did you turn off the GPS? Thanks The GPS chip in the 900 is a POS. It doesn't even work! Application such as Garmin and Telenav do not work with the 900. Sprint execs have been trying to get Samsung to fix the 900 for the past six months with no success. Get the A920. It has a functional GPS, and better battery life. >> - The battery does go down quick *unless* you turn off the GPS then the >> standing by would last for few days (3-4 days at least?). [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > Thanks >> - The battery does go down quick *unless* you turn off the GPS >> then the [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > >Tools extras > > - The battery does go down quick *unless* you turn off the GPS then the > > standing by would last for few days (3-4 days at least?). [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal > Law to have it in cell phones, so you cant turn it off. Well, then bring the cop to store to take the cleark to jail for good. Yes, you can toggle ON/OFF as you wish, there is no Federal Law USA has to build ten of thousands of jails to hold millions of cell users. > How did you turn off the GPS? "Menu" -> "Setting" -> "Others" -> "Location" and turn it OFF "GPS" is the new features which you can use cell phone as GPS, and this is a paid service *not* free. > Thanks > > I went to the store and asked the clerk about this. > > He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal > > Law to have it in cell phones, so you cant turn it off. > > "GPS" is the new features which you can use cell phone as GPS, and this is > a paid service *not* free. I actually spoke to 2 different clerks (2 different stores) about this (trying to gather info to choose a phone) They both said that all cell phones currently being made have the GPS chip in there, and they have to stay active. In case the person is kidnapped, etc. You might not get the GPS service, but the chip is on, they said. Of course, a 3rd clerk told me you can fit 2,500 mp3s/songs on the A900 (50 megs) >> > I went to the store and asked the clerk about this. >> > He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > kidnapped, etc. > You might not get the GPS service, but the chip is on, they said. If you deactivate location, GPS is off. The only time it will turn on is if you dial 911. You can NOT disable the activation of GPS when calling 911. SignatureThomas T. Veldhouse Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1 > >> > I went to the store and asked the clerk about this. > >> > He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > If you deactivate location, GPS is off. The only time it will turn on is if > you dial 911. You can NOT disable the activation of GPS when calling 911. And I am not talking about this 911 GPS, but the *real* GPS which displays Street Map on the LCD. Yes, the A-900 and some newer cell phones have built-in GPS system (reciever *not* just transmitter) which you can connect to Cell Phone company to use their GPS service to tell YOU where you are at, helping you to find some home address. I believe you can hook to computer, and with Map program with GPS supported you can use like stand alone GPS device like Garmin GPS or similar. I don't know how good they compare to the stand alone GPS device, but more than 911. >> >> > I went to the store and asked the clerk about this. >> >> > He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > And I am not talking about this 911 GPS, but the *real* GPS which displays > Street Map on the LCD. I know what you are talking about. They use the same GPS, which is a combination of real GPS and cell tower signalling in most cases. They are one in the same. They can activate it for software (i.e. navigation) or they can activate it for E911 ... but they are both the same. SignatureThomas T. Veldhouse Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1 > > > I went to the store and asked the clerk about this. > > > He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Of course, a 3rd clerk told me you can fit 2,500 mp3s/songs on the A900 > (50 megs) It seems like you are misunderstanding the whole story. Yes, just about all newer cell phones have the locating option built-in, but *not* the GPS feature of A-900 and *few* newer cell phones (very few). The one most newer cell phones (have been around for some years now) have give the phone company option to locate where the call come from. The GPS feature of Samsung A-900 can be used as GPS device (like Garmin, Tom-Tom GPS or the GPS system on some newer car) to guide cell phone user how to locate home address. IOW, you should be able to see Street Map and location where you are etc.. > The one most newer cell phones (have been around for some years now) have > give the phone company option to locate where the call come from. The GPS > feature of Samsung A-900 can be used as GPS device (like Garmin, Tom-Tom GPS > or the GPS system on some newer car) to guide cell phone user how to locate > home address. IOW, you should be able to see Street Map and location where > you are etc.. Indeed ... and it can be used for E911 ... rather than the old traditional triangulation approach used by tower distances and perhaps one sat reading. SignatureThomas T. Veldhouse Key Fingerprint: 2DB9 813F F510 82C2 E1AE 34D0 D69D 1EDC D5EC AED1 > > The one most newer cell phones (have been around for some years now) have > > give the phone company option to locate where the call come from. The GPS [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Indeed ... and it can be used for E911 ... rather than the old traditional > triangulation approach used by tower distances and perhaps one sat reading. Read and check the LINK in other message. > > > I went to the store and asked the clerk about this. > > > He said it is impossible to turn off the GPS, he said that its Federal [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > Of course, a 3rd clerk told me you can fit 2,500 mp3s/songs on the A900 > (50 megs) Here, I just Googled for more "Google Map For Mobile" and you can click the link below for more information http://www.google.com/gmm/index.html |
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