The Bottom Line
- The Samsung Juke has a full-featured music player.
- It is lightweight, thin, and narrow.
- The sound quality is above average.
- Given the small size, text messaging is not as easy as it usually is on other phones.
- It does not have a memory extension card slot. However it does have a 2GB internal memory.
- It takes a while to get used to the swivel system.
Description
- The Samsung Juke weighs 2.82 ounces and its dimensions are: 3.82 x 1.18 x .83 inches.
- It features a small but high resolution 128 x 220 TFT display with 262,000 colors.
- It has a VGA camera.
- It should typically let you talk 3 hours and/or remain in stand-by for up to 10 days.
- Form Factor: slider (swivel)
- Downloadable Applications: J2ME
- Memory: 2GB
- Bluetooth
- Music Enabled: FM radio, MP3
- Speakerphone
Guide Review - Samsung Juke Review
The Samsung Juke has an attractive design and it feels sturdy and durable. It is shaped like a candy bar, and the top cover swivels upward when you take a call. This unveils a gorgeous (but small) numeric keypad.
I liked the swivel system, but not when I was trying to answer a call in a hurry. I always had trouble figuring out which side was the right one to push to open the cover.
Though narrower than regular phones, the Juke's numeric keypad works well but makes text messaging slower than on other phones. In particular, I hated having to reach the upper swivel part every time I wanted to click on the central selection button. The Juke does not offer text messaging templates. And, when you get new messages that you want to view immediately, the Samsung Juke will not return you to what you were doing before that.
Also, do not count on the Samsung Juke for do-it-yourself features such as adding a free ringtone. When using the included USB cable, the Juke refused MIDI files and Windows replied: "The device has either stopped working or has been disconnected".
The Call quality was good but the speakerphone was slightly weak in noisy environments. However, nobody complained that I sounded distant or that my voice echoed.
The music player's equalizer really makes a difference and it has a variety of settings, including live music, pop, dance and soft rock. The headset sounds good and is powerful, despite its small size. The dial wheel was perfect for fast-forwarding, selecting songs, etc. The center selection button was a bit too small for my fingers -- but I survived.
The built-in VGA camera is very basic but produced surprisingly good pictures, even in low-light conditions.
