Samsung SGH-T509

Phonescoop reports that the FCC has released documents relating to the Samsung SGH-T509. The details are sketchy, but so far we know that the Samsung SGH-T509 is a tri-band (850/1800/1900) GSM/ GPRS thin candy bar phone featuring a camera and Bluetooth. Via PhoneScoop. Infosync reviews the Samsung SGH-T509 and likes almost everything about the phone ... except for the phone's camera: "While we couldn’t get enough of the T509’s looks, its mediocre VGA camera was something of a disappointment. The camera itself comes with a decent set of features, including resolutions ranging from 640 x 480 to 176 x 132, a multishot mode (six, nine, or 15 shots), 4X digital zoom, a variety of color effects (including monoschrome, sepia, emboss, and sketch), 30 picture frames, a three-, five-, or 10-second self timer, spot focus and tweakable brightness and ISO settings. The still camera also double as a camcorder, shooting 176 x 144 or 128 x 96-pixel clips (capped in length at just eight to 12 seconds). Despite all the features, however, our snapshots looked murky almost to the point of abstraction, while our video snippets looked predictably jerky and muddy. " CNET reviews the Samsung SGH-T509, and rates it 7.0 (or "very good"). About the phone's camera, the review notes, "You can take pictures in four resolutions (640x480, 320x240, 176x132, and 128x96) and you get a good assortment of editing options. There's a 4X zoom, a brightness control, seven color effects, spot focus, an ISO setting, 30 fun frames, a self-timer (3, 5, or 10 seconds), a multishot option, and a night mode. You can also flip a photo upside down or produce a mirror image. Sound effects are plentiful, with three shutter sounds and options for when you activate the brightness and zoom controls, or you can have no sound. Unfortunately, there's no silent shutter option. Finally, you can program the navigation controls and keypad buttons to act as shortcuts to various photo-editing options--a nice touch." Mobiledia reviews the Samsung SGH-T509, and is not very impressed with the phone's VGA camera: "With imaging technology on phones pushing past 1-megapixel to 2- and above, the T509's camera is quite poor, using outdated imaging technology. However, the T509 is a fashion phone. And similar to the other ultra-thin devices, the T509 was never meant to have strong features in imaging. At best, consumers can expect grainy photos unfit for prints, ideal for phone wallpapers or a quick snapshot when users leave their digital camera at home." Overall, the review finds that the SGH-T509 is mainly a fashion phone with mediocre functions.