Samsung Galaxy Exhibit 4G (T-Mobile), t679

For the price, this is a fairly decent phone. I switched from Blackberry, so I miss the physical keyboard, and small size of my BB.Size: As Android phones go, this phone is one of the smaller ones. It is almost the exact same size as the iphone, and even has a larger screen than the iphone. Screen size to phone size ratio is among the best around.Weight: AverageSpeed: Web browsing is fast. The phone sometimes takes 3-4 seconds to load the page with my corporate email - seems like a long time when you are staring at the screen. Other than that it seems ok.Battery: Terrible. But as I understand, all newer phones are like that - wish they would take a page from Blackberry and get a clueInternal memory: I've downloaded a few apps and seem to have more than enough memory left.Software: Phone installed an update the second day I had it, so it runs Gingerbread. It came with all sorts of preloaded software I don't want, but since I seem to have plenty of memory left on the phone I'm not worried about it.Other: You have to download stuff and tweak settings to get it to do what you want, and it does not always comply. I'm usually quite technically adept, but I set this thing to receive push email, and now for some reason it is not downloading new emails from my gmail. So there is some setting messed up. It is not like a blackberry, where everything just worked, but I think that is Android, not this particular phone.Accessories: Phone did not come with a memory card, but has alot of internal memory. Came with a USB cable and with a very nice (very small) wall charger, and a SIM card.Delivery: Took Amazon 5 business days to get the thing out of their warehouse - it just kept stating status was "shipping soon." But once it shipped, it arrived in less than 18 hours.7/21 EDIT TO ADD: I am using this prepaid phone on a regular post paid TMobile plan, and it works just fine. Just put in my own SIM card, called TMob and asked them to change my plan from Blackberry to regular data (no cost difference on my plan), and it works. This was the least expensive option for me; TMob wanted $329 to buy the phone outright from them; Amazon was $189.Edit 7/21: Have had the phone a little over 2 weeks now. Battery life is MUCH better if you physically turn off the device each time you are done using it - press button on upper right side. I was not used to having to do this, as my Blackberry either turned itself off, or somehow did not use as much power. Physically turning it off, I can get through a day on the battery. Part of saving battery life is setting display brightness to about 5%, screen time out to 1 min, and touch key light to 6 seconds. The 5% brightness is more than sufficient inside, but I cannot see the screen when outside. Will have to find an app that adjusts brightness when outside. Also, this particular android model has no LED light, so the phone lacks the visual notification that there is a new email or voice mail (ie like the BB blinking light). I solved that by downloading an app called "NoLED" which is terrific, and even shows the time on the screen. I'm getting used to the size of the phone; it is not as much of a problem as I anticipated, but still larger than my BB Pearl. Other issues are all Android issues, but I'm getting used to them or solving them. Gmail problem is solved, and a free app called "SMS Unread" can be downloaded and configured to show the number of unread emails in each gmail account.Update 12/22: At the five month mark, I'm reasonably satisfied with this phone. Biggest complaint about this phone is it's ridiculously terrible battery life. I think this a shortcoming of non-Blackberry phones (ie all Android & Iphones) and not this specific phone. A colleague who went from Blackberry to Iphone has the same problem. As a result of the poor battery life, my screen is set to the absolute lowest brightness, so I can't see anything on the phone when in the car or outside (anything subject to natural light), which is the second worst thing about the phone. I probably use less than 45 minutes a day of cell, and check it occasionally; battery really should last longer and allow for brighter screen setting so it can be seen in a car. Third on list of gripes is that it is not as fast as my friends Iphone5, but it is not a $700 phone either. I'll keep the $520 I saved and wait a few seconds for the phone to respond to certain commands. I'm told this is because the memory is filling up; I'd like a way to get rid of all the preloaded programs for which I have no use. Rooting will do this, but the root procedure for this model supposedly breaks it's ability to call 911, so I'm not interested in that.On the ok side, the picture quality is better than my BB, not stellar, but not bad enough to change phones. Seems lately to have developed a problem connecting via USB to the computer to download pics, but that might be Android, not this model of phone. I've also had an issue where I try to dial a number and it immediately disconnects. I pull the battery and let it restart and everything works fine. I don't know if this is caused by the phone, the OS or Tmobile.On the plus side, I've dropped it numerous times and the screen does NOT crack like iphones do. I find this one of the major advantages. The other advantage that I LOVE is the TMo Wifi calling - as long as I have a wifi connection, the cell part of the phone makes and receives calls regardless of the strength of cell coverage. Third advantage (silver lining in the cloud?) is that even though it does not have a hard keyboard (which I miss), it comes preloaded with "swype" for entering your text/numbers. This works pretty well, and makes entering text bearable, and apparently a feature like this does not come preloaded on iphones, because a few iphone users have marveled at this feature. I have no issues with sound quality on the cell, both regular and on speaker phone, and internet connection seems to work at a nice clip. Web pages are displayed crisply, so screen resolution is good.Overall, I'm pleased with the phone and pleased with the price.

I got this phone after nearly a year of dealing with crappy handmedown phones and Tmobile being completely unsympathetic to it's contract customer. I signed a 2 year agreement and thought a great bargain on a new phone would be a part of the deal. apparently, "they dont do that anymore." The very best I could get was an Optimus T(?) for $150. Anything else was much more, "discounted." I didn't really have that money at the time, and I know a few people with the Optimus T who weren't all that happy with it. So, I figured I'd wait until the time was right.The Exhibit II is really the perfect balance between smartphone geek and budget freak. For under $200, I was expecting a lot less than this. The next lowest in price as far as a "prepaid" phone is the Samsung Dart. Ive seen this phone before, and even its size alone fails to thrill. But the Exhibit II has a large, brightly lit screen, and endless possibilities.Pros: Lightweight, yet doesnt have a cheap feel.Android 2.3.5 is arguably the most stable Android out there. I have a tablet that runs on 3.2, and despite it being out for a bit, still has some quirks. Most apps are hand crafted to 2.3, and it really just does everything you could possibly want. Most legit apps will run just fine, maybe some shady ones will too.Video and music Playback/streaming is great. I was surprised to get netflix up and running on my phone! No, it doesn't have beats audio or anything, but sound is good for hooking up to headphones and listening on the go.Camera/video chat-As I said, this phone isn't $400, so don't expect a Canon SLR camera here. Its, alright. It will take a good picture in good light, and a mediocre one in any other setting. But, to my surprise, the video chat is much better than expected. I could see and hear clearly, and my mom said she could see and hear me fine as well.Not sure if this is android particular, but here's a few other little cool things:The phone is basically dummy proof--for most things that even seem confusing, all the way down to the keyboard...theres a tutorial nearby.The alarm has so many things to it, such as a pre-alarm to wake you up lightly, and then the regular alarm. Snooze is adjustable, etc...simple stuff.Expandable memory--this really gives you space galore for everything!Cons:For some god awful reason there is not a camera button! you have to open the camera app, and take a picture through a button in the UI. Not a deal breaker, but just seems strange. There really is space for the button...The screen lock is a little annoying. It doesn't give you an option to take the lock off or change it, and its this annoying swipe action that for some reason gets annoying if you don't keep your phone screen on too long.I've experienced force closes. But...I can't say for sure this has to do with the phone. I have them on my tablet as well, and I even had them on my Windows computer. Maybe I just visit the wrong sites!Overall, I can say it is a great phone for someone who wants a nice, well functioning smartphone with *some* of the bells and whistles, but certainly not all of them. I guess if I could describe the Exhibit II, it would be practical. The screen is nice, the sound and video is nice, and the specs on it are on point with the medium, but not big boys. No, it doesn't have Galaxy or whatever specs...but I figure, you must REALLY be a stickler for it to pay that much more. If you aren't...this is the everyman's smart phone.*edit* 1/9/12--I will still stand at four stars...but I have encountered some other quirks. The 356mb RAM seems to be always half used despite doing absolutely nothing. I've cleared it and as many as 12 phantom applications are taking it up--plus just functioning takes up a third! Don't bost the ability to switch apps if you can only have two running without getting laggy.My theory still stands that they skimped in the "right" places to get the lower price. The screen is not small...but the keyboard has given me a run for my money. Its not tiny, but its that "tenth of an inch" missing that definitely makes it seem like my piano fingers are sausage links. Even portrait gets awkward.also, as I said about the lag...wouldn't likely be experienced with a galaxy.I haven't had major battery issues. Then again I don't browse the internet for 5 hours straight.But otherwise, if you want a fully functioning (but not perfect!) Smartphone, this is a great phone for a moderate user.9/17/12-Update. Yes, its been nearly 9 months with this phone. It updated to 2.3.6 and quickly went downhill. It would restart itself, force close, freeze, and just lag. So, I took the dive.I tediously studied for hours rooting the phone. Mine is now running on Cyanogen 9. It was not easy (apparently the simple rooting doesn't work on 2.3.6). But This phone is now amazinger (not a word) than ever. to see it running Android 4.0 really says a lot about the technical capability this phone has. Stinks on Android and samsung (bloatware) for drudging such an amazing device through the cheap mud.