Samsung A697 Sunburst review

Network and connections
The new Samsung Touch Screen model, with something innovative, in collaboration with AT&T for the American public. This is a GSM Quadband, able to work on the frequencies of 850, 900, 1800 and 1900 MHz. Network coverage this way is absolutely excellent in any condition, even though UMTS support is not present. As for wireless, you can use Bluetooth, to quickly exchange files with compatible devices. In addition, you can sync the phone to your home PC, thanks to the USB 2.0 cable. To browse the Internet, there is an internal modem, with GPRS/EDGE data traffic management. The HTML browser, on the other hand, easily displays web pages.

Design and features
At first glance the A697 SUNBURST appears elegant, with black surfaces and silver inserts. The design is compact, with rounded edges for a comfortable grip. However, this is not a Slider phone with a hidden keyboard, but rather a monoblock. The front surface is occupied by the screen, a 3-inch TFT capable of displaying up to 256,000 colors. It is also equipped with Resistive Touch Screen technology, to manage every application directly from the screen. Just below is a function key and the classic keys for managing calls. The retail package includes a stereo headset and the USB data cable.

Main features
The proprietary platform is easily customizable and controllable directly by touches on the screen, thanks to the TouchWiz UI interface. Java support allows you to install additional software, to adapt the device to your needs. The common functions are not lacking, such as calendar, address book, calculator and alarm clock. Predictive text support, on the other hand, helps a lot in managing SMS, MMS and E-mail. The voice sector is also complete, thanks to the speakerphone, the voice recorder and multiconference support.

Entertainment and multimedia
The entertainment sector is not at the highest levels, but still offers good compromises. In fact, there is a camera, with a resolution of 2 megapixels. Thanks to the Zoom and autofocus, you can get good quality images. The standard internal memory is expandable via microSD cards up to 32 GB. For playing audio and video files, a dedicated multimedia player is available, to fill every leisure moment. Also present is the GPS module, to turn the device into a handy satellite navigator. Battery life is average, up to 250 hours in Stand-by.