Samsung SGH-a777

At first glance, the Samsung a777 looks like an upgrade from its predecessor, the Samsung a737. But aside from a few slight design changes and the addition of GPS, the phones are nearly the same. Both offer a sleek slider design, though Philip Berne of InfoSyncWorld.com says they're "not nearly as slick as the Helio Mysto." Measuring 4 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.56 inches and weighing 3.4 ounces, the Samsung a777 is slightly longer and about an ounce heavier than the Samsung a737. Other minor differences in form factor include the Samsung a777's longer slider, which hides the keypad as well as the clear, talk and end/power buttons; those buttons are exposed on the Samsung a737. As Kent German of CNET explains, this minimalist arrangement may add to design appeal, but at the cost of functionality. Likewise, a thumb grip for opening the slider is absent, a design flaw shared by other slider phones on the market. Once open, the Samsung a777 reveals the trademark Samsung keypad, which has spacious yet flush buttons that lack tactile definition for easy dialing and texting. The phone comes equipped with the same bright, vibrant 2-inch, 220-by-176-pixel display favored by reviewers and users.

In addition to good call quality, this quad-band world phone taps into AT&T's 3G network for fast data downloads and an array of multimedia features, although the latter often carry an additional fee. Messaging options include text, picture and video messaging, as well as instant messaging and mobile email, but the web browser "churns" to navigate pages, according to Berne. The device offers basic features, including a 1,000-entry phone book, calendar, alarm clock, call waiting, caller ID, a personal organizer, voice command, voice dialing and a speakerphone (the last gets knocks for poor volume, though). With 50 MB of internal memory expandable up to 8 GB via microSD card, the Samsung a777 provides plenty of storage for its music player. The phone supports most music file formats, but the phone's proprietary Samsung headset jack remains a drawback for many.

The 1.3-megapixel camera is capable of video capture, but it lacks a flash or self-portrait mode, and reviews are mixed about photo quality. On the upside, the Samsung a777 has great network support for GPS and stereo Bluetooth, MEdia Mall for downloading ringtones and games, video share, AT&T mobile music and cellular video, Napster Mobile, XM Radio Mobile, Billboard Mobile and AT&T Navigator. The bells and whistles can quickly drain the battery, which is smaller and far more short-lived than the a737. Overall, reviewers consider the Samsung a777 a decent phone with a good feature set but say it has little to set it ahead of rival slider devices, like the older Samsung a737 and Nokia 5800 XpressMusic (*est. free).