Look and Feel

Measuring 3.80 x 1.88 x 0.82 inches and tipping the scales at 4.40 ounces, the SCH-A990 initially looks like just about any other clamshell-style phone. To transform it into a digital camera, simply turn the screen counterclockwise and close it up.

Pressing a key selects one of the camera-control icons that appear along the bottom of the device's vibrant, 2.2-inch color LCD, which doubles as the camera's viewfinder.

Features

Under the hood, the A990 sports a Bluetooth radio, about 70 MB of internal memory, a microSD expansion card slot, TV-out and USB ports, a speakerphone, and a 3.2-megapixel camera sensor with auto focus and flash. Image resolution can be set to any of seven steps -- ranging from 2,048 x 1,536 pixels all the way down to 320 x 240 pixels -- while image orientation can be set to portrait, landscape, or micro mode.

Other user-controllable camera settings include ISO, brightness, white balance, and self-timer. Last but not least, the A990's camera circuitry performs double duty as a built-in camcorder capable of shooting video clips at 15 frames per second.

The handset's Bluetooth radio chip, which also can be used to link the device to hands-free headsets and car kits, functions as a high-speed wireless modem for a laptop. PictBridge technology, which lets you send photos directly to a printer over a USB cable (sold separately), is also on tap. Best of all, the phone ships with the requisite Bluetooth "print profile" for relaying image files directly to a Bluetooth-compatible printer.

Performance

Rudimentary Internet access and Web-based e-mail capabilities are provided by Verizon's Mobile Web 2.0 software, together with text, multimedia, and instant messaging. The A990, however, does not support direct access to POP3 or IMAP e-mail accounts, and text messages must be tediously entered using the device's standard telephone keypad.

The news is better over on the telephone side, where the A990 delivers excellent voice-call quality, with the audio volume amply loud. Moreover, the A990's "TV Out" connection is another nice camera-phone touch. Simply plug the device into a TV or monitor to play back any slideshow stored on the camera phone's memory card, sold separately. (continued...)

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