Verizon Samsung Alias 2 U750 No Contract Dual-Flip e-Ink QWERTY Phone Black

I bought my Samsung Alias 2 in October 2009 when my previous phone stopped working. I chose it because (1) it's a Samsung, the brand with which I have consistently had the best luck and fewest problems, (2) it is a "flip-phone" design, which I prefer because the screen and keyboard are protected when not in use (usually in my purse or pocket) and I don't have to worry about "pocket dialing" someone unintentionally, and (3) I prefer an actual keyboard rather than a touch-screen keyboard. The reasons I LOVE this phone are all of the above PLUS... I rarely lose a call unless I am in an area that seems to be a notorious "dead zone" for everyone, the camera takes fantastic pictures, the available GPS application is so cheap and easy to use, I can access my online email, I keep several "must have" games (including Scrabble and Sudoku) on shortcuts for quickest access, mp3 capabilities, and of course... great TEXTING!!!! The list goes on. I don't particularly want or need a smart phone and I think that's because I've been so incredibly happy with THIS phone. I am on Amazon right now, looking for another one, because something seems to have gotten into the slot for the charger so I can't insert it to charge. I am heartbroken! :o( I am way past due for an upgrade with my carrier and could probably get a much more sophisticated phone with my upgrade, but I'm just not ready to part with my Alias 2!! Besides, I have never had trouble finding accessories for my Alias 2 on Amazon (near impossible through my carrier, who only seems to stock parts and accessories for the newer, fancier phones they would rather you buy!). Bottom line: LOVE LOVE LOVE MY SAMSUNG ALIAS 2! Additional note, added 8/16/12: I almost forgot one of the VERY BEST things about the Samsung Alias 2... NO "AUTO-CORRECT!!!!" When I get texts from some of my friends and relatives who have phones that are a little newer/fancier models, and the "auto-correct" has done anything BUT "correct" their text content, I just crack up. I'll never forget the time my sister texted me that she was going to "club" my mother! Lol! I don't even remember what she later told me she'd MEANT to type. I "locked" that text in my inbox and look at it whenever I need a laugh. Who decided to call those "SMART phones" anyway??

This is a great phone if you are not into the smart phones. Personally, I have access to the internet, email, rss, etc all day long so I have no need of a full blown smart phone yet, I do communicate regularly via text msg. The big issues with my needs are that I absolutely hate phones with keyboards on the outside; the lockouts are a pain and they inevitably find a way to unlock themselves and start dialing no matter what I do. I don't want a large display screen to gather all my finger and facial goo (oh, you have it too, dont fool yourself) and are too susceptible to breakage with my lifestyle--not to mention they take up too much pocket real-estate. And I don't want to buy a data package which is optional for this phone (verizon). This phone's dual flip feature is excellent and allows me to use it conventionally or to open it and have a nice, qwerty keyboard running lengthwise. The e-ink keys switch and flip accordingly so they are always upright. The one complaint I have is that there is no hot-key for the camera when opened lengthwise but I did assign a hot-key to access that menu--it just takes a few more button strokes to activate the camera function. You do have to be careful of it when opening one handed, or letting young children play with it. The dual hinge is the weak link and I can see how it will break with uncontrolled pressure being applied incorrectly. I plan to keep my eye open for deals on these phones so I have a backup, if/when this one breaks or is lost. A friend has had this same phone since they first came out and it is still going strong and in good shape. Proof that it is not as volatile as some reviews might lead you to think. The downside to this review is that it might encourage others to buy them on the refurb market as I have done, thus depleting the supply or driving up its cost.

I purchased this phone from this seller for the reason of the high ratings for customer satisfaction, but I completely thing this place is awful. The shipping was under estimated and on top of that, the phone is faulty. It was under the lable "good condition" and is was said to have "minor scratches" but it does deserve that title. When I opened the box of the phone, it of course had the minor scratches as promised, but one of the outlets cover (like where you would charge the phone) was broken, AND on top of that, the back cover didn't close all the way which meant the battery falls out all the time. That was just the outside of the phone. When using the phone for the first few days, I found out that it would freeze up. It was completely unusable, and the only way to be able to use the phone was to take the battery out and power it back up in a few minutes. After a few months I found out that the phone would completely shut off if I closed it the wrong way which is annoying when I finally realize that my phone is off after a few hours and people are trying to get ahold of me. The charger that came with it (which was also promised) was extremely cheap and stopped working after a few weeks. I am not an avid phone user. I rarely take my phone with me, so it stays home about 95-90% of the time. I rarely use my phone too. I am not rough on it. It stays on the table, so I think the condition it is in is unacceptable. I payed around 74 dollars for it and never EVER would I have wasted my money on this. I have no idea how this company has had achieved such positive feed back. I am not dissatisfied with the phone, but the company that has sold the phone. The phone has been glitchy ever since I got it.

I had an unfortunate water accident with my first Samsung Alias, so this is a replacement phone. I've got to say, though, I have not been let down by the Alias. I've had a smartphone, and I've had plenty of regular "dumb" phones, but this is a GREAT in-between for when you don't want to spend the money on the smart phone data packages, PLUS it's great for music! I'm training for a half-marathon, and this is so convenient to carry, even on long runs and I can easily control my music. When you close the flip-phone, it has buttons on the top you can control/skip songs with, and it's small enough to fit in your running bra so you don't have hassle hauling it along with you. I love that you can open it one way for numbers and the standard "phone" functions, but if you open it on its side, you have a full QWERTY keyboard. VERY sturdy and has withstood me using it, as well has my husband "handling" it. Like I said in the subject, I love, Love, LOVE this phone! (Thus, why I'm buying the exact SAME phone to replace the first one! ;) )

Note: The newer models of this phone make it considered as a smart phone, so Verizon will try to charge you more for most plans. I had found this out when I recommended it to someone I knew and they told me Verizon wanted to charge $80 a month for a pre-paid plan. I have had this phone for a couple of years and it has held up pretty well. The charger did not though, and broke after about a year of light use. It was very cheap, so I ended up getting Home Wall AC DC Travel House Battery Charger for Verizon Samsung Alias 2 U750 - Convoy SCH-U640 - FlipShot U900 Cell Phone - BestCellBuy Brand , which has worked just as well and shows no signs of falling apart. Pros: - Sturdy phone (I have not dropped it as much as the average person, but it barely has a scratch anyways) - Capabilities of most phones, such as video, music, games, and the internet - Ability to use the phone as a normal flip phone (flipping upwards) or as a texting phone (flipping on the side) - Keypad works well to make texting much faster - Camera works as expected (not too good, but not that bad) - Battery life is pretty decent; it lasts a few days if you use it a bit, and about a week if you do not use it much Cons: - Works sluggish when you have too much information stored (such as having a lot of text messages stored) - Keypad has three separate screens, requiring a button to be pressed to switch to a different keyset in a certain order (switching from letters to numbers, then numbers to symbols, then symbols to numbers, and then back to letters). - MP3 buttons on the front can be pressed when the phone in your pocket. This has resulted sometimes in my phone getting very hot because it is constantly on from these button presses. You have to use the "lock" button on the right side to prevent this from happening - Will constantly try to search for service if it is not in a service area, which wastes the battery very quickly (if you go to sleep with it on and it does this, it will drain almost all of a full battery) - Annoying low battery life sound that cannot be muted - Battery tends to get loose sometimes. The phone could be on but will turn off once you close it because the battery might be loose - The phone will sometimes get confused as to what side you flipped it on, so you could flip your phone to the side and it will think you flipped it upwards - Keypad gets hot pretty quickly if you are using it constantly Even though there are a large amount of problems with the phone, it works pretty well once you know how it works. There might be a better phone that is similar, and with Verizon considering this a smart phone, you have a better chance of finding something better than this.

The Samsung Alias 2 was a good phone. I actually really liked it however it did have a slight issue with durability. I have had 3 Alias 2 phones. The first one was a random incident which I won't fault the design for. The second phone seemed to develop a problem where it would shut down when being opened or closed, which isn't good for some one who's job requires being on call 24 hours a day. The third phone is actually the reason I "upgraded" as I went to a Casio Commando so that my fiance could have my Alias 2 due to having broke her phone's external display. With her, the Alias 2 lasted about 2 months. We both liked the phone because of the texting mode, where the phone opens sideways and offers a full QWERTY keyboard, and opens like a regular flip phone and feels like a regular phone for calls. I'm not sure if it's a factory or service company choice or not, but it was nice that the ring tones for calls and texts were different to know which way the phone needed to be opened. As far as the durability issues, when exposed to tap water, the phone is useless. When exposed to deionized water, like most electronic devices it is of course fine. A past issue I have had with other phones was impact resistance. The alias 2 seems to be less susceptible to impact or pressure damage, however if a llama steps on it, it's done (not kidding about that one either, that's what happened to my fiance's hand down phone). One of the unique tests of a phones I suppose was radiation testing. One of the other employees at the reactor I worked at also had an Alias 2 phone, and decided to upgrade to an I-Phone, and he decided to put the phone in a high gamma and neutron exposure area (we put the phone in the reactor), and although sound quality suffered a little bit, it still worked. We ran the test for a student project, so we gathered some interesting data, but basically the phone can take 10,000 times the radiation that a human could and survive before the sound quality isn't good enough to interpret. We tested a few other phones as well as part of the project (all Samsung) and the Alias 2 actually did best. Unfortunately, Samsung no-longer makes the Alias 2 phone. I would be leery of buying a used one due to the wear issues with the double open design. I "upgraded" to a Casio Brigade (also no-longer made).

Well designed and does what I want it to every time. I have had it for a long while and am still happy with it With this style, I never "butt call" anyone. This phone opens in either of 2 ways - long to talk & call & WIDE for the querky key pad which can switch to numbers and to signs. Easy to use for texting. Everything I want in a phone. I do have other full size devices for all those other "smart phone" features. I don't have to pay for "smart phone" date or connectivity so I have a reasonable phone rate. I got the alternative extra capacity battery & battery cover for times recharging would be inconvenient. Great phone. Works perfectly. Has everything I need in a phone. I use the alarm, notes and calendar always, and some of the other features occasionally. No GPS. No Google Map. I have other devices for Internet and data. Very durable - good design. Added benefit - No one wants to steal it!

Upgraded from an Alias 1. The e-ink keyboard is great! flip open one way, it's a phone, the other, it's a normal keyboard. The best part, is you can use many of the features without ANY DATA PLAN. To use web, vcast, gps maps, email (normal or video) you need a data plan. For backup you also need it to get the app, but not after that. For picture mail, text, listen to music from your PC, normal voice phone, you only need text+voice plan to meet your usage needs. You can use a pc adapter for the SD memory card and transfer mp3 files to the phone, listen to the music when you want using 'My Music'. Unfortunately, it requires a wired / tethered headset, no bluetooth to listen to music. It does support mini stereo headset / headphones. The battery, when not in bluetooth mode and not using speakerphone or listening to music, lasts a long time. Bluetooth and speakerphone/music will sap the battery within a few hours. It was easy to add / port a number to the phone and get it working. Auto programming with *228 started the process, but required the assistance of verizon's customer service to complete the work. After that, we've been happy with the results.