Just the basics
The B2700's user interface is simple and in combination with its relatively
small, low-resolution 48mm (1.9-inch) screen, it has a mid-90s retro feel. But
it's straightforward to use and would suit a mountain man or woman who doesn't
feel the need for any bells and whistles.
There's a 2-megapixel camera nestled in the rubber at the back, but the quality is only good enough for the occasional snapshot. And you won't be capturing fleet-footed creatures in the wild with your shots, because there was over two seconds of shutter lag between the moment we pressed the button and the moment that that photo was taken. You could try catching your furry friend's escape on video instead: although the quality is quite low, that's a bonus for Bigfoot videos.
For those long nights around the campfire, you can sing along with the FM radio or the music player, which supports MP3, AAC, AAC+ or WMA. Again, everything is kept simple and there are no surprises in these basic features.
Battery bonus
The really crappy thing about communing with nature is that there's nowhere
to charge your phone. Happily, the B2700 has a talk time of up to 640 minutes
and will standby for up to 480 hours, assuming you don't keep its torch on all
the time. That's almost four times longer than the glamour-puss of the Samsung stable, the Tocco Ultra, which has 240 minutes of talk time -- and probably much less if you're surfing the Web a good deal.
Conclusion
The Samsung B2700 Bound is a rugged phone, but for once, it's not targeted at men in
hardhats clutching rolled up blueprints. This one is for the outdoor types, and
it's certainly up for a walk in the country. Its torch, compass, altimeter and
pedometer are fun features, and it covers all the bases with an average camera,
video, music player and FM radio.
But without GPS or a mapping application, it misses a trick as a great activity phone. Nevertheless, its dirt and water resistance mean that it could be a handy backup phone for the times when a fancy smart phone would crumble under the pressure.
Edited by Jason Jenkins
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cheekyton 26 September 2010
Good: Understatedly rugged; stylishly sporty look; easy to use; astounding talk & standby time; blindingly bright torch; very reliable; video calling camera; and of course it's 3G!!
Bad: No real multitasking; no equalizer on otherwise good mp3 player; smallish screen; doesn't support Skype on 3 network (grrr!)
Comment: I've used been using this as my main mobile for the last year in a hot and dusty country and I have to say I really like it. It's good value for money at about £100 for a PAYG, and best of all I reckon its style competes well against much flashier/dearer phones (including smart (ass) touchscreens) by offering a leftfield & interesting alternative of a sporty-lifestyle phone in the same way that a rugged 4x4 car can often transcend the appeal of a owning flashy Ferrari. Come forth yo' urban cowboys/cowgirls!
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