iPhone has a two-faced challenger

Gary Krakow Columnist • E-mail

While the cell phone industry awaits the release of Apple's iPhone, Samsung has come up with an ingenious design for an all-in-one, wireless device. And although being called two-faced is not usually complementary, in this case, it's an apt description for the company's new handset.

Samsung's UpStage, marketed by Sprint, features a cell phone display and dial pad on one side; on the other, there’s a larger screen with controls for the built-in MP3 music player.

Everything about the UpStage is cool. The device itself is small and sleek — 1.73 by 4.07 by 0.37 inches and only 2.57 ounces. The phone side has a 1.4-inch TFT display and the music player has a 2.1-inch TFT display. It operates on the Sprint CDMA and high-speed EVDO networks.

The handset’s Lithium ion battery is good for up to 2.5 hours but that’s not even half the story. The UpStage comes with a good looking faux-leather carrying case with a large, built-in second battery inside. The phone and the case combine for a whopping 6.3 hours of talk time. 

The number of features included is somewhat staggering: advanced stereo Bluetooth, a 1.3-MP camera with 5x zoom, SMS voice and text messaging, PictBridge (to print images on a compatible printer), enhanced voice recognition, speech dictation and voice memo capabilities.

Samsung UpStart and its clever flip case with built-in second battery.

Then, there are the built-in entertainment and music features. The MP3 music player is linked to the internal microSD card slot (64MB card provided). You can plug in a pair of stereo earphones (3.5mm jack) via the enclosed adapter. You've got the ability to buy/download music files from the Sprint Music Store, watch Sprint TV and On Demand content (which includes news, sports, weather and entertainment) and stream music with access to Sirius, VH1, MTV and Sprint Internet radio stations.

Actually using the double-sided handset is an interesting experience. Making and receiving phone calls is pretty straightforward. Changing from the phone to the music player (or vice versa) is accomplished by pressing a small FLIP button on the side panel. Turning one side on turns off the display on the other side.

The phone side works, well, like a 21^st Century cell phone should. People heard me when I called. I heard them too. I appreciate phones that work when you need them. For the record, not all do.

The UpStage’s high-speed data capabilities are terrific. It’s nice to see Web pages load wirelessly and very quickly on a cell phone.  Phonebook and calendar functions are on the basic side (more like a cell phone than a smartphone).

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