We take the Samsung Juke for a spin, with its heap of memory and unique swivel design. But did it's lack of features stop the music?
Review summary of the Samsung Juke:
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 Don't let the low score fool you, the Samsung Juke picks and chooses its features, and it tends to get them right. For music, this won't replace an iPhone, but for literally a fifth of the cost, it will definitely make you think twice about carrying a phone and an iPod shuffle. The music player could have been better, and we weren't big fans of anything involving the Juke's keypad, but the scroll wheel on this phone works well, and the design is so slick that you might just forget its shortcomings. Plus, navigation is a nice bonus that really works, not just a last-minute addition. It may not be feature-rich, but we came away liking the Juke, and for folks looking for a true music phone, we would happily recommend it. Release: October 2007. Price: $1.
Pros: Very slick design, in cool colors with matching headphones. Plenty of built-in storage, and fast media transfers. Navigation a nice surprise.
Cons: Tiny screen, tiny keys. Lacks any 3G or Web browsing features. Media player a little basic, could be more robust and better looking.
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Full Samsung Juke Review:
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Design - Very good
The Samsung Juke is a sexy little phone, and when we pulled it from our pocket and swung open the face like a switchblade, it tended to draw stares from those around us (including our normally stoic spouse). The design says to us two things. First, this is an easily portable phone that you could almost wear. Second, it isn't going to do very much. The screen is very small, too small for Web browsing or watching videos. The keypad is just as tiny, and not suited for messaging or typing long URLs. But that doesn't mean the Juke is a poorly designed phone, and for music, we definitely liked the scroll wheel and the slim, portable design.
Calling - Very good
We didn't like entering contacts with the Juke's tiny keypad, but once calls were in the air, they sounded very good. Better than we were expecting on this diminutive device. Also, we were happy to find our favorite calling features on board, including a speakerphone, though this was somewhat muffled sounding, as well as Bluetooth for hands-free operation and even voice dialing. The contact list was very basic, with only a bare-bones selection of fields, but the screen was surprisingly sharp and clear for its small size.
Messaging - Mediocre
Messaging on the Juke is a mediocre experience, though not for lack of trying. The phone packs SMS and MMS messaging as well as a Mobile IM client for AIM, Yahoo and MSN instant messaging support. But the Juke is not designed to be a good messager. The keyboard is too small, and too slick to type quickly, even in texting shorthand. And the screen was plenty crisp if we wanted to read text, but our aging eyes had to get in very close. Perhaps for the Juke's teenaged target audience, this will be less of an issue, but we don't see messaging as anything but a bonus on this phone, certainly not a selling point.
Music - Very good
Verizon and Samsung made some interesting decisions with the music functions for the Juke, and for the most part these work. Instead of a microSD card slot, the Juke comes with 2GB of built-in memory. This works for us, as 2GB is a good amount of storage for casual, on-the-go listening, and will certainly mean that iPod shuffles and nanos can be left behind in favor of this phone. It also helps that music transfers to the Juke were very quick. We synchronized with Windows Media Player and sideloaded an 86MB album in well under a minute, which seemed nice and fast. Also, we liked that our album artwork came through as well, even though the thumbnail was laughably small on the phone's small screen.
There were a few things we didn't care for, though. When you activate the music player, you have to close the phone, then turn it sideways to read the display. This seems like jumping through hoops to us. Also, we definitely appreciate the included headphones, a rarity on Verizon Wireless "music" phones, but why not go all the way and use a 3.5mm headphone jack instead of the less-common 2.5mm plug? For that matter, we'd also have preferred a regular mini-USB or even micro-USB port, but Samsung being Samsung decided to use a proprietary plug instead.
Still, for all our complaining, music still sounded fine, at least as good as it sounds on our iPod shuffle. Stereo Bluetooth also worked without a hitch, and sounded much better than playing through the phone's small speaker.
Navigation - Good
The Samsung Juke lacks a 3G radio and a Web browser, so we were surprised to find GPS navigation on the device, but it actually worked nicely, and makes sense, given the young target audience. Though the screen was small, VZ Navigator did a fine job toggling between simple turn-by-turn instructions and a zoomed-in map screen. And, the spoken directions came through loud and clear. The sensor was also plenty sensitive; it found us in the cubicles of our Lower Manhattan offices, where a direct view of the satellites in the sky is hard to come by. Best of all, though, is the support for Verizon Wireless' Chaperone features, which might help parents keep track of their teens and children as they rock out of bounds with the Juke in their pockets. If there was an advanced service to sneak onto this phone, navigation was an excellent choice.
Value - Very good
At $80, the Juke might hit a real sweet spot for pricing. Figuring that a 2GB memory card will run you about $30, the phone seems more like a good deal, even without the 3G networking. In fact, the lack of 3G and a download store means that you'll be less inclined to pay more for multimedia features you won't enjoy, or pay too much for an over-the-air song download. We're not saying we wouldn't like the option, but we do think that most people won't miss what's missing.
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