Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #15887 in Cell Phone Accessories
• Color: Black
• Brand: Samsung
• Model: Knack U310
• Released on: 2008-10-14

Features

• Simple, easy-to-use flip phone that's great for voice communication and text message
• Dedicated keys for quick access to Emergency 911, speakerphone, voice mail, voice commands and In Case of Emergency (ICE).
• Stores up to 500 contact entries (each with multiple numbers); speakerphone; voice-activated dialing
• Up to 4.5 hours of talk time, up to 336 hours (14 days) of standby time
• What's in the Box: handset, battery, charger, charging cradle, user manual

Amazon.com Product Description
Perfect for those looking for a handset with simple features and functionality, the slim Samsung Knack flip-phone from Verizon offers an ergonomic design that feels great in your hand and slips easily into your pocket. A great choice for easy on-the-go voice communication, the Knack also keeps you connected via SMS text messaging. Other features include a speakerphone for handsfree calling, dedicated 911 and In Case of Emergency (ICE) keys, included charging cradle, bilingual interface (English/Spanish), and up to 4.5 hours of talk time.

The Knack includes dedicated keys for quick access to Emergency 911, speakerphone, voice mail, voice commands and In Case of Emergency (ICE).

Verizon Service
The Knack pairs perfectly with Verizon Wireless’ Nationwide 65 Plus calling plans, which include unlimited IN calling to 68.7 million Verizon Wireless customers, long distance, night and weekend allowances, and no domestic or roaming charges.

Phone Features
The Knack boasts a 2.2-inch internal screen with large text and number fonts, a simplified user interface and messaging communication. A large keypad with distinctive tactile contrast allows you to easily find the correct number on the dial pad, and it also comes with dedicated keys for quick access to Emergency 911 (E911), speakerphone, voice mail, voice commands and In Case of Emergency (ICE). You can program the ICE button with three personalized contacts that first responders can easily find in the event of an emergency.

The exterior of this clamshell phone includes a secondary monochrome LCD screen that displays current time, signal strength, and battery life (but not incoming calls). The left side of the phone includes a volume rocker, while the right side includes a charger port, voice dialing control button, and 2.5mm headset jack popout port--each of which has a different color (red, silver and blue, respectively) for ease of use. The phone has an internal 32 MB memory (not expandable), which can store up to 500 contact entries with multiple numbers per entry (up to 4). While it doesn't support caller groups, you can assign a number to a specified ringtone.

Other features include:

• Adjustable font size: Allows you to increase the size of text for greater visibility
• Organizer tools: Calendar, alarm (with snooze), calculator, tip calculator, unit converter
• Vibrate and silent modes
• Embedded 32-chord polyphonic ringtones
• Speaker-independent voice dialing
• T9 predictive text entry
• TTY capable
• Hearing Aid compatibility = M4/T4

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Knack weighs 3.63 ounces and measures 3.78 x 2.01 x 0.74 inches. Its 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 4.5 hours of talk time, and up to 336 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/1900 MHz CDMA/CDMA2000 1xRTT frequencies.

Customer Reviews

Great for low-vision or hearing impaired. No frills.
This phone will never be stolen or used by anyone under 21 (or under 50). It is the most un-kewl device in existence. An iPhone, it is not!

For the vision or hearing impaired or for those who don't need or want the latest gizmo, this phone is for you.

Since the phone does relatively little, there are much less menus. Most of the menu options turn on or off sounds. Example option: Phone will sound out each key you press("four", "six") . Turning on each sound option will make for a very talkative companion.

Pros:

The fonts are large. Very, very large. And you can make the fonts in some of the menus even larger.

No camera. No games. No music. No pictures.

The text is very black and in some areas, the background is bright white making for highly readable ultra-high contrast text. With my 20/20 vision I can literally read the text from across the bedroom. I kid you not.

It does have speed dial but the options to set it is not as described in the manual. I found the speed dial option in a different menu.

The keys light up quite clearly and brightly.

The keys are nicely tactile.

Superb battery conservation. If you don't use the phone much, you probably can go over a week or two before needing a recharge.

The maximum sound is loud -- really loud. A person can hear incoming voices on the other side of the room at the highest setting. You might want to lower the sound for some phone calls.

I use the calendar but it could be improved. I also use the alarm clock, stop watch and calculator. The calendar, alarm clock and calculator have dedicated buttons.

Cons:

Why, oh, why didn't they allow for a blank wallpaper?

This phone is clearly designed for the visually impaired or the no-frills type of person so why wouldn't they have a white, or neutral color, background on the main menu? What were they thinking? There's no way of importing a blank wallpaper since there's no camera and no option to disable the wallpaper.

Small (tiny?) "OK" button.

Small external display. No caller ID on external display. No date on external display.

Also, the font could have been (should have been) larger on the main menu, but no, they had to have a cutesy background.

No Bluetooth. A disadvantage if you want/need a wireless headset.

Some backgrounds have other colors. No option for change. Colors reduce contrast and readability.

The voice recognition is positively awful and slowwwww. It just drives me to tears. My phone from 10+ years ago did a far better job of recognizing names. And you have to see the moronic copyright screen each time. If I wrote that software, I would hide, not show, the copyright screen. It's shameful.

The voice recognition voice prompts is played though the speaker phone which can be rather embarrassing in certain situations. I haven't found an option to disable this "feature". Again, what were they thinking or are they just stupid?

There is no vibrate before ring option. I like to be able to answer the phone before it actually rings so the ring doesn't disturb others. The vibrate feature is rather weak. [Update Feb 28, 09: I found a voice option where a feminine voice softly says 'You have an incoming call' before the phone rings. Many times I'm able to answer the phone before it actually rings. I absolutely love this feature.]

The appointment feature in the calendar is a bit lame. There's no way of alerting you of an upcoming appointment. What I do is set the appointment for several hours in advance and type in the actual time in the text field.

I don't understand why they made the power connection so small and difficult. On the power cord, there's a dark red arrow on a black background. Why not white? And the protective cover is dark red and flimsy. Good luck if you have low vision or poor finger coordination. Another insult to the disabled. On some reviews, the protective door colors are brightened so that they appear to be highly visible. Those reviewers are being deceptive.

In short, this simple phone will meet 80% of the needs of those who are mildly disabled and 95% of those who just want a simple phone. If you have a relative who needs a simple phone or is disabled or a technophobe, you can set this up for them and they'll be happily independent (except for the recharging).

Beware the Knack
On May 4, 2009, I finally broke down and bought cell phones for all five members of my family, opting for the Samsung Knack because it was a no-frills phone and I didn't want to open Pandora's box with my three teenagers. I went with a one year contract with Verizon just in case the expense of a family share plan was too much. We immediately began having problems with the phones. One phone had to be exchanged within two weeks, and since then we have had to replace three others for a total of four replacement phones in less than three months.

Needless to say, I contacted Verizon about the "lemons" and was told that we were stuck with them. According to our contract agreement, we could only replace phones with the same phones, so now I am getting reconditioned Knack phones, and based upon their track record thus far, I can expect to have 16 replacements before the contract expires.

My two kids who have been the heaviest users have had the most problems and required the replacement phones; however, there is no disclaimer that accompanies the phones indicating they are incapable of heavy use. The actual problems with the phones have run the gamut from not turning on, freezing, scrambling messages/data, menu functions that do not work, etc.

If you are over 50, you might not have any problems with the phones because you are using them on a limited basis. I would not recommend this phone to anyone who uses one throughout the day.

Unreliable calendar/alarm function
Got this phone because it can be taken almost anywhere (no camera, no internet, no memory cards, no notepad...). No problems making or receiving calls. Have not had any issues with it freezing. HOWEVER, the calendar and alarm functions do not work consistently. Don't even bother trying to set recurring events or alarms. Other reviewers bear me out, but you have to dig a while to find them. We are talking basic functions that have been on phones, PDAs, and Pocket PCs for years, how the heck do you screw them up?! It wasn't even on my radar that there might be issues with the calendar and alarm on ANY current cell phone model. And on top of that, when the alarm actually *does* go off, dismiss and snooze BOTH snooze it. Have to turn the alarm off to keep it from going off every 5 minutes indefinitely. Means I will need a separate watch with an alarm function IF I decide to keep this phone.