Basic Features

The Samsung Vitality comes standard with the Android 2.3 operating system, also known as the Gingerbread operating system. This system isn’t the latest from the Google-owned Android line, but it gives you access to most of the 2,000 apps available on the market. Vitality’s version of Android runs on the phone’s 800 MHz processor.

Before you use your phone to play games, access the internet or listen to music, you need it to function as a phone. The Samsung Vitality does a great job in this arena. It even comes with extras to make your calling experience ideal. First, you can use your Samsung Vitality and Cricket Wireless service to place and receive an unlimited number of calls. You also have access to voicemail, call waiting, 3-way or conference calling and free 411 service. While speakerphone capability is included, the feature has a poor reputation on the Samsung Vitality because the external speaker is rather quiet.

The Samsung Vitality prepaid cell phone is a great communication tool when it comes to messaging. You can send an unlimited number of text, picture or video messages. The Vitality also even supports international texting, and can be done easily with the Swype technology. This feature is an integral part of Vitality’s touchscreen functionality.

It works by way of a four-line QWERTY keyboard that pops up on the screen when you select a text box. Slide your finger across the letters of the word you’re trying to type and your phone will recognize and enter your word. You can also use the touchscreen keyboard to enter letters one-at-a-time. When you do this, the words will become part of your personalized Swype dictionary. While Swype makes texting faster than ever before, it comes with a few quirks. For example, you might accidentally enter “invariant badged potatoes” when you mean “instant mashed potatoes,” or “I’d” instead of “is.” Luckily, you can reduce your Swypo rate by deleting incorrect words from your personalized dictionary. We recommend going through the Swype tutorial before you start texting. We also highly recommend proof-reading your messages before your press Send.

Depending on your usage habits the Samsung Vitality’s lithium-ion battery supports up to 250 hours of standby time. But that number is pretty unrealistic. In comparison with other prepaid phones, the standby time of the Vitality is slightly below average. Talk time, on the other hand, is above average.  As with standby time, talk time per battery charge will vary based on your usage habits.

Entertainment

Samsung Vitality’s claim to fame is that it is the first smartphone with MuveMusic, the proprietary media player from Cricket Wireless. You can use this new music player by downloading music from an exclusive library using your computer and a USB data cable. Unfortunately, you can’t download Muve Music wirelessly. Nevertheless, you can download as much music as you want. You won’t be able to find a catalog of available music before you buy this prepaid phone, but Cricket representatives say Muve supports all genres.

Other features of Muve Music make it more than just a media player. Muve comes with Shazam, which can identify almost any recorded song or classical piece simply by listening electronically.  If the music you discover using Shazam is available from the Muve library, you can download it to your device next time you plug in.

Muve also acts as a radio DJ. You can use Muve to create ringtones to alert you of incoming calls and ringback tones to entertain callers while they wait for you to answer.

Unlimited mobile video entertainment is also included. It’s important to note that if you choose not to pay for any months’ service, your media collection will disappear when you use Muve.

Fortunately, you can download the Amazon service to your phone if Muve proves insufficient for your music listening requirements. Vitality comes with 4GB of memory but you can upgrade to 32GB with a microSD card.

Design

Compared to other pay-as-you-go phones, one of the Samsung Vitality’s best features is its touchscreen. The 3.5-inch screen is HVGA, meaning it uses half the resolution of standard TV screens. That amounts to 480×320 pixels, a 3:2 aspect ratio. This resolution is low compared to the high-definition picture you get on many digital televisions and computer screens. However, it is sufficient enough for personal use on-the-go. The resolution and screen size are comparable to other prepaid smartphones we reviewed. The size and weight of the Vitality are also in the average range compared to other prepaid smartphones. This pay-as-you-go phone is slightly more than half an inch thick and is 4.6 inches tall, about a third again the width of a standard credit card. The Samsung Galaxy weighs more than a quarter pound, thanks to its large touchscreen.

Summary

The Samsung Vitality is a great phone option for commitment-phobes with a yen for technical features such as music on-the-go, web and email access and excellent app availability.  Unfortunately, the nature of the pay-as-you-go service that comes with the Vitality means that a lot of your digital content will be lost if you decide to cancel your account. The phone also has some minor design flaws such as a limited battery life and a bigger size than most competing prepaid phones. Nevertheless, this phone is a great option for pay-as-you-go users. The Samsung Vitality is not only a phone, but a veritable mini-computer.