Physical Features

• Ruggedly compact and lightweight, the Samsung A657 functions as a conveniently portable mobile computing device that you are able to take almost anywhere. The phone is 4.5 inches long, 2.1 inches wide and 0.8 inches deep and weighs 4.3 oz. Its 1.9-inch thin-film transistor screen displays more than 256,000 colors at 176 by 220 pixels of resolution. With a look that seems to welcome dangerous situations, the phone is encased in a hard shell and rubber sidings, making it especially durable when dropped or hit. These physical features work together to give the phone ideal mobile and outdoorsy functionality.
  
  

Battery Life Function

• A standard lithium-ion battery provides the A657 with up to three hours of talk time and up to 252 hours, or 10.5 days, of standby time. These times rank below the seven-hour average for talk time and the 442-hour average for standby time, compared to similar models on the market in 2011. These times limit the phone's ability to function for long amounts of time before needing to be recharged. A variety of factors can affect the phone's battery life, such as weather conditions, network traffic and its settings. You can maximize the phone's battery life by disconnecting it from the 3G network when not in use, minimizing the display screen's brightness level and shortening the phone's sleep mode timer.
  
  

Messaging Functions

• The Samsung A657 supports text, photo, video and voice messages and mobile email through connections to a Post Office Protocol, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol or Internet Message Access Protocol server. The phone also supports instant messaging through Internet connections to a third-party client, such as Yahoo!, MSN and AOL. To utilize the A657's instant message function, you must first create an IM account with a third-party client, and then log in to that account.
  
  

Bluetooth Functions

• A variety of Bluetooth profiles, or modes, give the A657 the ability to function as a personal area wireless networking device. For instance, the hands-free profile (HFP) allows you to place and receive calls using the phone's speakerphone or a car's audio system, while the headset profile (HSP) does the same thing, but using a wireless headset instead. The object push profile (OPP) gives you the ability to share files with other computing devices equipped with the same profile. Similar in function to the OPP, the file transfer profile (FTP) not only allows you to share files with other devices, but lets you see the files on the other device before you transfer them. The FTP is not to be confused with the File Transfer Protocol used to upload files to the Internet.