Go green without sacrificing the advanced mobile communication features you love with the Samsung Reclaim from Sprint. With a hardware casing made with corn-derived bio-plastics, an innovative charger that consumes twelve times less power than Energy Star recommendations, and packaging that is 70 percent recyclable, the Reclaim has many elements that make it sustainable.

Constructed from eco-friendly bio-plastic materials, the Samsung Reclaim is a full-featured messaging phone with full QWERTY keyboard.

But more than just carrying your green cred in your pocket, the Samsung Reclaim is a feature-rich messaging phone with a slide-out full QWERTY keyboard and quick access to such social networks as well as mobile multimedia powerhouse. In addition to fast 3G speeds from Sprint’s high-speed EV-DO network, you’ll enjoy GPS navigation capabilities for accessing the optional Sprint Navigation turn-by-turn direction service as well as access to Sprint TV’s video-on-demand with full-motion video and vivid sound. Other features include Bluetooth for hands-free devices and stereo music streaming, microSD memory expansion to 16 GB (a 512 MB card is included), 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, access to personal e-mail and instant messaging, voice dialing capabilities, and up to 6 hours of talk time.

Sprint Service
Supporting the EV-DO high-speed data standard, this phone enables you to download and stream high-quality video, straight onto your phone. Where coverage is available, EV-DO connectivity provides average download speeds ranging from 400 to 700 Kbps, with peak rates up to 2 Mbps.

With Sprint TV, you can make your cell phone your always-on source for news, weather, sports and more. This comprehensive video service combines high-quality streaming audio and video from channels including ABC, The Weather Channel, Fox Sports, E!, CNN, The Discovery Channel, and more.

The Sprint Music Store enables you to buy, download, and then jam out wherever you are with new songs or old favorites. Offering a growing selection of more than 1.6 million songs, the store provides you two copies of each song–one for the phone and another for the PC, as well as the ability to burn songs to a CD using Windows Media Player. Save your songs to a memory card with a capacity that’s right for you. You also get several streaming-radio applications, including Sprint Radio with more than 150 channels.

This GPS-enabled phone provides optional access to Sprint Navigation for driving directions on your mobile phone–by voice and onscreen. Along the way, turn-by-turn directions will be announced in a clear voice and displayed on your phone. For example, Sprint Navigation will say, “Go 1.2 miles and turn right on Elm Street.” As you approach the turn, you will hear, “Turn right on Elm Street.” Sprint Navigation also provides proactive traffic alerts with one click re-routing. And it’s easy to find restaurants, banks, cafes, hotels and more from over 10 million points of interest across the U.S.

With Sprint Mobile e-mail, you’ll get easy access to your favorite home e-mail services including AOL, Yahoo!, Gmail, and MSN/Windows Live Hotmail and more. And Sprint Mobile e-mail Work enables you to access e-mail from corporate servers, including Microsoft Exchange 2000, 2003, 2007 and Lotus Notes Domino versions 6.0, 6.5 and 7.0 (with the latest software update).

This phone also provides access to Sprint Football Live–free for any phone with a data plan. You’ll be able to follow all the live play-by-play action with the Live Game Center for both pro and college football games, as well as stay on top of the pro football draft with a Live Draft Tracker and in-depth analysis and bios on nearly 500 top prospects. Access by texting “FOOTBALL” to 7777 on the handset to download Sprint Football Live from Sprint Digital Lounge (standard text messaging and data rates apply).

Eco-Friendly Features
The Samsung Reclaim is designed with environmentally-responsible components and fully recyclable packaging, including:

Enjoy quick access to your favorite social networks, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and more.

Other features include a 2-megapixel camera/camcorder, digital audio/video player, microSD memory expansion to 16 GB and access to personal and work e-mail.

• Its bio-plastic material, made from corn, makes up 40 percent of the Reclaim’s outer casing. Samsung Reclaim is free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates, and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR): three materials commonly targeted on green electronics guidelines.
• The outer packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 percent recycled materials. The images and text on the box as well as the phone warranty information are printed with soy-based ink.
• The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced with a virtual manual that users can access at www.sprint.com/reclaimsupport.
• The charger is Energy Star approved for meeting the highest energy efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. It consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption and is equipped with a visible notification to alert you to unplug the handset once it’s fully charged.

Additionally, $2 of each purchase will benefit The Nature Conservancy’s Adopt an Acre program, which supports land conservation across the United States and protects some of the world’s most beautiful and important natural habitats.

Phone Features
The Reclaim’s 2.6-inch LCD screen (320 x 240 pixels, 262K colors) sits above a navigation ring that’s complemented by soft navigation keys, send/end keys, speaker key, and back button. Slide the phones face up to reveal the full QWERTY keyboard, with keys in gray and number and function keys marked in blue. The phone has a small internal memory, which can be expanded for storing music, photo and video files via optional microSD memory cards (up to 16 GB in size). The internal phonebook can store up to 600 contacts, and each entry has room for up to 6 phone numbers, an e-mail address, instant messaging handle, web address and more.

Sprint’s One Click navigation brings all your favorite features to your fingertips.

This phone features Sprint’s One Click navigation interface, which places eight shortcut tiles along the bottom of the home screen. Instead of navigating through endless phone menus, you can put the things you use the most–features like call logs, texting, Web access and GPS navigation–right up front with instant information related to each feature. For example, when you scroll to text messaging, you’ll see the number of new messages received and a single click takes take you to the newest messages.

Social Zone, another One Click application, is your gateway for keeping up with all your favorite social communities such as Photobucket, MySpace, and more. From the easy-to-use dashboard view, you can respond to friend requests, view and send messages, post comments and update your status or profiles, all from your phone. You can also use your phone’s camera to take photos, then upload them straight to your networking sites without closing the application.

The Reclaim also includes a new green One Click tile that provides a gateway to several green applications including:

• Five Simple Steps from Discovery Channel provides five simple changes you can make to be more eco-friendly, from how you commute to what you eat for dinner;
• Green Guides from Discovery Channel offers handy guides to help you green your lives with ease, and understand why;
• Green Glossary from Discovery Channel provides words and explanations about the Earth and Climate Change; and
• All Things Green, a Sprint Web category contains dynamic green headline and links to downloadable content.

Hands-free communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity (version 2.0), and includes profiles for communication headset, hands-free car kits, and file transfer. With the A2DP Bluetooth profile, you can stream your music to a pair of compatible Bluetooth stereo headphones. You can connect your laptop (either via Bluetooth or wired USB) and enjoy dial-up networking–surf the Internet, send e-mail, and access files from a server (additional charges or subscription applicable).

The 2-megapixel camera can capture still images in of five resolution options and three quality settings. It also features a digital zoom, center and spot metering, brightness adjustment, and series/mosaic/panorama shot options. You can also capture video clips, which are capped at 2 MB (or approximately 6 minutes) for sending via messaging or shooting for as long as you have available memory.

Other features include:

• Digital Audio Player: compatible with MP3, AAC, AAC+, and WMA formats; includes background music playback and Flight Mode for listening to music and watching videos with the cell radio turned off
• Streaming Music: Listen to R&B, hip-hop, country and rock, and access Sirius, Vh-1 and MTV to see the latest headlines and video clips of your favorite artists
• Wireless Backup: If your phone is ever lost, stolen, damaged or replaced, you can use Wireless Backup to restore your contact information quickly and easily. Additional charges apply.
• T9 text input: Compose messages easier and faster. Predictive text input and the internal dictionary predicts text as you type, making it simpler to send messages.
• Speaker-Independent Voice Dialing: Say the name of any entry in your phone book and the number is dialed automatically without using the keypad. This feature is speaker-independent, so there is no need to train the phone to respond to any one person’s voice. Receive an audible status report of your phone/s coverage, signal strength, and battery strength.
• Sync with Microsoft Outlook for work e-mail, contacts and calendars
• Personal organizer tools: calendar, alarm clock, world clock, calculator, stopwatch, tip calculator, notepad
• Support for personal (POP3) and work e-mail (IMPAP4)
• Speed dial can store up to 99 numbers
• Hearing aid compatibility = M4/T4

Vital Statistics
The Samsung Reclaim weighs 3.5 ounces and measures 3.87 x 2.32 x 0.61 inches. Its 1000 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 6 hours of talk time. It runs on the CDMA 800/1900 MHz frequencies as well as Sprint’s EV-DO 3G frequencies.

Features

• Eco-friendly messaging phone in blue with full QWERTY keyboard. made from 40 percent corn-based bio-plstic that's free of PVCs and BFRs
• Sprint Mobile Broadband Network via EV-DO connectivity. GPS turn-by-turn directions via Sprint Navigation. Sprint TV and Sprint Music Store enabled
• 2-megapixel camera/camcorder. Bluetooth stereo music. microSD memory expansion. access to personal/work email and instant messaging
• Up to 6 hours of talk time with included 1000 mAh battery
• What's in the Box: handset, battery, charger, 512 MB microSD memory card

User Reviews

I think this phone is terrible. I got it for free when my contract was being renewed, and I heartily regret it. The software of this phone is buggy and occasionally freezes, especially after sending video. Every bit of the operating system is counter intuitive, it tries to take you to the sprint store at nearly every chance it can (can't even get to the music player without first being asked about sprint music), and the separate ringer for an alarm is null and void the moment you accidentally touch the the volume rocker on the side. I can't even get the thing to charge properly.

The premise for this phone is how recyclable it is, yet most cell phones have LOTS of recyclable components.

I was taken in by the cute blue color and sadly the name. I knew better than to get something without doing the research. So I know I kind of deserved it. Bummer.

I would definitely recommend against this phone. Unless you are only getting it to make calls and have no intention of texting from it or listening to music or taking video. -- I long to hit this with a hammer...

This is, in most ways, a great phone.

Battery life is great -- supposedly 6+ hours of talk time, and mine was still running after three days with no charging & occasional talk time. The battery gauge has five bars, which is a nice change from my old phone, which had three.

Display is bright and colorful, camera is decent for a lower-priced cell phone, keyboard is rather small and keys are flush, but it still wasn't tough to get used to. The phone's aesthetic is pleasing and, though light, it feels pretty well-made.

The problem is the plastic covering the LCD screen. It's thin -- so thin that even light pressure can directly stress the LCD itself. This engineering flaw resulted in my phone's LCD screen being broken (spider cracks that killed the display) while within a padded case, just being jostled in my front pocket when I bent to pick up my backpack.

Sprint (my provider) claims that even though there's no sign of damage or misuse on the the phone, the spider crack constitutes negligent physical damage. It's for this reason that I'd warn people off this phone --

It's pleasant to look at, works well, etc. but the plastic guard in front of the LCD screen is flimsy and, if tapped lightly in just the wrong way, the screen WILL BREAK. Go on eBay and search for 'Samsung Reclaim' and you'll see a dozen or more sellers offering replacement LCDs. This clues me in on the fact that the fragility of the phone's LCD is well known and breakage is going to be a common theme among owners of the unit.

Do yourself a favor and get something else -- if you want a QWERTY keyboard phone, the LG Rumor is pretty nice (mom owns it and has no complaints), and the line of lower-priced Blackberry phones for Sprint (I believe you can even get some of the models for free with a new contract or contract renewal) have pretty rugged construction compared to the Reclaim.

Bottom line -- nifty phone, but flimsy construction kill the lifespan. I had mine less than two weeks (in a case, no less!) before it broke. My advice is to avoid. -- LCD protector is too thin.

Mother-in-law was complaining about her old flip-top cell phone and wanted something which could handle quick Google searches on-the-go, had a more text messaging friendly keyboard, but wasn't a $350 touchscreen smartphone.

This model strikes a nice balance - really nice keyboard (it's a whole lot smaller than those you'll find on an HTC Touch Pro / Mogul but surprisingly even I was able to use it without fuss). And the vertical sliding mechanism is actually one of the phones best features - the phone feels solid and sturdy when extended and the sliding action is very, very smooth - unlike the Sprint Mogul which felt like it might slide off its hinges or split into two pieces given the slightest jolt. The Reclaim has a nice soft finish which offers some grip and also doesn't result in fingerprints every time you pick it up. About the size of a pack of cigarettes it's perfectly comfortable to carry in pocket of shirts or pants (although I would recommend purchasing a neoprene sleeve or leather case, in order to protect the screen).

OS is good - like any new phone you'll have to play with it a few days, explore the interface and menus, and get used to how it responds in different situations, but - and this was the key selling point - it's definitely something a 55+ technophobic (but clever) parent can master. And you can't beat the price when compared to other similarly featured Blackberry / Smarthphone devices.

Last point - and this is the only sour note - irritating and stupid choices made in regards to packaging. I'm not referring to the fact that the box is made from recycled materials (I like that). Rather, it's the fact that this is one of the first of the coming wave of cell phones which use the new Micro-USB sized connector and yet they felt no need to include a Micro-USB cable. I've got dozens of Mini-USB cables lying around that came with every other stupid gadget purchased over the last 4 years - why would they decide to not include one now? Adding insult to injury it DOES come with an AC Charger that plugs into the (you guessed it) Micro-USB jack on the phone. Sure they could've done a "USB Sync Cable plus USB-to-AC Adapter plug" combination similar to pretty much every other camera / cell phone / mp3 player out there, but I guess that wasn't as "eco-friendly" as a single-use charger.

And bravo to the Sprint Store employees who sold us the phone and who clearly had no clue about the upcoming devices using micro-USB instead of min-USB. A head's up would have been nice. And kudos to Amazon for a product page which makes no mention of this either (even after following the "See more technical details" link). Gentlemen, my hat is off to you.

End result - if you're about to buy this otherwise lovely and wonderful phone - do yourself a favor and order a few of these adapters along with it which turn your standard every-day Mini-USB cables in Micro-USB friendly cables for a little under $2 a piece - MINI USB charger to Micro USB Charger Converter

Also, the "manual" that comes packaged with the phone is nothing more than 10-step get started guide. Want to know more than how to open the box and charge the battery? Then you'll need to visit the Samsung website to get the full manual - http://xrl.in/3ad9
-- Great phone for baby-boomer technophobes