Display & Audio
Blast's 2" LCD display is bright and clear, but a low 176 x 220 resolution results in blocky rendering of some photos and graphics - particularly in combination with the integrated WAP Web browser. Capable of displaying 262K colors, the display was pretty easy to read under almost all lighting conditions, and perfectly usable in general. But if you've used a phone with a QVGA or better display, you'll likely be disappointed with Blast's screen.
Interfaces and menus are fairly customizable, and you can download custom wallpapers and such from
T-Mobile's "T-Zones" deck if you're willing to pay for them. Photos snapped with Blast's camera may be used as Caller ID photos or wallpapers. The myFaves home screen is attractive and useful if you're a myFaves subscriber - you can easily cycle through your five selected contacts with the D-Pad, and customize them with ringtones and photos or graphic avatars.
Blast comes pre-installed with three games, which aren't state of the art but look pretty good and are fun to play. The audio player, on the other hand, is pretty clunky to look at and navigate through. The non-messaging features on this handset definitely tend towards the "usable if not exactly attractive" category.
I tested the quad-band GSM Blast on T-Mobile’s network in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Call quality was generally very good, and only slightly marred by static a few times. Signal strength was generally good, and definitely on par with other T-Mobile and unlocked GSM handsets I've tried in the same area. The built-in speakerphone was about average in terms of performance and volume - voices came through clear if a bit on the quiet side, and callers reported my voice was somewhat difficult to hear on the other end when I talked with the handset set on a table in front of me.
The Blast uses
Samsung's standard proprietary accessory port, and wired mono and stereo earpieces are available for use on voice calls and with the music player. Blast also supports Bluetooth earpieces including the A2DP Stereo Bluetooth profile. I easily paired the 8800 with a couple of wireless headsets, and performance was good during voice calls and good - if not great - for music playback. While it's nice that Stereo Bluetooth is supported on Blast, the music player's rudimentary interface and features make it hard to recommend shelling out for a Stereo Bluetooth headset for use with this handset. While Blast does support mp3 and AAC music files, if you're going to spend for the wireless earphones, may as well spend for a more robust music phone, as well.
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