The single-band 1,900 MHz CDMA Samsung SCH-6100 measures 4.1 by 1.8 by 1.0 inches, and weighs a mere 3.8 ounces. While its physical design is not particularly striking, the well-built silver-colored flip housing should prove to be highly resilient to the bumps and collisions of everyday use.

The bright, five-line screen (four lines of text and one line for status indicators) takes the strain out of reading e-mail and entering phone-book information. The keypad is well designed and nicely spaced. We had no trouble placing calls with one hand, and we rarely misdialed numbers.

We were impressed with Samsung's icon-driven menu selections and refined menu navigation. Even though the side-mounted directional keys are positioned close to the voice memo button, you won't be confused about which button is which. While toggling through menu options, the voice memo button acts as an OK key, meaning it will select the highlighted menu selection.

The SCH-6100 also gets points for integrating nearly every communication and call-management feature going. The Web browser accesses popular Web sites as well as the latest news, financial, sports, weather, and entertainment updates. (We also placed a book into our Amazon.com shopping cart in a matter of minutes, without frustration or confusion.) You can train the phone to recognize 20 voice-activated numbers, and the voice memo recorder stores up to five minutes of messages and reminders. We found the SCH-6100 had an easier time learning and distinguishing names than some competitors. Setting up voice tags was child's play, and we rarely had to repeat a name in order for the phone to recognize it.

With its event calendar, to-do list, calculator, and series of different alarms, the SCH-6100 can double as a basic PDA. Other baseline features include a T9 predictive keypad, scratchpad memory, 100-message SMS storage capacity, nine distinctive ringer options, four customizable ringer melodies, built-in vibrating ringer alert, 99 speed-dial locations (with 9 one-touch slots), a slew of call timers, and separate 10-number incoming, outgoing, and missed-call logs. It's worth noting that the phone book can hold 229 contacts, and each entry can store up to six different numbers. The SCH-6100 also supports carrier-dependent features such as caller ID, call forwarding, three-way calling, and call forwarding.

Like most phones, the SCH-6100 synchs with a PC or PDA via a data cable, so you can import your computer's address book to the phone, or transfer your faxes and text messages from the phone to your computer.

The lithium-ion battery is rated for 180 minutes of talk time and 140 hours of standby time. In our testing, the SCH-6100 held a call for 160 minutes, while it lasted for just under six days (142 hours) in standby mode.

Overall, the SCH-6100 is not the flashiest phone around, but its features and innate portability rank it among the best.

--Thom Arno, edited by Tom Mace

Pros:

• Improved menu navigation
• Web enabled
• Voice-activated dialing and voice memo recorder
• Full set of PIM functions
• Impressive battery life

Cons:

• Single-band only
• No-frills styling

How We Tested Battery Talk/Standby Time

When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery charging methods and history, will affect performance. When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, because analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.

Our Tests: We tested digital mode talk and standby times with each phone. Prior to each test, we fully charged the phone's battery according to the manufacturer's directions. To test digital phone talk time, we turned the phone on, established a digital carrier signal, dialed a number in our test lab, and, when the call rang through, took the receiving phone's handset off the hook. When all went well, we didn't do anything else except record the time when the phone died. In a couple of cases, the phones lost the signal and dropped the calls. If we were right there and could redial, we did so immediately and continued running the test. Otherwise, we halted the test, recharged the battery, and started the test over. Assuming consistent carrier signal strength, this test should represent best-case talk time. And it's worth noting that several phones' talk-time performance significantly exceeded the manufacturers' ratings.