But what good is a cool-looking phone without practical features? The S105 is loaded with them. Extensive call records allow you to view missed incoming and outgoing calls, and the length of total and individual calls. The organizer contains a to-do list, calculator, alarm, currency exchange estimator, and calendar, in which you can write yourself memos for any given day. You can also read and write messages in text format (with SMS support from T-Mobile). The S105 also provides nine precomposed, time-saving templates for simple messages you can send in lieu of typing them yourself. Late for a date? Simply scroll and choose, "I am late and will be there in ___ minutes" and hit Send. These templates can of course be edited and saved. You can also attach sound or graphic objects to messages.

The phone book in the S105 allows for 500 entries in phone memory, and another 250 in the SIM card. Contacts can be organized in up to 10 groups, with each group having its own ring tone and graphic display. You can store up to nine speed-dial numbers.

When it comes to the ring tone, you've got many choices. In fact, customizing these settings might bring up unusual quandaries, such as deciding whether or not the phone should play "Carmen" or "Valse des Fleurs" when you get a call. If you're feeling retro, you can just set the phone to ring like an old-fashioned rotary dial. There are 20 of these polyphonic ringer options to choose from. You can also set your alert to vibration, vibration plus melody, or display light only. Speaking of light, users can even change the color of the service indicator light (eight options), alter the contrast of both LCD displays, choose from 12 full-color animated wallpaper displays, and select menu color themes.

Changing the appearance and sounds of phones is great, but what about mission-critical features? In our tests we found the voice quality to be excellent. A long-distance call from a busy downtown Seattle street corner was successful. The answering party did not hear a huge truck rumble by, thanks to the phone's microphone noise-cancellation properties. The phone's network services menu allows broad control over call waiting, call forwarding, and caller ID, as well as network selection (automatic or manual), and band selection (GSM 900/1,800 or GSM 1,900) for travel in foreign countries. Users can manipulate and store settings such as the SMS service center used for sending messages, and the channels on which broadcast messages are received. Depending on your service plan, the WAP-enabled browser allows access to mobile-friendly Internet sites. You can store URL favorites and set a home page, as well as download Java-enabled games and additional sounds for your phone. An infrared port lets you beam data to other IR-equipped units.

All of the many features of the S105 are easily accessed via the phone's simple navigation interface. An oval-shaped four-position button is used for scrolling, and soft keys to the left and right allow for selection or cancellation/return to a previous menu. There is also a volume button on the side and a headphone jack for the hands-free ear microphone (included). For those times when you're stuck at the airport, there are three full-color games loaded on the S105. Of these, we like My Pet (you have to see it).

Many of us want, even crave, the most futuristic devices, even ones that will provoke the curiosity and admiration of friends. To this end, the Samsung S105 should be the perfect choice. It's a spectacular instrument that does the basic work of a cell phone--and much more--in grand fashion. The S105 has it all and never disappoints. --John Bosch

Pros:

• - Overall design
• - Large, color LCD screen
• - Variety and functionality of features
• - Animated graphics

Cons:

• - No light on external LCD