Add to Google   Google Reader

Samsung Shift a177 Prepaid GoPhone (AT&T) with $50 Airtime Credit


 
Customer Rating: Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5Average rating of 4.0/5   Reviews   Send to a Friend

Availability: . *Eligible orders over $25 ship free.

 

add to cart not available

Features
  • Easy-to-use messaging phone with full QWERTY keyboard--includes $50 airtime credit with AT&T's GoPhone service
  • Pay for just the minutes you use with no annual contract--easy refill via Internet or prepaid cards
  • VGA camera for still photos; Bluetooth for handsfree devices; personal organizer tools; access to popular instant messaging services
  • Up to 5 hours of talk time, up to 240 hours (10 days) of standby time
  • What's in the Box: handset, battery, charger, quick reference guide, user manual


Related Items
 
Video Product Reviews
View Video Reviews

Editorial Reviews
Heavy on functionality and light on the budget, the Samsung A177 boasts a full QWERTY keyboard so you can express yourself through text messaging, mobile email and instant messaging. And, with one-touch messaging, you can share the latest news with your crew starting with the press of a single key. And with AT&T's GoPhone pay-as-you-go service, you pay for just the minutes you use without having to sign up for an annual contract--this phone even comes with $15 of airtime included. You can easily refill your minutes via prepaid cards or the Internet, or choose to prepay each month and roll over unused minutes. Other features include a VGA camera for still photos, Bluetooth for handsfree devices, 50 MB of internal user-accessible memory, personal organizer tools, and up to 5 hours of talk time.



With AT&T's GoPhone service, you pay for just the minutes you use with no annual contract.
AT&T GoPhone Service
AT&T's pay-as-you-go GoPhone plans are wireless plans made easy. Simply pay in advance for what you need. No long-term contracts, credit checks, or surprise bills--just all the benefits of wireless, with no complications. In addition, AT&T's Rollover Balance feature lets you carry over your unused account balance when you purchase refill minutes before your balance expires. Other great features include no long distance or roaming fees across AT&T's national service area, the ability to track usage via text messages with an updated balance after each call, and the ability to refill your minutes 24-hours a day, 7-days a week. You can also cancel any time without penalty.

With the Pay As You Go option, you'll choose the rate plan that fits your needs and then start dialing. Your balance is lowered each time you make or receive a call or use services such as text messaging. You can then refill the minutes in your account via the Internet, using your phone (by calling 611 from your cell), or purchasing a pre-paid card in denominations up to $100.

With the Pick Your Plan option, you'll set up monthly, automatic payments with your credit/debit card or checking account. If you need to make more calls or you use up your balance during the month, just add minutes to your account at any time--you'll pay the same per-minute rate as your plan. You can buy more minutes in increments of $15 and $25 using your credit/debit card or checking account.

AT&T has also introduced a new $3 Unlimited calling plan, which charges you $3 per day for unlimited voice calls to anyone nationwide with no per-minute charges. The $3 per day fee is only charged on days when you make or receive a voice call, and the service does not require a deposit or long-term commitment.

Phone Features
The Samsung A177 messaging phone has a 2.2-inch LCD screen (220 x 176 pixels, 65K color depth), which sits atop a standard navigation pad that's complemented by send/end and soft navigation keys as well as a dedicated messaging key. The full QWERTY keyboard below the navigation area makes it easy to precisely type out email and text/instant messages while on the go, and it includes a dedicated camera key. The phone includes 64 MB of internal memory (approximately 50 MB user accessible), which cannot be expanded. The phonebook can store up to 500 contacts with support for multiple numbers per entry as well as photo/ringer ID and caller groups.

Handsfree communication is easy thanks to the integrated speakerphone. This phone also provides Bluetooth wireless connectivity, and includes profiles for communication headset, handsfree car kits, and file transfer.

You'll be able to stay in close contact with friends and family via both text (SMS) and picture (MMS) messaging, and this phone provides access to popular instant messaging services (including AIM, Yahoo!, and Windows Live) for fast, on-the-go conversations. Additionally, this phone also includes support for accessing personal email from POP3 and IMAP4 accounts. This handset includes built-in T9 predictive text entry technology, which makes it easier to enter words and text.

Other features include:

  • VGA digital camera (640 x 480 pixels) for still photos with 4x digital zoom
  • Organizer tools: alarm, calendar, memo book, clock, world time, currency converter, calculator
  • MP3 and 64-chord polyphonic ringtones plus vibrate mode
  • Digital audio player compatible with MP3 files
  • Downloadable games
  • Speakerphone

Vital Statistics
The Samsung A177 weighs 3.09 ounces and measures 4.29 x 2.32 x 0.47 inches. Its 800 mAh lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of talk time, and up to 240 hours of standby time. It runs on the 850/900/1800/1900 MHz GSM/GPRS/EDGE frequencies.

Spotlight Customer Reviews

Excellent for the price

Customer Rating: Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5Average rating of 4/5
This phone is sold via Amazon off-and-on using the AT&T service, but can also be found in local stores like Best Buy and Target (usually at a higher price, and usually only with a $30 airtime credit though).

For the price ($80 or less), it's a solid phone with a decent screen. TINY buttons, but I tend to "peck" with one finger as I text, so they were easy enough to get used to. The screen is medium resolution - certainly not an HD quality screen, but not cheap and grainy like on some other prepaid phones. Reception is decent on the AT&T network, and so far I've not lost a call, getting 2+ bars even indoors. The ear speaker does sound slightly "muffled" as though someone on the other end is talking through a thin cloth, but they're still understandable, and those taking to me say I'm coming in clearly. The camera is standard low-res VGA ( 640 x 480 pixels ) - good enough for emails, not good enough for prints. Battery life is decent-to-good.

One gripe is that there is no hole in the case where you can flip a wrist strap through, and being plastic, it's slightly slippery. I would suggest ordering a silicone or rubberized hard case to make it easier to grip. Another gripe would be AT&T's pricing plans for the gophones: Standard pay-as-you-go is 25-cents a minute plus 20-cents per text - EXPENSIVE when there are 10-cent services out there. Other plans charge $1 or $3 a day every day you use your phone which can add up, and the all you can use talk/text plan is $60 a month and does not include web use, so you'll pay the same as a contract phone to get unlimited talk. Still, you won't be under a contract and can switch phones as you like, so in that regard this may be the phone to use. Recommended so long as you're not comparing it to a $200 smart phone.

Crippled web browsing but nice phone for kids & seniors

Customer Rating: Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5Average rating of 2/5
You can't download or install google maps! You can get amazon mobile site and make calls. I suppose for the money - I paid $59 at Fry's for a phone with $50 airtime included - that it is a steal. The phone is definitely worth more than $9! Voice quality was great! I did give one of these as a Christmas present to a 57-year-old man who feels he is too poor to own a computer or cellphone and he is happy that he can check out amazon and do google searches for CHEAP! I think you get 100MB data for only $19.99 when you use $20 of your $50 to purchase a data feature plan!

Great smart phone

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
This phone works great, the cam is decent and the bult in imsave my life n.n the batter is very decent and i have ywt a complante a bout the phone

5 Stars? It should be 10 Stars!

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
I love this phone. I've been wanting a pay as you go cell phone with a mini typewriter/computer keyboard type keypad. It makes texting easier and faster. You don't have to press the number 2 key 3 times to make the letter C or the number 7 key 4 times to make the letter S. This phone has a loud earpiece/speaker. The part where you put your ear is also the speaker when you put it on speaker phone. It may look little but it's plenty loud enough. When I have mine on speaker I put the volume down to 5 and it's still loud enough for me. When I have it where I have to put it up to my ear, I keep the volume at 7. The 7 has nothing to do with the phone and everything to do with my hearing. Those are the volume levels I keep it at. You can adjust it and find the volume levels that work best for you. The ringer is also loud. I keep the ringer on mine set high as it'll go--7. With the ringer volume set at 7 I can hear this phone ring in another room. Now about the signal strength on this phone. I have 3 Motorola pay as you go phones, 2 use A T & T and the other uses Boost. They all 3 have crappy signals. I thought it might be Boost with the Boost phone but the 2 that use A T & T are almost as, if not as bad as the Boost phone when it comes to poor signal. Then I got this phone and I realized what the problem was: Motorola sucks. It's not Boost or A T & T, it's Motorola. I have yet to find a place where this phone has a crappy signal. Maybe I should try the mall. My Motorolas never would get enough signal to work in the mall. I even bought a signal booster for one of my Motorolas. Didn't help enough to count. I'd see other people walking around in the mall talking on their cell phones. I'd wonder how they did it. Now I know: They had good cell phones. This Samsung is a good cell phone. It must be part Timex. I've dropped mine a couple times since I bought it. If those 2 drops hurt it, I can't tell it. To me, it's still working as good as before I dropped it the first time. I'm gonna end this review with a rcommendation. If you want a good pay as you go phone or a good cell phone with a contract and monthly bill, then I highly recommend this phone.
5 stars is not enough.

Great basic texting phone

Customer Rating: Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5Average rating of 5/5
I'm very happy with the phone. It's slim, light, and attractive. A great phone if all you want to do is make calls and text.
Accessories

Product Details Battery Type: Lithium Ion
Binding: Wireless Phone
Brand: Samsung
Color: Black
Feature: Easy-to-use messaging phone with full QWERTY keyboard--includes $50 airtime credit with AT&T's GoPhone service
Label: Samsung
Manufacturer: Samsung
Model: A177
Publisher: Samsung
Release Date: 2009-04-30
Studio: Samsung

Popular Items




Payment Methods We Accept



In Association with Amazon.com