Samsung B2100 Solid Extreme Sim Free Unlocked Mobile Phone (Black/Red)

This phone replaced my Nokia 5500, because its keypad completely split. No danger of this happening with the Samsung, which is very well put together.
(btw, I should say that the phone sent was the black/grey version rather than the black/red one advertised)
You are unlikely to have come across this phone at random (there's nothing on the Samsung mobile UK site) and are probably looking for a phone that can be mistreated and abused without a problem.
The 2100 (also known as Solid Extreme) certainly fits the bill.

I have had the phone a couple of weeks now & am happy to give it a decent review.

Good things:
- It is a terrific tough phone, dustproof & waterproof to 1m
- I've dropped it a few times, no damage at all
- It has a bright, single LED torch, v useful
- The software is quick, very nice user interface (this is the first Samsung I have owned in years).

Not so good things
- The memory is small; buy a decent MicroSD card if you want to store lots of music/ images/ video
- The Samsung PC Studio suite does not work with my bluetooth laptop, so transferring music files is laborious, and has to be done one at a time using Vista's software
- The battery life monitor is erratic; sometimes it says there is a low battery (no bars), but when you restart it has 4 bars. The battery life *is* very good though, lasting 5 days+ if on standby (I am a low call user)
- Whilst on the train, the phone kept dropping calls, which i had not noticed previously with the Nokia
- There is no UK support for this phone on the Samsung Mobile website, so once you've got it, you are pretty much on your own

However, the minor niggles do not detract from the overall rating of the phone - it's hard as nails, easy to use & call quality is good.
If you want a toughphone with a good balance of features, this is it. A big recommend.

I bought this phone mainly because it's waterproof and can take a few knocks. I have three dogs that I walk in all weathers and previously with my Nokia 8800 I never took it if the weather was really bad for fear of ruining it. I still have the Nokia which I use for work, but for all social activity this is the phone I take. It's lightweight, has a superb battery life and has most of the features that many contempary mobiles offer. I have put an 8gb micro SD card in which is great for listening to MP3's while I'm walking and also loaded a few movies in case I ever again get stuck on public transport and then delayed for almost two hours!
The camera is OK but limited, which does not really bother me as if I go on holiday I take a proper camera.
The extra feature that is not offered by most mobiles is the torch (flashlight). I don't know about you but whenever I really need a torch I can't find one and if I do, chances are the battteries are dead! The torch on this is really good and I'm sure will be very useful.
I live in a rural area and the reception for some mobiles I've owned has been very poor. I have found the Samsung to be very good and have not yet dropped a call or had anyone say that they couldn't get through.
Why five stars? Simply because of the range of features,design and cost. I think for most day to day uses this will be hard to beat!

My son bought one of these as a practical phone to carry when cycling, running etc. If you want a mobile that's tougher than a normal phone, then this is a good one. I've marked it down 1 star due to lack of 3.5mm socket for headphones (it has a Samsung propriatory connector) and lack of USB connectivity.

I have been using this phone for about a month now and it certainly is very tough. I am a Paramedic and outdoor enthusiast, so my phone gets abused. No matter what I have put it through it is as prisitine as the day I unboxed it.

You shouldn't buy this phone if you want top-of-the-line features.
It's not going to win any techy awards. That being said, it does have some decent functions.

THE GOOD:
Phone - good reception, good battery life, nice loud ringer, good sound on calls, excellent speakerphone, bright display and back-lit keypad.

1.3 Megapixel Camera - decent pictures, but no flash.

Radio - Great reception & sound quality.

MP3 Player - nicely laid out, easy to use. I have an 8GB MicroSD full of tunes and it does really well.

Flashlight with dedicated button -- probably my favourite feature. It is surprisingly bright but has come on twice in my pocket when I forgot to lock the kaypad.

Email - not great for replying, of course, but you can tell it how often to check your emails and have them download to your phone -- or just the headers.

THE NOT SO GOOD:
Speed dial bug: despite having dad's mobile stored as speed dial 2, when you press speed dial 2 the phone seems to randomly pick which number of dad's to call. Sometimes home. Sometimes work. Sometimes mobile. Waiting to hear from Samsung for a fix.

WAP broswer - it's just rubbish. Very slow and almost impossible to use. Despite my 8gb card, get out of memory errors all the time.

Games - don't bother. It will take java apps and games but I have yet to find a good one that works. Did get google talk working on it, but it's very difficult to txt-chat.

Customization - it has an option to edit your own coulour profile but it is very limited, I haven't tried the Samsung PC software because I'm a MAC/Linux user, but that may have more options.

CONCLUSION:
Again, this isn't a phone for people who like to "trick out" their phones. As a phone it is excellent. The radio, mp3 player, flashlight, and email are handy additions to make life a bit easier but aren't out to compete with the top-of-the-line phones out there. However, immerse one of those phones in a puddle of bloody vomit for 10 minutes and see if it still works after a rinse under the tap. The B2100 does.

I cant recommend this phone highly enough to anyone who wants a basic rugged phone.

Looks and feels great, torch and lanyard hole are nice features as well.