When Phones Were Fun: Samsung Ultra Music / Samsung UpStage (2007)

[WHEN PHONES WERE FUN: SAMSUNG UPSTAGE / SAMSUNG ULTRA MUSIC]

In the world of vintage tech reviews, it just doesn’t get any more 2007 than the opening sentence of PhoneScoop’s Samsung UpStage Review: “What if you flipped your mp3 player over only to find a cell phone on the other side?”

When Sprint announced this credit-card-sized curiosity in March of that year, the “music phone” category was already firmly established. My first dumbphone with an mp3 player was Nextel’s i870, released about a year and a half prior – around the same time Sony Ericsson’s famous Walkman phones took off (and Motorola’s infamous ROKR line failed to do the same). But it was Samsung, as usual, that took the concept to the brink of the absurd, dividing the two functions across the two faces of what globally it called the “Samsung Ultra Music” – and what we in the States would come to know as the Samsung UpStage.

Join MrMobile for a trip back to 2007 as we re-review this one-of-a-kind two-faced music phone in the latest episode of When Phones Were Fun: Samsung UpStage / Samsung Ultra Music!

[SPECIAL THANKS]

Alvaro Agraz [Instagram]:

[SUBSCRIBE TO MRMOBILE]

[ABOUT WHEN PHONES WERE FUN – SAMSUNG ULTRA MUSIC / SAMSUNG UPSTAGE]

This is the eleventh in a series of MrMobile videos exploring the mobile tech world's most vibrant period in design and experimentation. In “When Phones Were Fun,” Michael Fisher re-reviews cellphones from the golden age of mobile, the decade-long span from the turn of the century to approximately 2009.

When Phones Were Fun: Episode 11 features a Samsung Ultra Music F300 on loan from Alvaro Agraz, and a Samsung UpStage M620 purchased by MrMobile / Future plc. With the exception of the sponsor Yubico, no company paid a fee or otherwise offered compensation in exchange for this coverage, nor did any company preview or approve this content before publication.

[LINKS]

Samsung UpStage Review [PhoneScoop]:

Samsung Brings Ultra Music To Sprint As UpStage [PhoneScoop]:

All-TIME 100 Gadgets: Samsung Uproar [TIME]:

Sprint announces Samsung UpStage, 99 cent songs over the air [Engadget]:

Stickiness: The Insulting Reality of Rubber Reversion [Polymer Solutions]:

[SOCIALIZE]

[DISCLOSURES]

#samsungupstage #samsungultramusic #samsungultra #sprint #oldphones #oldtech #tech #vintagephones #oldphones #whenphoneswerefun #samsungf300 #samsungm620 #samsung #ad #YubiSafe #YubiKey #2FA

[humourclass]

"When Gs were 3 and accessories were free" best lines from Michael.

[charliesmash]

Michael is crushing the 2000’s nostalgia.

[dushyantdk]

Thank you Alvaro for letting this video happen.

[ianpineda]

As a Mexican I never thought I would ever see the Telcel logo on a Mr mobile video

[FokaColt]

I have a complex project due in 2 days but this seems more important.

[thebasketballhistorian]

2:45 My mind is always blown when a YouTube Tech Reviewer Cinematic Universe crossover happens, lol.

[always.elevate]

The Sony-Ericsson Walkman phone is still my favorite phone I’ve ever had

[Jfigureitout]

I can’t get enough of this series ! The nostalgia is real

[srikarsharmasadhu]

It's nice to see Jaime and Michael in the same frame!

[LambertxMc]

My gf is over here going crazy over your “...accessories were free” bars lol

[ThierryTiramisu]

1:26 "Apple would upstage the Samsung Upstage". There's a rumor that Samsung has been plotting its revenge ever since :)

[LolingStaz]

I remember my dad who was head of Samsung Mexico at the time trying to sell these. They were primarily to compete LG phones that were very popular in Mexico at the time. Thnx for bring this memory to me! I was eagerly waiting for the day to see this phone reviewed!

[BobBuildsBrix]

THE quote of 2020: "Don't shake my hand, how dare you!"

[KMreview]

Michael, this device is the best hybrid of mp3 player and cell phone.

[chiragpatil]

Great review. Never knew that this thing existed. Keep these vintage phones coming.

[CesarIkari]

When I started watching this, I was going insane. My dad still owns that red variant (we're from Mexico City) and he still has the box, battery-cover and still works to this day. In fact, he even want so give it to some kids in order to play with it. It when from an MP3/phone to a toy in 13 years.

[tonysebastianukpo]

I have this! Still one of my favourite phones from back in the day, still working great, battery case and all (no liquidation for me haha). This series is such a breath of fresh air, I used to be so into phone design and the various efforts at futurism, fashion and minimalism the phone companies used to play around with back then. And they make great semi dumb phones today too. Thanks for digging this one up

[omarsalam]

Everytime someone watches this " when phones were fun " series, an angel gets his wings.

[ericokompatzki]

Jaime Rivera in a Michael Fisher's video: a blast from the past in a review which is a blast from the past itself

[markc]

This was my third phone to own but My First COOL & FUN phone to use. So many Complements & Questions from people about my phone back then. I actually owned this phone Twice b/c I lost it or was pickpocketed while in the Club, I owned it in Red and then Black. That battery pack it came with was really helpful b/c I used it as my daily Music Listening Device combined with my Wireless Headphones which lasted All day for me. That was the start for me when I Stoped using my iPod to listen to music b/c the phone was able to hold All my Music 3, 000+ songs All on an SD Card. Not to mention the Photos it took weren’t that bad as long as you were in good lighting.
Just an Awesome Cool Fun phone to Own/Use during those times.