SoftBank Samsung 707SC review!

It is with great pleasure that I get to review the crown jewel of my collection and my most prized phone. This is NOT Shanzhai garbage, this is a TRUE Japanese phone.

SoftBank is a provider in Japan, along with KDDI and DoCoMo, amongst others. Keitai phones such as my 707SC are tailor-made for a specific provider.

Keitai phones can be used on different networks (exception to this rule are KDDI phones, they use a TOTALLY DIFFERENT network architecture, their own version of HSPA called FOMA). My 707SC, for example, supports GSM 900/1800/1900, so it is compatible in North America. It also has HSPA, but only 2100MHz, which is the frequency Japan/Europe uses for their 3G.

Using a Keitai on a different network of course requires removing the SIM lock. SoftBank phones also must be Multimedia-unlocked to use the camera, multimedia player and so on. Some models will require an HyperSIM to work. My 707SC did not require the HyperSIM, as a matter of fact the phone couldn't latch on to the network with the HyperSIM present. I removed it, put the SIM back in, and poof, instant network connection.

Formfactor: Clamshell. The 707SC is even thinner than my piece of shit RAZR V3, but a little taller.

Screen: 240*320, 262,144 (or 18-bit) colors. The screen is clear and crisp, and readability in the sun is not an issue. There is also a small OLED display that shows time, signal strength, and battery.

Signal: Like I said, the 707SC supports GSM 1900 in North America. The phone performed superbly on the Rogers network, and apart from known network deadzones, the 707SC latched on the network and didn't let go.

Sound/call quality: Again, I am amazed at just how superior European and Japanese GSM phones are. The 707SC sounds clear and crisp and is immune to the background buzz that I can clearly hear with older phones. Call volume was loud aplenty, and I had no problems hearing or being heard.

Battery life: Roughly a week, the 707SC is NOT a smartphone and therephone is not a battery hog unlike my CrackBerry which must be charged every two days tops.

Camera: 2MP, and the lens is rotative. You can easily switch to self-shots to regular shots just by rotating the lens. Pictures are very good, but the lack of flash makes night shots a little tougher.

Memory: The phone has 130MB of internal memory but no microSD card. No big deal, my CrackBerry does the job as a music player just fine.

The bottom line: The 707SC looks different than anything else out there, and it is a solid phone to boot. The lack of a full keyboard is a slight annoyance, but I have a feeling my use of SMS will wither and die.

Final score: 10/10. The wave of Android, iShit, WinBlows and all those uber-blinged out will turn their noses at the 707SC, but they don't know jackshit on just how much better my Keitai is. I freaking love this phone, and I have no problem kissing my BlackBerry adios. I am getting tired of having to run to the nearest window to hold the damn signal and not have my call drop.

Again, I freaking love this phone. This is the crown jewel of my collection because of it's different looks and rarity. This phone stands out from the rest, and I like it that way.