Samsung a867 Eternity now in AT&T stores, ready to take you to the great beyond

by Chris Ziegler, posted Nov 13th 2008 at 1:52PM

The TouchWiz onslaught is now officially in full force, with Samsung's SGH-a867 Eternity now starting to find its way into AT&T stores across the lands to match its Behold and Delve cousins. It's running $149.99 on contract after rebate, bringing MediaFLO, a full-face touchscreen, HSDPA, 3-megapixel cam, AT&T Navigator, and pretty much everything else you could hope for out of a high-end non-smartphone, so if the 6650 isn't pushing your buttons (nor the Vu), maybe this'll do something for ya.

Filed under: Handsets, Samsung, ATT, GSM, EDGE, HSDPA, UMTS

Tags: a867, att, eternity, samsung, touchwiz

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Matt @ Nov 13th 2008 2:12PM

I will never understand the appeal of Mobile TV.

Neutral

Ryan C @ Nov 13th 2008 2:35PM

It's launching tomorrow with the Nokia 6650.

Highest Ranked

MiaCane @ Nov 13th 2008 2:52PM

I purchased this yesterday. Im quite impressed with this phone. The UI is great, the QWERTY is amazing, no complaints about the phone. Now, ATT has some issues. This phone is so new, it wasnt in their system when i called them about MMS issues. ATT customer service knows little to nothing about this phone and diagnosing it was a bit of a pain, but i was lucky enough to run into a CS agent who loved phones and actually knew about them. I dont use the TV application, but the video service is being rolled into the unlimited data package and that will get some use in the future. overall, a very nice phone.

Neutral

palehorse @ Nov 13th 2008 2:54PM

Where did you hear/read that the video service would become part of the unlimited data service?

Neutral

ref @ Nov 13th 2008 2:56PM

miacane,

does the phone feel nice and hefty in the hands like the iphone? i went to the att store yesterday and the eternity felt somewhat cheap in the hands compared to the iphone.....

Neutral

Skrying @ Nov 13th 2008 2:59PM

If that's true about the TV server into unlimited data plan then this phone would have become a LOT more tempting.

Also, does the phone have a 3.5mm headphone jack or no?

Neutral

MiaCane @ Nov 13th 2008 3:08PM

the phone does have a 3.5 jack, yet curiously no cover to keep dust out, minor detail.

CV video service is being rolled into the unlimited data, not the TV. in florida it is not part of the unlimited $35 package. This was speaking directly to ATT employees.

this phone has a nice heft to it and to me, doesnt feel cheap at all. the Vu felt extremely cheap, even moreso compared to this.

i just wanted a good multimedia phone ( web/text/pic/video) and was actually concidering the quickfire as the options were limited. This phone, sofar, well worth the $150 pricetag. it also has a proximity sensor and turns off the screen when you are on a phonecall.

Neutral

John @ Nov 13th 2008 3:21PM

How are the call quality and battery life on it?

Neutral

MiaCane @ Nov 13th 2008 3:33PM

This phone also has excellent call quality as well. i have yet to test the battery on how long it lasts as the first full charge was last night. Im still tesing other things, but im extremely happy.

another downfall to having such a new phone is the lack of accessories. A gel skin, screen protector, data cable all would be welcome for me. they will come out in time, but all purchases i would have made instantly.

Neutral

DREWSKY56 @ Nov 13th 2008 4:18PM

can you get the $15 a month unlimited data plan on this phone if so, does that include CV?
Does the camera have flash? does camera still take good pics?

Highly Ranked

Skrying @ Nov 13th 2008 4:35PM

Thanks a ton for the details MiaCane. This sounds like the perfect phone for me. I've been holding onto my upgrade now for two months waiting for the perfect media phone. This sounds like it will finally meet my needs and even some extras (MediaFlo for instance). I didn't want a full smart phone nor the extra monthly cost of the required data plans. Once again, thanks for the answers!

Neutral

MiaCane @ Nov 13th 2008 4:38PM

good pictures, no flash.

As far as CV video is concerned, im pretty sure its only included in the $35 media works bundle . and coming to florida soon.

Neutral

MiaCane @ Nov 13th 2008 4:46PM

@skyring

ive been doing the exact same thing and waiting with my upgrade and im sofar glad i jumped in. this phone is everything i needed. i really wanted the Fuze or Bold, but it was just more than i needed at the time as far as features and price are concerned.

Neutral

chase @ Nov 13th 2008 5:28PM

I have also been waiting but i have been waiting for a very long time (1 year at least lol). I am coming from the nokia 6102 (not even the version that came out with bluetooth). I think almost anything is going to be amazing to me. I havent seen anything that has come to AT&T that thrilled me so i have waited and waited. This may be my first upgrade since i joined AT&T lol.

Neutral

7on @ Nov 13th 2008 3:09PM

How is this different to the Behold, other than carrier differences?

Neutral

chase @ Nov 13th 2008 3:10PM

yes, it has a 3.5 mm jack on the right side of the phone i believe. At least the manual on samsung's website said it did. I have a Question about the battery times it states it has. I was wondering what the rated talk and standby times on it are? thanks

Neutral

Bryan @ Nov 13th 2008 3:27PM

I picked up my Samsung Eternity Tuesday night, and I love it. I had an IPhone 3G, but got sick of the $30/month data plan, and the LG Vu felt cheap and didn't work that well.

I couldn't be happier with the Eternity. Camera is great (3MP), landscape qwerty keyboard for texting (along with handwriting). I get 4-5 Bars in the 3G+ network, where with my Moto Z9, I got about 2-4 bars on 3G.

UI works very well, with haptic feedback (adjustable intensity, or off if you don't want it on), mobile tv looks pretty sharp (I have the 30 day trial).

Battery has lasted me since I bought it. Haven't charged it all the way. So my guess is 2-3 days? (depending on usage)

I'd give it a 4.5/5. Definitely worth the $150.

Neutral

chase @ Nov 13th 2008 3:33PM

hmm that all sounds really good. I am gonna def check this phone out.

Neutral

Andy @ Nov 13th 2008 3:39PM

How is the Speaker Phone Quality and how much is the data plane cost NO WIFI att SUCKS !!!!

Neutral

Andy @ Nov 13th 2008 3:40PM

Can any one tell if it has WIFI ? Can you brows internet like a Iphone or HTC FUZE

Neutral

MiaCane @ Nov 13th 2008 3:34PM

No Wi-Fi. Has 3g.

Neutral

Doug @ Nov 13th 2008 3:43PM

Amazon has the Eternity for $49.99, but requires a PDA plan. Is this a misprint or just a strange requirement for the Amazon pricing? It doesn't really make sense, as this isn't a pda/smart phone...

Neutral

SkyKing @ Nov 13th 2008 3:51PM

How good is the web browsers..

Neutral

SkyKing @ Nov 13th 2008 4:26PM

@ DREWSKY56

yes, $15 data plan is good enough since this isn't a PDA or smartphone....no CV with the $15 plan, u can get it by adding additional $15....i don't know about flash and other stuff since i'll get this phone this weekend.

Neutral

Shimmyx20 @ Nov 13th 2008 4:57PM

The $15 Unlimited Media Net plan does include CV, as does the $30 PDA personal package, and the $30 Blackberry personal package (enterprise versions of those plans could add CV for extra). The Media Max 200 and Media Max Unlimited bundles also include CV.

Neutral

Ben @ Nov 13th 2008 4:57PM

Ha anyone checked the SAR rating on this phone. I would love to pick it up, but if its anything like the VU, I'll pass

Neutral

KB @ Nov 13th 2008 5:55PM

full 170+ page pdf user manual at this link:

http://downloadcenter.samsung.com/content/UM/200810/20081030012522500/att_a867_eternity_ug.pdf

Neutral

Fidget @ Nov 13th 2008 6:27PM

Just went and bought it. So far so good. Great UI

Neutral

SkyKing @ Nov 13th 2008 6:48PM

just got back from the store...WTF...it's mobile web browser, not one like Iphone or even Vu...waited for months and it came up freaking SHORT for me.

Neutral

Myke @ Nov 13th 2008 7:01PM

Are you serious? The phone doesnt have an full HTML browser? I may have to check it out for myself because if that is true, that will be a total let down.

Check out this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVaPCpX8Sqo

The owner in the video says that the phone can get to YouTube so hopefully he's telling the truth. I'll look for myself tomorrow. PEACE!

Neutral

michael @ Nov 13th 2008 9:04PM

if you want a full HTML browser, just download opera. it's a great program for full HTML browsing.

this looks like a neat phone. if i hadn't upgraded to the BJ2 i would check this out!

Neutral

Fidget @ Nov 13th 2008 9:29PM

I have been messing around with the phone for a lil bit now and i havent been able to do much. I have tried to add a ringtone that i had on my tilt and it is saying that it is to big. The UI and the widgets is a great feature. I still think this phone could have been alot better. I would like to check out the real omnia and see what that is like.

Neutral

chase @ Nov 13th 2008 11:57PM

what do you think could be better?

Neutral

Rudo @ Nov 14th 2008 11:41AM

I got this phone yesterday, and so far I love it. Just some quick comments before I go play with it some more.

The screen is great, very quick to the touch. The browser seems to work fine so far. It auto rotates and will go full screen. I've also installed the latest opera mini. It works great! You can even use the landscape view qwerty for entering web addresses. You can set the phone to only ask once to access the web when you start opera mini (nice to not be nagged). Now, about that qwerty.....it works very well. For texting, the landscape keyboard is the best I've used, I can type on it fast with my thumbs and it is very accurate. I will definatey enjoy texting with this.

Overall I really like this phone, and yes, I get CV included in my 15$ a month media net plan.

Neutral

SkyKing @ Nov 14th 2008 1:54PM

Opera Mini work? wow, i'll 100% will get this PHONE!!

Neutral

Taz @ Nov 26th 2008 2:29PM

Hi and thanks for your comment. How did you install the Opera Mini on your Eternity?

Neutral

Fidget @ Nov 14th 2008 10:23PM

Chase......I recently had the tilt untill it fell in the sink. But I think this and any other phone could be more customized. So far i dont think its has lived up to all the hype. I just wished it was the omnia and had windows 6.1. I might check out the fuze or wait untill xpira comes out.

Neutral

Lazarey @ Nov 16th 2008 1:02AM

Can anyone tell me if the Eternity can record a sound and use that recorded sound as a ring tone?

Neutral

KilgoreTrout @ Nov 17th 2008 6:24AM

I just got myself a Samsung i900 Omnia and as far as I can see (apart for my omnia's 5mpx camera) it's absolutely identical to this Eternity.
Until last week I had an HTC touch pro for a couple of weeks and I simply hated it's UI, so much so that I gave up also my order for the HTC HD and got this omnia instead.
I really like the phone and it's UI and I will certainly be able to live and work with it, (at least for the 6 months of my contract) but I simply could'nt belive that Samsung in such a high end and feature packed handset forgot to add a very useful and common place app like voice dialing.
Nowadays voice tags are found even in cheap phones, I was so sure to find it on the Omnia that I did'nt even check for it. Big mistake.
I wander if this Eternity has got the feature or if it is lacking in all Samsung phones.
Since the Omnia is running win moble 6.1 I guess that if this eternity has the app it could be implanted in the Omnia too, otherways I can still hope that someone ( maybe Samsung itself) would soon develop a voice dialing app for it.
Or what?