You just got back from the store with your brand new cellphone, a Samsung Solstice, but where do you go from here? It has a couple of cool features, such as voice dialing and built in social networking widgets, but it lacks the keyboard of the Impression. What do you want to change about your new Solstice?
ProtectionScreen protectors are a good idea for anyone getting a new touchscreen phone. Gadgetguard, InvisibleShield, and a few other companies make very tough (keys won't scratch it) protectors for this phone. Gadgetguard sells their protectors on their website as well as on ebay for a discount. I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting anything more than a SCREEN protector for the Solstice, as the back is already textured, and likely will not show scratches, but this is a personal decision, so if you want it, go for it.
Cases are also available for the Solstice. I personally use a Naztech Regent, which is a belt clip type. The longer the phone is out, the more you are likely to see in the realm of cases. As this is a non-slider phone, there may also be flip cases available. Cases, however, are not essential for everyone. A good screen protector and a separated pocket in a pair of pants or a purse should be sufficient for protecting the phone.
StorageA
MicroSD card is also a good investment with this phone. The internal memory is not sufficient for more than ringtones, and MicroSD cards are getting really cheap nowdays. I would recommend a site like Buy.com or Amazon.com, but a quick Froogle search will certainly also do the trick. The Solstice supports MicroSDHC cards of just about any size. 8GB cards have been confirmed to work. Of course, smaller non-HC cards will also work.
ConnectivityYou will probably want to buy a
syncing cable, as the Solstice does not ship with one. You can get a really cheap cable from
HERE or
HERE. The Solstice also has Bluetooth and can connect with handsfree devices or your computer with this protocol.
Once you have a cable, you have really opened up your possibilities. You can simply use it to sync with
Samsung's "New PC Studio" software, or if you are feeling a little more adventurous, it can be used to install games, cool applications, and media from ringtones to movies.
ApplicationsLets go into a few of these in a little more detail. Game and app installs are fairly easy, though there is a catch with some of Samsung's phones. Applications are not given full access to all the capabilities of the phone unless the phone thinks they are pre-installed apps. Games can be downloaded from the web and then goatbroken (named after the creator of the process, Agoattamer), or they can be installed on the phone using the data cable and initialized using the master key. Both methods do essentially the same thing. The instructions for installing applications can be found
here.
Ringtones and MediaRingtones are a tricky business. There is a limit on ringtone size hard coded into the system, but a sneaky workaround exists to use whatever ringtone you want. You only have to install a small version of the ringtone and then overwrite it with the full version after setting it as your ringtone.
MediaThe Solstice can handle many music formats, and a few good video formats. The exact limits on its playback capabilities are not yet known. The best method, however, for getting media onto the Solstice is using the Mass Storage mode in the USB settings in conjunction with a USB cable. I say this method is the best, as it is the fastest way to transfer media onto the device aside from using a Microsd card reader.
If anyone has any suggestions for things to include on this guide, you can post them here or pm me. This guide was written from scratch, but links may take you to other information and guides made by others. Thanks alot, and happy calling...PS: The Samsung Solstice was rated one of the best phones for low radiation output, so don't worry too much about growing a third ear from using it.
