Cool calling

Uproar: Dial M for music

With Ed Curran, Technogadgets

(CNN) -- One of the great things about our wireless world is taking the office with you wherever you go.

One of the worst things about our wireless world is taking the office with you wherever you go.

That’s why it’s nice to find a wireless phone that mixes a little pleasure with business.

Sprint PCS launched the Samsung Uproar phone earlier this month and I found it to be an amusing little gadget. It’s the first wireless phone with a built-in MP3 player. And although this seems like nothing more than a novelty, it’s a pretty nice way to get away from the office when you’re away from the office.

As a wireless phone, the Uproar is no slouch. It does everything you’d expect from a good wireless, and more. It offers 140 hours of standby time, 3.3 hours of talk time, and it even does voice dialing.

Its squarish silver case is a little retro in its design, reminding me of the first portable AM radio I ever owned. I’m not saying that to be mean.

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	Does the Uproar's MP3-phone combo sound good to you? Like Sting on a brand new day, yeah, I'm telling Santa I want one. I don't know, Mr. Mathers -- will the real ultimate wireless device please stand up, please stand up, please stand up? No, I don't need one of those things, Stevie, I just called to say I love you. View Results

The design certainly sets it apart from the sea of black Nokia phones I see mounted on belts, dangling like so many punch-card chad in a Florida recount room. (Wow, this election stuff has really gotten to me.)

But this phone is not all work and no play.

When you need a break, all you have to do is press one button to access about an hour’s worth of high-quality MP3 music you’ve stored in the phone. All you do is pop in the ear buds and clip the tiny remote to your clothes.

Between the remote and your ears is a small microphone. Let’s say you’re walking down the street, listening to Kid Rock (or Tony Bennett), when a call comes in. A gentle ringing in your headphones alerts you, you reach up, press one button on the remote and answer your phone, hands-free.

When you’re done all you do is press the same button and pick up the music exactly where you left off. Making a call is just about as easy and Samsung’s voice-dial feature is a great feature to have.

The Samsung Uproar is a fun little $400 phone. You can make your phone calls, take your phone calls and listen to your music. But with everything Samsung managed to get into this phone, I can’t believe they didn’t include music-on-hold.

Ed Curran has covered the world of high-tech for more than a dozen years and is the publisher of Technogadgets® -- www.technogadgets.com In addition to his weekly column here at CNN.com/career, watch for Curran's reports on CNN television.

Sprint PCS Phone -- Samsung Uproar

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