Samsung SCH-i730 (Verizon Wireless)

Summary: I own a XV6600 and I bought this Samsung i730 phone for my wife. After using it for a couple weeks we both have an opinion on it. My wife (certified cellphone killer) loves it and sofar it has survived her usage. In two weeks she has dropped it twice. Once while grabbing the baby it flew several feet to land on concrete and it still works fine! I would not recommend his test though

For starters the i730 is an awesome phone. The size is just right, and fits perfectly in your hand. It has a solid combination of unbeatable features such as broadband to 680kbps, wifi, bluetooth, among others. You will really appreciate the broadband speed. Try www.logmein.com and you can access your desktop pc from your tiny i730!

The processor at 520 mhz is plenty fast and smoothly runs even larger video files. Pictures come crisp and clean and it has stereo speakers which play music and your ringtones loud and clear. Where the XV6600 has a laughable ringer, the i730 is much louder especially when you choose the right ringtone.

The keyboard rocks!!! It has a smooth tactile feature and is a million times better than the keyboard on my xv6600. It slides out from the underside as I am sure you i730 enthusiasts are aware of. I used to think the blackberry keyboards were the best in the business for usability until I tried this.

This phone kills the Treo's. Dead and buried, put to rest. The only reason a Treo user would try this phone and go back is because they are not used to the interface. It's just like PC and Mac users. PC users almost never convert to Mac and vice versa. Palm users like things simple. But to all you palm and Treo users out there... TRY THIS... Make a phone call while simultaneously typing a message to a friend and making calculations in an Excel sheet. Can't do it can ya? How about typing in a Word doc while listening to an MP3 or watching a video? How about downloading an 8Meg data file, while simultaneously checking email... flash over send a text message... you get the point.

Palm users trade a simple operating system for the truly powerful multitasking that Pocket PC users have enjoyed for years. I have used Palm units and treos. I find them simply nauseating to use. Open one function, close another.... And the Treo screens are very fragile when compared to the standard Pocket PC.

The i730 in colloquial slang terms is dope, its the bomb, its the shiznit... its off the hook.... its hype.

Little things stand out.... Because the phone is so small you would think it would also have a baby little stylus. It has a unique 'telescoping' stylus that pulls out to twice its length.

Phone comes with slim battery and extended battery and extra stylus. It comes with a decent holster which is actually pretty good considering the burlap sack joke of a holster I got with my XV6600. Use the i730 holster and do not be tempted to use Verizon's lambskin case. It will last three weeks and rip open wasting your $25. This happened to three people I know including me.

All keys and functions are laid out well. The only thing that prevents me from running out this minute and getting one for me to compliment the one I got for my wife is I kinda like the big gorgeous screen on my XV6600 even though my phone is a juggernaut compared to hers. I may switch in a few months but for now I will see how things go.

Now for the only bad things I can point out so far....

The desktop charger is the worst I have ever seen. The only good thing is it charges both batteries at the same time. One in the phone and one on the charger. The bad thing is it has absolutely no support for the phone. You have to angle push the phone in... down and back to get it to connect which is a haphazard affair. Those of you who have the phone know what I am talking about. Many times I put it in the charger and it will connect and then fall out of the charger onto the table. That is very frustrating. The solution... Well the jerry-rig I should say.... Mount the charger next to your monitor. You can use the monitor to prop the phone up so it won't fall out of the charger, kind of like leaning against a wall so you don't fall down.

Other bad things.... the phone cannot use multiple services at the same time. You can't use the phone while surfing. You can't call while using wifi. This doesn't bother me particularly but it is an issue. I see the maufacturer's at having 'cheaped out' on the consumer because the XV6600 shares this limitation. Surfing while calling requires two transmitters and that costs money.... A Motorola RAZR can surf while calling but not at broadband speeds for instance... Ah, the tradeoffs....

But I see these flaw as very minor in contrast to what the phone can do. You will enjoy the phone if you do your research before buying....

Some more advice... Buy this phone from Verizon store directly or online from Verizon. Do not try to buy it from auction sites such as ebay. 1 out of 2 phones for sale are just con artists. I bought my wifes i730 from Verizon and when I looked to ebay I discovered a lot of swindlers and decided if I did want the phone to get it from Verizon too, even if I have to pay extra.

Thats all... I hope the review was helpful.