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"It's More than a Phone!" on by ktkane2006
Pros: WM5, AKU2.6., Excellent Voice Quality, Solid Feel, It Works!
Cons: Heavy, requires ext life battery, user interface takes getting used to
Summary: Let's face it, this isn't a phone. It really is a mobile intelligent terminal (MIT) that has great phone/voice capabilities. After being a Treo 600, 650 and 700P user, it took some getting used to (to transition from the treo User Interface to the WM5 UI). But as a true mobile tool for a business professional, it's outstanding! Voice quality is great. Speaker phone is loud and clear, internal Mic and Speaker are clear as well. Easy to hear in noisy environment.
There are tricks to getting the most out of the menu's... worth spending an evening or two to investigate and create quick button menu access to your favorite tools.
Spb NewsReader: don't even bother. This news reader (doesn't come with phone but just HAVE to tell you this) is NOT updated to work with this phone, causes root reformatting after hanging the phone. Other readers work fine.
Screen is quite bright (no pda is that great in the sun, this one is up to par with the rest). Touch Screen very accurate and forgiving.
Active Sync 4.2 comes with it, setup quite easily. Works nicely. I setup other POP/SMTP accounts using the default outlook messaging app on the phone, works great! I was worried when I was giving up my snappermail (palm) for this... but my fears weren't justified. No problems at all.
Battery Life: not sure what Samsung uses to measure battery life... with GPS turned off (don't worry, even off it turns on for 911 calls), Blue Tooth turned off (when not using BT headset which by the way works GREAT! I use the Palm BT Headset/ear bud and everything works wonderfully... including voice recognition/command)... and having screen 1/2 dimmed, I get about 3 hours max talk time before recharge needed. In all fairness, I do a lot of activesync over bluetooth... I may switch to dual USB/Charge cable accessory (if I can find one that works.. tried Dr. Mobile's and it didn't).
Contacts Management AOK. Everything you can do in outlook you can do with this... same goes for calendar, tasks, notes, etc.
Get an SD Storage Card! I bought a 4Gbyte SD card for $149. Worth every penny.
Get SPRITE BACKUP. It works flawlessly! Have it backup to your SD card and tell it to put copy of sprite backup EXE on the card too. When the Spb RSS Reader hung the phone and causes Root Reformat, I recovered fully in under 4 minutes via Sprite Backup. Thank Goodness!
SafeStore is a FLASH RAM memory area on the phone. Good if you ran battery down to the ground and refused to shut off and lost volatile memory. But don't rely on SafeStore area... use Sprite Backup to backup to SD card. Far more flexible. And it Works!
Word, Excel, PowerPoint (pocket edition) work quite well. You can also do a SAVE AS to take a pocket edition version and save as a DOC, XLS, PPT file to email to someone's workstation address (or beam or BT it over). Again, no surprised. Works great. Table formatting stays with it. I haven't tried embedded images in word and excel but everything else works.
I use MindJet MindManager Pro vers 6 on desktop. Just installed MindJet Pocket version... oh my... works like a charm! Amazing horsepower in the hand.
It is heavy. Still looking for right case or clip to use. If you need Windows Mobile PPC that does everything you need, this is it. If you're an ex-treo user like me, pls remember: this is an MIT, not just a smart phone. Think of it as a micro-laptop. Keeping that perspective, you can't go wrong. Enjoy! -
"Best USA based International Smartphone" on by jimgriff
Pros: Full data access outside of the US, input with Transcriber, Picsel Browser
Cons: Bulky & heavy, short battery life, complicated to learn
Summary: I bought this phone to test during a recent trip through Southeast Asia. All of the CNET review points are accurate, including the cons but, if you need a full featured smartphone for international travel, there is none better than the IP-830w.
I did experience initial frustration with the battery life which was draining completely within an hour. I discovered that one has to manually configure the phone to shut off all unnecessary features, like Bluetooth, when not using them. I also found the Active Sync version of "push" email from my company's Exchange server was a huge battery drain. Changing the setting from "As arrives" to "manual" made a huge difference. (Although still somewhat dependent on my Blackberry, I am learning that one doesn't need to be THAT connected to anyone, even work, even your boss.)
Another tip. When traveling outside of the US and using the phone's GSM setting, configure all email accounts, including Active Sync Exchange server accounts, to download only headers or just a few kilobytes. Data throughput charges add up quickly when roaming outside the US.
Two other huge plusses for me are Transcriber and Picsel browser, both of which I have never used before this phone. Transcriber allows you to enter text as handwriting using the stylus anywhere on the touchscreen. The Transcriber software parses the handwritten text and converts it to typed text. This has turned out to be my text input method of choice.
Even though the slide out QWERTY keyboard is more cramped than the Treo, I find it easier to use than the Treo. Not sure why.
The Picsel browser is a huge improvement over the built in IE browser that comes with Windows Mobile 5.0. Web page downloads are faster and the pages can be zoomed in and out with a simple tap and stroke of the stylus. I also love the option for viewing a web page in one column which eliminates horizontal scrolling. And, unlike Mobile IE, you can quickly toggle the layout between portrait and landscape. This is first small device on which I actually enjoy web browsing.
While traveling, the phone registered cleanly on the appropriate available networks in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. I was able to check email and browse the web. I avoided any major data streaming out of fear of the shock of enormous data charges at the end of the month.
In summary, if you need a smart phone for travel outside of the US, this is it. If you need a smartphone for use within the US, the Treo or Q are probably better options.
If Samsung creates a future versions of this phone that is lighter, slightly smaller, and has built in WiFi, camera, and longer battery life (please, oh please!) it will be the perfect smartphone for all purposes, domestic and international. -
"used for a week then exchanged for treo" on by speedoflightning
Pros: large screen, windows mobile 5
Cons: functionality, phone quality abominable
Summary: I have used this Sprint phone for a week and read the manual from beginning to end, but the unit is very user UNfriendly. sometimes you need to take the stylus, then the front keys, and then you need to open it to access the keyboard. The sliding mechanism is a bit loose, so sometimes it opens half while in your pocket. It is also big, thick and heavy.
An even bigger problem of this phone was that while talking people would think you had hung up on them, because it seemed like the phone connection was voice activated, so words would be partially cut off, and in between words it would be dead silent. Totally useless for professional use.
I exchanged it for a treo using a very good sprint exchange service (they sent the treo along with a return shipping box for this samsung)
I could not have been happier with the exchange. The treo 700Wx is a true miracle, it has been designed to be used with a thumb, all windows mobile 5 functionality has been optimized by palm, so it works really nice. I put in a 4GB SD card and carry my mp3 songs along and while listening to them, when you get a call, the song pauses automatically and you press a button on the headset to accept the call. When the call is over, the music continues. The sound quality for music is very good. The photo quality is not top but that's not what i bought it for. You will be amazed with the ease of use of all the functions, sms, mp3, dialing, internet, email. But that is for the Treo 700Wx.
In summary, i give this Samsung a 4 and the Treo 700 Wx a 9. -
"Ideal for Global Voice and Data" on by mchaudron
Pros: Global usage, Windows Mobile
Cons: Heavy, a little top heavy
Summary: I think this is an ideal phone for those who need a phone that works around the world.
I've used Treos and Q's and liked both. However, I also like the 830 very much. My job requires me to travel globally, so the phone is ideal.
I really like the slide down keyboard and the option to use a stylus on the screen. It's intutitive and the Windows Mobile OS is pretty good.
Email and text messaging is very easy with the keyboard. Web brousing is very easy and with the option to view the screen in landscape mode it is easy to view websites as with a regular computer. (Take that iphone!)
I was in Europe recently and had excellent voice and data coverage throughout Europe. Coverage in Canada is also excellent. I'm going to Asia later this year, but I expect it the coverage and ease of usage just as easy. One really cool thing about Sprint's Global Service, when I landed in Brussels, I received a text message welcoming me to Sprint Global and how to dial international calls. Pretty cool. Good job Sprint.
It's a little heavy, especially with the larger battery. That's really my only gripe.
I still haven't found a bluetooth headset that's worth a darn, so I'd appreciate any tips on anyone that's found a good headset to use with the IP 830W.
If you travel globally and would like a solid smart phone, then this is a good option. -
"Great phone. Minor Problems" on by jjennings2510
Pros: Lots of features. Sets the standard for every new phone i buy in the future
Cons: Battery Life
Summary: I am a faithful palm user......I love everything about that os....even if it is outdated.....which is why i was hesitant to get this phone at first. I use windows on my computer if course but I had no experience with windows mobile and I heard mixed things about it. I looked at the treo but didn't really like the styling of it so I went with this phone. I liked the idea of a hideaway keyboard. I've had the phone for 6 days now and I love it. I upgraded from a sanyo 8100 so this phone blows it out the water. It is easy to use (even though it takes a little getting used to windows if you've always used palm) and even though it is a little big (like all smartphones) it isn't too big. Fit comfortably in my shirt pocket. Feature wise the touchscreen comes into handy and it has voice activated commands so you can dial numbers and open programs by pushing the button and saying the command. It also has windows media, office, headphones, and an extended battery. Office wasn't a biggie b/c docs to go on palm was sooooo good. I have to admit I like this phone and its slowly taking the place of my palm....will it replace my lifedrive pda completely? No, b/c I like balancing my checkbook and jotting quick notes in my palm. The only complaints I have with this phone are battery life and freezing when its bogged down. The second complaint is not a defect with the phone though. With windows mobile programs are not closed when you hit the "x" (like on your home computer or like with palm) they keep running in the background. i didn't know that so for a full day I didn't close anything. Well, the pda slowed down alot and eventually it froze. I reset it and got online to check hints and realized that I had to go to the memory manager and end programs. as long as you do that once a day you'll be ok. After that 1st day the pda has been running smooth. Active sync is really easy to use. And since it has windows media you can use the windows media format which takes up less space. The second complaint is battery life. On average the phone lasts me a day. Thats with me sending texts throughout the day for about 14 hours and getting online, and taking a couple of calls. Not too bad at all. I guess the only complaint I have with the battery life is the fact the extended battery doesn't really make a big improvement. maybe a few more minutes. (maybe i haven't broken in my battery?) so the extended battery is still in the box b/c I didn't like the extended depth and added weight to the phone. especially since it only added a little more time. Overall I am very satisfied with the phone. Call quality is good and speakerphone is super sensitive. Even with me laying in bed with the phone laying on the floor talking at a normal tone the person could hear me clearly. I have to up my tone with my house phone if I do that, lol. Overall a good phone and hopefully they'll add wi-fi to the next model.
Almost forgot, accessories in the sprint stores are limited for this phone. I had to get a verizon branded leather case that clips to the belt for this phone b/c none of the sprint stores in town had any accessories. (verizon has the 830 as well) I sorta feel like a traitor wearing a case that says verizon on the outside but it holds a sprint phone on the inside. lol. It was either that or risk dropping this phone after a few days of carrying it around in my hand, pockets, etc. This is a new phone but I thought sprint would have something since this could be considered their flagship phone.....Updated
Well its been about 6 months since I've purchased this phone and I have to say I'm still impressed with it. I still find features I hadn't paid too much attention to. And believe it or not I am the envy of alot of people b/c they love the phone. Even my friend who has the tmobile wing wants my phone.....and he has windows mobile 6. Speaking of which sprint really pissed me off since it seems as though they are the only carrier that doesn't care about its windows mobile 5 customers. Why release a windows mobile 6 upgrade when you can just release a new phone (sprint mogul) and tell your customers to upgrade? I emailed sprint asking them if an upgrade would be available soon and they sent me a reply which was nothing more than a sales pitch basically telling me I wouldn't be eligible for an upgrade rebate on a new phone until next year....so i take that answer as you're sol and stuck with wm5 which is bull considering the price of this phone just a few months ago ($500) while tmobile and at&t offer free wm6 upgrades to its customers on phones that are half the price of the ip830. Also I upgraded my vision plan b/c the sprint rep told me the phone was gps enabled and I could enjoy sprint radio and sprint tv and use telenav. Well I'm paying $25 a month for features I can't use. telenav doesn't support this phone yet, I can't pull up sprint tv or radio or even the sprint music store. The only reason I keep the plan is b/c I surf the internet on my phone sometimes. So sprint has really dropped the ball and I'm seriously considering switching carriers if I find a phone that compares in feature set to the ip830. All in all though I will still keep my previous score of 7 for the phone. A quick note though the phone has been giving me alot of "phone fatal" errors lately which requires me to reset the phone. I'm going to the sprint store soon to see if there are any updates available for the phone...
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