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"BEST PHONE EVER!!" on by AenonJurtis521
Pros: Dual CDMA/GSM Capability
Cons: Windows Mobile 2003
Summary: I was a Tier 3 Technical Rep, for Verizon wireless. Everything that you read in this post, primarily hints to.. YOU NEED TO BE SMARTER THAN THE PHONE YOU BUY! I obviously dont run into as many problems as the previous person did with this device, but knowledge is a MUST and Ignorance is bliss!
This phone is literally the best device of its kind that money can buy. There is nothing better for your money than this. Even newer devices on the horizon pale by comparison. Don't wait for the Windows Treo with the quirky square screen just because it has Windows Mobile 5!!!
One thing that gets me after reading all of these reviews is that most of the bad ones are by neophyte users who don't hardly know their own computer let alone a superior device such as this. If you don't know how to maintain your own computers memory, security, and storage how do you expect to be able to work a Pocket PC which requires somewhat more care? This is what I think of most of the more common complaints about this phone:
Frequent Lock-Ups & Resets: Thats because you open 10-15 programs and forget to close them. Hello, a Pocket PC requires you to close programs by shutting them down in memory settings. Most neophytes don't know this and get frustrated when the unit 'locks up'.
Keys too close together: Oh give me a break, if you didn't like the design you shouldn't have bought the phone. This complaint is a complete non-factor.
Screen backlight shuts off during call: Yes, this is annoying but is that really a reason to give a superphone 1 star out of 10?
No Missed Call Indicator / No Voicemail Indiciator: A big red light blinks when you miss a call and voicemail waiting is announced by a big icon at the top of your screen.
If you do not do these basic things you will have the problems the others do. Your basic maintenance should include:
a) Make sure only one to three programs is open at a time.
b) Stop programs in the memory maintenance screen periodically to save memory
c) Reboot the unit at least once a week to reallocate memory and keep it fresh and ready
d) Store not just some but 'ALL' of your programs, notes, and files on the storage card. Make sure that your email attachments are also stored on the storage card.
I purchased this device for my father, who works overseas (Italy) and periodically moves back and forth between Euro network and American network. My Father is an IT tech and states that this was the best gift that I have ever given him. I have one myself and have worked on so many PDA devices. Palm OS, Windows Mobile 5, Symbian OS, etc. All I can say is at this point, you cannot expect your phone to work without doing some kind of preventive maintenance. Cars, refrigerators, Computers, and some even people need these things done in order to function. Just because you do not know these things, do not allow your ignorance to be your bliss. Find someone that can help you with this issue and I can gurantee that you will save yourself the Horror that most neophytes go through! Good Day! -
"One great global solution" on by bfsacks
Pros: Global phone, pda, high speed internet, no camera, & Verizon reliability
Cons: Bulky, talk time/battery use, no camera, not Mac compatible out of the box.
Summary: I needed a phone that could go with me where ever I go throughout the world. I am currently writing this review from India where the phone works great. Due to limits from the Indian CDMA network I am not able to surf the web but the company I am working for gave me two other Indian cell phones and both of them on their own networks are not as reliable as this phone. People call me all the time saying they tried to reach me on the other two phones and finally called my U.S. phone to get a hold of me. As a Mac user I was not thrilled about not having a pda that would sync out of the box but there are programs available that will allow you to sync from the pocket pc to a mac. Although there have been some hic-ups with the syncing software the phone will sync with my address book, calendar, itunes, iphoto, notes, & to do list.
On my pros and cons I mentioned "no camera" twice. I miss having a camera on my phone, however with security increasing all over the world many companies and government offices are not allowing phones with camera inside buildings. So I can't take a picture on a whim but I can take my phone almost anywhere.
I replaced a Treo 650 for this phone and I must say at first I missed the user friendly palm OS and the overall size and feel of the treo. However, after a short period of time I am feeling quite comfortable with the pocket pc OS. In addition, being a die-hard Mac user it pains me to say that I am comfortable with anything microsoft! As for size and comfort, as long as I keep the small battery on the phone it is not all that bulky and comfortable to use. However, when I put the extended battery I sometimes feel as if I am carrying my old Motorola Brick phone from the mid 90s.
I have read on a few sites that people complain about the quality of the calls. I use a bluetooth headset and a bluetooth car system the majority of the time and I find that the call quality is quite good. I have noticed that when I am not using the headset or the car kit that sometimes I don't place my ear perfectly on the phone and I find that I have to move the phone around a little to get the best spot, but once I do I still get good quality sound.
I have used the phone in both GSM and CDMA countries around the world and I am constantly amazed with my ability to receive and make calls. I had a quick stop over in Germany on my way to India and while I was in the airport I quickly switched over to GSM and I was able to send and receive calls, use msn messenger, send and receive emails, and surf the web. Although I am stuck to only sending and reveiving calls in India, I am able to do so all over the country. India has both CDMA and GSM technology and when one does not work the other one does. That's flexibility!
Over all this is a great phone. I would recommend it to anyone who needs a requires a smart phone for everyday use. Now if I could just find a phone like this with a mini-mac OS I think I would feel technologically complete -
"Overrated! Other alternatives available now..." on by armtek
Pros: Fast processor, nice assortment of software, world phone and EVDO
Cons: Must reboot at least twice a day, horrible sound, burns through batteries, and is overall unreliable
Summary: Got this phone to replace it's cousin, the i730 (had problems with that one, should have known...). I need a Smartphone without a camera due to work constraints, and this was the only one that Verizon had that fit the bill. Even extended battery doesn't last a day, sound quality is bad, have to warm reboot at least twice a day, bulky and hard to handle, buttons not conveniently located, Bluetooth doesn't always work right with certain earsets, cradle poorly designed and easy to not set phone in properly, ability to make phone calls is compromised by the inability to switch back to phone mode once in data mode. Popup schedule reminders and warnings lock up phone to any other functions until they're cleared off. Getting tired of typing...you get the drift. Have replaced it with a 700p now that it's available without a camera.
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"Love the device, Hate the phone reception quality" on by dpreiss
Pros: The software, ergonomics, stereo sound quality, high resolution screen
Cons: The poor,, poor, poor phone reception quality, dropped calls, calls breaking up,, Samsung please fix this problem!!!
Summary: I'm on my second unit in 3 weeks and both have had the same poor phone reception, droping calls in major cities across the USA and Mexico city. As reviewed by CNET, "the audio sounded crackly, and our callers reported the same. They also said they could hear the conversation only half the time, which was frustrating" I couldn't have said it better except they didn't mention all the dropped calls. I hate to have to change to another device because I really like the features on this unit but I really need a phone that will work. I will have to just do without a phone when in Europe or deal with a second phone when over there as this is the only Verizon quad band PDA phone. I hope they fix the phone quality soon because I would pick one up right away when that is taken care of. You can even see the phone change from roam, to no service to 1x signal (which means a strong signal) back to roam all in seconds.
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"Outstanding Phone" on by HSBSkier
Pros: CDMA/GSM; signal/call quality; keyboard
Cons: Size.. would not give up the keyboard though
Summary: Just returned from Italy and the 830 worked perfectly on the GSM network. The quality of the signal and clarity of the calls were equal to those I experience here with Verizon. No problem receiving emails or browsing the Web. Caller ID worked as well eliminating the need to answer the unnecessary calls. I also purchased a Socket SDIO wireless lan card and trade it out with the SDIO storage card. Both function perfectly..
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