As far as e-mail goes, you have a few options. There's a built-in mail application (you get a free e-mail address: yourphonenumber@sprintpcs.com), but you can also download an e-mail client such as Eudora that accepts existing POP3 accounts. You can even use the I300 to access your corporate e-mail account (if your company supports the device). We also uploaded the wireless AOL and Yahoo Web-clipping applications and were able to log in, check, and respond to e-mail in our AOL and Yahoo accounts.
Since the maximum connection speed is 14.4Kbps, full-blown Web browsing is slow. You can wait anywhere from one to three minutes for a single page to load and the time you spend surfing is deducted from your voice minutes, just as it is with Verizon's service for the QCP-6035.
Extra battery included
Samsung says you'll get up to 4 hours of continuous talk time and 100 hours of standby time from the included lithium-ion battery. Though we fell a little short of the standby rating, we hit the talk time number. However, it should be noted that if you use the wireless data features regularly (as we did), you'll need to recharge after three days. That said, we applaud Samsung for throwing in an extra battery that can be charged simultaneously with the phone in the included cradle.
At $499, the I300 (CDMA 800/1900, AMPS 800) is priced correctly. The only misgivings we have are that the phone doesn't offer USB connectivity (it has a serial connection), has no slot for adding memory beyond the included 8MB, and it isn't compatible with Sprint's upcoming 3G network, though it'll continue working on Sprint's existing 2G network. Those drawbacks aside, the I300 is a good-sounding, well-designed smart phone that currently stands a notch above the rest of the hybrids.
What You'll Pay
- Set Price Alert
