Samsung SPH-I300 (Sprint)
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CNET Editors' Review
The good: 256-color screen; full wireless Palm functionality; speakerphone; extra battery and protective case included; second LCD on top of phone; analog roaming.
The bad: A tad bulky; no USB connectivity; no memory expansion; not compatible with next-generation (3G) networks.
The bottom line: The I300 is a decent PDA/phone hybrid, but it has a few drawbacks that make it vulnerable to competing products in this emerging product category.
 Editors' note:
The rating for this product has been altered since the review's original publication. The reason for this is simply the general improvement of technology over time. In order to keep our ratings fair and accurate, it's sometimes necessary to downgrade the ratings of older products relative to those of newer products. |
Samsung's SPH-I300 for Sprint's service is one of the more compelling PDA/phone hybrids available for the U.S. market today. With the same functionality as Kyocera's Palm phone, the I300 is ... Expand full review
The rating for this product has been altered since the review's original publication. The reason for this is simply the general improvement of technology over time. In order to keep our ratings fair and accurate, it's sometimes necessary to downgrade the ratings of older products relative to those of newer products. |
Samsung's SPH-I300 for Sprint's service is one of the more compelling PDA/phone hybrids available for the U.S. market today. With the same functionality as Kyocera's Palm phone, the I300 is more compact, has a color screen, and ships with a second battery. However, we wish it was compatible with Sprint's upcoming 3G network and had a removable memory-expansion slot. Updated 8/30/02
The rating for this product has been altered since the review's original publication. The reason for this is simply the general improvement of technology over time. In order to keep our ratings fair and accurate, it's sometimes necessary to downgrade the ratings of older products relative to those of newer products. |
Samsung's SPH-I300 for Sprint's service is one of the more compelling PDA/phone hybrids available for the U.S. market today. With the same functionality as Kyocera's Palm phone, the I300 is more compact, has a color screen, and ships with a second battery. However, we wish it was compatible with Sprint's upcoming 3G network and had a removable memory-expansion slot.
Pocketable Palm phone
At 6 ounces, the I300 (4.9 by 2.28 by 0.82 inches) can't be considered a compact phone, but it is smaller and lighter than Kyocera's QCP-6035 (7.34 ounces). You can carry the Samsung phone in your pants pocket comfortably, but it gets bulky when you slip on the included faux-leather carrying case. We wish the case incorporating a belt clip ($15) had come with the phone instead.
As noted, the phone has a 256-color screen--the first U.S. smart phone to do so. And while it's not nearly in the same league as the sharp screens on Sony's color CLIE's, the I300's display is bright and easy to read in most environments (except direct sunlight).
The phone has a slightly convex shape, which makes it a little more comfortable to hold in the hand, and you can navigate the menus by touching the screen or using the up/down keys on either the front or the left side of the phone. Unlike Kyocera's QCP-6035, there is no actual dial pad, only a virtual one that works well. You can automatically dial phone numbers in the I300's address book by tapping an onscreen button. You can also program 20 voice-activated phone entries. Another plus: the built-in speakerphone, which can be activated by touching an icon on the display.
There are two power keys on the right side of the phone: one controls the PDA, and the other controls the phone. You can use the PDA portion of the device without turning on the phone and vice versa. A small, monochrome LCD on the top of the phone (next to the infrared port) displays available caller ID info, time, date, and signal strength.
Color surfing
All the standard features are here, including vibrate mode, multiple ring tones, and call history. But most people will purchase this phone for its convergence capabilities, which, beyond Palm's electronic organizer OS, include wireless e-mail, fax functionality, full-blown Web access via Handspring's Blazer browser, and support for Web-clipping applications. Sprint Web's WAP browser is preinstalled, and the wireless Web has never looked so good or been as easy to use (the phone displays up to 12 lines of text). Hide Review
Hunkered down in New York City, Executive Editor David Carnoy covers the gamut of gadgets and writes his Fully Equipped column, which carries the tag line "The electronics you lust for." He's also the author of "Knife Music," a novel that's available at Amazon, bn.com, and as a Kindle, iBooks, or Nook e-book.
User Reviews
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stars 5 of 5 users found this review helpful
"6-7 DEFECTIVE phones in one year!" By
Pros IF it worked, it had some of the most important Smartphone features I look for: Graffiti is CRITICAL instead of a useless micro-keyboard; Speakerphone; Voice Recorder; Candy-bar shape
Cons I had 6-7 DEFECTIVE phones replaced within less than a year (my Fiance claims it was 8 phones...) No expansion slot or camera, but who cares if the rest of it doesn't work?
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