- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 80 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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4 out of 4 people found this review helpful
3.5 stars
"Does several things well enough to be very useful"
Pros: Even with its myriad flaws, I prefer using this machine to toting around a phone and PDA. Especially useful for working in the field.
Cons: Most glaring problem is the abysmal product support. Verizon (the only phone provider) is friendly but CLUELESS, Samsung is erratic, and the manual is so uselesss they shd be embarassed.
Summary: I really like this machine, and it's a real solution for me as I work on the road a lot, but I have to say it has a lot of problems.
The lack of informed customer support has necessitated two support phone calls of OVER 7 HOURS APIECE (I'm not exaggerating) to install all the necessary software. After the first time (7 1/2 hours-one phone call), found out that two of the programs they got me to install knocked each other out. Had to start all over.
[By the way, I eventually skipped using Wireless Sync -- which is a good program - because I didn't want my AOL email to come through my Outlook Inbox, and Wireless Sync can't do that. Now I use AOL's $20 program for Pocket PC, which was a breeze to install and has worked flawlessly].
Also, because documentation and support are so incomplete, there are things you may never learn about how to use the machine... or will only find out by fluke. For example:
To find out what your battery usage is, you have to go through 4 levels of menu: Start, Settings, System, Power. Or 5 to save power by turning off running apps: Start, Settings, System, Memory, Running Programs.
Or, If you want to autodial your voice mail password, you input it in speed dial. However, anyone who finds your phone can easily read your password.
Phone is pretty good -- but not great. Have had three of these devices, and in each cases, there have been consistent problems with people hearing me. (I usually hear others quite well, though). Likewise, on speakerphone, I hear them, but they don't hear me. Also, as others have noted, it's very easy to tap the ultra-sensitive screen by accident and disconnect a call. Difficult to use the phone without a headset, because you disconnect the call with your face too easily. Also, the ability to reconnect with an initial caller after answering a call waiting is iffy at best.
Though in general,the screen is really good quality, and, for me, it's easy to read (and I'm well over 40) it's a problem that you can't read it in sunlight.
Overall, a little finicky... if you try to go too fast, you'll wind up having to reboot. Not the end of the world, but a pain.
Wish it wouldn't lose all its data if the battery runs out, especially as battery life is about a day with light use, and just a few hours with heavy use.
Got rid of the stereo headseat that comes included, which, I presume would be very nice for listening to music, but which is awkward and not very good as a phone headset. Replaced with a very good Plantronics that has an connect/disconnect button on the wire.
Have noted that other users don't know you can install a voice recognition system. The software, Voice Signal, comes free from Verizon, or can be dowloaded from their site. Works reasonably well, and it is essential if you use the phone in the car. This is NOT a phone to dial or to hold to your ear while driving. It is degrees of magnitude more dangerous than a regular cell phone.
Because this is an expensive machine, availability of device-specific accessories is sparse. Have been trying to find the roll-up keyboard for months.
I don't mind at all that this doesn't have a built in keyboard, with those teeny-weeny little buttons. The letter recognizer is pretty nice, and I'd be happy to buy the roll up attachment to use with Word or Excel.
Internet access is too expensive and quite slow. But it works. Also, while Verizon offers cheap email access through most of its phones (around $6 a month), as far as I understand (and, with Verizon, you'll get many answers to the same question), they do not offer this for the I700. You have to pay for data access, which runs a minimum of over $20 a month. $45 for unlimited use. If anyone is aware that their cheaper service works on this phone, please speak up.
Camera's okay. Ish. Good for taking a picture of something you see at a store...but I won't be taking family portraits with it. Haven't been able to figure out if you can send photos by phone.
Nice that you can program the hard keys on the phone.
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