|
Product
Review
Special
Dual-Review of |
||||
| 11-17-03 and
Since we both switched over to the Samsung i700 Pocket PC Phone Edition at roughly the same time, we thought it would be fun to do a Dual-Review, in conversational format. Read on! John: Hey Matt, I just got myself a Samsung i700 phone from Verizon. I immediately started installing software and getting it customized. After charging the unit for a few hours, I was ready to run with the big dogs. I have to admit, I am impressed with the device, however I was disappointed in the documentation. I couldn't find anything about the speaker phone feature. I spoke to a Verizon tech and they told me I had to press the 'talk' button & hold it down a moment to activate the speaker phone (by the way… that's the physical 'talk' button, not the one indicated on the screen!). Matt: Granted, there wasn't a
lot of included documentation on tips like that, but I've learned
all sorts of things from participating in Samsung i700 discussion
forums (I did the same thing for every other Pocket PC I've owned!).
I knew the device inside & out before I ever had one in my hands.
Perusing the forums like that helps to pass the time while anxiously
waiting for the device to arrive! ;)
John: The included CD didn't have much different software than my iPAQ 3955. I did find the Voice Signal program on the disc. I really like that program. I selected the few people I call all the time and recorded their name. I even reassigned the Record button to access the program. Matt: I did that too. It makes
it very handy to dial any number in your Contacts one-handed (like
while walking through an airport!). John: Yes, I noticed that too. It works pretty well. Sometimes you have to make sure you speak clearly and enunciate the words. I like talking to my Pocket PC and saying "Open <application name>". The best part was I didn't have to train it to do that. The only training that was required was for the digit dialing. John: Have you tried any applications to check your connection information? Matt: No - I've loaded quite a few apps, but not one of those. For my Data connection, I use a website called 2wire Bandwidth Meter to check my speed on occasion, but otherwise, I don't have to keep track of MB used - I have the unlimited data plan. John: I installed Hudson Mobile's IP Dashboard. Version 1.2 supports Pocket PC Phones now. It shows a much better indication of when you are connected to the voice network than the little icon on the top bar. The only thing I don't like is it refreshes all the time. You can't scroll down to see what's down further on the today screen. It always pops you back up to the top. John: The built-in camera takes rather nice pictures. Matt: Yes - not bad for 300k pixel. I've got a nice Kodak digital camera, but having this one integrated into the device sure is handy for those impromptu shots. And to be able to snap a shot, add notes (even a recording!) to it, and fire it off in an email is slick. John: I set it to 'fine' mode and I was impressed. I have noticed that after you've taken a picture, if you go into the viewer it can crash upon exit. However, if you go back to the camera mode and exit, it will exit fine. Matt: I've not had that happen to me (camera crashing). John: The Inbox works nice too. I setup an e-mail address at work and have my phone set to check that box. Hopefully it won't get filled up with spam like my other address. I do like the feature that Microsoft included the ability to use authentication for the mail server. Since you are using Verizon's Internet access, you might have to setup your e-mail to use authentication for mail access. I know I can't check my InsightBB e-mail if I'm not connected to InsightBB. They are blocking port 25. I really wish I could get to my Insight mailbox from my PDA. I downloaded OneMail but had trouble getting it to work properly. Matt: I use
Mail2pda (which is
free!) to access my Bellsouth email via Pocket Internet Explorer.
Works great! John: Which battery do you use? I plugged in the extended battery and haven't even charged the other one. I've use it all day long reading e-books and using the phone. So far it's doing great. Matt: I use both. Primarily, I
use the thin battery, and occasionally have the extended battery
with me as a spare. I like how thin & light the device is with the
slim battery! :)
I think it's great that Samsung bundled two batteries in the kit. The batteries are incredible. The standard is 1100mAh and an extended which is 2000mAh. Here is a comparison shot of the i700 with both batteries, as compared to an iPAQ 3850:
Matt: On a separate note, I can't wait for Seidio to come out with their 2-in-1 adaptor for the i700 (they’ve told me it’s due out some time in November). It will come in handy when traveling. I won't have to remove my charger from the cradle at home when heading out! As soon as Seidio notifies me that the 2-in-1 is available for the i700, I will definitely post the news! John: Have you had any trouble with the lack of analog support? Since you travel so much, I figured you'd run into that more than I would. Matt: No trouble as of yet. The phone works great. But I've been in major metropolitan areas... I’ve always had a signal. John: The docking cradle really holds the phone in place. I had some difficulty removing it the first time. Matt: Yes, it stays in there well! Since I’ve had mine for almost two months now, I’ve noticed it comes out of the cradle a lot easier, over time. But, I like the angle of the cradle a lot. I use the phone in speakerphone mode a lot when at my desk. The angle is nice for writing with the stylus while cradled. I could not say the same for my iPAQ... It was too steep.
John: Have you had any trouble with the ActiveSync? I noticed the docking station doesn't like to work if it's connected through an USB hub. I had to plug mine directly into the PC. Sometimes I have to reboot to get it to Sync. However, that could be a problem with XP. Matt: I learned a while back that USB cradles like to act up when connected to hubs! I've had no troubles, because I'm connected straight to the PC. The latest version of ActiveSync - Active Sync 3.71 should take care of those intermittent connections you're referring to. John: I have upgraded to ActiveSync 3.71, but the problem actually was in the USB Power Saving feature of XP. In the device manager, you just go to the USB Hub settings and turn off the power saving features for each port. I also noticed the Samsung device needs to be pushed all the way into the cradle for a good connection. I’ve had it tell me it was an ‘unknown device’. John: I really like the phone application. I like how you can change the buttons to a wide variety of skins. Design Labs has come out with a great (available for free at Handango!) program called XDA Skin Chooser. I found that I like the 'Big Buttons' skin the best. Matt: Yeah – the XDA Skin Chooser is cool. I find myself using an XP-looking skin most often. I tried a golf skin, but it was too hard to read!
John: One of the best features of the phone dialer application is the call log. It will keep a list of every phone call made or received. You do have the option to delete calls after a week or month or year or even never! Matt: I LOVE the Call Log feature as well as the integrated Notes feature! I'm using the HECK out of them! On my Motorola StarTac, it would keep the last 10 calls, and that’s it. With the volume of calls I receive for work, it’s great being able to scroll down the Call Log on the i700 and either call the person back, or know when you last spoke with them (since all that info is available too!). Heck, it even shows the duration of the call if you need that!
John: The accessories included a cigarette lighter adapter, stereo headset with hands-free microphone, an extra stylus, docking station, case, A/C adapter and two batteries (one standard and one extended). I use only the extended battery. Since I like to read books as well as listen to music, I need the power! Matt: Interesting - I didn't
get the cigarette lighter adaptor...! I think I need to talk to my
Verizon Rep! John: I probably paid for the cigarette adapter. My rep usually thinks of these things when I don’t. As for the headphones, they don’t fit my ears very well and they want to fall out, but I do like the built-in microphone. I’ve used it many times driving down the road while on the phone. Not to mention the looks I get sitting at the red lights! I didn't care much for the case that came with the device. I'm looking for a belt clip type of case. Matt: Ahhh, the "Man-Purse",
as it has been affectionately referred to in forums! It's horrible!
There is one good feature to it, however; the clip the device snaps
into has a useful potential - I used it for my car mount! Check out
my creative engineering
here!
John: I recently picked up a Covertec leather case. It’s great! I got the black version myself. I can flip the leather cover back and use the magnetic clip to hold it while I read my e-books. It makes a nice hand hold. The i700 supports SD memory cards. I only wish it would support CF cards as well. They are cheaper and seem to be more dependable. Matt: I'm fine with SD. I like the smaller form factor, and the prices are coming down on SD cards. The industry is heading toward SD as a standard, so more peripherals will be geared toward the SDIO slot as well. John: I've had two SD cards that didn't work right and had to return them. Matt: Were they SanDisk? SanDisk cards have been known to cause fits in many devices. I've found that Lexar SD cards work without issue. John: Yes, they were SanDisk cards. I did finally get a 512MB SD card from Mobile Planet for only $179. They replaced the chip and I’ve had no problems since. It’s nice to have all that space for music, books and applications. It's nice that the Samsung i700 can support SDIO cards, but I don't have anything to check that out. Matt: A lot of people are
getting the
Socket SD WiFi card to use in the
i700, but I am totally content with my ALWAYS AVAILABLE Express
Network connection. John: I have to agree! Without the extra RAM for map data, a GPS device is somewhat useless. WiFi was nice when you didn’t have the Express Network to depend on. Now I can sit anywhere I want and check e-mail or surf the web. I wanted to keep my iPAQ 3955, but I figured I’d look too much like a geek with both of them. So, my wife has the iPAQ and my daughters have the HP Jornada. I had to HP Jornadas, but one of my daughters broke the display. Matt: I'm a one-device person! John: Have you found any software incompatibility? Matt: Only one so far - Spb Pocket Plus. The backlight control doesn't work right. John: Yes, I think we got used to the iPAQ backlight controls. I noticed that the Samsung’s work differently. John: I installed one freeware app that disabled Verizon's RX/TX meter on the today screen. After I uninstalled it, it reappeared. Matt: You must turn off the
phone when uninstalling any application. If you had it on when you
uninstalled, that could be the problem... The best bet is to have
the phone off when installing or uninstalling anything.
There are also several other tricks and software apps that can enhance the device wonderfully. We’ll post those on the Discussion Forum so everyone can offer input! John: Cool! I didn’t know about those features! I find after using the device as a phone (against the side of my face), I have accidentally opened a few applications. I’ll have to start using the backlight button to turn the screen off during my calls. Well… so far I have to give the Samsung i700 two thumbs up! I'm really impressed by the brightness and battery savings. The unit does allow you to change the CPU setting from low/normal/turbo settings. I assume that equals out to 100/200/300 Mhz. The normal setting seems fine to me. It may not be as fast as my 400MHz iPAQ, but it's hard to tell. Matt: Bottom line, I love this
device. It is awesome! The only thing I wish it had (and it soon
will) is the Windows Mobile 2003 OS. That will be out in a few
months at most. I give the i700 two thumbs up and two toes!
|
||||
|
Members of
Contact the with questions about this site
All Trademarks are owned by their respective companies Copyright ©
2001-2007 Pocket PC Louisville |
