Samsung's I300. It's a Cell Phone. It's a Color Palm. It's a Gadget Lover's Dream!
Written: May 29 '02
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Pros: Impressive color display. Attractive case. 8MB of memory. Good phone features.
Cons: Very expensive. Power-hungry.
The Bottom Line: The price may keep you away, but the 'cool' factor may suck you back in...
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| jag2112's Full Review: Samsung SPH-I300 |
The night was ... sultry. Even within the air conditioned confines of the local Starbucks coffee shop, the humidity of the early spring heat wave made its presence known. Sweat glistened on the foreheads of those retreating from the heat; searching for some refuge in a cup of iced coffee.
As I sat in a secluded corner, sipping my dark Columbian brew while reading the latest novel to come within my grasp, I gazed across the way to a man who was fiddling with a Palm digital assistant. From my vantage point, I could make out that it was one of the later models, a color one at that. Perhaps the m105 I thought to myself, but something looked strangely out of place with it. Dismissing it with a shrug, I returned to my novel and my "Danger - liquid is hot" beverage.
A scant moment later, the sound of a ringing cell phone sliced through the humidity-filled air. With a bit of annoyance, I raised my head to glance at the offending party. It was the same gent who was fiddling with his color Palm, except now he took the same Palm device, raised it to his ear and uttered "Hello?".
I shook my head, saddened really, as I suspected that this person was clearly in his own dream world - answering a Palm unit as if it were a phone. I couldn't help but wonder what his life must be like when he exits his fantasy world for the bitter taste of reality. But my pity for him began to waiver as he continued to have his fantasy conversation, in a louder and more robust tone. Then, adding to the delusion, he told the 'party' on the other line to hold for a moment while he checked his schedule on his phone. He brought the Palm down from his ear, hit a few buttons with his stylus, found the segment of data he was looking for, and confirmed a date with the 'caller'.
"Poor, poor soul," I whispered out loud. When the faux conversation ended, he placed his Palm Phone down on the table, stretched his fingers, and took a sip from his own cup of brew. Somehow, my gaze was still focused on the Palm resting on the table when I caught a glimpse of something I didn't see earlier - an antenna. Just then, it rang again - the Palm was ringing, and the owner picked it up, said 'Hello' and began yet another conversation. This time, the thought that this might really be a phone and Palm combination struck home.
Perhaps he wasn't delusional. Perhaps he wasn't in his own fantasy world. Perhaps he owned what would clearly be a gadget freak's dream come true - a full-fledged color Palm and Cell phone combination.
My interest and curiosity was piqued. When the conversation ended, I quickly arose from my secluded seat and approached the man with the mysterious electronic gizmo. Excusing myself, I asked if that truly was a cell phone and Palm hybrid. Smiling, he displayed his gleaming trophy, indicating that it was made by Samsung, and that it was called an I300.
Amazed and dumbfounded for not being aware of such an item before, I thanked the man (and apologized internally for my incorrect musings of this gent) and returned to my own seat, coffee and novel. But the bug was soundly implanted. I had beheld a technological marvel that was clearly unique, impressive and difficult to ignore.
Until I did some of my own research on it and discovered it's lofty price - roughly $500. But the price is the only real issue I have with the I300. So let's get to the review, shall we? And thank you for indulging me with my little semi-dramatic introduction.
The Samsung I300, as alluded to above, is a combination cell phone, with built in speaker phone and voice recorder, and fully functional color Palm PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). Now, the notion of a combo phone/PDA isn't new, but this is really the first time an official Palm (and color for that matter) has been synched up with a phone. The combination allows you to do anything you normally could do with a Palm, but with the addition of the cell phone feature, you can now also browse the web (via Openwave UP4.1), send email and perform other wireless connectivity tasks. And with the included 8MB of memory, you'll have plenty of space to store all of your phone numbers, addresses, applications, games and more without fear of space limitations.
Since the I300 was developed in conjunction with Palm, it is wholly compatible with all Palm-OS based applications and it employs Palm's OS 3.5, plus some features from Release 4.0. Its color screen, based on the Palm IIIc, has a 256 color display with the addition of a small top viewer for calling information such as caller ID, time, roaming and power indicator.
For those of you unfamiliar with the applications available through a Palm PDA, you'll be treated to such features like hand writing recognition, an extensive address book, multi-tasking scheduler, a to-do list, a memo pad, calculator, clock and more. With simple PC synchronization via a hot synch cradle (included), you can easily download other Palm applications, OS updates and more right into thw unit. Also, infrared wireless sharing of files/data with other Palm devices is also supported with the I300.
Since this is primarily a Palm PDA with a built in Cell Phone, all of the cell-phone related features (like dialing, phone book, options, etc.) are accessible either via the Palm's touch screen, or through one of the buttons near the bottom. Integration between the Palm's address book and your phone book are as seamless as you would expect. I had no problems browsing through dozens of entries, finding the right one and auto dialing it.
And speaking of the phone, depending on your service, it works about as well as any other digital cell phone. The addition of a speaker phone option is a definite plus because without it, you're essentially forced to place the touch-screen up against your cheek when holding the phone in its customary position. This will lead to you constantly cleaning your screen, but it's an understandable downside to an otherwise impressive tool. And if you're worried about the antenna - don't be. It's fully retractable for when you're not using the phone features. Even fully extended, it doesn't take up much room at all.
Battery life, unfortunately, is no where near as efficient as you might expect with other digital phones. The reason, essentially, is the back-lit color screen. It is a power hog and, as such, you can't expect to get much more than 2 hours of talk time (if you're lucky) and roughly 12 hours of stand by time. Not bad, but certainly nothing exceptional. Additional, and larger/heavier batteries are also available, but they do take away from the otherwise slender dimensions the I300 boasts.
All in all, Samsung has done a wonderful job of marrying two viable technologies into one attractive and useable device. The addition of a myriad of accessories proves that Samsung is dedicated to supporting this product, but the astronomical price, which hasn't dropped much over the I300's life, will keep all but the elite from obtaining one.
But if you're in the market for both a PDA and a new digital cell phone, consider the I300. It'll likely give you everything you're looking for in both, while taking up less space in your briefcase/purse/pockets - well, you get the idea.
Thanks, as always, for reading...
-John
Samsung I300 Specifications
Full Features Speaker phone
Internet access (UP4.1 compliant)
Web clipping
Voice dialing (20 numbers)
Speed dialing (99 numbers)
Categorized phone book
One touch vibration converting
Call logs
Any key answer
Power save mode
3 emergency numbers
Call restrict
Various ring tones (10 ringers/10 melodies)
Dimensions (H x W x D in inches) 4.9(125mm) x 2.28(58mm) x 0.82(21mm) in. with Standard(Slim) Battery
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 450
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Epinions.com ID:
jag2112
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Member: John
Location: Clinton, NJ
Reviews written: 304
Trusted by: 309 members
About Me:
The writer stares with glassy eyes...
Defies the empty page...
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