Good but needs refining!
Written: Jul 06 '02 (Updated Jul 06 '02)
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Pros: All in one device, 2 batteries, color screen, good browser, Palm software.
Cons: It's a brick, freezes regularly, screen on sunny days, serial connection
The Bottom Line: If this were earlier in 2002 I would say buy one. With all the new phone announcements, WAIT! You'll probably get a faster, smaller phone!
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| mspractice's Full Review: Samsung SPH-I300 |
First, lets discuss what you get in the box:
1- Phone
2- Styli
2- Batteries
1- Wrist strap
1- Leather foilding case
1- CD with drivers
1- Manual
The phone- After you get past the brick like shape, you realize that it is fairly nice and also realize that you now can carry one device instead of your cellphone AND Palm Pilot. The buttons are in the same place as all Palm devices and the only thing that strikes you a little odd is you do not see the standard keypad. The keypad is actually virtual and will not appear until you turn on the phone. I'll talk more about the usefulness of the phone later.
The Styli- Not much too discuss other than the fact that they give you 2 metal, nicely weighted ones. They also fit into the phone nicely. The usual pin screws out of the back if you need to soft reset.
The Batteries- All you need to know is you get 2 and you WILL need them!
The wrist strap- I guess if this were a camera or a small radio it would make sense, but it's not!!!
The leather case- I don't like it. There is no belt clip and no easy way to carry it. During the week, you can put in your briefcase or jacket pocket. Weekends, GOOD LUCK, there is no easy way to lug this phone around. Luckily, Samsung sells a better, more useful case on their website. Also, when you register the phone with them you get a discount on any accessories. It is disappointing that Samsung includes the folding case.
The CD- Worked well, was easy to install and most importantly, I was able to transfer all of my old files into the phone from my Palm Vx. Worked with little effort.
The manual- Was fine. If you already use a Palm you will find the phone to be fairly intuitive.
Now for a little more detail on the phone. Once, you get used to holding it in your hand you find that the placement of the buttons is pretty well done and you can control the phone using one hand. There are buttons that control dialing, call waiting, hanging up and all fall nicely under your fingers naturally. The only part I found to be a little difficult was actually having to dial a number while driving. I usually use my thumb to do this while holding the phone with the same hand. Often, I find myself hitting the wrong number. You have to be dead on with the virtual keypad.
For web browsing, use the standard browser, the color one is terrible. The standard browser may not be color but you know what to do intuitively and it gets you where you need to go fairly quickly. The color browser does not offer as many options and with pictures you will waste your minutes waiting for pictures to download. You can also control your browsing with the buttons on the side of the phone.
The Palm software is the same as what you would get in any Palm with benefits. The Palm software and the phone talk to each other. You can actually dial directly from your address book. You simply go to it, highlight the .person you .need to call and pick what number you want to call and press a side button to dial. The phone then places the call. Also, you can create speed dial entries and voice dial entries using your address book as well. These are all very useful features and save a few steps.
Some other things I like about the phone/palm are:
- Although it's shaped like a brick, it actually fits nicely in your hand.
- You can actually shut your phone off and still have use of your Palm.
- The looks you get from people looking at you talking to your Palm.
- Built in back up battery is good for at least 24 hours.
Things I don't like:
- I still wish it were smaller.
- I too often get software faults and have to reset the phone. It happens a couple times a month and once I had to do a hard reset losing all of my data. Luckily it was backed up on my computer.
- The screen is difficult to see in bright sunlight.
- If you use the Palm regularly, you will need the second battery before the end of the day. This means you need to carry it. Your only option is to buy the car or travel charger, otherwise you will be without thee phone and Palm.
I guess the thing to consider about this phone is that it is one of the first more successful attempts at combining your phone and Palm. There are more to come, and the Handspring Visor is one example of one that came later and gets a little closer to getting it right.
Lastly, I like the phone/cell concept and will probably never go back to using 2 when I can combine them into one unit. As long as the prices don't get too crazy!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 499
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Epinions.com ID:
mspractice
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Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
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