Like most people who work in the computer field I now carry a BlackBerry Smartphone; the touchscreen Storm II to be exact.   But running a full on BlackBerry environment in these recessionary times is getting costly and we are an (almost) all Microsoft shop, running Microsoft Exchange Server 2007, so we decided to cut costs and try out Windows Mobile Device phones on a trial basis.  For the trial we decided to go with the HTC Ozone XV6175 Smartphone; it was free from Verizon Wireless, so we picked up six.

I am sorry we did, because the experience was decidedly less than.  All-n-all I am only somewhat satisfied with the performance of the HTC Ozone XV6175 and I must admit that the device has a steep learning curve.  Trying to get ActiveSync to work was nerve-racking, time-consuming, and frankly hugely disappointing!  And the rather lackluster voice performance does not endear me to this phone either.  So we ended the experience. 

But I did not give up and when it came time to upgrade my personal cell phone I decided to give the Windows Smartphone "thing" another try, this time in the guise of the Samsung Focus i917 Windows 7 Smartphone.

The Product

In The Box

•o   Samsung Focus i917 Windows 7 Handset
•o   Rechargeable Battery
•o   AC Power Charger
•o   USB Sync Cable
•o   Multimedia Headphone Cable
•o   Installation Booklet

The Samsung Focus i917 Windows 7 Smartphone is one of two new smart-phones manufactured by Samsung and offered by AT&T Wireless in the Chicago market.  The 3.7oz  Samsung Focus i917 runs the Microsoft Windows (Phone) 7 software.  The Samsung Focus i917 is a multi-band (GSM/GPRS/EDGE/UMTS/HSUPA: 850/900/1800/1900/2100) device that offers anytime/anywhere access to corporate (or personal) e-mail, contacts, calendar information, a Web browser, and a full on-screen QWERTY keyboard, running on a Qualcomm QSD 8250 1.0GHz processor, with 8GB installed RAM and MicroSD expansion slot.  There is a major stipulation concerning the use of a MicroSD card with device; Google (Samsung Focus i917 and MicroSD card) for important information concerning use.

In addition to the above mentioned feature set, the unit is fitted with an on-screen QWERTY keyboard; 4-inch 480x800 QVGA color LCD screen; Bluetooth wireless technology, Wi-Fi, and polyphonic ring-tones, all bundled in a small, sleek, lightweight, and stylish candy-bar handset.  

Other features of the unit include integrated Facebook /Outlook contacts feature called "People", calendar, messaging, MS Office Mobile, an alarm clock, and a calculator; pretty standard fair for today's technology rich smart-phones, all of which can be synced with Microsoft Outlook 2xxx.   

The Samsung Focus i917 takes full advantage of the AT&T Wireless' 3G network.  As far as I can see, the high-speed network is living up to its promise; web pages open almost as fast as on the desktop albeit without images in many cases.  And when not on the 3G network, the Samsung Focus i917 is not on the 3G network (or you just don't want to use it), an available Wi-Fi connection will do just as nicely thank you.    

Samsung Focus i917 users will enjoy a feature rich wireless experience, including fast integrated push-based email courtesy of Microsoft's Exchange 2003/2007/2010 messaging package.  Internet based email like Yahoo mail, Hotmail, and G-mail can also be set-up via included wizards, but POP3/IMAP4 accounts can also be set up and accessed.  I was able to set up two Yahoo and (1) G-Mail account(s) in under five minutes; all I needed was my log-in information.     

Corporate Use

Those expecting a one-for-one upgrade for their Windows Mobile 6.5 phones, will be somewhat disappointed; certain feature are, well, missing.  Unlike the HTC, ActiveSync was easy enough to setup.  Like all e-mail accounts, one needs to provide ID and password in order to set up Outlook, but also the corporate domain and OWA address.  With that information in hand downloading mail, calendar and contact information will become seamless. 

But be forwarded, as I found out after setting up the ActiveSync connection (over-the-air only, USB cables need not apply), Windows Phone 7 only supports a small subset of Microsoft Exchange features. The Calendar applet no longer has a "Weekly" view, though a monthly view is available and appointments can be made to either the Windows Live or Outlook calendars.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Phone_7#cite_note-Ars_Bright-80 Also noteworthy: the list of past phone calls is now a single list, and cannot be separated into inbound, outbound or missed calls, though each call is labeled as "outgoing, incoming, or missed."  

Microsoft included the "Office Hub", which gives the Samsung Focus i917 the ability to open, read and write to Mobile versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote files and the ability to interact with SharePoint 2010. Adobe .PDF files are also supported natively via Reader (it will download and install from Marketplace the first time you attempt to open a .PDF document.  

Syncing

Out of the box the Samsung Focus i917 will not sync with the computer despite the USB cable.  In face Windows 7 didn't even recognize the phone.  Microsoft's Zune Software is used to manage the content of Windows Phone 7 devices and it will have to be downloaded from Microsoft's website, because it is not included in the box.  Once I installed the Zune software (there is Zune Player on the Samsung Focus i917) I was good to go.    

In addition to accessing on the Windows Phone 7 devices, Zune Software can also access the Zune Marketplace to purchase music, videos, and applications (apps) for Windows Phone 7; Note: apps can also be purchased wirelessly from AT&T's App store. While music and videos are both stored locally on the PC and on the phone, apps are only stored on the phone even if purchased from the Zune Software.  That means lose your phone lose your bought and paid for apps!  Conversely, iTunes stores your apps and even makes a back-up, of the device (iPad, iPhone, etc.) just in case it needs to be recovered.  

Zune Software can also be used to update the Samsung Focus i917 with the latest and greatest Microsoft software and or security patches. This can be down over-the-air as well.  Although Zune Software is unavailable on Mac OS X operating system, Microsoft has released Windows Phone 7 Connector, which allows a Windows Phone 7 device to sync with iTunes.

Syncing videos, photos, Podcasts, and music is easy; all you do is drag and drop.  The Samsung Focus i917 has 8GB of installed memory, five of which is available for use.  I subscribed to a few of my favorite Podcasts from Zune Marketplace. The Podcasts are downloaded and can then be dragged to the Samsung Focus i917 and played. 

Unlike the iPhone which displays Apps in tidy rows and columns, the Windows Phone 7 displays them all in one row.  Buy a lot of Apps; be prepared to scroll.  Downloaded Apps can be pinned to the Start Menu.            

Use

The Samsung Focus i917 is definitely a phone designed for personal use with a heavy emphasis on social networking and entertainment.  I like the AT&T U-Verse app that ships with the phone.  One I figured out how to view programming (I have yet to be able to view anything on my DVR recorded list despite supposedly having the ability to do so) the program downloaded to my device and played flawlessly, though it did suck the life out of the battery.

Music playback through Zune and the included ear-buds is outstanding.  Once a song starts one can carry on and do other things on the phone.  Playback through the phone built-in speakers is less than aurally appealing and should avoided. 
   
As a cell phone I find the Samsung Focus i917 easy to use, though weather free dialing with the dial-pad,  or the integrated People app, though the latter takes some getting used to.  Using search I can find people on my {linked) Facebook friends list and Outlook, and if a number is listed I can call it with a simple press.  Contacts can be linked to one another, but I would not recommend it because over time it can become confusing. 

The Samsung Focus i917 is of course fitted with Bluetooth so thankfully I make most of my call hands free, but the reception in this phone still leaves a lot to be desired. Voice dialing is also available, but I have yet to use the feature.

The on-screen keyboard is surprisingly easy to use in both vertical and horizontal ordination. As I type the QWERTY keyboard suggests words, which I can tap and add to the sentence; nicely played.       

Conclusion

As a replacement for my personal cellphone, the Samsung Focus i917 Windows 7 Smartphone is a clear winner in my book.  Owning an iPad, I am not envious of those who tote iPhone around like trophies.  This phone meets my modest expectations/ needs in a cell phone and AT&T $15.00 free for 250MB data network access makes the phone all the more desirable. 

Phone reception is more than adequate, and I am blown away be the superior music playback through the included ear-buds.  Syncing via Zune Software is rather intuitive, although I would have appreciated the ability to back up my phone.  The cost of app is on par with what I've seen in the iTunes Store, though there does appear to be far fewer free apps. 

E-mail is not downloaded to the phone for storage; i.e. the original is kept on the server, however can be responded to and even initiated.  The native Facebook app leaves a lot to be desired, but a third-party app is available for download.  The Samsung Focus i917 does not ship with the number of useful, and or, fun apps as the iPhone, like Compass, but it's not an iPhone so...

Corporate users will be somewhat disappointed in Windows Phone 7 devices no matter the manufacture.  Microsoft seem to have ceded the market space to RIM and its dominate BlackBerry.  Instead of making the Windows Phone 7 device a more integrated arm of the corporate network, Microsoft have given business the middle finger; a Windows Phone 7 device cannot even be managed by their own Windows Device Manager 2008 software, and can only be synced via Zune Software, a decided un-corporate-like application, no doubt many companies would hesitate to install on business-class desktops. 

Add to that the fact that Windows Phone 7 devices like the Samsung Focus i917 do not support Office documents with security permission; e.g. IPsec, on-device encryption, strong pass words, and lack certain Outlook functionality and one can only conclude that the Windows Phone 7 was not intended for everyday corporate use. 

But, I'll be keeping my Samsung Focus i917 Windows 7 Smartphone.  The screen is great, the size is about right and it is functional enough to keep me happy over the two-year run of my contract. 

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 49.99
Recommended for: World Travelers - Works Anywhere and Everywhere!