New York Times Reviews Samsung i500 & i700

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/17/technology/circuits/17stat.html?ex=1059019200&en=21a035113a3eadae&ei=5062' target='_blank'>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/17/t...a3eadae&ei=5062</a><br /><br /></div>"If you want tiny and sleek, you get the i500 - and make do with a slightly squinty screen. If you want every feature known to Microsoft, you get the i700 - and carry around what feels like a slice of lead. Which is the better approach? Clearly, even Samsung couldn't decide, so it made both. To be sure, not everyone is willing to risk carrying around a single, expensive eggs-in-one-basket communicator. But if you are, one of these two new models is likely to be just your size."<br /><br />While I don't think the i700 is a slice of lead, I have to give David Pogue serious credit for the first balanced article I've seen the major press give over a Pocket PC Phone. He clearly accepts that this is a power device, it's intended to be a bit bigger to give you such functionality, and gets over that and focuses on the device's ups and downs, instead of saying "oh, it's too big, no one will use it". They also give the i500 PalmOS phone fair treatment: it's amazingly tiny, although you give up some comforts in return.

[bbarker]

One thing I haven't seen in reviews of Pocket PC phones is an explanation of MS's approach to the market: PDA-based models and phone-based models, for different users with different needs. A Smartphone would have been ideal in this review. Except in the USA I don't know where the writer would find one; they have been incredibly slow reaching the market. So I can't fault Pogue for not mentioning it.

[Janak Parekh]

Right - Smartphones are totally under the radar in the US right now. I agree, I'd like to see more focus on properly segmenting the "smartphone" (lowercase ;)) market. That said, the two devices are comparable as touch-screen PDA phones.

--janak

[Pony99CA]

While I don't think the i700 is a slice of lead [...].
I don't think it is, either. I played with the mock-up at my local Verizon store, and thought it was remarkably thin.

I wouldn't use it as a phone, though; as per my One Piece/Two Piece (http://www.svpocketpc.com/#THOUGHT_ONE_PIECE_TWO_PIECE) article, I would use it as a connected Pocket PC when out of range of my WiFi connection.

Steve

[cdunphy]

While I don't think the i700 is a slice of lead [...].
I don't think it is, either. I played with the mock-up at my local Verizon store, and thought it was remarkably thin.


The i700 is a reasonable size for a PDA, but it is certainly a "slice of lead" when compared to a typical phone. Wheras the i500 is the first PDA / phone hybrid (on any platform) that is the size and weight and shape (complete with keypad) as a typical phone. This is pretty significant.

It looks like a phone. It is as easy to carry as a phone. It is as easy to use as a phone. But - it also happens to run 18,000 or so Palm OS PDA applications, and it syncs your PIM data with your PC. Nice. :-)

If you get a chance - hold one of these in your hands. You will be impressed.

- chris

PS -- I'm not saying that the i700 isn't impressive, it is... Just for different reasons.

[bbarker]

...the i500 is the first PDA / phone hybrid (on any platform) that is the size and weight and shape (complete with keypad) as a typical phone. This is pretty significant.

It looks like a phone. It is as easy to carry as a phone. It is as easy to use as a phone. But - it also happens to run 18,000 or so Palm OS PDA applications, and it syncs your PIM data with your PC. Nice. :-)
A lot like a Microsoft Smartphone. Except nobody in the U.S. can get one of those. They're still vaporware here.

[Pony99CA]

The i700 is a reasonable size for a PDA, but it is certainly a "slice of lead" when compared to a typical phone.
I agree with that, but I also said that I wouldn't likely use the i700 as a phone, but as a connected Pocket PC. For that, a larger size is a good thing (thanks to a larger screen).

Wheras the i500 is the first PDA / phone hybrid (on any platform) that is the size and weight and shape (complete with keypad) as a typical phone. This is pretty significant.

It looks like a phone. It is as easy to carry as a phone. It is as easy to use as a phone. But - it also happens to run 18,000 or so Palm OS PDA applications, and it syncs your PIM data with your PC. Nice. :-)

If you get a chance - hold one of these in your hands. You will be impressed.
Actually, I did hold one of those, too; the Verizon store had a mock-up on display. I liked that it was a flip-style device (something any phone I buy will likely have to be).

However, to say that it was the size of a typical cell phone is overstating the case, I think. It was far larger than both my old StarTac and my new LG VX6000.

Steve

[Janak Parekh]

The i700 is a reasonable size for a PDA, but it is certainly a "slice of lead" when compared to a typical phone.
Not really. The i700 is 6-7 oz. That is a bit heavier than typical phones, but nowhere near "lead". Large, yes. Lead, no. At least, IMHO. ;)

Wheras the i500 is the first PDA / phone hybrid (on any platform) that is the size and weight and shape (complete with keypad) as a typical phone. This is pretty significant.
Agreed. My point, and I'm glad David sees it, is that the two don't really compete.

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

Actually, I did hold one of those, too; the Verizon store had a mock-up on display. I liked that it was a flip-style device (something any phone I buy will likely have to be).
Actually, it's then likely you didn't hold it. Verizon doesn't sell the i500; it only sells the Kyocera 7135, the first flip PalmOS phone, which is quite a bit larger than the i500.

From part 2 of my CeBIT articles (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,14869):

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/CeBIT-2003-2/small/Sprint-phone-comparison-3.jpg

The i500 is definitely a normal StarTAC size.

--janak

[Pony99CA]

Actually, it's then likely you didn't hold it. Verizon doesn't sell the i500; it only sells the Kyocera 7135, the first flip PalmOS phone, which is quite a bit larger than the i500.

Hmmm, I think you're right -- it probably was a Kyocera, now that I think of it. :oops:

Steve