Samsung I700 or Hitachi G1000

[Durell02]

I am currently moving from a handheld to something that I won't have to juggle too many devices such as a two way and cell phone . So I was thinking of the Samsung i700 or the Hitachi G1000 . The G1000 because of the keyboard but the i700 because of the ease and felxibility of the design . Please help me decide !!! :confused totally:

[Raphael Salgado]

All I have to say is i700.

G1000 only has 32MB of RAM, so you'll end up having to get yourself a big memory card to compensate.

G1000 does not support SDIO, so you can forget about Bluetooth, WiFi, or other non-memory SD peripherals.

G1000 is currently only being offered by Sprint. Their service and reputation (or lack of thereof) speak for themselves. They were one of the many listed carriers that like to assess and overcharge with no justification, as discovered on TV and other news media. Plus, their cell strength cannot compare with the big boys like Verizon and AT&T.

G1000 is just too big. While the keyboard is a nice feature to have, I would lose no sleep over it with on-screen keyboards.

G1000 is apparently not being offered to get an upgrade to Windows Mobile 2003, while the i700 is allegedly in testing at Verizon for the upgrade. Rumor has it that the G1000 is supposed to be the "stepping stone" to the i700 that was held back and will eventually be released by Sprint with Windows Mobile 2003. Again, most of this is speculation, but from pretty good sources.

I would definitely go with the i700 and defintely Verizon as your carrier. You contend that you're looking to consolidate your devices, but I'm sure that slimming down not only means the number of devices, but the actual convergence device itself. The i700 is no thicker than an iPAQ with its slim battery.

I forgot to mention that the i700 comes complete with a desktop charger and passthrough cradle, two styli, a slim and extended battery, and a leather portfolio (aka Man Purse). I don't know what the G1000 comes with, but you really get your money's worth with the i700.

[Janak Parekh]

On the other hand, Raphael, Verizon's more expensive servicewise. And coverage really does vary by area.

Durell02, I believe both the i700 and the G1000 are in stores. Based on your requirements, you might want to stop by Verizon and Sprint stores and check them out.

--janak

[droppedd]

i can't imagine using a g1000 as a phone. Just look at the thing! it does have some nice features, though... as far as the style of the two goes, if you plan on using it as a phone, forget the g1000; but if you plan on using it as a Blackberry on steroids with occasional headset phone calls, it may fit your needs better.

If I wasn't such a geek i'd seriously consider the Nokia 3650; it has PIM functionality and a camera with video and mp4 playback... but Symbian OS just doesn't do it for me, and I like the dual expansion on my iPaq (the 3650 is MMC-only). And that round keypad is weird, man.

Or the SonyEricsson t610, which has bluetooth and a low-resolution camera... or the incredibly cool Nokia 6800 (http://www.mobiledia.com/reviews/nokia/6800/page3.html) with the built in keyboard flip thingy which has to be seen to be believed.

I hate to say it though: at this point if you want a phone with PDA functions rather than a Pocket PC with phone functions, you're better off with a non-PPC phone until MS Smartphones really take off. maybe even Samsung's Palm OS phone (gasp- the dark side) which is a nice flip phone with a low-feature Palm PDA built in.

[Durell02]

I guess it's off to verizon for the changeover . :D :D

[Durell02]

Went to the Verizon and was told by a person who was on the floor that maybe I should wait for the (Treo 600 smartphone series) because of the better technology . Now I don't know if this was BS or was he telling the truth . Just thought I'd get some advice from current users of such technology from this company .

[Janak Parekh]

Wha!? The guy is an idiot at several levels.

1. The Treo 600 is a promising piece of hardware, but it's an entirely different beast than the i700. It's a 160x160, PalmOS 5.2 device, IIRC.

2. The Treo 600 is unlikely to appear on Verizon in the near future. Handspring has a big deal with Sprint, and any initial CDMA releases would be with them.

--janak

[droppedd]

Went to the Verizon and was told by a person who was on the floor that maybe I should wait for the (Treo 600 smartphone series) because of the better technology . Now I don't know if this was BS or was he telling the truth . Just thought I'd get some advice from current users of such technology from this company .

The treo 600 is hot. But it's got a teeny screen and Palm OS, which means it's not going to be a media powerhouse. It's also got a miniscule thumbboard, which is nice, but it's necessarily smaller than the one on current Treos. Then again, it has a builtin camera. If I could wait till fall and if I didn't already have a PPC, I would consider it, even if it can't match my iPaq for serious applications.

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1769/

[TawnerX]

If you want to wait that long till treo 600 launch, might as well then wait until PPC PE 2k3 launch like XDAII. Hell wait until WANDA shows up around Oct/Nov.

then you'll really have a super phone.