Pocketing Samsung's SPH-i700: The Ultimate Connected Pocket PC? [Archive]

View Full Version : Pocketing Samsung's SPH-i700: The Ultimate Connected Pocket PC?

Janak Parekh

12-05-2003, 06:00 PM

Verizon Wireless has been selling the Samsung SPH-i700 for several months now -- the first CDMA Pocket PC Phone Edition to hit US markets. Is it worth it? How does it compare to other Pocket PCs, connected or otherwise? Join me in a detailed look! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/Samsung_i700_ENG_02[1].jpg" /> <!>The Samsung SPH-i700 is perhaps your best solution if you want a connected, cable-free Pocket PC with Verizon's best-of-breed CDMA service. Pair that with a top-notch screen and a solid software bundle and you've got a one-piece powerhouse... with a few gotchas, of course. But first, some background... Who is this review for? I've tailored this review for two audiences -- those that may have experience using a Pocket PC but have never used a Pocket PC Phone before, and those who have used the 1st-generation HTC Pocket PC Phone -- known as, among others, the XDA, the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone, and the Siemens SX-56 (hereafter referred to as the XDA for brevity). I'll also throw in discussions of CDMA2000 as a standard where appropriate, as I know our international audience has far more experience with GSM as a standard. I'm also a strong believer in a "thorough" review -- that's why I've used the device for a few months now instead of doing an immediate review. This way, I have the opportunity to pick up a feeling of the i700 as an "everyday" phone and Pocket PC, and to comment on the little things that make it rewarding, as well as pointing out some of the less-noticed shortcomings. You may find this review a bit long, but I hope you also find it helpful. In case you're curious, my Pocket PC experience, before the i700, consisted of an original iPAQ 3650, an iPAQ 3870, and the T-Mobile version of the XDA. I used all three of them extensively, and I've also had the opportunity to work with (but do not own) some newer devices, including the iPAQ 1910, 2215 and 3975 devices. I'll be making comparisons throughout the remainder of this review against a number of these devices. I'd like to thank my colleagues, Suhit Gupta and Phil Gross, with providing me access to the 2215 and 3975 for comparison shots, and also to Suhit for providing me with some photo help with his awesome Canon 10D. Obtaining the i700 and Verizon Wireless service <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/box_resize.jpg" /> Figure 1: The nice Verizon-branded i700 box. It's clear they target this as a business device... Right now, the i700 is only sold by Verizon Wireless in the US. As you can see from the packaging, the device is jointly cobranded by Samsung and Verizon Wireless. I'd presume the phone is provider-locked; the programming is done "in the back room" by Verizon, and you're handed an activated phone. Verizon is known to be an excellent carrier in the United States, especially in the Northeast and in the New York metro area in particular. This is largely the case because of Verizon Wireless's history. Verizon Wireless when two "Baby Bells" -- Bell Atlantic and GTE -- merged and formed Verizon; at the same time, Bell Atlantic Mobile merged networks with PrimeCo, AirTouch (a Vodafone subsidiary), and GTE to form Verizon Wireless, which is an independent jointly-held subsidiary of Verizon and Vodafone. In the Northeast, Verizon Wireless's network was inherited from Bell Atlantic's network, which in turn came from the old CellularOne network of the 80s. As such, the network has had years to grow and mature. Many of the towers around here were installed well before modern-day NIMBY (Not In My Backyard)-based concerns about cell towers sprung up, which impedes many new carriers (especially T-Mobile and Sprint). The bottom line is that Verizon's service is excellent: strong signals throughout the New York Metro area because of uniform tower coverage and because of their use of 800MHz signal (with better building penetration compared to 1900MHz). That's why I jumped at the chance to activate an i700; I had been using T-Mobile service with my XDA, but had lousy coverage in my house. Not so with Verizon, which works well both at home and work. Since Verizon doesn't have Bluetooth, the i700 is the best wireless Pocket PC option for people who need the coverage they provide. (I don't consider the Audiovox Thera to be a Pocket PC Phone, as it uses Sierra Wireless's telephony software instead of Microsoft's, and is known to have absolutely terrible battery life.) The one downside of Verizon Wireless is cost. They know they have the best network and that people are willing to pay for it because, in many cases, they have no choice. As a result, both plan and data prices are noticeably higher than younger networks like T-Mobile; the latter, still in an aggressive growth phase, prices their network to attract subscribers. For example, a 400 minute nationwide plan, with unlimited night and weekend minutes, costs $49.99 at Verizon Wireless; T-Mobile, on the other hand, offers 600 minutes and unlimited nights-and-weekends for $10 less. Even more drastic are the data plans: Verizon Wireless charges $44.95 for unlimited handheld data, whereas T-Mobile merely charges $19.99. As I'll talk about in a minute, the two data services are not equivalent, but the cost difference is substantial. Some i700 users have managed to set up their Verizon Wireless service to use minutes at no additional cost over the base America's Choice plan, but Verizon Wireless claims this is not a "valid" plan for devices like the i700. It will be interesting to see what number portability will bring us, promotion- and price-wise, when it goes into effect in the middle of November. Oh, and did I mention that the i700 costs $599 with a two-year contract? 8O CDMA and 1xRTT: What does it mean? The i700 uses a wireless standard known as CDMA (or Code Division Multiple Access), which was pioneered at Qualcomm in the early 90s. CDMA differs from older standards, especially TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access, used by GSM and IS-136 networks around the world) in that it doesn't allocate dedicated timeslots to a particular wireless device; instead, each wireless "packet" is prefixed with a code that enables the base station to reassemble the packets into a data (or voice) stream. There are several substantial advantages for CDMA: first, it's more spectrally efficient: since the number of available timeslots is no longer a limitation, a given tower can handle more simultaneous calls; and second, it's more naturally geared towards wireless data. In fact, CDMA is rapidly being adopted worldwide as we move to 3G. Verizon and Sprint in the US, and parts of Asia use Qualcomm's CDMA2000 standard, while the GSM Association has adopted UMTS/wCDMA as a solution to lay out 3G over existing GSM/GPRS/EDGE networks. Anyone who makes the argument that "CDMA is inferior to GSM" is being overly simplistic; the fact of the matter is that CDMA will be dominant across the globe in about 10-15 years (unfortunately, using incompatible frequencies and standards, but that's another issue). Here, we'll focus on the Qualcomm implementation as used by Verizon Wireless and the i700. The i700 supports the first level of CDMA2000, known as 1xRTT, which supports a 144kbps peak data rate. While this is similar to GPRS's theoretical 128kbps peak data rate, in practice 1xRTT is noticeably faster. In my experience, Verizon Wireless's 1xRTT-based "Express Network" frequently reaches 80k-100k, while my T-Mobile GPRS devices rarely exceeded 45k. CDMA2000 is likely to evolve more quickly than GSM, as well, since upgrades can be done with full backwards and forwards compatibility -- in fact, Verizon Wireless has deployed 1xEV-DO, which offers 250kbps-500kbps service, in Washington, D.C. and San Diego, CA (the latter, of course, being the home of Qualcomm). Sadly, the i700 won't support this faster data rate, but it will at least work with the newer towers as they become more widespread across the US. That's the good news. The bad news is that CDMA2000 as implemented in the US has no SIM card or equivalent thereof. This is not because CDMA as a technology can't handle it, but rather because there was never a mandate that wireless carriers support it here, and in general US carriers prefer much tighter control over the wireless devices they carry on their networks. There exist CDMA SIM-like technologies, such as UIMs in Korea, but if you get a Verizon phone, it must be electronically programmed, which typically requires unlock codes that only Verizon knows how to access. It is possible to reprogram CDMA phones for another network, but it's done much less frequently than SIM-swapping with GSM devices. Add the fact that companies like Sprint are adamant about activating only phones sold by themselves, and you quickly discover that you're not going to be able to trivially move the i700 to another network if you're not happy with Verizon... and there's not much you can do about it. :evil: That's largely the reason wireless technology moves slower here -- large carriers are more conservative about deploying new wireless terminals here until they have the opportunity to do significant amounts of "testing" in advance, and it's harder to get a CDMA phone off-the-shelf and get it activated. All that said, let's take a closer look at the i700 and how it actually performs once you get it activated. <PAGEBREAK> Hardware Specifications The SPH-i700 is a middle-of-the-road Pocket PC, with a 300MHz Intel PXA250 XScale processor, 64MB of RAM (60MB useable), an SD slot, and a removable battery slot (with two different capacity batteries bundled). It is also one of the few Pocket PCs to have an integrated camera, which takes pictures at (in theory) 640x480 resolution, fixed-focus, with no flash. The phone is a dual-band (800/1900) 1xRTT CDMA2000 component. From what I've heard, the phone is technically tri-mode, but Verizon has disabled the analog portion, so the phone only behaves as a dual-band digital phone. This is not an issue for me as the Northeast is blanketed with spectacular coverage, but this may be problematic for some time if you live in a rural area. It's worth mentioning that Verizon is aggressively moving away from tri-mode phones; all of their newest phones, including the VX-6000, the i600 Smartphone, and the i700, don't support analog. This fits in with their aggressive digital upgrades; from what I've heard, Verizon hopes to have their entire network be 100% CDMA digital by 2006 or thereabouts, just in time for the FCC analog mandate to be dropped. What's in the box? Apart from the PDA, you get the following items: <li> Two styli; <li> Standard 1000mAh Lithium-Ion battery; <li> Extended 2000mAh Lithium-Ion battery (yes, there are two in the box); <li> Leather carrying case; <li> Stereo headset; <li> Cradle; <li> Travel charger (which acts as the cradle's AC adapter as well); <li> Two CDs: one with the full manual, and another with Outlook 2000, ActiveSync 3.5(!), and some add-on software. Overall, the i700 comes with a nice set of accessories -- which is useful as Samsung and Verizon see fit to massively overcharge you for separate purchases. As of the writing of this review, the AC adapter is still scarce, and if you get your hands on it, its list price is over $50, as is the USB cable! 8O A tour of the device Unsurprisingly, the i700 looks a lot like the XDA at first glance. Both of them have a nub for the earpiece at the top, an antenna protruding on the right, and a d-pad and call/hang up buttons at the bottom. But that's where the similarity ends. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/700-front_resize2.jpg" /> Figure 2: A frontal shot of the i700. The first major difference you notice upon picking up the i700 is that it's not slippery. For some reason, HTC seems to be obsessed with slippery paint on their devices. This plagued my 3650, 3870 and the XDA. It was worst with the XDA, as I would frequently hold it up to my ear and feel like I'd drop it any second. I rapidly opted to get a case for the original XDA as a result -- the open-faced Vaja T-Buron II case, which I'll talk about another day. The i700, on the other hand, seems to have been painted with non-slippery paint, and is very comfortable to pick up and hold. The earpiece is slightly convex instead of concave, which is a mixed blessing: while it's a little harder for your ear to feel it, it doesn't require you to push your ear in as much as with the XDA, reducing screen contact with your face, thereby preventing the dreaded "face grease" problem. Keeping the device slightly angled away from you also helps. The i700's size is typical of the larger class of Pocket PCs: it falls squarely within the same dimensions as the XDA, i.e., it's slightly smaller the sleeve-expandable 3650s. iPAQ 19xx and 22xx lovers may find the i700 a bit too large, but I find the size very comfortable in my pocket and in my hand. The antenna protrudes a little, however. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/4devices-stacked-side_resize.jpg" /> Figure 3: The 2215, the 3975, the i700, and the XDA stacked. I've got a side-by-side picture on the next page. The next major difference you'll notice is the buttons -- they're large and protrude out from the case, making them very easy to press. They also have excellent tactile feedback. The d-pad is absolutely superb -- several notches better than most mushy Pocket PC d-pads -- probably the best one I've used, although it doesn't have diagonal controls. The center "OK" button is similar (but larger) in style to the iPAQ 1910's center button in that it's separate from the d-pad, making it easy to press separately. The buttons are all on the sides and front-bottom, making it relatively easy to one-hand every one of them; the Calendar and Contacts are located right below the talk and hang up buttons, unlike at the top with the XDA. However, the buttons protrude too much; HTC made a concerted effort to make sure buttons couldn't be accidentally pushed, but sadly, Samsung didn't do the same thing. The i700 does provide a key-lock feature where only the power button can turn on the device, but even that button is on the right side, making it easy to accidentally turn on! I'd say the device gets accidentally turned on once a week or thereabouts in my pocket, which is frustrating. One mitigating possibility for this is to use a case with special cutouts for the buttons. There's a indicator LED on the upper-right, and when you soft-reset the unit, you quickly notice that it's a tricolor unit: it can flash blue, red, and green. Despite its flexibility, Samsung did a lousy job in designing the software to handle the LED. For example, when any notification appears, be it a reminder, the "charging" notification, or even when it finds a signal, the blue LED flashes about once every 2 seconds for a few minutes, and then stops entirely. And I've never seen the green mode actually used. :? The only useful behavior of the LED is that it flashes red rapidly during an incoming phone call or when the phone grabs a channel for the outgoing call. Worst, the book doesn't document the behavior of the LED; I guess no one quite knows its behavior. :| On a brighter note, the transflective screen's quality indoors is absolutely top-notch. It does seem to be more on the transmissive side -- while the display is certainly usable outside, it's not particularly as good as other transflectives, and is certainly nowhere near my 3870's reflective screen. Finally, we see the little camera on the top-left. This camera is strictly mediocre. I have some sample pictures below, but in short, this is not going to replace your digital camera. It is, however, extremely convenient. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/700-right_resize.jpg" /> Figure 4: A shot of the right side of the i700. There are some other interesting design decisions on the right side of the device. While the antenna is on the right as with the XDA, it's not as thick. It feels quite sturdy, but you get the feeling you could snap it off at a moment's notice if you were sufficiently angry. Compare this to the XDA, where the antenna is so very integral in the device and it would take nothing short of complete disassembly to remove it. (One other interesting piece of trivia: the i700 was one of the first Verizon CDMA phones to have a non-retractable antenna.) You'll notice that there are two buttons here: the power and a backlight button. The second button's utility is dubious, as the i700's transflective display almost always needs a backlight. You can't reprogram the button, either. Holding down the power button toggles the phone portion on and off, and holding down the backlight button toggles the screen on and off (but keeps the PDA on). Finally, we get to perhaps the most controversial design decision on the physical aspect of the i700: the stylus. First of all, you'll notice it's at the bottom of the device. I thought it was a lousy design decision when Sony did it with their NR70s, and I think it's a lousy design decision here. My device happens to hold the stylus securely, but I've read several reports of it falling out. Perhaps Samsung anticipated this, as they bundle an extra one in the package. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/stylus_resize.jpg" /> Figure 5: The i700's telescoping stylus, extended fully. The other weird property of the stylus is its telescoping behavior. Instead of embedding the full length of the stylus into the device, Samsung opted to employ some hydraulic mechanism to allow the stylus to extend to its full length. I don't mind this too much, but I've heard various people's hydraulic mechanisms jamming after things like airplane flights. 8O I don't quite see why they went to so much trouble in designing it. Fortunately, the stylus does have a decent heft and feel to it. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/700-back-ext_resize.jpg" /> Figure 6: The rear of the i700, with extended battery installed. I have a few comments about the back of the unit as well. On top, you'll notice the speaker. Yes, the i700 has a speaker at the rear for Pocket PC sounds and for speakerphone operation. While this sounds counterintuitive, it actually works quite well, even when the device is flush on a table -- you leave it at the rear, and it's typically loud enough to accommodate a conversation with a few people. The main reason I could come up with for such a decision is to prevent situations where you're talking on the phone and something like a loud alarm blows off your ear -- which has happened in the past once or twice with my XDA as its front earpiece doubles as a speaker. It presumably also reduces the possibility of feedback if the speakerphone is sufficiently loud. Between the speaker and antenna is a receptacle for an external antenna. Kudos for Samsung for putting this in. :way to go: I don't need it, but I could see others finding it a lifesaver when they're in sporadic coverage areas. We can also see the removable battery here (the extended one is inserted; the standard one appears "flush" with the rest of the phone). There's no separate battery cover -- you just push in the release latch and slide the battery down. It's very simple to do, and the i700 has an internal battery that protects your device for a short while when you swap batteries. The i700 comes with not one, but two batteries -- the standard (1000mah) and an extended (2000mah) battery. I've found that I like the extended battery a lot -- I'll talk about the battery life later, but the extended battery doesn't substantially increase the device's size, and actually makes the i700 more comfortable to hold as the battery settles in the palm of your hand. The last item of note is the reset hole. Why, oh why did they have to make it pinhole-sized, unlike the XDA whose hole is easy to push? :( The good news is that you can unscrew the stylus to reveal a pin that fits perfectly into the hole, but the bad news is that the stylus head is rotated instead of the tail, and combined with the telescoping nature of the stylus makes the head come off too easily at times. It's a relatively minor complaint, but it wouldn't have been that hard to design a reset hole that would eliminate the need for a unscrewable stylus head in the first place. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/700-left_resize.jpg" /> Figure 7: The left side of the i700. On the left side, you can see the camera swivel dial, the headset jack, the record button, the volume rocker, and the SD slot in order. The headset jack is somewhat similar in concept to the XDA's: it's a 2.5mm stereo+mic jack. However, Samsung designed it differently. Instead of four conductors inline (left, right, mic, ground), Samsung opted to make it three conductors plus an outer ring. The good news is that their design allows you to use regular cellular headsets. The bad news is that XDA users need to get a new adapter for their headphones, but overall I prefer this choice -- the jack is compatible with the most popular 2.5mm accessories on the market. The record button, unlike the XDA's side button, is remappable; I've got it mapped to the camera applet. The volume buttons, by the way, are an order-of-magnitude more useful than the horrendous volume control on the XDA. For those of you that don't know, the XDA has one button on its side -- a "volume increase" button -- that then cycles around to the lowest volume, making it virtually unusable when actually talking on the phone. The i700 does not suffer from this problem. The camera swivel works as advertised. It's easy to use the dial to rotate the camera about 270 degrees from its "closed" position. The camera is smart enough to mirror the image when you rotate it beyond the 180 degree point, keeping correct orientation. Last, the SD slot is present here. Make no mistake, this is a full SDIO slot... however, its position makes it a bit tenuous to use SD cards that stick out. My SDIO WiFi, when inserted, makes the i700 a bit awkward to hold. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/700-with-SDIO_resize.jpg" /> Figure 8: The i700 in my hand with Sandisk's SDIO WiFi card. The SD slot's ejector is extremely powerful, so while the SD slot is not pointing down, it's still too easy to lose an SD card if you're not careful and you let your hand or finger trigger a push-in-and-eject scenario. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/700-bottom_resize.jpg" /> Figure 9: The i700's sync connector. Finally, you'll observe that the Samsung uses a different connector. The good news is that it looks a lot like Samsung's other PDA phone offerings, especially the i500 and the i600, and the AC adapter appears to be the same. However, I don't know if you can actually share data cables between the devices. And the bad news is that it's not remotely similar to other manufacturers' connectors. It's worth noting that no one has figured out how to reliably make a USB charge-and-sync cable for the i700, nor has anyone figured out how to make a serial cable for the unit... and Samsung appears unwilling to disclose the pinouts for either application. <PAGEBREAK> Hardware (continued) The cradle Samsung has bundled an interesting cradle with the device. The device "reclines" in the cradle, using side clips to hold it in and down against the sync connector. It is not difficult to one-hand it in this fashion, although I'm personally not a huge fan of the angle; while it makes it easier to use it as a "stand" to interact with the i700, I prefer to keep my cradles further back and have my device at a steeper (viewing) angle. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/cradle-empty_resize.jpg" /> Figure 10: The i700 cradle. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/cradle-full_resize.jpg" /> Figure 11: The i700 cradle, with the device inserted into it. The cradle does have a few nice touches: it has an extra battery slot in which you can charge an extra battery irrespective of whether or not the i700 itself is docked. There's a separate LED on the front to let you know the extra battery's charge status. There's also a cutout so that you can insert and remove the SD card without removing the i700 from its cradle, and a little hole in the front to hold an extra stylus. Like most other Pocket PC cradles, the AC adapter plugs into the cradle to enable it to become a charge-and-sync solution. Samsung also offers a charge-and-sync cable that works in a similar way, minus the extra battery charger. The screen As a reflective-color-screen user for most of my Pocket PC career, it was not difficult to be impressed by the brilliance of transflective displays, and I drooled at my coworker's 3975 the day he got it. The 3975's display is generally considered one of the best transflectives on the market, but I think I've finally found a unit whose display rivals or even beats the iPAQs indoors. The i700's is that good. Click on the pictures to show a bigger version. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/4devices-today.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/4devices-today_resize.jpg" /></a> Figure 12: The Today Screen on four devices. From left to right, the XDA, the 2215, the i700, and the 3975 on maximum brightness. Adjusting the brightness doesn't affect the contrasts as shown here; adjusting the angle does, a little, but the i700's contrast is best of all the four when viewed "head-on". Oh, and the agenda item on the 2215 is legit. :lol: <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/4devices-programs.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/4devices-programs_resize.jpg" /></a> Figure 13: The Programs Screen on the four devices. The brightness levels of the i700 and the iPAQ are similar, but I find the color balance and contrast to be better on the i700. The i700 supports four brightness levels, and I find the 2nd level ("Medium") to be a good compromise most of the time; the only other setting I use is the dim setting for low-light situations. The one situation where the i700 falls short, though, is angled viewing: the iPAQs easily outclass it. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/4devices-angle.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/4devices-angle_resize.jpg" /></a> Figure 14: The 4 devices, at an angle. No comparison. Incidentally, ClearType quality is very good -- almost as good as the XDA, which is probably the single best ClearType display in the Pocket PC world. There's no tweak, but you don't need one. ClearType can be enabled system-wide via a tool like Chris De Herrera's <a href="http://www.cewindows.net/applications/regkingdownload.htm">RegKing</a>. The case On the other hand, the i700 is bundled with perhaps the worst carrying case I've seen for a PDA. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/case-closed_resize.jpg" /> Figure 15: The carrying case, closed. Yes, this black case shows fingerprints. 8O <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/case-bottom_resize.jpg" /> Figure 16: The carrying case, viewed from the bottom. It's thick, and the angle is caused by the case sitting on the closed buckle. It provides adequate protection, but that's about the only thing that's good about it. It's not contoured to the i700, so it's a bulky, squarish object that's barely pocketable. It looks like Samsung realized it wouldn't be pocketable, so they helpfully attached a long strap to the zipper. It's been derisively called "man-purse" in the forums, and I can see why. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/case-open_resize.jpg" /> Figure 17: The carrying case, opened. It's awkward to hold at best, especially for a lefty like me. The only somewhat redeeming factor of the case is that it uses a plastic holder to securely snap the i700 into place, and it's very easy to remove yet secure. However, this plastic holder is a large part of what makes this case bulky and awkward. The case opens to the side, which I also generally dislike as it makes the device harder to hold. When closed, there are cutouts for the earpiece and microphone, but you feel really stupid holding it up to your ear, as if it's a plastic brick. :lol: Since I refuse to use this case, I've employed an old Compaq 3650 slipcase for the occasion. The i700 fits perfectly in it, even with the extended battery. I'm hoping that Vaja will release one of their open-faced cases for the unit. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/slipcase_resize.jpg" /> Figure 18: The i700 sitting in my ancient 3650's slipcase. Who knew that thing would be so valuable? ;) <PAGEBREAK> Software Pocket PC Phone Edition 2002 The i700 runs Pocket PC Phone Edition 2002, EUU3 (which I'll hereafter refer to as PPCPE). As of the writing of this review, Samsung is apparently testing Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition; it'll be up to Verizon whether they want to offer it, and current rumors seem to suggest a early 2004 release date. For those of you who aren't familiar with a Phone Edition device, it's a superset of the regular Pocket PC OS -- in particular, APIs and applets have been added to support phone operation. An "antenna" icon is in the title bar tray indicating whether there's a signal. Whenever a signal is acquired, or if you tap the icon in the tray, a service information popup appears. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-service.gif" /> Figure 19: A shot of the Verizon Wireless service information popup. A pet peeve of mine with regards to this service popup is that Microsoft saw fit to design PPCPE such that it appears every time a signal is acquired. This wouldn't be such an issue for me, except that it makes using a Phone Edition device rather frustrating in environs like the subway, where you're constantly picking up and losing pockets of Verizon signal (presumably, in parts where the tunnel is shallow enough where overground base stations penetrate). If you happen to be using your Pocket PC, you have to take out your stylus and tap the dialog, or wait about three to four seconds for the popup to go away. No fun. Incoming calls trigger a similar dialog, but you can use the hardware Phone buttons to either accept or reject the call. When you're on a call, it's worth noting that the phone circuitry is essentially decoupled from the PDA circuitry. While the Phone Edition software controls the phone's initial behavior (i.e., connecting, hanging up, dialing, etc.), the established call can be kept even if you turn the PDA on and off as many times as you like. In fact, both the i700 and the XDA turn the PDA off after approximately one minute if you don't interact with the PDA's functions while you're on a call -- and you can simply continue speaking on. This is a major reason as to why the Phone Edition devices have surprisingly decent battery life. You can also easily turn off the phone -- just tap on the phone icon and click "Turn phone off", at which point the bar meter next to the antenna changes to an X. Of course, it may not be easy to convince a flight attendant that's the case; it might have been nice to have the service dialog say in big print "Phone is off", like my ancient pdQ did. Dialing is accomplished using the Phone applet. If you don't mind touching your screen (or if you have a screen protector), one-handed operation is possible. In my case, I cradle the device in my left hand, turn it on using my index finger, and then use my thumb to hit the Dial button and navigate the Phone applet. The d-pad also serves several functions in the Phone applet; for example, if you hit the Down key, you'll get a list of your speed dial entries. I frequently will hit the Phone button, hit down, scroll through, and click the center d-pad button to dial a contact -- and as such it works reasonably well. I wish the numbers on the main applet screen were bigger, however; and, of course, there is no tactile feedback. You can enable speakerphone once you're connected, but you can't do it before or set any default. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-phone.gif" /> Figure 20: The phone dialing applet in PPCPE. For those of you who own GSM Pocket PC Phones, the interface is extremely similar, with some small changes. In the Phone applet, the Talk and End buttons are rearranged slightly -- instead of being one button that toggles between the two states, they're separate. This is a mixed bag -- while it avoids ambiguity, your thumb has to be more dexterous if you're one-handing the unit. In addition, since Verizon supports the voicemail indicator, SMS and voicemail are separate notifications (unlike T-Mobile US, which uses SMS messages to notify you of new voicemail). There's also a "charging" icon/notification which pops up when you plug the unit into an AC jack; I don't quite understand why this is necessary, since both the cradle and the AC adapter have charging lights. (If multiple notifications occur at the same time, PPCPE groups them into a "bubble" which you can tap to see individual notifications). The Phone option dialogs have changed slightly as well to accommodate CDMA options. For you XDA owners, you can compare your tabs with the ones below. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-options1_resize.gif" /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-options2_resize.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-options3_resize.gif" /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-options4_resize.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-options5_resize.gif" /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-options6_resize.gif" /> Figure 21: Phone customization screens. Yes, there's a GPS option in there, although turning it on doesn't seem to do much at this point. I doubt this'll ever be useful as a general GPS, but may eventually help in e911 applications and provider-based location-specific services. Other Phone Edition enhancements include the Contacts applet, in which telephone numbers are underlined, much like hyperlinks -- tapping them triggers an automatic dial. You can also quickly switch to the Contacts applet via the button at the bottom of the Phone applet. There is an additional provider in the Inbox applet that deals with SMS messaging. (For those of you who ask, there is a way to do email-via-SMS through Verizon and the i700, but it's undocumented.) Vibration support is present throughout the Phone Edition OS -- you can either use the Volume Control applet and explicitly set every sound to trigger a vibrate, or you can use the Sounds and Notifications applet to explicitly vibrate for certain events. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-volume.gif" /> Figure 22: There's a vibration option in the volume panel. I prefer the latter method, as I can control precisely what causes a vibrate, and I generally keep everything else silent. One interesting trick for you Pocket PC Phone Edition users who like vibrate: try setting your speaker volume to the lowest setting (NOT muted), and then specify vibrate for only the events you want, and it works perfectly without making any audible sounds. If you mute the device via the volume control, then SMSes or reminders won't trigger a vibration, while if you set the device to vibrate via the volume control, other events (like ActiveSync) trigger a vibrate. I guess a bit of complexity comes with the flexibility... Many third-party applications also support the Phone Edition. For example, Pocket Informant supports seamless dialing. In fact, PI has a neat call-tracking feature -- as soon as you trigger a dial, it will bring you to a screen where you can enter notes for the contact, and it will even automatically track the phone call's length for you for contact-management purposes. Apart from these enhancements, the Phone Edition is almost identical to the Pocket PC 2002 OS. I say identical because I find the Phone Edition variant to be slightly less stable. My previous non-Phone Edition full-time device was an iPAQ 3870, and I had the unit so precisely set up that when I went home every night I could see that the RAM utilization remained the same after I shut all the applications down. In fact, I would only reset my 3870 once a month or so -- when the SD slot flaked out. With both my T-Mobile unit and this i700, I find myself having to soft-reset about once a week or two to free up RAM that appears to have leaked. In addition, the device starts acting slightly quirky leading up to the point where I need a soft reset -- either the SD slot disappears, or the amount of time it takes to notify me of an incoming call increases slightly, or even a situation where the speakerphone clicks on for about 2 seconds when I accept a call (and then it clicks off). A soft reset cures these, but it would be nice if some of these quirks were ultimately stamped out; I'm hoping that a WM2003 upgrade takes care of that. It's worth mentioning, however that I find the i700 to be a bit more stable than the T-Mobile XDA. Overall, the Phone Edition features work well, and I really haven't had situations where I found the phone to be incapacitated by OS troubles. <PAGEBREAK> Software (continued) Bundled software There are a few additions to the Phone Edition OS. First, Verizon/Samsung has added two Today screen plugins in the ROM: an Enhanced Roaming Indicator (ERI), and a 1x speed meter. (Note that this theme is not the default theme; it's one of the free Windows Mobile 2003 themes <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/resources/downloads/pocketpc/themes.mspx">available for download</a>, and works pretty well on Pocket PC 2002.) <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-today.gif" /> Figure 23: Today screen, showing the Verizon today plugins. The ERI would presumably be useful for the situations where you were roaming off Verizon's network (or on a "free roaming" partner as part of the America's Choice plan). The 1x speed meter, on the other hand, is not useful at all: since it's on the Today screen, you're unlikely to see it while you're actually using the 1xRTT service. It only calculates the speed as of the current moment, so by the time you close PIE, for example, the speed meters have already returned to zero. There's also a camera applet built into ROM, to be used with the built-in camera. As far as I know, Samsung has not released an API for the camera, so this applet is all you can use. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-camera.gif" /> Figure 24: Camera taking a picture of my screen (which, of course, is visiting PPCT. :)) The camera application does an OK job. It's easy to use, and has a built-in browser that lets you see the existing pictures. It also lets you save on an SD card by default should you prefer. It doesn't take movies, and isn't very customizable. Most important, the camera's quality is mediocre at best. Here are a few sample pictures to give you the idea of indoor and outdoor quality. <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/camera-inside.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/camera-inside_resize.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/camera-outside.jpg"><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/camera-outside_resize.jpg" /></a> Figure 25, 26: Indoor and outdoor shots using the camera. The indoor one is of my office, featuring my officemate Suhit, and the outside one is a shot of Lincoln Center. Click on the pictures for the full versions. Finally, there's a "USB" setting in the Control Panel, which lets you reassign the i700's sync port as a modem instead of an ActiveSync device. I haven't personally tested this, but reports seem to indicate that it works quite well once you download unsupported modem .INF files for Windows. Verizon and Samsung have also bundled a few applications on CD, which you can install into the RAM of the device. A version of Sprite Software's Pocket Backup is included; you can read the review of that product elsewhere on the site, and I didn't investigate the bundled version. A product called Voice Signal is also bundled, which offers speech recognition -- especially voice dialing -- without any training. If you're interested in installing it, though, use the version on the <a href="http://www.voicesignal.com/support/i700V/index.html">Voice Signal website</a>, as it fixes a number of bugs that were in the bundled version. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-voicesignal.gif" /> Figure 27: Voice Signal's main screen. The nice thing about Voice Signal is that it's reasonably compact (a 900K download) and quick to launch. However, I found use of the software awkward. To dial an arbitrary name from your phonebook, you first have to say "Name Dial", then the name of the person, then a "Yes" to confirm, and then "Mobile" or "Home" if necessary. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-voicesignal2.gif" /> Figure 28: Voice Signal asking me which number of mine it should dial. On the other hand, it might be useful for those of you in a car and willing to follow-through on multiple prompts. It's also possible that Microsoft's new Voice Command application would do a better job, but it doesn't run on Pocket PC 2002. :cry: Finally, you can optionally get a product called Wireless Sync for the i700 at no additional cost. It's a product made by <a href="http://www.spontec.com">Spontaneous Technology</a>, and essentially acts as a dedicated, encrypted VPN tunnel for ActiveSync. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-wirelesssync.gif" /> Figure 29: The Wireless Sync applet. You install a "server application" on your desktop PC -- the one you normally ActiveSync with over a USB connection -- and a corresponding "client application" on the Pocket PC. You can apparently get the CD with this software when you order the i700, but your Verizon rep was like mine, they have no clue about it. :| Fortunately, there is an <a href="http://www.verizonwireless.spontec.com">online download page</a> cohosted by Verizon and Spontaneous that makes the process easy -- you enter your phone # and get a tailored download and username/password combo that lets you set up the secure tunnel. I was able to get syncing in just a few minutes. Obviously, it's slower than USB; a typical sync took me about two minutes, but the versatility is unparalleled. <PAGEBREAK> Performance Performance on the i700 is decidedly mixed -- as a phone and wireless terminal, the i700 is absolutely top-notch, but, as I'll explain later, its PDA performance is lacking. Phone and wireless performance For those of you, like me, who live in an area that's blanketed with Verizon coverage, the i700 is a pure joy to work with. As I previously mentioned, CDMA is more spectrally efficient than networks like TDMA or GSM. This means that if you have a signal, you almost always can make a call out. I'd guess my outgoing calls fail one out of every hundred. Voice quality is good -- slightly worse than GSM, as CDMA uses a lower-bitrate codec by default -- but very clear. Earpiece volume is excellent; one of my major gripes with the T-Mobile XDA was that it had a relatively soft earpiece at any setting but the very loudest one, and the loudest one was just adequate for noisy environments like NYC. This didn't pose too much of a problem unless you put the T-Mobile device into a case, at which point the speaker simply became too soft for outdoor use. The i700 is not plagued by such problems -- the maximum volume setting is very loud and shouldn't pose a problem even if the device is placed into a case. The i700 also has solid reception, pulling a similar signal to other Verizon phones (even those with retractable antennas). As for data performance, 1xRTT simply runs rings around GPRS. I can easily reach a 90-100kbps data rate in a variety of situations in NYC, even during rush hour. Connection reliability is also very good; I'd estimate that more than 90% of connections succeed on the first try. Latency is still so-so; typical latencies seem to be between 300ms and 800ms, which is better than GPRS but still not particularly good compared to commodity wired connections. However, this is not surprising considering the overhead 1xRTT CDMA (just like any other cellular technology) must place on network traffic. In fact, my biggest criticism about data usage on the i700 is that the slower PXA250 processor, as well as the older Pocket PC 2002 IE, is ill-equipped to handle the speed of incoming data. On the other hand, <a href="http://www.bitstream.com/wireless">Thunderhawk</a> works superbly as most of the rendering work is done server-side, and Inbox is finally useable even with a fair amount of email. Audio playback quality I tested the supplied earbuds with both music and voice. Overall, the quality of the supplied earbuds is surprisingly good. Music is clear, and bass is better than I expected, certainly much better than T-Mobile's bundled earbuds (either version of them, for those of you who have tried both ;)). They're comfortable to wear as well. The microphone bud hangs off the right ear, and contains a volume control as well as an answer button. Volume is also above average. At the loudest setting, I'd estimate the i700 with its supplied earbuds is probably 20-25% louder than the XDA -- not loud enough to kill your ears (like the iPAQs are notorious for), but certainly loud enough for situations even with background noise. I was disappointed with the XDA's performance in this regard. However, I still don't think the volume is going to be good enough for larger headphones that need more power to drive them -- you'll want to stick with earbuds or get an inline battery-powered amplifier from Radio Shack. Chances also are that third-party earbuds would improve the quality somewhat (such as my beloved Sonys), but I don't have a 2.5mm-3.5mm adapter for the i700; they are available from 3rd-party sites, like <a href="http://www.ppctechs.com">Pocket PC Techs</a>. The iPAQ is still clearly superior with its tremendous volume and DSP-driven bass/treble controls, but for occasional music listening the i700 is perfectly adequate. Pocket PC benchmarks My main criticism of the i700 revolves around its performance as a PXA250-based Pocket PC 2002 device. By default, the i700 runs at "Normal" mode, which is at 200MHz, to save battery life. It's trivial to go into the Power control panel applet to switch it up to "Turbo" mode, which makes the device run at 300MHz, but the device will automatically regress to 200MHz on a soft-reset and battery life is somewhat reduced (if I'd have to guess, perhaps 20%). <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/screenshot-cpumode.gif" /> Figure 30: The i700's CPU speed setting, in the Power applet. While 200MHz is OK for PDA applications and simple games, more complex tasks, like having PIE render a complex page or having PI launch, is frustrating. The T-Mobile XDA, on the other hand, was superb with its 206MHz StrongARM processor. I performed a suite of benchmarks using Spb Benchmark, and posted the results below. Note that I turned off the phone portion of the device to avoid incoming calls or other notifications (like the service popup) from skewing the data. In my experience, the phone module doesn't have a significant effect on overall performance. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/bench-overall.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/bench-cpu.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/bench-filesys.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/bench-graphics.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/bench-as.gif" /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/bench-plat.gif" /> If none of these blow you away, that's precisely the feel you will get while using the i700. It's tolerable, but not particularly snappy. The numbers show a striking similarity to the 1910, which uses the same processor and OS, and my experience using both also yields a similar result. Don't get this device for 3D game playing or intensive computation, but as a PDA it should be adequate. I've gotten used to it, but I can immediately notice the difference when I pick up my friend's 2210. I'm hoping a WM2003 upgrade will help in this regard, but it's still too early to make a reliable prediction. You can download the XML files for <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/benchmark-normal.xml">Normal</a> and <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/parekh/features/i700/benchmark-turbo.xml">Turbo</a> mode if you want to run your own comparisons using Spb's <a href="http://www.softspb.com/products/benchmark/compare.asp">comparison tools</a> on their website. Battery life Unfortunately, battery life is extremely complex to calculate accurately, as it's highly dependent on what combination of modes you run the i700 in. As a result, I'll give you an approximate feel for the batteries' performance here, based on several months of typical use. In my opinion, the standard (1000mAh) battery's life is inadequate unless you're willing to charge both in the middle of the day and the night. I'm a relatively heavy PDA user, and I can drain the standard battery from a full charge to about 60% with perhaps a half-hour of talk, one to two hours of PDA use and perhaps a half-hour of surfing (at medium brightness). It's worth mentioning that standby time, however, is decent; you could probably get 24-48 hours of standby with the regular battery if you use the device sparingly. On the other hand, performance with the extended (2000mAh) battery is excellent. The same usage pattern as above might drain the battery to 80-90%, and I'd expect the PDA to last 10+ hours/four to six hours of talk, or somewhat less if you use 1xRTT. (In general, I find that 1xRTT communications drain the battery the fastest, while voice and PDA use are more manageable.) Standby time is excellent as well. With the extended battery, I can use the PDA heavily and be confident about leaving my charger at home. I'd estimate that with my usage patterns, I could go for two to four days without a recharge. Of course, YMMV, but if you get the i700, seriously consider using the extended battery in lieu of the standard one. I find the added bulk to be a minimal compromise, and have easily gotten used to it. <PAGEBREAK> Gotchas I mentioned several "gotchas" through the review. Here are some others based on my perception of the device; most are minor. <li> Minimal expandability. There is only an SDIO slot, and no option for CF. The port at the bottom may have serial support, as you can buy a keyboard for the unit, but serial sync/accessory cables aren't available yet (although Pharos <a href="http://www.pharosgps.com/products/phone/c_samsung_ppc.htm">has one in the works</a> for their GPS solution). There is no Bluetooth on this device, and while a SDIO Bluetooth card may work with certain devices (from what I've heard, people have used an SDIO Bluetooth card to talk to BT GPS devices), you can't use a Bluetooth headset with the i700 unless you use the <a href="http://www.jabra.com/products/FreeSpeak_nonBluetooth.htm">Jabra FreeSpeak adapter</a> via the 2.5mm headset jack. <li> Only three remappable PDA buttons. The record, contacts, and calendar are the only ones you have. XDA users have been dealing with this for years. It's not a major hindrance for most PDA applications, but gaming might be an issue. The volume rocker on the side is also not remappable; it could have served as a decent jog-dial replacement. <li> No hardware keypad. This goes almost without saying, but if I had to identify one major problem with the i700 as a phone this would be it. I've gotten pretty decent with one-handing the screen, though, except for things like SMS messages -- you need to tap the icon in the notification area, and that requires two-handed operation at the minimum. Alternatively, I wouldn't mind a thumbboard, if it were possible to integrate one without increasing the size of the device substantially. Where to Buy You can buy the i700 from a Verizon Wireless store or via a phone order with them, or from <a href="http://www.mobileplanet.com/private/pocketpcthoughts/product.asp?dept%5Fid=1048&pf%5Fid=MP730454&listing=1">MobilePlanet</a> [affiliate]. Verizon Wireless's price is $599 with two-year contract, or $649 with a one-year contract. Conclusions Despite my minor quibbles with various aspects of the i700, you'll notice I have no serious criticisms except for CPU performance. That's because I love this device. :mrgreen: A 1xRTT-based Pocket PC solution, with a killer display, great d-pad, and solid phone makes for an extremely handy all-in-one solution. The i700 now never leaves my pocket except when I'm using it or when I'm asleep, and it's easily the best PDA-phone combination that I've used. If you're willing to overlook the cost, speed, and some of the other limitations, and want Verizon service, you won't be disappointed with the i700.

brianchris

12-05-2003, 06:23 PM

suhit

12-05-2003, 06:27 PM

Damn Janak, this is one hell of a review. Very impressive. I knew you were working on this for a while, and after reading this review, I want an i700 even more :)

Suhit

Janak Parekh

12-05-2003, 06:28 PM

Sorry, I don't mean to take this excellent review / thread OT, but a friend of mine has been waiting *forever* for Sprint PCS' version of this phone. Has Sprint officially decided to not release the phone? If not, is there any ETA? No Verizon service where we live :cry:
The latest news I've heard still maintains that Sprint won't carry the i700. Rumor has it that they'll be carrying the CDMA equivalent of the HTC PPCPE (i.e., the HTC Falcon (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?id=242)), but I've not seen any official confirmation of this.

And relax -- it's not really OT. ;)

--janak

yawanag

12-05-2003, 06:34 PM

Damn Janak, this is one hell of a review.
Suhit

If this were my first Pocket PC Phone combination, I'd be jumping on the bandwagon.

The stylus and the Digital Camera were a turn off for me.

Thanks for all the detail.

ux4484

12-05-2003, 06:45 PM

WhOA!

I don't even want to think about how long that took you to write!

Great job (as always) Janak.

I'm a verizon customer, and though I'm not interested in a smartphone device at the present time.....when January 2005 comes around (my contract renewal) this (and others like it) may be down to my price point ;)

It would be great to see future smartphone reviews keep the format you've laid out for direct comparison.

On Verizon's Midwestern coverage: The network here was originally Ameritech mobile and was sold off to Verizon when SBC bought Ameritech. Coverage was always great on Ameritech mobile, and has only become better since Verizon took over (for me anyways). In just the last year between the Mrs and myself we've been from Iowa, to Green Bay WI, to South Bend IN, to Sandusky Ohio, to York PA, and have always been "In Network".

Kathy_Harris

12-05-2003, 06:49 PM

Why would Verizon/Samsung put out a PPC 2002 device?

DaleReeck

12-05-2003, 06:50 PM

The is a freeware app that will intercept and kill those service popups before they appear. Highly recommended.

I had one for a while. I liked it alot, but I had a big problem similar to what I had with my old Toshiba e740 - Activesync constantly drops. I couldn't leave the device in the cradle for more than 5 minutes without losing the connection. Other PPC's on the same PC, like my iPaq 5555, were rock solid. But on at least two PC's, AS dropped. I'd be installing an application and it would drop mid-install. Others reported this problem too. A good source for the I700 is:

http://www.pdaphonehome.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=65

If it wasn't for this AS problem, I would have kept it. It worked well and, with my Sandisk WiFi and Socket BT cards, I had a complete solution in one package. In the meantime, my iPaq 5555 and T-Mobile Sony Ericsson T610 bluetooth phone work pretty well too.

However, if and when iPaq releases their iPaq 6000 1st quarter 2004, I will be there. A GSM/GPRS phone, built in WiFi, built in BT and a camera, all in the size of an iPaq 2200. Sweet. The XDA II also looks pretty good. No built in WiFi, but 128MB RAM.

DaleReeck

12-05-2003, 06:52 PM

Why would Verizon/Samsung put out a PPC 2002 device?

The device has been out for months. I don't think 2003 phone edition was available yet. In fact, the XDA II is the only 2003 PE device out so far I think and that was just released.

shawnc

12-05-2003, 07:08 PM

Janak,

This phone is still a little to big for my taste but your review was one of the best I have EVER read, on ANY site. I especially appreciate the lesson on CDMA abd 1xRTT. BTW- I think $599 is surprisingly reasonable for what you are getting with this device.

Nice job. Very well done.

PPCMD

12-05-2003, 07:08 PM

I am a current VzW customer and purchased my I700 back in May. I was one of the very first to get one through our corp sales rep. The reason for PPCPE2002 is that's all you could get in May of last year and WMPE2003 was just released not too long ago as a final version to the mfgs. Both Samsung and VzW have confirmed a version of WMPE2003 in testing but that has not been written on any letterhead or officially announced like T-Mobile did. The date also keeps slipping and the bottom line is they are really ticking off their customers.

On a seperate note I can say I tried SprintPCS and the Treo600 for about 5 days and canceled it (still fighting for my money back). The phone portion was very well designed but the display was not acceptable to me and just way too bright.

I quickly returned to the I700 and have been very happy with it. I use XCPUScalar to keep it on 300+ with no issues.

The review by the way was very well done and a very informative overview. I chose this device as a VzW customer since 1995 its all they offer. But its a PDAPhone not a SmartPhone. SmartPhones don't offer a REAL PDA use, just a view and go use.

Thanks.

Chris Spera

12-05-2003, 07:16 PM

This is an AWESOME review. As hardware reviews go, its about the best I've seen in a while.

My contract was up for renewal this past September. I've got some high $$ accessories that I want to be able to use for a while yet, otherwise, I would have gotten this device. Also, I bumped into a deal for an LG VX6000 for about $10 final cost (after discounts, incentives, and instant rebates) that I simply could not pass up. I went that way. As Bob and Doug McKenzie said, "$10 bucks is $10 bucks."

When I renew again in 2 years, I will definitely be getting a converged device as my daily driver. It just makes too much sense for me NOW not to have one. It 2 years, its gonna be a no-brainer.

Again, great job, Janak. This is an awesome article.

Kind Regards,

Christopher Spera

David Prahl

12-05-2003, 08:01 PM

Fantastic review! I'd been watching this one "bake in the cooker" (article launch area), and was waiting to comment on it. Great device, great review! :werenotworthy:

kouka

12-05-2003, 08:18 PM

I have had the i700 since it was released. The only complaints are the stylus and the fact that the Express Network is not always on.

The Thera had an always on option with Express Network.

Also, a good case would be great.

Carmien

12-05-2003, 08:20 PM

Marvellous review! I am currently in the process of shopping for an i700 or similar type device. I will have realistic expectations when buying and overall I have to say I am still convinced.

Steven Cedrone

12-05-2003, 08:30 PM

Great review!!! Yet another device for me to dream about... :wink:

Steve

gry

12-05-2003, 08:45 PM

Excellent review! 0X

If the opportunity exists, I would appreciate a similar, "hands on" review of the Treo 600 on the Sprint CDMA network or AT&T/T-Mobile/Cingular GSM/GPRS network.

peterawest

12-05-2003, 08:55 PM

adamz

12-05-2003, 09:17 PM

The device has been out for months. I don't think 2003 phone edition was available yet. In fact, the XDA II is the only 2003 PE device out so far I think and that was just released.

There's also the Eten P700. GSM/GPRS Phone Edition 2003, SDIO, Compact Flash, and Bluetooth!!! I'm not in England, but £393.00 sounds like less than my XDA II.

http://www.pocketnow.com/index.php?a=portal_detail&t=news&id=1983

Janak Parekh

12-05-2003, 09:25 PM

The is a freeware app that will intercept and kill those service popups before they appear. Highly recommended.
Yup, I saw that, but I decided to stick to the unit itself. What were Microsoft/HTC/Samsung thinking for even implementing this in the first place?

I had one for a while. I liked it alot, but I had a big problem similar to what I had with my old Toshiba e740 - Activesync constantly drops.
Ah, so I'm not the only one who's had this problem! Believe it or not, I trawled through many i700 forums (including the pdaPhoneHome one) for months and didn't see many people reporting this error. Maybe I was just blind? :lol: I didn't find it enough of a problem to drop the unit, though. It only happens occasionally, and I'm hoping it'll eventually be fixed. Unfortunately this didn't constitute enough data to make it into the review.

However, if and when iPaq releases their iPaq 6000 1st quarter 2004, I will be there. A GSM/GPRS phone, built in WiFi, built in BT and a camera, all in the size of an iPaq 2200. Sweet. The XDA II also looks pretty good. No built in WiFi, but 128MB RAM.
Except the XDA II is GSM, and it doesn't support the 800 band. :cry:

--janak

Janak Parekh

12-05-2003, 09:28 PM

I have had the i700 since it was released. The only complaints are the stylus and the fact that the Express Network is not always on.
PPCPE2003 does support "CDMA Dormant Mode", which should, in theory, support an always-on connection. We'll see. I'll update my review or have another article when and if a 2003 upgrade is made available. :)

--janak

Janak Parekh

12-05-2003, 09:30 PM

12-05-2003, 09:32 PM

Thanks Janak, I agree with everyone else an excellent review. Must have taken you ages, you are going to have to review every new device now. :D

I can't imagine this being the device for me though. If I was to go with a PPCPE I would not want to compromise in the PPC part of it and the I700 does this just too much. Even the super pricey XDA II would be a compromise because of it's lack of CF capability and slow (but at least now cheap or even free) GPRS.

If I were to go with Verizon, I think it would be the I600. If you have a spare minute you could review that as well. (Just kidding).

Mike Wagstaff

12-05-2003, 09:33 PM

I hate to jump on the bandwagon, but I reckon that's one of the best reviews I've ever seen... :D

adamz

12-05-2003, 11:47 PM

Even the super pricey XDA II would be a compromise because of it's lack of CF capability and slow (but at least now cheap or even free) GPRS.

The XDA II has more Compact Flash capability than the i700!
http://www.myxda.com/XdaII/personal/template/XdaIIAccessories.vm
... you can get an attachment for the CF cards.

And like I posted early in this same thread, there's an Etan P700 available here:
http://www.peripheralcorner.co.uk/product_info.php/cPath/21_28/products_id/239
..which includes triband GSM/GPRS Phone Edition 2003, Bluetooth, SDIO, and Compact Flash slots!

I probably would've gotten the i700 and switched to Verizon if it had built-in Bluetooth.

huangzhinong

12-05-2003, 11:47 PM

I hate to jump on the bandwagon, but I reckon that's one of the best reviews I've ever seen... :D

I guess Jason won't mind at all.

opus

12-05-2003, 11:48 PM

If the opportunity exists, I would appreciate a similar, "hands on" review of the Treo 600.
Hmm, what are the odds that Pocket PC Thoughts would do a review of a Palm device like the Treo? :lol:
Not only that, as ux correctly surmised, it takes waaay too much time to write an almost 10,000-word article. 8O My obsession with details... sigh. :|

--janak

Also, from the article,
I'm also a strong believer in a "thorough" review -- that's why I've used the device for a few months now instead of doing an immediate review.

Hmmm. Obsession with details? Believer in "thorough" reviews? :roll:

May I draw your attention to figure 12's screen images, noting the display of the i700:
104 active tasks, 27 high priority

:devilboy: It was probably challenging to schedule in the review... :devilboy:

disclaimer: I share an office with Janak, and he really is that busy, as well as far better than I at time management. :werenotworthy:

David Prahl

12-05-2003, 11:52 PM

I loved the "Appointment" on the 2215 in Figure 12! :lol:

David Prahl

12-06-2003, 12:00 AM

On the other hand, the i700 is bundled with perhaps the worst carrying case I've seen for a PDA.

How about the Axim X5 (first gen)? We should have a "worst bundled case award" (WBCA) every year. I nominate the X5!

Bob Anderson

12-06-2003, 12:51 AM

Janak-- a truly impressive review!

There's not much else to say... except... KEEP 'EM COMING!

Thinkingmandavid

12-06-2003, 12:59 AM

Good article Janak. You obviously took the time as you stated to get a familiar feel with the i700.
I am glad you brought up about the fcc mandating analog service ending in 2007. It is a good reason for carriers who previously and currently used analog to improve their digital coverage. This is all cell phone carriers. Remember, just as you hear good things about Verizon Wireless you will hear bad. For some it works great and others it does not.
Janak, a good thing for you to mention before you begun the body of your article is about the Edge technology that is equal to CDMA with burst up to 144kbs just like VERizon Wireless.
It remains to be seen if the majority of the world is cdma as janak said in 10-15 years :mrgreen:

Thinkingmandavid

12-06-2003, 01:00 AM

oh, had anyone seen what janak looks like? I see he included a pic of his friend. 27 high priority tasks, wow.

DaleReeck

12-06-2003, 01:30 AM

[quote]However, if and when iPaq releases their iPaq 6000 1st quarter 2004, I will be there. A GSM/GPRS phone, built in WiFi, built in BT and a camera, all in the size of an iPaq 2200. Sweet. The XDA II also looks pretty good. No built in WiFi, but 128MB RAM.
Except the XDA II is GSM, and it doesn't support the 800 band. :cry:

--janak

Through a quirk in situations, I can use Sprint, Verizon or T-Mobile GSM. So I can pretty much have my pick of phones. Right now, phones for GSM/GPRS seem to be the most cutting edge.

Janak Parekh

12-06-2003, 05:42 AM

I loved the "Appointment" on the 2215 in Figure 12! :lol:
It's actually 100% legit. My officemate got that 2215 setup, and he so impressed our boss, that he had to turn around and get one for her instead of the T2 that he had just obtained.

(In a minor defense of Palm, part of the reason is that she also owns a T|C, and was planning to return that, but got sufficiently used to the thumbboard. You don't want to know how many PDAs she has. 8O It's still funny though. :lol:)

--janak

Janak Parekh

12-06-2003, 05:43 AM

How about the Axim X5 (first gen)? We should have a "worst bundled case award" (WBCA) every year. I nominate the X5!
Ooooh, a head-to-head competition. Believe it or not, I think the i700's is worse. 8O

--janak

Janak Parekh

12-06-2003, 05:46 AM

oh, had anyone seen what janak looks like? I see he included a pic of his friend. 27 high priority tasks, wow.
A nice high-res pic of me exists in one of our articles. Read 'em all and find it. :lol:

Janak, a good thing for you to mention before you begun the body of your article is about the Edge technology that is equal to CDMA with burst up to 144kbs just like VERizon Wireless.
I know, but the article was written before AT&T launched its EDGE service here (it took some time to copyedit -- kudos to Ashley for gutting through it all! :werenotworthy:). In fact, it has rated burst speeds well past 1xRTT, but as a sustained solution it's similar to CDMA... in theory. The problem with EDGE is that it's even less spectrally efficient than GPRS in that it needs 4 GPRS timeslots to get good speed, and finding that many during peak times will be very difficult. Early reports (http://www.patents.com/pcs/) seem to indicate it indeed doesn't sustain those speeds, although those might also be teething problems.

Nevertheless, EDGE is a transitional step towards wCDMA. Unless financial constraints hold up carriers (which, admittedly, is entirely possible), wCDMA is the future for all GSM networks in the US, Europe and elsewhere. This has been meticulously planned out -- it's not rumor, it's very much the roadmap. TDMA is a dead-end technology long-term; it doesn't mean it's useless, just that we're moving forward! :)

--janak

Janak Parekh

12-06-2003, 05:51 AM

BTW, thanks everyone for your positive comments. I, in turn, thank you for persisting through 7 pages of prose! ;)

--janak

Jason Dunn

12-06-2003, 05:56 PM

Ooooh, a head-to-head competition. Believe it or not, I think the i700's is worse. 8O

I've used both and, yes, the i700 case wins for the "worst case ever designed" award. It's a horrific monstrosity designed by a cruel engineer bent on unleashing his revenge upon an unsuspecting populace. Or something like that. :lol:

la_bruin

12-07-2003, 05:00 AM

Hi Janak. I'm a huge fan of thorough research, documentation, and completeness and this clearly demonstrates great work. I only wish this was a norm rather than the exception to most Internet publishing these days. Sigh. (When our company interviews new candidates, attention-to-detail is one of the primary things we look for... and boy, is it a rare quality in today's short-attention-span market. :( )

In a word: Kudos.

As an aside, my favorite feature, the ability to use the i700 as a 144kbps USB WIRELESS MODEM for laptop users was mentioned but not elaborated on since it wasn't part of the test. To add to the review's completeness, here is a URL on how to set up the i700 as a USB-connected wireless modem.
http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread/t-6523.html

I am constantly amazed by this device's performance as a modem. When I travel on business, I find myself using it (or my i600) as a method of VPNing into our corporate offices from either the airport terminal or in my hotel room.

Why? Because the aggregate network bandwidth that I get out of it is ALWAYS better than a phone line, rarely bursty... and sometimes better than even the wireless network in the airport if one even exists from Wayport. I don't know the reason, but I see incredible throughput at times that seemingly exceeds the 144kbps max rating consistently and without bursts. (Around 220kbps! 8O) I monitor bandwidth/throughput using a tool from http://www.dumeter.com which I've found to be quite accurate for all network devices from modems to network adapters.

I've found this to also be consistently true all throughout the west coast (Seattle, San Jose, SF, Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Denver) as well as in Orlando, Chicago, and Dulles International. I thought it might be compression, but it's happening with straight downloads of ZIP files which provide no additional compression on the wire.

Anyone know what's up?

-k

Janak Parekh

12-07-2003, 06:17 AM

In a word: Kudos.
Thanks! :D

As an aside, my favorite feature, the ability to use the i700 as a 144kbps USB WIRELESS MODEM for laptop users was mentioned but not elaborated on since it wasn't part of the test.
Right - in theory, that functionality is equivalent to that of a PC card or Verizon cell phone, except that you qualify for the Wireless Sync pricing -- a backdoor to relatively cheap unlimited 1xRTT for the laptop.

To add to the review's completeness, here is a URL on how to set up the i700 as a USB-connected wireless modem.
http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread/t-6523.html
Thanks. ;) The fact of the matter is, I've stopped carrying a laptop frequently -- I'm waiting for a sub-2lb laptop, as I trek around the city everyday and heavier laptops take their toll. The i700 comes close enough in everyday tasks in the meantime that I don't really need to carry one.

Because the aggregate network bandwidth that I get out of it is ALWAYS better than a phone line, rarely bursty... and sometimes better than even the wireless network in the airport if one even exists from Wayport. I don't know the reason, but I see incredible throughput at times that seemingly exceeds the 144kbps max rating consistently and without bursts. (Around 220kbps! 8O)
I'm not at all surprised you're getting better-than-phone-line performance; I typically get 80-100kbps using the phone itself, and the i700 is often more CPU-bound on tasks than bandwidth-bound. However, I was a little surprised to hear the greater-than-144kbps performance, so I dug around a bit, and came across the following from the CDMA Development Group:

http://www.cdg.org/technology/3g/evolution.asp

"CDMA2000 1X (IS-2000) doubles the voice capacity of cdmaOne systems and offers packet data speeds of 153 kbps (Release 0) and 307 kbps (Release 1) in a single 1.25 MHz channel. CDMA2000 1X supports advanced applications such as e-mail, games, GPS-based location services, picture and music downloads."

It sounds plausible that Verizon is actually silently deploying so-called Release 1 1xRTT service, but only marketing it at 144kbps because that's their lowest common denominator or somesuch. cdmaOne, BTW, is another name for "classic" IS-95 CDMA.

--janak

Macguy59

12-07-2003, 05:23 PM

TTown

12-07-2003, 07:43 PM

Macguy59

12-07-2003, 10:45 PM

Real PDA use is a relevant term. I consider myself a heavy PDA user, and have found the smartphone to be not as powerful and convenient as the pocket pc. I have become completely paperless and use my PDA everything from notes to GPS, PIM, games, web browsing, and a lot more. The smartphone just can't compete with the pocket pc in this manner. If you neet to take a quick note, are you going to fumble with the dialpad to enter your note? I do appreciate the size and coolness factor of the smartphone, but do not want to reduce my functionality for form factor. I would take a serious look at a device similar to the new Handspring running Pocket PC. The size is small enough to entice some smartphone users, but not too small too lose the functionality many heavy PDA users don't want to give up.

Who say's you're not giving up functionality with something like the Treo 600? As you say it's all relevant. The majority of my use was for contact info and database use. On that rare occasion I was typing more then a sentence or two, I used an addon thumboard. BTW the i600 does have a keyboard (flexible-rollup) available which I ordered yesterday. Good luck with whatever you decide.

jtod

12-09-2003, 03:50 PM

Janak,

Excellent review. I was wondering if you would be interested in running a few more benchmarks. A user named superdave over at pdaphonehome has created a wonderful overclocking utility. It allows i700 users to overclock there device up to 398 mHz. I have noticed a significant improvement in performance, but would like to have my observations (an the observations of others) confirmed. Interested? The utility can be downloaded at http://pdaphonehome.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8765. The latest version is .15.

JTod

David Prahl

12-09-2003, 04:19 PM

The latest version is .15.

JTod

8O Whoa! That's the lowest release I've ever seen! Do you mean 1.5 or 0.15?

Janak Parekh

12-09-2003, 04:53 PM

Excellent review. I was wondering if you would be interested in running a few more benchmarks.
I'll think about it -- the problem with running benchmarks is that, practically, you're supposed to hard reset your device, and I've just got it back to the way I want it. I'd probably do a backup/restore this time, but I'm currently swamped with end-of-year work.

Whoa! That's the lowest release I've ever seen! Do you mean 1.5 or 0.15?
I'm pretty sure he means 0.15. Apart from commercial software, which has a habit of inflating version numbers, software often has < 1.0 releases to signify something that's still actively in development.

--janak

jtod

12-09-2003, 06:07 PM

Understand. Just a thought. Even you don't benchmark it, I would give it shot. It speeds up the i700 considerably. The version is .15 not 1.5.

JTod

Macguy59

12-09-2003, 09:52 PM

Understand. Just a thought. Even you don't benchmark it, I would give it shot. It speeds up the i700 considerably. The version is .15 not 1.5.

JTod

I would be more interested in what it does to battery life as the standard i700 battery is notorious for poor performance :wink:

Janak Parekh

12-10-2003, 03:05 AM

I would be more interested in what it does to battery life as the standard i700 battery is notorious for poor performance :wink:
I've ditched the standard battery as it is already, even at 200MHz, so that's not the consideration right now. ;)

I might try running at 300MHz sustained for a while and see, over a week or two, if I can use it permanently at that, and then perhaps I'll try cranking it further.

--janak

jtod

12-10-2003, 09:44 PM

I'v been running it at 398 mHz without any problems for about 2 weeks now. Good luck with it. JTod

maxnix

12-12-2003, 06:10 PM

Janak Parekh

12-12-2003, 06:42 PM

Abosolutely a great review. You should do an SCH-i600 review too, as the the write-up would be much less. Maybe then people will understand the difference between a PPC and Smartphone device.
The problem is I don't own an SCH-i600, as opposed to the i700 that's currently in my pocket. That would also be more of a request for the SPT folks anyway. :)

--janak

Macguy59

12-12-2003, 07:52 PM

Janak Parekh

12-12-2003, 09:29 PM

There is a i600 review over a SPT. Though not as detailed as Janak's and lacking pics :wink:
I suspect there'll be more detailed reviews of the hardware once SPT does the kinds of reviews we have here. 8)

--janak

yada88

02-18-2004, 02:57 AM

Janak, you mentioned a keyboard was available for the i700 in your review. What keyboard are you making reference to? What keyboard do you use with yours?

Macguy59

02-18-2004, 03:08 AM

Janak, you mentioned a keyboard was available for the i700 in your review. What keyboard are you making reference to? What keyboard do you use with yours?

He most likely uses the same one I do for my i600 Smartphone

Have a look HERE (http://home.insightbb.com/~macguy/flxkbd.jpg) for what it looks like. This keyboard is waterproof, light and rollable. It can be purchased from Verizon for $69

Janak Parekh

02-18-2004, 03:47 AM

Right -- and there's also the Stowaway Wireless, which should work -- in theory. BTW, I haven't actually used any keyboard with the i700.

--janak

CubanX

02-19-2004, 04:28 PM

Wonderful review Janak! Very thorough and complete. Excellent job! I truly appreciate the time you put into writing it.

I'm about to purchase an i700 and am trying to determine which software, downloads, add ons, enhancements, extra memory or SD cards and so forth to get ASAP.

I'm in real estate finance and investing so I plan to be a heavy business PDA/Pocket PC user. I will use e-mail and the internet browser ALOT. I plan to get windows mobile pocket PC 2003 ASAP, a GPS navigation system on the phone for my car, the over clocking utility for the boost in CPU performance, an enhacement for voice recording ( I plan to use to voice memo and voice dialing on the phone extensiveley), upload some real estate/mortgage softaware programs onto the unit, take notes and organize my life through the unit and do anything else that is helpful by virtue of this technology.

I expect that this device frees me from my laptop quite a bit.

I would sincerely appreciate any getting started and what to definitely add to the unit advice or info. I'm brand new to Pocket PC/PDA and wireless internet.

If I can offer anybody any insights or info with relation to real estate investing and mortgage planning I'd be more than happy to share. I feel as if I should return the favor for all the great info and advice all of you have provided here. You definitely helped me make an informed decision about my pocket pc/cell phone hybrid purchase. Below is my contact info. Thanks once again.

Sincerely,

Pedro

Pedro R. Sanchez, CPNM
Regional Marketing Director
Global Equity Lending
Office: (562) 467-8979
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Real Estate Finance and Investment Consultant
Home Office: (213) 385-5439
Websites: www.wealththruleverage.biz
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shanipaqman

07-26-2004, 07:07 PM

Can someone tell me why Sprint doesn't carry a nice new cutting edge PPCPE?

I mean, I'm stuck for 2 years on 2 phone lines so I can't just jump ship without it really hurting.

What would you all do, know of anything in the works? I mean I'm getting to the scary point of dreaming about a Treo 610 that is coming soon through Sprint! Yikes, I need some therapy...any suggestions?
thanks
shannon

Janak Parekh

07-26-2004, 08:44 PM

Can someone tell me why Sprint doesn't carry a nice new cutting edge PPCPE?
Rumor has it they're working on one as we speak (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=29383). It might be waiting for their next major 1xEV-DO deployment/announcement. Keep your eyes peeled. :)

--janak

Stevaranio

11-19-2004, 12:35 AM

Great article on Samsung i700! However, what I really like to know is this: Are you still using it since you wrote up the review? If not ~ why not?

I am in the deciding mode on the phone model as I am now on the Verizon's.

Thanks! :D
STeven

Janak Parekh

11-19-2004, 03:30 AM

Great article on Samsung i700! However, what I really like to know is this: Are you still using it since you wrote up the review? If not ~ why not?
I just retired it, largely because the battery was getting old, the stylus no longer held in the slot, and I was ready for a change. ;)

I am in the deciding mode on the phone model as I am now on the Verizon's.
The i700 is still a decent device, and the WM2003 upgrade is a significant improvement over the older version -- always-on email works surprisingly well on it. My biggest gripes apart from the above issues were that, as a phone, it's less comfortable as it requires interaction with a touch screen and cases are generally hard to navigate when the phone is ringing in your pocket, and that its processor is a bit slow. If neither are major problems for you, the i700 is worth considering.

For what it's worth, I got the i600 Smartphone, which is a good complement to my Toshiba e805 Pocket PC, and is a better one-handed device with a flip so that I don't need to use a case for it.

--janak

garolittle

12-02-2004, 03:02 AM

Janak Parekh

12-02-2004, 05:43 AM

Excellent review. I will likely purchase the i700 in the near future. My local Verizon store quoted a price of $400 with a rebate and two year service contract. Any chance the price will decline further after the holidays? Thanks.
Not sure - generally the holidays are a point where the carriers offer a discount. In fact, $400 w/ rebate sounds very good. My only warning to you is that Verizon is on the verge of releasing a new, CDMA 1xEV-DO Pocket PC device (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34241) with integrated thumbboard, Bluetooth, and 128MB memory. It'll certainly be more expensive, though.

--janak

garolittle

12-05-2004, 05:45 AM

My only warning to you is that Verizon is on the verge of releasing a new, CDMA 1xEV-DO Pocket PC device (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=34241) with integrated thumbboard, Bluetooth, and 128MB memory. It'll certainly be more expensive, though.

--janak

Thanks. Is there a chance that the price of the i700 will drop as soon as the new Pocket PC device referenced above is released? Thanks again for all of the great info.

Janak Parekh

12-05-2004, 06:26 AM

Very possible, although Verizon just cut the price by $50 about two weeks ago (to $549 from $599), so I'm guessing it won't happen right away. If past history is any indication, though, Verizon will probably slash the price a few months after the release of the newer unit.

--janak

garolittle

12-10-2004, 01:51 AM

garolittle

12-21-2004, 06:03 AM

I just purchased a Samsung i700 from E-bay. All I can say is "wow". This device is incredible. The information provided in this article is very accurate and I can not wait to learn about all the neat features of this PDA/Phone. The one question I have is, how do I store to (and retrieve from) the SD memory stick? :?: I know that is a simple question but I just can not seem to get it to work for me.

Darius Wey

12-21-2004, 06:14 AM

The one question I have is, how do I store to (and retrieve from) the SD memory stick? :?: I know that is a simple question but I just can not seem to get it to work for me.

If you open File Explorer, you should be able to find the storage card folder, and from there, you can copy and paste files to and from the SD card. Also, make sure the write-protection switch on the SD card is pushed to the top. If it's pushed to the bottom, it's write-protected.

garolittle

12-22-2004, 02:14 AM

[quote="Darius WeyIf you open File Explorer, you should be able to find the storage card folder, and from there, you can copy and paste files to and from the SD card. Also, make sure the write-protection switch on the SD card is pushed to the top. If it's pushed to the bottom, it's write-protected.[/quote]

Yep. That did it! Take the day off with pay. Thanks.

Darius Wey

12-22-2004, 04:50 AM

Take the day off with pay.

I'd love to. :lol: