Samsung i730 Appears On Verizon's Website

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=1780' target='_blank'>http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/...tedPhoneId=1780</a><br /><br /></div><i>"The Samsung SCH-i730 is a Pocket PC Phone featuring Windows MobileTM 2003 Pocket PC Phone 2nd Edition software. It's equipped with 1x/EVDO digital download capabilities, has Bluetooth® wireless technology and Wi-Fi capabilities. The i730 also has a built-in sliding QWERTY keyboard, dual speakers, SD I/O slot and speakerphone. It's built for people who mean business."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/parekh-20050628-Samsungi730.jpg" /><br /><br />Samsung's i730 has made it onto Verizon's website; I don't know if this means if it's available for consumers or not yet. The pricing is the same as the one we mentioned before -- $599 with 2-year contract, $649 with 1-year contract. The good news is that Wi-Fi is in there. The bad news is that the Bluetooth is restricted. Verizon has documented this on a special <a href="http://www.verizonwireless.com/splash/bluetooth.html">Bluetooth section</a> of their website; in particular, they have a <a href="http://dts.vzw.com/images/faqs/bluetooth_chart.jpg">chart of devices and profiles</a>. The i730's glaring omissions include DUN, LAN and PAN profiles. Why is beyond me -- the XV6600 has them and supports EVDO, so what exactly is Verizon thinking? Cripple the more attractive and expensive of the two devices so that people go for the cheaper one? :evil:

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

Unbelievable! I hate it when carriers get draconian and decide to cripple devices. What's worse is that I can't see a clear reason as to why they'd make this decision from a corporate level.

[Raphael Salgado]

Anyone know if the alleged "loophole" accessing the Internet via 1xRTT ExpressNetwork from the minutes (and free nights &amp; weekends) has been closed by Verizon Wireless? It was fun being able to surf without having to pay an extravagant fee for it on my SPH-i700.

Oh, and good luck when it comes to firmware updates or Windows Mobile 5.0 upgradability. The fiasco with the Samsung, Verizon Wireless, the i700 and WM2k3SE still has me twitching and waking up with a cold sweat in the middle of the night. 8O

[ricksfiona]

Wow, crippling the device like that is a really bad idea. I'll be waiting for the i750, so I won't get mine through Verizon. Whew!

[Phillip Dyson]

Its possible that they originally ordered them crippled and didn't have enough time to have Samsung reverse the damage.

Wasn't there a ROM update for the 6600 to un-cripple it? Perhaps the Samsung will also have one. Later.

[WyattEarp]

Unbelievable! I hate it when carriers get draconian and decide to cripple devices. What's worse is that I can't see a clear reason as to why they'd make this decision from a corporate level.

Reason #2 why Verizon will never have me as a customer. I think it is utterly rediculous for them to get a device from a company and then manipulate the software so it won't operate as it should. That's plain old sabotage in my book. If Samsung's i730 doesn't sell as expected then it is purely Verizon's fault. To bad there isn't one for Cingular or T-Mobile, at least they only add software.

[Chris Spera]

part of this is VzW's problem with power users. they don't like them... I'd love to hear the name of 1 VzW employee who is comfortable in supporting any Blackberry, Palm, or PPC. I doubt you'll get many at all. If you don't use their devices their way, then they don't necessarily know what to do with you.

also, this is a control trip for them. They don't want a lot of traffic on their EV-DO network. The less traffic, the more bandwidth they appear to have available. WAP browsers don't use a lot of bandwidth compared to desktop browsers who use too much (by comparrison...).

[palur]

The i730's glaring omissions include DUN, LAN and PAN profiles.
What do they mean? By omission, how does that make this a less desirable device? I appreciate knowledgeable input.
Thank you

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

The i730's glaring omissions include DUN, LAN and PAN profiles.
What do they mean? By omission, how does that make this a less desirable device? I appreciate knowledgeable input.
Thank you
Well, part of the device's lure is the Bluetooth support and when it comes to cellphones, that means being able to use your cellphone as a high-speed wireless modem for your laptop / PC (or PDA if you're carrying a 2nd one around). Nearly all phones with Bluetooth support can be utilized in this manner. But since this device does not support the DUN profile (Dial-Up Networking), it takes away from one of the great features of Bluetooth with cellphones. I can't speak for the LAN and PAN profiles as I don't use either very often (unless PAN includes file/object transfer), but crippling the DUN profile is HUGE!!

[rmasinag]

I hate to say it, but I said so.

If Verizon crippled their BT before, what's to stop them from doing it now because majority of people are ignorant of BT's capabilities. I think we are still a minority and the ignorance of everybody else is status quo. Just suck it up and buy it.


I won't .... :)

[Gex]

The real kicker is that they also disabled the ability to use WiFi and phone at the same time! :?

But... i have an (untested) image of the phone ROM that turns that back on.

[signothefish]

Man, what a quagmire! First they disable DUN via BT, then they don't allow simultaneous phone and WiFi. Looks like it's up to Sprint now, who will probably cripple it as well. Unless of course you want to take a chance and wait on HSDPA through T-Mobile or Cingular. Shoot, might as well wait for WiMax at this rate. :roll:

[q-live]

The real kicker is that they also disabled the ability to use WiFi and phone at the same time! :?

But... i have an (untested) image of the phone ROM that turns that back on.

well as long as there is a crack that fix that problem then thats cool.... my thing is when is the camara version coming out or did they release the camara version at the same time...... if not i hope they do....... i really dont care about the blue tooth thing as long as i can use it for my wireless headset.... hell a crack will come out to fix that soon anyways

[Macguy59]

I talked to the manager at a local Verizon corporate store yesterday and he doesn't expect to sell many at that price. His opinion is that Verizon really doesn't want the general public buying it.

[that_kid]

Wasn't there a ROM update for the 6600 to un-cripple it? Perhaps the Samsung will also have one. Later.

Nope the 6600 worked right out of the box.

[JohnJohn]

So you can use DUN with a USB cable? I thought the DUN was disabled all together.

Is SPRINT going to get this phone? hmmm Denver will soon be covered with high speed from them...

[Janak Parekh]

So you can use DUN with a USB cable? I thought the DUN was disabled all together.
Not clear -- you need drivers for the USB cable, and as far as I know no one has it yet.

--janak

[Charles Pickrell]

I understand the manipulation of the Bluetoth DUN profile. If you want to use a laptop on the EVDO network, you have to pay on a different rate structure because the laptop uses way more bandwidth than a Pocket PC.

I'm just happy the bluetooth sync (OBEX) isn't disabled. Now I just need to decide if the 2-day battery life is a show stopper.

[Gex]

...Is SPRINT going to get this phone?...
Check this post for news on Sprint:

Sprint on target to release WM5 phone by end of the year (http://www.wmphones.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10&amp;sid=266b2dc5166e7c0f78efb7bf81fb6a20)

[DaleReeck]

Man, what a quagmire! First they disable DUN via BT, then they don't allow simultaneous phone and WiFi. Looks like it's up to Sprint now, who will probably cripple it as well. Unless of course you want to take a chance and wait on HSDPA through T-Mobile or Cingular. Shoot, might as well wait for WiMax at this rate. :roll:

To be fair, I think Verizon did this (disallow WiFi and phone at the same time) because of battery life, not some nefarious plan to restrict users. Even in this config, I've heard battery life is weak. Turning on WiFI, BT and phone all at the same time would probably give you five minutes of use :)

[Janak Parekh]

I understand the manipulation of the Bluetoth DUN profile. If you want to use a laptop on the EVDO network, you have to pay on a different rate structure because the laptop uses way more bandwidth than a Pocket PC.
Of course, but I'd prefer that they use another mechanism (different usernames, perhaps? Or maybe rate-limiting) than to disable the phone. I'd be willing to pay more for full EVDO, including laptop connectivity.

And here's the kicker: the XV6600 has no such restriction and Verizon advertises the fact in the chart. Buy that, pair it with your laptop, and you've got EVDO for $49.95 instead of $79.95. That's why I have a problem with this braindead policy. :roll:

--janak

[signothefish]

To be fair, I think Verizon did this (disallow WiFi and phone at the same time) because of battery life, not some nefarious plan to restrict users. Even in this config, I've heard battery life is weak. Turning on WiFI, BT and phone all at the same time would probably give you five minutes of use :)

Hehe, what we need is one of those Plutonium-238 based nuclear reactor cells: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/27/politics/27nuke.html?ei=5065&amp;en=dce782f4ec16c055&amp;ex=1120536000
"...the government became fascinated by plutonium 238 and used it regularly to make nuclear batteries that worked for years or decades."

But there is a side effect:
"Plutonium 238 is hundreds of times more radioactive than the kind of plutonium used in nuclear arms, plutonium 239. Medical experts agree that inhaling even a speck poses a serious risk of lung cancer."

But at least they have safer packaging now:
"But federal experts say that the newest versions of the nuclear batteries are made to withstand rupture into tiny particles and that the risk of human exposure is extraordinarily low."

All I can say is, sign me up for one! 0X

[AZMark]

I've got one of these from the VZ rep and it is very cool. Stereo speakers and a great sound, the Picsel browser very cool, a IR remote control program fun.

With everything on you get about a half day use outta the battery under heavy use and testing. But in the box they do give you a nice cradle and a extended battery. I've not tested the extended battery yet, I'll try to repost when I've done a bit with it.

Sorry for the repost, but anyone know how to get the mac address off this thing?

[dbrackett27]

The i730's glaring omissions include DUN, LAN and PAN profiles.
What do they mean? By omission, how does that make this a less desirable device? I appreciate knowledgeable input.
Thank you

So will a wireless headset still work? That's all I care about as far as Bluetooth goes.

[Janak Parekh]

So will a wireless headset still work? That's all I care about as far as Bluetooth goes.
Yes, I believe the i730 has both handsfree and headset profile support, so mono handsets should be fine. Not sure about stereo headsets for music listening, though.

--janak

[molen]

I understand the manipulation of the Bluetoth DUN profile. If you want to use a laptop on the EVDO network, you have to pay on a different rate structure because the laptop uses way more bandwidth than a Pocket PC.
Of course, but I'd prefer that they use another mechanism (different usernames, perhaps? Or maybe rate-limiting) than to disable the phone. I'd be willing to pay more for full EVDO, including laptop connectivity.

And here's the kicker: the XV6600 has no such restriction and Verizon advertises the fact in the chart. Buy that, pair it with your laptop, and you've got EVDO for $49.95 instead of $79.95. That's why I have a problem with this braindead policy. :roll:

--janak

I am looking for some way to connect my laptop to the internet, download email, etc... slow is better than no connection...

so is there any way to use the i730 as a modem for my laptop or do I have to purchase the XV6600 if I want to do this?

can the i730 or XV6600 be used as modem for my laptop after 9PM for free minutes or does a person have to get a data plan even if for slow connections, e.g. not EVDO?

Any other suggestions for connecting my laptop to the internet... like I said earlier slow is better than not at all, and using a cable between phone and laptop is also better than not connecting to the internet at all

thanks for any suggestions you can give me

[Janak Parekh]

so is there any way to use the i730 as a modem for my laptop or do I have to purchase the XV6600 if I want to do this?
It appears you may be able to use the i730 as a USB cabled modem; see the i730 forum on pdaPhoneHome.com, as there's a discussion brewing there. However, the XV6600 is still superior as you can use it as a Bluetooth modem. People are hacking the i730 for Bluetooth DUN, but no one has reported success yet.

--janak

[molen]

so is there any way to use the i730 as a modem for my laptop or do I have to purchase the XV6600 if I want to do this?
It appears you may be able to use the i730 as a USB cabled modem; see the i730 forum on pdaPhoneHome.com, as there's a discussion brewing there. However, the XV6600 is still superior as you can use it as a Bluetooth modem. People are hacking the i730 for Bluetooth DUN, but no one has reported success yet.

--janak

Thanks Janak... I will check the i730 discussion on pdaPhoneHome.com

[take2]

I've heard that you can't make/receive phone calls on the Samsung i730 if you are using WiFi.

[Janak Parekh]

I've heard that you can't make/receive phone calls on the Samsung i730 if you are using WiFi.
Correct, WiFi turns off the cellular functionality. From what I've heard, this is largely to enable battery conservation.

--janak

[murph]

It appears you may be able to use the i730 as a USB cabled modem; see the i730 forum on pdaPhoneHome.com, as there's a discussion brewing there. However, the XV6600 is still superior as you can use it as a Bluetooth modem. People are hacking the i730 for Bluetooth DUN, but no one has reported success yet.

--janak
i figured this would happen. only a matter of time. i will have to check this out.

from what i understand though - EVDO via Bluetooth DUN is actually not all that desireable b/c the Bluetooth max connection speed becomes a bottleneck. USB may be the better option. i plan on picking up a i730 Sync and Charge cable once i officially decide to keep the device.

[Janak Parekh]

from what i understand though - EVDO via Bluetooth DUN is actually not all that desireable b/c the Bluetooth max connection speed becomes a bottleneck. USB may be the better option. i plan on picking up a i730 Sync and Charge cable once i officially decide to keep the device.
Well, I'm not sure. Bluetooth v1.x specifies a maximum bandwidth of 720kbps. While EVDO could surpass that, I'd still take it. ;)

--janak