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View Full Version : Samsung Releases the Epix


Jason Dunn
10-22-2008, 09:23 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/SamsungEPIX/index.jsp' target='_blank'>http://www.wireless.att.com/busines...gEPIX/index.jsp</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"The Epix is Samsung's first AT&amp;T Windows Mobile&reg; 6.1 Professional device featuring touch screen capability-built for enterprise and small business customers. The Epix is a powerful smartphone that offers features like a high-speed processor, large application memory capacity, and aGPS to run corporate email, location-based services, and vertical application solutions. The Epix has the manageability and security capabilities that enterprise IT managers seek, including Microsoft System Center Mobile Device Manager deployment-a security and manageability server that enables enterprise IT administrators to better manage mobile devices. The Epix is a world-capable, 3G smartphone featuring tri-band HSDPA (850/1900/2100) and quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900). Its touchscreen, full QWERTY keyboard, dedicated function keys, and optical center navigation button with mouse pointer enable easy one-hand operation for even the most complex multitasking needs."</em></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//spt/auto/1224706090.usr1.png" /></p><p>When I was browsing the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/devices/default.mspx" target="_blank">Windows Mobile device picker</a> I saw the <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/devices/details.mspx?id=0393aa0e-df0e-4e8a-a03c-8a0dda2b33b8&amp;backUrl=http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/en-us/devices/smartphones.mspx" target="_blank">Samsung Epix come up</a>. I haven't seen any news about this posted on Samsung's Web site yet, but it's <a href="http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/SamsungEPIX/index.jsp" target="_blank">live on AT&amp;T's site</a>. What makes this device interesting is the form-factor. It's a Windows Mobile Professional 6.1 device, so it has a touch-screen, but it also has a front-facing QWERTY keyboard. I thought it was a Windows Mobile standard device, a la Blackjack, at first. It boasts a 624 mhz ARM920T PXA311 processor, 256 MB ROM, and 150 MB of RAM. It has a 2.4" <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">QVGA</span> 320 x 320 screen, GPS, and a microSD slot that supports up to 32 GB. The d-pad in the middle is actually an optical mouse pad - something I'm highly dubious about until I actually try it and see how it works. It weighs in at 4.4 ounces and is 4.56 x 2.41 x 0.51 inches in size. The battery is a respectable 1800 mAh. Samsung has historically had atrocious battery life on their Pocket PCs, but I've been quite impressed with the battery life on my Samsung Blackjack II - so here's hoping this device has solid battery life.</p><p>Want to buy one? I managed to track down the <a href="http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-details/?device=Samsung+Epix(TM)&amp;q_sku=sku3030219" target="_blank">purchase page on AT&amp;T</a>, and it looks like full retail is $449 USD, $299 on a two-year contract, and $199 after a promotion - presumably available for the two-year contract. So what do you think - is this your next device? If not, what's it missing?</p>

Jason Dunn
10-22-2008, 09:25 PM
Something further reading here:

http://www.crn.com/retail/211300291

ADBrown
10-22-2008, 10:05 PM
I'm getting one of these for review very soon. I'm looking forward to it: despite the too-cool-for-school crowd claiming it's too thick, it's got a stellar featureset and battery capacity. Plus the fact that Samsung's had superb build quality and ergonomics for awhile now, better than HTC.

MongarEric
10-23-2008, 02:10 AM
I can't decide if I want this or the Fuze. I know specs are different, but I'm thinking mainly about the form factor. Also, the screen on the Epix is 320x320 not QVGA.

Snowmation
10-23-2008, 03:22 AM
Overall I like what I see, but I can't help but feel they missed a great opportunity to have a larger screen considering how much space was left under the screen for the AT&T logo. A 320x400, 320x480 or full 480x640 2.8" screen would have been nice.

heliod
10-23-2008, 06:29 AM
I can tell you that I have been using since the beginning of April the European parallel of this device, the i780, and I can define it with very few words: "the best device I have ever had".

Kursplat
10-23-2008, 09:53 AM
The only thing it seems to be missing is a place on Verizon's lineup.

emuelle1
10-23-2008, 12:07 PM
I went out and got one yesterday. My wife and I renewed our contracts and got the BlackJack II's about 3 1/2 weeks ago. A coworker who has apparently made a second career out of returning devices to AT&T suggested I go and get this one. As cool as my BlackJack II was, it did have a few shortcomings like battery life and for whatever reason my work laptop won't sync with it. I decided to go ahead and return it for the Epix.

So far I'm completely impressed with the Epix. I'm also thrilled that all of the Windows Mobile Professional applications I've built up and gotten used to over the years work on it. I missed having a few of them on the BlackJack II, and Windows Mobile Standard did have a few shortcomings having come from several years of using touchscreens.

The optical mouse is interesting and can easily be enabled and disabled from the Today screen by holding down Function + n.

The only complaint I have so far is that the Epix has that weird tactile feedback that makes the device vibrate when you touch it with your finger or the stylus. I haven't yet found a way to turn this off.

MAK11
10-23-2008, 12:50 PM
People should note that the screen is smaller and has a lower res than on the i780 sadly. 2,4 vs 2,55 /320x240 vs 320x320

Snowmation
10-23-2008, 05:49 PM
People should note that the screen is smaller and has a lower res than on the i780 sadly. 2,4 vs 2,55 /320x240 vs 320x320
The screen res of the Epix is 320x320.

Jason Dunn
10-23-2008, 06:02 PM
Also, the screen on the Epix is 320x320 not QVGA.

Thanks, I've corrected that...

cortez
10-23-2008, 07:32 PM
you can disable the Haptic-vibration by going to Start->Settings->Sounds & Notifications->Vibration tab and remove the checkmark. i've had one for a 4 days and it's working well for me, additional thickness and all. it's replacing my TreoPro which i sent back (for a refund) when all 4 of the radios died (bluetooth, GPS, phone and wifi).

Reid Kistler
10-23-2008, 08:26 PM
Interesting looking device - and my favorite AT&T Rep is certainly Geeked about it! (He sent a text msg earlier today urging that I check it out....) :D

Have been fence-sitting for a while now: don't NEED a new phone (or pda for that matter: Axim keeps rolling along), but can understand the appeal of an All-in-one device. But nothing thus far has stood up & yelled "Buy Me!"

Addition of Touch Screen and Wi-fi add greatly to appeal, along with that Freakin' Large Battery for good talk time - per AT&T specs. (And web surfing??? That's nearly 2x the Axim battery....)

Pricing is same as Tilt, and both are $100 less than Fuze - but that has bigger screen...

Decisions, Decsions! (Where's the spell checker when you need it! :o)

spacehippie2k
10-23-2008, 10:13 PM
The only complaint I have so far is that the Epix has that weird tactile feedback that makes the device vibrate when you touch it with your finger or the stylus. I haven't yet found a way to turn this off.

I think I read somewhere (I've been doin a LOT of reading today) that the setting for that is hidden in the "sounds & notifications" settings.

My Dash and Wing both broke within the last couple of weeks. I got a Shadow for the short term, since they're only $50 right now. I've been with T-Mobile for 7 years (as long as I've had a cell phone), but I only have a few weeks left on my contract. I think I may have finally found a phone that will cause me to jump ship (I don't buy unsubsidized phones). The G1 was tempting, but it didn't thrill me the way I thought it might. For one thing, I'm a little weary of the rotating and two-handed typing that side-slider models require. The Epix could be the perfect combination of form, performance, and features that I've ever seen, at least as far as my preferences go. I just heard about it yesterday on this site, and I'm getting slightly obsessed...

Reid Kistler
10-24-2008, 12:47 AM
We Just Happened to stop for food in the vicinity of "our" AT&T store this evening, so naturally we dropped in - simply to look around, of course....;)

A few superficial observations based upon a BRIEF time with an Epix:

Feels comfortable enough in hand - not as narrow as the Pearl, but better than most other keyboard units (but then Pearl lacks full QWERTY keyboard). Did not think it was "too thick" at all, although wonder about holding any "candybar" up to ear & having mic that far away (have carried flip phones for the extra length, screen protection - and avoiding Unwanted Calls....)

Screen appears to be ever-so-SLIGHTLY larger than Blackjack II. Was expecting "exactly" same size for some reason.

Display is good - on par with my Axim (X30, Mid), although Square of course; did not seem to "pop" as much as that on the Tilt, but that could easily be due to different brightness settings / background themes. (Epix had what appears to be the standard AT&T/Win Mobile background - quite a dull bluish color - while Tilt had a Bright Green background.)

The Stylus telescopes when you remove it, and seems comfortable enough - would have to use it heavily for a spell to know that for certain, and doubt that would happen:
1) Square screen format loses too much data space once you call up a SIP keyboard. This was also a problem with early Palm/Visors, although helped slightly by using Handwriting Recognition area instead of SIP keyboard. (Fitaly made a neat overlay that allowed you to use the handwriting area.)
2) Epix does, of course, have a (small) QWERTY keyboard (which takes the place of the Handwriting Recognition area!)
3) The vibration feedback is strange. Hard to say whether that would be a keeper.

The Optical Mouse works surprisingly well, and is a Very Quick way to manuever around the screen to make menu selections. Found it much more responsive & accurate than bristle-mouse on Pearl (or, at least, much easier to control with little practice).

The body - and screen - of the Epix are clearly Finger Grease Magnets: the phone sampled is currently the Personal Phone of the store manager and was covered with finger print streaks. This doesn't affect functionality, but certainly is an aesthetic downer....

Will have to check again - but do not think there is a Standard Earphone jack on the phone. It comes with an adapter dongle for headphones, and think that is your only option for wired: a bit of a kludge. Not a bother if you always use bluetooth, but a pain if you like wired gear... (Although someone is bound to sell earphones that plug right in - sooner or later...)

PDA functions seem nice & responsive; usage should be fairly easy for anyone familiar with Windows Mobile. Again, the optical mouse is very helpful in allowing you to keep stylus hidden in its slot and still get around quickly.

Although Expect / HOPE that it exists, did not stumble upon a way to 'instantly' turn the Epix into A Phone: easy enough to open to WM Home Page and THEN access phone, but there should be (and Probably Is??) a means to Go Directly To Phone Mode.....

That's about it, based upon 20 minutes or so of handling / comparing with other units in the store - and hampered by fact that unit IS "in service," so did not want to do anything that would mess up the owner's data!

Overall impression then was quite favorable - tend to agree with spacehippie2k's assessment of "form, performance, and features" - but am still stuck on base question: Would I rather have a PHONE that Can Function Reasonably Well as a PDA (Example: Epix), OR a PDA than Can Function Reasonably Well as a PHONE (Example: TILT....)???

For now will wait for the Fuze & do a head-to-head comparison. Favorite AT&T Rep was trained on the Fuze today, and they expect to have units in stock "any day now, and probably no longer than 7 - 10 days."

Apparently AT&T is even tight-lipped to their own people!!! :rolleyes:

emuelle1
10-24-2008, 12:16 PM
Cortez, thanks. I don't know how that slipped by me.

After using the Epix for more than 24 hours, I'm pretty happy with it. I had a problem with it turning on for some reason, which was starting to drive me nuts. I tried all kinds of things, and I think I've got it to not turning on randomly. One of the few things I've noticed that my previous BlackJack II could do that the Epix can't do is simultaneously talk on the phone and connect to the internet. I have a Celio Redfly, which makes that easier. I was worried that my Redfly wouldn't work with the Epix, but it does very well.

me
11-08-2008, 05:45 AM
I think I read somewhere (I've been doin a LOT of reading today) that the setting for that is hidden in the "sounds & notifications" settings.

My Dash and Wing both broke within the last couple of weeks. I got a Shadow for the short term, since they're only $50 right now. I've been with T-Mobile for 7 years (as long as I've had a cell phone), but I only have a few weeks left on my contract. I think I may have finally found a phone that will cause me to jump ship (I don't buy unsubsidized phones). The G1 was tempting, but it didn't thrill me the way I thought it might. For one thing, I'm a little weary of the rotating and two-handed typing that side-slider models require. The Epix could be the perfect combination of form, performance, and features that I've ever seen, at least as far as my preferences go. I just heard about it yesterday on this site, and I'm getting slightly obsessed...

I'm also on T-Mobile, long out o f contract, and getting fed up with their lack of bringing out new WM devices (although there are lots of rumors, nothing confirmed). Really undecided what to do.

You should really make sure you know exactly how much you will be paying monthly on ATT, and what that would include, before making a change. I don't think it's a good idea to make a carrier change just based on phone selection, unless everything else is equal. Yes, an unsubsidized phone costs more. Look at it this way though. If you pay $200 less for the subsidized phone than an unsubsidized one, but pay $30 more per month in fees, how many months will it take for you to have paid more, than the difference in price of the unsubsidized phone? Much less than the two years you contracted for! So, if your monthly package is a much better deal on T-Mobile, it might be smarter economically to pay more for the unlocked phone, and save more in monthly fees.

Of course if fees, service quality, etc., are all equal, then it could make sense to change carriers for phone selection. Otherwise, I don't think it does. (Which probably accounts for why so many of us stay with T-Mobile, despite having by far the worst phone selection of all the carriers-in general, they have had the best rates, while having good call quality, customer service, etc.)

There is a new problem, however, in using unlocked phones with T-Mobile. Finally T-Mobile is rolling out 3G, years after other carriers. However, they are using a different band, than ATT or anyone else. So, if you use an ATT phone now on T-Mobile, even if it is an ATT phone with 3G--you can use it for voice on T-Mobile, and for Internet with EDGE connection, but not for any 3G connection on T-Mo. That sucks!

Kind of undecided what to do myself. Just sticking it out with my slow clunky MDA, hoping that T-Mo will come out soon with a cool phone like this Epix, with T-Mo 3G. (That sounds really cool, although I would prefer thinner like BJ I and II._ Treo Pro and HP 910 look cool too.

By the way, you say that Shadow "is only $50 right now". Yes, but isn't that with a two year contract extension? If you bought one, aren't you under contract now for two more years? (By the way, do you know that you can pay $50 more, $100 after rebate, to get a one year contract instead. I sure wouldn't commit to two years with an old non-3G phone like the Shadow!

spacehippie2k
11-17-2008, 09:17 PM
There is a new problem, however, in using unlocked phones with T-Mobile. Finally T-Mobile is rolling out 3G, years after other carriers. However, they are using a different band, than ATT or anyone else. So, if you use an ATT phone now on T-Mobile, even if it is an ATT phone with 3G--you can use it for voice on T-Mobile, and for Internet with EDGE connection, but not for any 3G connection on T-Mo. That sucks!

*snip*

By the way, you say that Shadow "is only $50 right now". Yes, but isn't that with a two year contract extension? If you bought one, aren't you under contract now for two more years? (By the way, do you know that you can pay $50 more, $100 after rebate, to get a one year contract instead. I sure wouldn't commit to two years with an old non-3G phone like the Shadow!

I hadn't checked this thread for a little while, so sorry I didn't respond quickly.

Thanks for the info, me. Yes, I did have to re-new for 2 years to get the $50 price on the Shadow. I ended up taking it back and reverting to my original contract status within the 14-day grace period. The Shadow was an OK, not great, phone. But until I know for sure where I end up, I don't want to be hemmed in.

You make good points about un-subsidized phones versus increased monthly cost. I've been looking at AT&T (Fuze and Epix) and Verizon (Blackberry Storm) because of their phone selection, but they would cost an additional $20 and $40 per month respectively on top of what I currently pay with T-Mobile for comparable voice/data/messaging plans. Over a 2-year contract, that could easily nullify the savings I would get on a subsidized phone. So I am re-thinking my position on that front. I'll just need to make sure I do all the math before deciding.

Regarding using an unlocked Epix with T-Mobile 3G, I called T-Mobile, and even though I'm not in a 3G area (yet), I was told that they use one of the bands that the Epix supports (I forget if it's WCDMA 1900 or 2100), so I'm pretty sure that if I am in a T-Mobile 3G area, I should be able to connect using an unlocked Epix. Can anyone confirm or deny that?