Samsung i830w now available on Sprints Website

[IsLNdbOi]

I like it alot. The only thing I miss is holding down a button to bring up the memory management screen to kill individual running programs. I guess that was one of Palm's tweaks to WM5?

Oh and there don't seem to be very many nice cases for this device. This is probably gonna be my first device I haven't used some type of form fitting case on. But hey, I guess that's why I have that insurance from Sprint.

 

[Ehsan#WP]

It says Worldphone with all GSM networks covered (international only). What this means appears to be is person cant use this in USA (IS that right?). How do they block if we want to use tmobile or cingular SIM card if above statement is true?

 

[IsLNdbOi]

You can't use it in the USA anyway. It has a GSM 900 / 1800. USA uses GSM 850 / 1900.

 

[Ehsan#WP]

You can't use it in the USA anyway. It has a GSM 900 / 1800. USA uses GSM 850 / 1900.

That answers my question . Clever sprint.

 

[Ehsan#WP]

With this fast processor, can u comment on battery life?? How is the overall experience? Is it fast?

 

[oalvarez]

I like it alot. The only thing I miss is holding down a button to bring up the memory management screen to kill individual running programs. I guess that was one of Palm's tweaks to WM5?

Oh and there don't seem to be very many nice cases for this device. This is probably gonna be my first device I haven't used some type of form fitting case on. But hey, I guess that's why I have that insurance from Sprint.

does a case make a phone?

holy moly.......

 

[IsLNdbOi]

does a case make a phone?

holy moly.......

Huh? Seems like you're over reacting to what I said. Did I say something to make you think that, that's what I think? I was just simply saying to those that might be interested in this phone, that there aren't very many cases for it and that this is my first phone / pda I'll be carrying around without some kind of protective case.

 

[IsLNdbOi]

With this fast processor, can u comment on battery life?? How is the overall experience? Is it fast?

Yes, it's much faster than my 700WX. It doesn't lag a bit when I play music and do something else (play games, internet, etc.). Movies play very smoothly and processor intensive apps. don't lag.

I've gone a day and then some without having to charge the battery (I currently use the slim / standard battery). I haven't used the extended life battery yet, but I imagine that battery life with that will be excellent.

Moving from the 700WX (240x240) to this unit (240x320) was like moving from my old CLIE SJ33 (320x320) to the CLIE TH55 (320x480). I'm loving the extra real estate.

 

[oalvarez]

how's that slideout keyboard treating you? have you chosen a screen protector yet? that device sounds awesome with its 240x320 config....so cool! awesome device!

 

[IsLNdbOi]

The slide out keyboard is very nice. I have access to the keyboard when I need it and when I don't need it, I slide it away / back up behind the screen. The sliding mechanism is pretty sturdy and I don't see it getting loose anytime soon. If it does get loose, there's probably some screws or parts you can access to tighten the slider, just like any / most other Samsung sliders. I'm using BoxWave Cleartouch for the Samsung i730. The i730 is Verizon's earlier version of their i830 which is the equivalent to Sprint's IP-830W.

I just have to say it again, moving from the 700WX to the IP-830W was as dramatic as moving from my CLIE SJ33 to the CLIE TH55 regarding screen size and performance. Oh and available memory for running programs after hard resetting the IP-830W or on a fresh from the box IP-830W is equal to that of a hard resetted / fresh from the box 700WX.

 

[oalvarez]

nothing like a slide-out keyboard..awesome! glad you love it! not sure why anyone would want anything else

 

[porcaccio]

I'm getting mine monday. The treo still has some really good features, but I am looking forward to the ip-830w.

 

[IsLNdbOi]

The only things I miss from my 700WX:

- Holding the "OK" key brings up the memory managment screen.
- The Google search box you can put on the Today Screen.

 

[Cannonierd]

For me its between this phone and the 700p if there is a firmware upgrade that is. Won't the cases from Verizon's i730 fit this phone? I really like the 700p but reading all the complaints about it is very disheartning...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Monaco-MC31-Bla...375QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item230036516579

 

[Big Tone]

Does it have MS IM built in?

 

[IsLNdbOi]

Are you talking about MSN Messenger? Yes it has that built in.

 

[Big Tone]

Are you talking about MSN Messenger? Yes it has that built in.

Yes, thanks!

 

[porcaccio]

Can you elaborate on how you feel about the phone's one handed functionality? I went from a treo 650 to a PPC 6700 and hated it until the treo 700wx came out. the 700wx is great in all aspects except screen real estate. i never thought i would miss the 6700, but when browsing the internet, the experience is sorely lacking. however, for what we do most of the time (phone use and sms), the treo works great. so, i am wondering how you feel about the ip-830w in those regards.

thanks in advance..

 

[porcaccio]

Great review written on another site (pdaphonehome)... Had pictures, but removed during cut/paste...

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Now that I have had the Samsung IP-i830w for 4 days I wanted to post some impressions of it and some comparison pictures of sprint's current PPC phones.

The happy family:



IP-i830w, Treo700wx, PPC-6700.

Keys:

Obviously the keys are smaller than the ppc-6700, however I found myself typing almost as fast. The i830 keys are very 'clicky' so despite their small size it is very easy to tell you have hit the correct key. I have not experienced the letter skipping I get on the 6700 when I type too fast.

Anyone who plans to do one handed typing will be right at home, It is even easier to type one handed on the i830 than it is on the treo. Typing while walking with only one hand on the unit is a breeze compared to the 6700.

GSM use:

As far as I can determine from inside the US the i830 is unlocked. I inserted a T-Mobile USA SIM card and powered it into GSM mode. It started up without restriction and attempted to search for the network. (obviously it found nothing since it doesnt support US frequencies, but it would have worked if the network was available)

Size:

I am not a fan of small phones. I love the size of the i830 with the extended battery, It gives me something to hook my fingers underneath when using the unit. Overall size (with standard battey) is very close to the 6700 and slightly thicker than the treo.

Screen:

Well, its not square. While I was very happy with the Treo700wx I did not like the square screen. That doesnt mean the 700wx is a bad unit or unusable, it is now in constant use by my girlfriend and serving her well. I just find the rectangular screen to be more familier and usable. The i830 screen seems to be slightly larger than the 6700's, otherwise that are the same resolution and of similar brightness.

Reception:

Is excellent. Better than the 6700 in fringe areas, nearly as good as the current best sprint phone for reception (LG Fusic).

Battery life:

Standard is not as good as the standard 6700 battery. Extended is sufficent for a full day of email, web use and some music playback. Unfortunately it is hard to quantify this but the battery isnt holding me back at all. Though it doesnt equal the superb battery life of the treo700wx.

Phone usability:

The earpiece is louder than the ppc-6700. It is similar to the treo700wx. It does not have the contacts search feature of the treo700wx or the smart dialer of the updated 6700.

Build quality/ features:

The i830 is solid as a rock. Where the ppc-6700 flexes and feels like a cheap plastic toy the i830 feels sold and well made of premium materials. The assisted opening slider mechanism feels smooth and solid like that of the D900 or T809.

The inclusion of a physical switch used to lock the screen was a great touch. I wish it had a master volume switch like the treo though.

I love the full sized SD slot, getting 4gb of storage for less than the cost of a 2gb miniSD is a no-brainer. It is also great to be able to swap cards directly from a camera into the PDA to email pictures immediately.

Bluetooth voice dialing works great without any extra setup. Samsung's voice signal software is simple and easy to use, though not as full featured as voice command.

EVDO Ringthrough works right out of the box. I started playing a shoutcast stream and caller the phone. Data connection ended and the call came through.

Issues:

- crashes:

4 crashes so far. 2 during initial setup and loading of programs. One white screen and one where the screen disolved into a colorful pixelated mess from top down. Both required a soft reset to fix. One lockup on each of the last two mornings. In both cases the unit was plugged to AC power and running exchange push email all night. I grabbed it to look at it and it was frozen on the today screen displaying a time that was several hours past and unresponsive. Soft reset fixed both.

(installed software: vbar, batti, gsplayer, TCPMP, PHM regedit, Total commander, SPB backup, agile messenger)

- nitpicks:

The screen is sunken into the body of the unit to protect it. This makes it hard to hit a top right corner button with the thumb nail.

There is no $ on the keyboard.

The 'searchtoday' plugin still doesnt work with the physical keyboard. I dearly miss this feature of the treo700wx. (along with the contact search from the today screen)

Windows key is only on the slideout keyboard.

Nonstandard charger and data cable.

I have been unable to get SuperDave's A2DP hack for the i730/i830 to work as yet. The headset offers the option to pair for 'wireless stereo' but once pairing is saved you are unable to 'set as wireless stereo' on the headphones.

- Bugs?

When exiting a no service area (IE the subway) the unit fails the reaquire the power vision network. It hangs on connecting with an invalid username password error and seems to attempt data roaming despite the unit being set to sprint only. Soft reset is required to fix.

Since the moment I ESN swapped my 6700 for the i830 I have been unable to recieve text messages from my girlfriend's Treo700wx (and a 700wx belonging to one of the t2 techs). The message "The contents of this message cannot be displayed" appears instead of the actual sent message. I have a ticket open with sprint data support for the issue. They assure me that is a problem related to the treo700wx, however they can offer no ETA for resolution and lay the blame on palm. They insist it is something they have seen occur when sending from many 700wxs to all current ppc units. I can only report that my problems started when I began using the i830w.

overall:

Overall I really like it. If I can get some resolution the bugs and instability I am seeing, and if I can get A2DP working I will most likely keep it. Once the ppc-6800 arrives the i830 is going straight to ebay though. It is not much of an improvement over sprint other current PPC, it just offers a different set of compromises.

(sorry for the crap quality pics, I rushed to take them friday night before heading out and they arnt my best work )

 

[IsLNdbOi]

Can you elaborate on how you feel about the phone's one handed functionality? I went from a treo 650 to a PPC 6700 and hated it until the treo 700wx came out. the 700wx is great in all aspects except screen real estate. i never thought i would miss the 6700, but when browsing the internet, the experience is sorely lacking. however, for what we do most of the time (phone use and sms), the treo works great. so, i am wondering how you feel about the ip-830w in those regards.

thanks in advance..

One handed functionality after a weekend of use:

- Not as one handed as I originally thought when I played with it for the first few hours. I say this because after using the five way to select something, sometimes after selecting that thing (whatever it is you select), you have to tap on the screen again to get the cursor back so that you can continue moving it with the five way.

- Keyboard use is just as one handed as the Treo 700WX. It only has one "shift" key while the 700WX has two. It also has a "fn" key that works like the 700WX's key that you press to get numbers instead of letters. The IP-830W's "fn" key is located in the same place the same key is on the Treo. The single shift key on the IP-830W is located in the same place the 700WX's left shift key is.

- The "OK" button on the Treo that closes everything is replaced by a key with a return symbol (functions the same as the 700WX's "OK" button). It still has an "OK" button on its keyboard though. Also, the Start Menu key is on the keyboard, but you can also reassign any of the non-keyboard buttons to work as the Start Menu key. You can choose single press, or long presses.

- The keyboard on the IP-830W I think is better than the one on the 700WX. Each key on the IP-830W has a solid click when you press. Nice tactile feedback, something that wasn't great with the 700WX.

I do miss the Today screen contacts search and web search on the 700WX. Hopefully someone will create something similar for the IP-830W. Not haveing the contacts search isn't that bad though because the Voice Signal app. makes it easy to dial a contact just by saying the contact's name or number. Voice signal also supposedly allows you to do voice dialing with bluetooth headsets, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet.