While it is a pretty big phone I really don't mind it much because it has so much functionality and I am able to comfortably surf the web and check my web mail and send text messages. The world clock is kinda useless, it doesn't have too many cities listed and I typically don't have it on display. As this has a Microsoft operating system be prepared to reboot about 2x a week on average. Also the VoiceSignal program is really terrible, it never gets my voice command right and is totally useless. Other than that, the sliding keyboard is great and while it's hard to use it with one hand after a while I was able to train myself to do so. The PDF viewer is amazing, very cool application. The battery life is not that great, and the extended battery practically doubles the weight of the phone, so keep a charger with you where you go of course it was impossible to find a spare charger for this phone and I searched high and low before I found a car charger that was compatible. Overall, its a fun phone and keeps me well connected.
After being a faithful Treo user for years, I was curious to see how the Windows Mobile platform would compare. I've been very pleased with the phone. It's easy to use, fairly intuitive, and is a great travel companion. Because of the Windows Mobile package and the ability to receive email, I am often able to leave my laptop behind for short business trips.
It's global functionality is very simple. Change the band to International and it's good to go. On my first trip overseas with it, I got off the plane in Brussels, turned on my phone and received a text message from Sprint International telling me how to make calls back to the US. Nice job sprint.
The slide down keyboard is nice, although it is not as tight as I would prefer it to be. The screen is easy to use with the stylus and is my preferred method of use. Sound quality is good, not great, but not bad.
My only gripes about the phone are it is a little top heavy and when using the extended life battery. I would recommend you keep both of them fully charged if you are going to use it as much as I use mine. (Probably over 2000 minutes per month, plus over 1500 text messages) Also, don't try to use aftermarket chargers, they simply won't work. I've through three of them and had to come back to the OEM charger. Don't waste your time trying any others.
Text messages are very easy with the onscreen or drop down keyboard. We're in the process of begining to use them as a modem for our laptops, I'll report back on how that goes.
Web brousing is very easy to do, and with the ability to change the screen from portrait to landscape, easy to view websites as they are on an actual computer. It's quite iphone-ish in that sense.
I have yet to find a decent bluetooth headset for the phone that doesn't sound like I'm a thunderstorm or cave.
Overall I think this is terrific phone and if you travel overseas it is the ideal mix of phone and data coverage.Now let me just start by saying that I've been with Sprint Nextel for 4 years now, mostly because the company I work for switched wireless provider and I get associate discount. Anyway I've had almost every single PDA, Smartphone, MIT Sprint has to offer. My first phone was the Treo 650 with Palm OS. I prefer larger, bulkier devices rather than the small Blackberry Pearl or Palm Centro. Which were my last 2 phones. So to fix the problem I got this Samsung IP-830w. I've seen it before but because of the pricey tag of $500 (with contract extension) I was not able to get it. Yes, it's quite big compared to newer devices but it also has more features than most. This mobile intelligent terminal is loaded with Windows mobile 5.4. Atleast mine was. There's an update available from the home page of the Internet Explorer to 6.1 and you can also update live search, MSNBC, MSN live, so on. There's also the Picsel browser which I think is one of the best apps this device has to offer. Browsing the web is easier and so much fun. Picsel doubles as a document viewer. The device is Navigation compatible and various apps are available to download at different prices. Like with most smart devices Sprint Navigation is not compatible, but trust me, you won't miss it. Just buy a better one from the store app. Handmark Pocket Express is amazing on this device and provides you with free accurate maps, news, weather and so much more. The devices screen is large and displays an ok resolution. Nothing to get exited about really, the screen is fairly larger than most. The device itself has no video capabilities, atleast not out of the box. If you like streaming videos from YouTube mobile then you can buy a video streamer from the apps store. Once that's set you'll be ready to watch your vids in high res full screen. As far as the phone quality goes, I've got no complaint. It's not superb but better than the Palm Centros. As far as international features, which are the main attraction, the ability to control the settings with such ease makes this device better than most international blackberrys. The device also supports expandable memory. A mini SD card. Which is pretty good considering you can swap cards from other devices like your digital camera to view them or share media on the go. Up to 2gb are supported. With such a big size I wonder why there isn't a camera. It's not a big deal because I carry my Nikon and most smart devices now don't have a camera powerfull enough to replace a real one. So if your looking for a Blackberry alternative or you travel outside the US then this device is a must try. To sweeten the deal you can get this for less than what it was going for when it first came out.
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