Samsung I730

The Treo Killer?

[Brett_Tabke]

I just bought a samsung I730. I was looking at a treo, but as soon as I saw the feature list, I was hooked:

- EvDo high speed internet.
- WiFi - even faster internet.
- Bluetooth - hello hands free.
- With a simple cord to a laptop, it is a modem.
- Full keyboard.
- Full blown PocketPC OS.

In one purchase, I have eliminated my bulky IPAQ and replaced that EvDo card that was costing $90 a month.

Ultimately, it is as close to the perfect phone as I have ever had. [vzwshop.com...]

I know of several other Webmasterworld folk who recently bought one too.

[Mardi_Gras]

Brett - how does e-mail work on the Pocket PC platform? With my Blackberry, it gets pushed to me. Is it the same on the PocketPC? Or do you have to log in and check mail?

[Brett_Tabke]

Email is lacking in the PocketPC OS itself. I currently am not using the email feature. I get far too much to use a handheld for it anyway.

I use a remote desktop feature to scrape my own desktop and view email that way. You can also use webmail (with evdo - gmail is pretty fast - there is also PDA version of some webmail like hotmail and yahoo)

I do not like the Verizon Wireless sync, because it pushes all your outlook email and contacts up to a verizon server and then pushes it to the handheld - which is a security and privacy breech to me.

[Mardi_Gras]

>I use a remote desktop feature to scrape my own desktop and view email that way.

The connection is fast enough - and the screen large enough - to view your desktop like that? Wow. That could replace the laptop on trips....

[vitaplease]

Looks to be a bit faster than the Qtek 9090 /Siemens SX66?

[mobile-review.com...]

Does the Samsung i730 have a camera, or is that the SCH-i730?

problem is I tend to drop these things too often..

here's some opinion on the i730: [engadget.com...]

[Brett_Tabke]

No photo.

> The connection is fast enough - and the screen large enough

Not really - but I can make it work for most things that aren't too intensive. I downsize my desk top to 800x600 before I leave it. That means - only a couple of side scrolls to view the whole thing on my pda.

[Kirby]

>Treo killer?

Not without email. But if they had a snappermail-like email solution, it would be though.

[Brett_Tabke]

I switched to using WebISMail - which is pretty good (as good as snapper I believe - WebISMail maybe better).

All-in-all, this is just one awesome little phone. The keyboard and evdo just rock. I added a bluetooth headset.

EquityMind has switched from a Treo as well and calls it the best phone he has ever had.

I just think this is one of the best peice of electronic equipment since I have owned since the commodore 64 *woof*woof*.

[EquityMind]

Definately have to agree, I was actually going in to the Verizon store to upgrade my Treo 600 to a 650. When I saw this phone and played around with it, I was hooked. I have a 7.2 megapixel small digital camera anyway, so the camera feature was a non issue. I tried wireless sync for awhile but gave it up - too slow and just not effective.

I never used the Internet on my Treo, I just didnt see it as an effective tool. With the Samsung i730, I truly have an effective (and VERY fast) web browser that I use for forum reading and posting, checking Gmail, I have even purchased an airline ticket over the web on it during a session at a conference!

Joe

[Brett_Tabke]

> read forum

[webmasterworld.com...]
[webmasterworld.com...]
[webmasterworld.com...]
[webmasterworld.com...]

[stuntdubl]

What are the service fees like for unlimited internet on it?

Is the wifi open?
When I looked at some of verizon's other wifi phones in the past, they were locked to the verizon network for some dumb reason.

[stuntdubl]

Don't know if I should thank you for such tellin' me about such a sweet device...or curse you for what I spent on it;)

What are the "must have" apps now that I finally have a pocket pc?

This thing is SWEET. Finally, form factor, functionality, and everything come together nicely.

[EquityMind]

I'll accept a thanks ;) You are done for now however, once you get playing with it. I actually am using my laptop less and less and I find myself reading tons of forum postings while sitting on the runway waiting for a flight (I fly a LOT) for example or while waiting for someone if I arrive early for a meeting. I even use the wi-fi feature at AAdmiral's Club lounges and even at starbucks sometimes. Having such a fast mobile web browser on call no matter where you are has been a God-send. Clients always comment on it and I'm always handing it over to someone to check out in meetings, airplanes etc. Very much a conversation piece. Being able to check Gmail is way cool.

[stuntdubl]

Have you found a good standalone rss reader for it? I love bloglines, but it would be nice to have a standalone reader for offline reading when wifi isn't available. Just dl the feeds through the cell network (mine is still at the 1x data rate)

My only gripe is not being able to receive phone calls while using the wifi. This just seems like it would be easy to have an alert if there is a phonecall and keep the cellular signal available. Hopefully we'll see a hack or somethin' for this.

Overall though, pretty sweet. I had the hp6315 for a while and returned it. I think this one's a keeper.

[Hawkgirl]

I love mine, too. I'm another Treo-to-i730 convert. I was ready to upgrade to the Treo 650 and Brett convinced me to try the Samsung.

It only took me about a day to realize that it's an awesome little device.

I'm still fine-tuning mine - I've had it for about two weeks now.

I already have my drug and chemotherapy handbooks loaded on it and I use it religiously at work.

I use pocket Outlook - I get my email delivered to me every 10 minutes. Then, when I check email from home, it's all synched to my desktop. Fabulous!

I'm still trying to figure out which Bluetooth headset to get ... I don't think I like the one Brett has.

[Brett_Tabke]

I was surprised how much HG loved the new phone. She was a total complete Treo addict.

Congrats stuntdubl.

> must have apps

For you - try NetFront browser. It has a "autocruise" mode where you dump a set of urls into it, and it "autocruises" them on your schedule. AKA: spiders them! with me dude? it's awesome.

>must have

vxutils (ping - tracert..etc)

cerdisp: (from microsoft). It is a remote display. While your phone is in the craddle, you can shadow it on the desktop and use your mouse then.

Powertoys for pocketpc...

ezunzip...
winampaq - winamp for pocketpc. run those mp3s baby.
aim - because msn messinger is lame...
resco file explorer - because the built in one is lame too.
webIsMail.
RealVnc for pocketpc (shadow your desktop machine...awesome)
today screen weather display. it gives you up to 8 cities to track. It is nice when you are traveling to see what the weather is going to be. (vegas: 92 and sunny today)
hit pdaphone home and read the i730 faq. Get the bigdialler.dl hack and then get NumLock to save your dialing sanity.

> must have

atleast 4-5 one gig cards. lol

> must have

the cable to jack your laptop into the phone to use as a modem.

the adapter for the headset jack that adapts to normal stereo headphones. then just jack in for killer mp3 playing or to a fm transmitter to pick it up on your car stereo)

screen protectors. Hawkgirl has a source on those.

bluetooth headset. I'd recommend the logitech mobile freedom pro (I think that is the name. the one with the boom mic. I love it)

[EquityMind]

Yeah, Hawkgirl and I used to tease Brett about when he was going to convert to a Treo, then Brett sent me the link after he got his Samsung trying to taunt me...of course I had already bought one three days before he did ;)

[Kirby]

>a total complete Treo addict.
likewise. And I desperately need to upgrade from my trusty 600.
In addition to the Treo, I have a Verizon card for my laptop. If I can lose the laptop card and use the phone as a modem and have a snappermail like email solution, then there may be a new convert.

Thanks for the review.

[Brett_Tabke]

ya that is how it works kirby. I got rid of my evdo card too.

[tictoc]

The Samsung i730 does not have a camera or a touch screen which are two major things I have to have. I am ready for a new Treo to replace to the 650 because it could certainly use a tuneup on several items. I would also like a flip pocket phone again like I had with the Samsung i550.

[stuntdubl]

It does have the touchscreen...though you're right...no camera.

Thanks for the great list btw BT...definitely a couple on there that I will have to score (mainly the phone to laptop cable). I picked up ONE nice 1 GB card...very handy.

I'm really lookin' forward to usin' it in a metro area with the high speed cellular connection. It's very cool that they give ya two batteries too.

[chadmg]

I'm waiting for this one, the Treo 700:
[blog.wired.com...]

[tictoc]

It does have a touchscreen? I did not think MS palm phones had touchscreen? That makes me want it now!

WAIT.. Forget that.. the Treo 700w is about to come out! I cant wait for this but that will be in Spring of 2006.

[Kirby]

>the Treo 700

from that wired article:

a recent class action suit, filed against Palm for bugs in its Treo line, suggests consumers aren't as pleased with these devices as the press might have been.

Palm-based Treo handsets have turned out to have more than their share of problems, from syncing conflicts to inexplicable phone reboots. And while Palm hasn't come out and said as much, there can be little doubt that the company is crossing its fingers that Windows Mobile will give it a little more stability. (Which would be strange, really, since Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition quickly developed its own reputation for bugs and quirks.)

I love the functionality of my Treo, but the reliability is lacking. Since my first Ipaq, I have wanted a pocketPC platform to do what the Treo could do. if the Samsung pulls it off, MS owes them for helping drive the stake thru the heart of the Palm OS.

[stuntdubl]

The palm OS drives me crazy. I think the form factor of the samsung trumps it as well. It's the slideout, but it's pretty rugged, and has the "matrix slider phone" feel to it.

[viggen]

just for info;

I had this weekend (for my offline job) a meeting with Samsung, and they told me that the I730 wont be coming to Austria (my home country) :(

[EquityMind]

Just read that Windows mobile 5 will be available for this phone first quarter in 2006.