Sprint's Two New Phone Edition

A built-in camera, 64 MB of internal memory, Intel's 300 MHz PXA250 XScale processor, a true SD IO slot, and a removable battery make the new Samsung i700 Pocket PC Phone edition the first "must have" device of 2003! I predict this device will be on my short list for "Pocket PC of the Year!"

I first peeked at the Samsung i700 last January, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. I was "wowed" by this next generation Pocket PC Phone Edition and couldn't wait to get my hands on one. Recently, I gave a healthcare mobility talk for the Microsoft Healthcare Users Groups (MSHUG) in Chicago. I was able to talk Samsung into loaning me this "impossible to get" device for this talk, and convinced them to let me keep it for a full hands-on review.

I'd recently reviewed the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition (www.PocketPCmag.com/Jan03/tmobile.asp), and the Audiovox/Toshiba 2032 Pocket PC with phone capabilities (www.PocketPCmag.com/Mar03/sprint.asp), and was familiar with the great features of those first convergent products. (For more on the basic features of Microsoft's Phone Edition software, see Rich Hall's article in the July 2002 issue: www.PocketPCmag.com/Jul02/phone.asp). I expected that next generation devices would improve on the great features of these first devices. I was not disappointed.

The i700 performed flawlessly as a Pocket PC Phone Edition device. The lightweight, sleek, silver metallic design was reminiscent of the first popular Pocket PC, the Compaq iPAQ. Ergonomically, Samsung's i700 is an engineering marvel, integrating a hidden, rotating camera into the top left corner of the phone. I even found it comfortable to hold next to my head and use as a "telephone," though I opted for the built-in speakerphone when I had privacy.

Brightest screen yet!

When I first looked at HP's iPAQ h5450 Pocket PC, I could not get over the brilliance of the display. At CES, I held up the i700 next to this gold standard for screen quality, and the i700 actually appeared to be brighter than the h5450. (After all, Samsung is a world leader in the development of LCD screen technologies.) The iPAQ still holds the edge for display size: 3.8" diagonal compared to 3.5" for the i700. Until an iPAQ Phone Edition device is available, the i700 is going to be hard to beat.

Button layout similar to a regular Pocket PC

The button layout of the i700 is similar to a regular Pocket PC. The navigator pad below the display has a big, blue "OK" silk-screened onto it. Flanking it are four smaller buttons. The top two are to place a call (left) and hang up (right). The bottom two are to launch Calendar (left) and Contacts (right). The bottom two can be reprogrammed to launch any application. The call and hang up buttons are not backlit, as they are in other Phone Edition devices, but this is not a feature that I will miss, especially if it improves battery life.

On the left side of the i700 is a volume up/down button, a jack for your phone headset, and a voice record button that can be re-programmed to launch any application. The left side of the i700 also sports an SDIO card slot, which means that not only will it accept file storage cards, it will accept Bluetooth, wireless LAN, GPS, and similar cards as they become available in SD format. (Note: The SD slot on the Hitachi G1000 does not support IO—see below.) Located on the right edge of the i700 are the power/backlighting on/off button and the phone on/off button.

The bottom of the i700 conceals a cool telescoping stylus and the USB connection port. The back holds the user replaceable battery and a decent external speaker. The top houses the IR port, the rotating camera, and the antenna nub.

Lights! Camera! Action!