You'll never carry a palm pilot separately again.
Written: Mar 05 '03 (Updated Mar 05 '03)
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Pros: Great execution and usability. Stylish.
Cons: Is first of its kind offered by Samsung - could use improvement
The Bottom Line: This smart phone for Sprint PCS can be used with little compromise.
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| holeydonut2k3's Full Review: Samsung SPH-I300 |
Perhaps you may be able to relate - You empty your pockets at the end of the day and realize that you're carrying around way too many electronic devices in your pockets. Enter the SPH-I300... a great solution for Sprint PCS customers which does a great job integrating the features of both a Palm Pilot and Cell phone.
As with all "combination" devices, the SPH is geared towards one function a bit more than the other. In this case, I feel that the Palm functions were preserved over a provision of hearty cellular phone functions. Users who are used to a palm pilot will find almost no learning curve to transitioning to the I300. The size is also very nice as it is as cumbersome as a single palm pilot and is only slightly larger than most traditional cell phones.
Reliability has been superb. I drop this thing all the time on hard surfaces and it continues to function without problems. The screen is very rugged, and has resisted scratches in spite of heavy use (screen protectors are available). The construction seems very tight, and an absence of moving parts reinforces the feeling of superior construction.
In function, the "phone" has simply become an extension of the Palm OS, and you will almost treat making phone calls as another program that runs on your palm pilot. There is a small LCD atop the phone that gives traditional "cell phone" information, as well as an antenna protruding from the top. Aside from this, there are no buttons or switches that you find on normal cell phones. This being said - the phone works very well once you get used to the "touch screen buttons" and Palm OS address book.
Integration was done very well. Once the controls are learned, everything is intuitive. Features are packed in and everything is customizable. Swappable batteries (the phone ships with 2) and an separate charging / sync cradle are very useful. I usually have to swap for a fresh battery at the start of each day to insure usability for the entire day.
I will agree with other users, the list of problems is short, but can really hinder your use of the phone. The screen has poor contrast and is hard to read out doors in sunlight. This is especially important since screen visibility is required to place most phone calls. A lack of a thumb-wheel (instead, up and down buttons are offered) makes scrolling along a list of names slightly difficult.
Browse to http://www.smartphoneforums.com to find a community dedicated to this (and similar) phone/PDA combos.
I would like to add that I gave Portability high marks due to the fact that this phone is a lot easier to carry than a regular cell phone plus a palm pilot.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 315
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Epinions.com ID:
holeydonut2k3
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Location: Rochester, MI
Reviews written: 16
Trusted by: 1 member
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