BENGALBOY & "THE KITTENS" REVIEW THE SAMSUNG I730 POCKET PC PHONE!! VIPER'ISH PERFORMANCE ON THE VERIZON!!



BengalBoy brings you "Bleeding Edge" Addicts another "Exclusive" to kick off his new site!! The SamSung i730 Pocket PC Phone is the current "Bleeding Edge" of Pocket PC Convergence Devices!! Big Props go out to My'Man, Jerry, at WWW.GONYCOM.COM A NEW PARTNER WITH www.BENGALBOY.COM !! See his banner in the Partner Menu of my site for contacting him an reserving your spot for a new VeriZon SamSung i730. Remember, he also may be able to secure you a WiFi enabled i730 in the event VeriZon does kill the WiFi Radio....(more on that later)....those i730's will be more valuable than Paris Hilton at an Orgy....hehe....

So, what do I think of the SamSung i730 Pocket PC Phone???? Read on to find out and learn about its special featues, performance, and operation.... but first.......

SamSung i730 Specs as Currently Released by VeriZon!!

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PHOTOS, PHOTOGRAPHS, & MORE PHOTOS!!




Don't hate me because I've got "The Kittens", a Viper, and the SamSung i730........I'm just a "Bleeding Edge" P.I.M.P.!!! hehe.....







"The Kittens" call for directions after making a "Wrong Turn"......





The SamSung i730 makes "The Kittens" purrrrrrr with excitement...... WoW!!





Performance doesn't get any better for Pocket PC Convergence at this time...







With my GPS Co-Pilot...functioning at the Speed of Sound......











520mhz "Turbo Mode".....yes...it will do 200mph!!







SamSung i730 with its Pocket PC Convergence Predeccesors....




















The SamSung i730 is at the Top of the "Bleeding Edge" Convergence Device Hill!!



More Photos.......

Backlit QWERTY Board really looks "ShaDizzle"!!












The Extended Antenna ...... fully Extended....hehe...... "Is that a i730 in your pocket????? Or are you just happy to see me???".....hehe...






Side view of SD Memory Card Slot and "Voice Dial" Button...







Top of SamSung i730 and its LED Light for "Power" "Bluetooth" and "Low Battery"...



At night....



Side View of "Headphone Jack", "Voice Memo", "Volume" & "Power" Buttons...



Close up of "Headphone Jack" and "Voice Memo" "Volume" Buttons... with Cover Closed......



Cover Open.....





"Power Button" at bottom side of SamSung i730.....it can completely turn off the i730 unlike the PDA2k and JAM.... Additionally it also functions as a "Key Lock" for preventing accidental operation of your i730 while in your pocket from touching the "screen"....




USB Port at bottom of i730 ............



Battery Release Slide.......



"D-Pad", "Calander" "Contacts" "MITs", "Call", "End", and "Back" Buttons..... "MITs" is a featue Exclusive to this VeriZon...... This cutomization should be included on all Pocket PC Convergence Devices.....its GREAT!!!



The QWERTY Board on the SamSung i730.... VERY NICE TO USE!!




Battery Compartment and 1100 mAh "Standard Battery".... a "Extended Battery" will ship with the i730 of unknown capacity.....





With its lesser Pocket PC "Bleeding Edge" Buddies.....















The QWERTY Board of the SamSung i730 compared to the PDA2k.... The SamSung is by far the best of the two for rapid data input... Keys are much easier to press and get a tacticle response from ......





The Stylus of the SamSung i730 is EXTENDABLE!!









The SamSung i730 with its USB Cable....also doubles as a "Mule Whip" for those obstainate Ho's!!





"MITs" is proudly diplayed on the back of the SamSung i730. Mobile Intelligent Terminal System is a Customization Exclusive to VeriZon at this time, however, it iso good it should be included with every "Bleeding Edge" Pocket PC Convergence Device!!



So, tune in tomorrow for my review on the SamSung i730's Performance, Menus, Special Featues and Hardware!!

Well, tomorrow is here, and as promised....the rest of the review.......



As those of you who have followed my threads on "That Other Site" know, I had pronounced the SamSung i730 the "Bleeding Edge King!!" back in March after using it at CTIA in New Orleans..and after spending time with it.... I'm still convinced that until the HTC "Universal" is released, it will remain so, and will continue to be the "King of the Hill" in North America until something new on the horizon appears.... So read on, for the juicy details.......



My review will be broken down into the following catagories....

1. Processor.
2. Memory Management.
3. WiFi Radio.
4. Bluetooth Radio.
5. CDMA Radio & Phone Features.
6. Internet & Messaging.
7. Special & Unique Features.
8. Conclusion.


1. INTEL PXA 272 520MHZ PROCESSOR OF THE SAMSUNG I730!!

The SamSung i730 is using the Intel Bulvadere Processor PXA 272 at its core and operating on the MicroSoft Mobile 2003 SE Phone Edition Operating System.... This is a 520mhz SCREAMER!! The processor is known as Bulvadere and is used in the JAM and other current PDA's and Pocket PC Convergence Devices, but this is the first time I've seen one this fast in a Pocket PC Convergence Device. The SpeedStep technology used by this line of processors allows the processor to "Step-Down" its clock cycles to 104mhz during less demanding operations.....and then "STEP-UP!!" when a application such as a GPS program demands it. This maximizes battery life while allowing a user to get the "FULL MONTY!!" so to speak.....



SamSung has also setup the i730 to "Lock" the processor to a lower (208mhz) maximum speed referred to as "Normal Mode"....or to ReVVV-UP! the i730 to its maximum 520mhz called "Turbo Mode" at your discretion..... Hell, there is not a sole among us "Bleeding Edge P.I.M.P.s" that would be caught dead using it in anything other than its "Turbo Mode"..... This setting is selected from the "Power Menu" in Settings along with other battery saving settings....




Further menus for preserving your battery life while using the SamSung i730 are found here.......and alittle different from the typica Pocket PC PDA or Convergence Device...

Power off for PDA side of the i730 while engaged in a call....



Flight Mode Menu....



Backlight Settings look different to me than all the other Pocket PC Devices I've Used as well.......



The battery performance of the i730 was just as good as the JAM I use with the normal battery.....which is to say EXCEPTIONAL!! Really, Really Good!! But??????

Using WiFi really drains this baby... I had it turned on in bed and surfed alittle while on a full charge, by the end of about 3 hours the battery level warning was coming on..... I really think this will get some what better with future updates to the ROM......

2. MEMORY MANAGEMENT OF THE SAMSUNG I730!!



The SamSung i730 uses a very unique and exciting (for those of us who have suffered through the headaches of a Hard-Reset) memory structure of 128mb of Flash ROM for storing applications, data, and files and 64mb of RAM for running your programs and applications. Called "SafeStore" the SamSung i730 is basically setup to hold pretty much every user application such as "PocketTV", "Voice Command", etc.. on the device instead of taking up valuable RAM for those applications that exceed the left-over ROM of most all current Pocket PC Convergence Devices. What this does is prevent those applications from having to be re-installed in the event of Hard-Reset while still allowing you to have an extremely large amount of RAM to run the SamSung's various functions, internet caching, etc.....




I really like this memory architechure and hope to see it on all upcoming Pocket PC Convergence Devices in the Future.

3. WIFI RADIO!!



The BiG News here is "Will It ...... Or Won't It????" According to my friend Jerry, VeriZon is not definite on the SamSung i730 being WiFi enabled.... 3 weeks ago, it was not going to have WiFi on board because VeriZon wants to sell its EVDO service... Last week, it was 80% chance it would in fact carry WiFi on-board but require a subscription to EVDO before the VeriZon customer could purchase one.. Time will tell??? But I always believe in hedging my bets when possible... so if you use VeriZon and want this baby with WiFi.... I would contact Jerry at WWW.GONYCOM.COM or check out his banner in my "Partners" section for contacting him.....



Before its released, however, the SamSung i730 has miles & miles to go.....before it WiFis.... The Device was extremely buggy when using WiFi.. or I should say...when trying to use it. Basically, you need to soft-reset the device and immediately turn on WiFi while leaving Bluetooth off in order for it to respond to a WiFi signal properly and allow you to connect. Otherwise, it just doesn't work very well.....like the BenQ I used in New Orleans, it is still suffering from ROM infancy in getting all this hardware to function properly. Kinda makes those of us who have a PDA2k appreciate the functionality of all its radios working simultaneously. Except for the "Google Genius" among us, those who actually use different devices would be hard pressed to name any device with all the hardware of the PDA2k that works half as good....

An all too familiar sight when trying to access your WiFi connection.....





But when you hold your nose right, and remember to disable "Bluetooth" before soft-reseting... the i730 absolutely "SMOKES!!" as it's 520mhz eats up the rendering of internet website pages.....


4. BLUETOOTH RADIO!!

The SamSung i730's Bluetooth Radio on the other hand, I found to be very stable and easy to use. Worked great for me and coupled with the VoiceSignal Voice Dial Application allowed for Voice Dial from a Bluetooth Headset!! Just like the MPx and the New V6 PeBl. It also supports HID (Human Interface Devices) and has additional menus and settings for bluetooth use and devices. Transfer of files to and from the SamSung i730 were easy and uneventful... I don't know what version bluetooth it is using...but based on headset performance it seems to have the 1.2 version used on the JAM.












As a side note, InfraRed, is also on-board....but "Bleeding Edge P.I.M.P.s only resort to this archaic file transfer method when confronted with "Google Genius's" bearing Wooden Handled PDAs....

5. CDMA RADIOand PHONE FEATURES!!



The SamSung i730 is a CDMA radio only at this time. I understand that a GSM version sans the QWERTY Board is also coming.....but...... I think the lack of the QWERTY on the GSM model is really a downgrade when you know it could be there and the size is still the same.

As a phone though, the SamSung i730 is the absolute best "Pocket PC PHONE" that I have used from a standpoint of user friendliness and phone-like features. It has no less than 16 different hardware buttons for controling various functions, most of them related to phone use. It also has the new "MITs" application for easy One-Handed Navigation of its menus and programs...

Screen shots of the Virtual Phone Keypad....






Voice Activated Dialing of contacts and phone numbers is accomplished using the VoiceSignal Voice Dialing application with its dedicated button on the side of the i730...



Although it will support voice dial from a bluetooth headset like the Motorola MPx... I found the application in every instance I've used it... the Motorola MPx, MPx220, Motorola V6 PeBl to be far to "Chatty", have fewer features and not nearly as accurate as MicroSoft's Voice Command. If you want to try using your headset with it.....hey....its there...but I found it easier to just pull up the contact with the front keys and scroll to the number than endure the impossilbe task of getting it to recognize the name via bluetooth headset or waiting for all the voice prompts with the handset button....

More phone menus......






EVDO and GPS are on-board as well, although I couldn't figure out how to make the GPS application work with my Co-Pilot Mapping Program.. It still allows the user to use GPS as a "Location" service and not only a 911 service...




MITs Explained (Mobile Intelligent Terminal System)



A customization unique to VeriZon,,, the MITs application allows a user to move through the various programs and functions of the SamSung i730 with One Hand and at Lightening Speeds. I really loved this featue and hope that more Pocket PC Convergence Devices will come with it or something similar.
















3-D Stereo Speakers......



The i730 is the first Pocket PC Convergence Device I've used that carries stereo speakers on-board. I have used the Motorola RaZr, the Motorola e680, and now the SamSung i730....... all of which have stero speakers or a multiple speaker port. My opinion is that all phones, especially SmartPhones should carry stereo speakers for volume and speaker phone performance. This is very, very good in the SamSung as well.... It really ROCKS!!

To compliment the 3-D Stereo Speakers, the SamSung i730 comes with an application called SRS WOW XT..... Basically a Digital Equalizer for customizing your SamSungs Sound as a Mp3 playback device.....











Carkit Profile Settings...



Themes abound on the i730..... much better than just "Bliss" and "Windows" that comes on every Pocket PC Device I've used to date....



It also comes with many, many ringtones preinstalled as well...much more like a phone in its customizations.....

Since I'm not a VeriZon customer, I can only comment on the phone performance I experienced which was excellent. Incoming and outgoing calls were very good with nothing exceptionally good or bad to report. The Speaker Phone on the other hand.....was INCREDIBLE!! Using the SamSung i730 and the Motorola V6 PeBl all in the same time period was really spoiling me for the use of a Speaker Phone. The SamSung is by far the LOUDEST Pocket PC Convergence Device I've used to date and similar to the Linux OS Motorola e680 I used last year. Very good and loud sound reproduction via the external speakers.

I gave the unit to a friend of mine who is on VeriZon and who uses a PDA2k daily. He loved it, much smaller than the PDA2k which has its WiFi disabled on VeriZon and also a better RF performer according to him. He stated in his neighborhood he had a weak spot where he would always lose a signal with the PDA2k ...... but that the SamSung with its external antenna extended held the call with no noticeable static or breakup....

The SamSung i730's MITs system, numerous buttons and QWERTY Keyboard all impressed me as a great device for one-handed use of the phone, as well as the ability to quickly input data for messages and internet use....


6. INTERNET & MESSAGING!!



The SamSung i730 is the most complete and advanced Convergence Device to date.....barring the upcoming HTC "Universal". It supports EVDO Wireless High Speed Data Transfer on VeriZon's Network at over 1Mbps speeds...or roughly 3 times as fast as most cable internet connections. It has a slower internet connection as well over VeriZon's Network and of courst WiFi on-board as well. I was unable to test the EVDO feature as that service is not currently available in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, but using the slower CDMA service, internet browsing was very quick and complete..




The QWERTY Board is available on a very STRONG SPRING LOADED mechanism that is almost strong enough to jump out of your hand once you push it far enough to engage the spring. Additionally the keyboard is backlit with adjustment for up to 8 seconds of beautiful blue light....






Data entry is very positive and you get great tacticle feedback from the keys that I find lacking in the PDA2k. I found that although the keys have been packed tightly together, they worked very well with my thumbs, and the unit is easier to hold when doing this than the PDA2k.



7. SPECIAL & UNIQUE FEATURES!!




Picsel Browser....

This is the first device I've seen with this application pre-installed. Although I didn't spend enough time to learn its use very well.... I really liked it... very unique and visual in its operation. Pure "Eye Candy" in use...














Remote Control.....



Although alot of us have used the "remote control" applications available for Pocket PC, this is the first one I've seen pre-installed on a Convergence Device.....







8. CONCLUSIONS!!

I said it back in March, and I'll say it again.... the SamSung i730 is the "Bleeding Edge King" at the present time. It is a hardware geek's "Hardcore Porn" and a "Bleeding Edge P.I.M.P.s" Lust Dejour.... There is nothing that can touch its combination of size and speed, and nothing will for sometime. Only the upcoming HTC Universal will be comparable, although it still won't have the pocketability of the SamSung and they will share the same processor.

If having the VERY BEST Pocket PC Convergence Device is your game.... then the SamSung i730 is THE TICKET!! 520mzh processor, 128mb of Flash ROM & 64mb of RAM, EVDO support, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3-D Stereo Speakers, MITS, and a backlit Spring-Loaded QWERTY Board make for a very difficult combination to one-up at this time.

The only criticisms I have of the unit are the following.....

1. Ugly External Antenna........but apparently very functional.
2. EXTREMELY BUGGY WiFi Radio!! This will be remedied with a ROM Upgrade in the future.....or maybe not..and it will be remedied by removing WiFi altogether....
3. A little thick in the middle, I believe the JAM 2 will have a better QWERTY Board design.
4. Small battery (1100mAh) for all of this hardware and Super Fast Processor, although a extended battery will ship.... I have no idea how that will affect form-factor or what that battieries capacity will be....
5. I'm not a VeriZon Customer.

So, if you are a VeriZon Customer or intend to be one... Get the i730....

SAMSUNG'S I730 POCKET PC PHONE!! THE "BLEEDING EDGE KING!!"

Well,,,,, Got to Go!! Seems "The Kittens" are ready for alittle playtime with my Snake.....



BENGALBOY'S "WIRELESS GENTLEMAN'S CLUB" WHERE THE "BLEEDING EDGE P.I.M.P.S" GO TO CHILL!!!

First of all awesome review bengalboy. Do you know if they will release a GSM version of this one? Because if they would I would buy it in a heartbeat

I understand that a GSM version minus the QWERTY Board will be available....unknown when or where......

Thanks for joining in michaels!! Keep asking those questions and I'll answer them best I can......tomorrow....hehe.. This Tom Cat is going to bed.....

Thanks Mark... I need a converged device soon and the only we have here in Sweden is the Qtek but I don't really like that brand because they don't release alot of updates and the IMATE brand is expensive here in Sweden Mark what do you think I should do? Also could I get the today themes with the kittens emailed to me at micaels@gmail.com? Please

Honestly michaels, I would wait and get the MDA IV if I were you.....or.....if size is your major concern, the upcoming JAM 2 in November would have everything is a very pint sized package with a more unique QWERTY Board and probably alot nice look! The external antenna just doesn't do it for me knowing whats coming in the future.

If you lived in the U.S. and were on VeriZon it would be a No-Brainer as the SamSung i730 supports VeriZon's Super Duper Fast EVDO data

Let me know which photo you would like...keeping in mind the ones I posted in the Automobile forum and Motorola PeBl forum and I'll resize it for your PPC and send it to you...

drooooooooool.
/wipes self clean

awesome review mark. i will be at Verizon the day they release it to get my hands on one. it still needs to pass my "feel" test. but chances are i'm switching to Verizon EVDO from Tmobile GPRS that day. i know an ex co-worker who is thinking of upgrading to this device from his Treo 600 as well.

MITS sounds cool. something that is sorely needed. it only took about 15 minutes of using a Treo to notice the onehanded-ness of the device. glad to see they addressed this in Windows Mobile 5 and this MITS sounds like a good solution in the meantime.

enabled WiFi would be a plus and make it an easier decision for me. i'm also hoping that when verizon officially announces it, they also mention plans to upgrade to WM5 when available.

verizon actually has a decent track record of upgrading Windows Mobile devices. i think we are very likely to see an upgrade to WM5 for this device later on. would you agree with that? especially if/when this hits the Sprint network and has WM5.

...back to drooling

[edit] how's the feel on the d-pad? any good for gaming?

I have no experience with VeriZon's service and update policy, so I really can't offer much of an opinion.....

The D-Pad is very nicely sprung... Very positive with great tactile feedback.. As for gaming, I would say that it would have to be really good, because it is "oversized" as well as having a nice raised "metal edge" form.... not as smooth and flush with the phone like the JAM...

What bluetooth profiles does the i730 support exactly? (I'm looking for the advanced audio profile)

BB- thanx for the titillating review of the i730... wanna get one of those, but i read a disturbing remark in a review at pcmag.com. They say the Verizon version of the i730 cannot act as a modem for a PC... I wonder if this is true- it would be a departure from previous Verizon policy. Ideally, I want to be able to connect my laptop through bluetooth or usb to the i730 and thence to the Internet. Anybody have any info??

Also, you might want to consider a different way of showing screeshots in your review... with the PPC enabled phones/PDAs you can use MS's "ActiveSync Remote Display" (part of Windows Mobile Developer Power Toys) to display the screens in real time on your PC, then you can grab them with ALT PrintScreen, or any screen capture utility... they would be much more readable than photographing the screens... I can send it to you if you likey.

MAC

PS- find a way to thank the kittens for me too....

did it. bought an i730 today.

turns out i know someone at 34th st. verizon in manhattan. he emailed me today to let me know their demo unit came in. went down to check it out.

first thing i noticed was the slider. very smooth with some kind of spring-assist. very easy to open - even one handed. surprised me, much easier than i thought. i wasn't too sure what to expect since i've never played with the PDA2K.

keyboard was OK. i have big thumbs. the treo 600 seemed tight to me. the 650 was definetly better. i got to try both of those two, but my everyday PDA was the spacious HP 4350. the i730 keys feel good - good action, nice height. they are a little thin and close together. i think ENTER and/or DEL should have been a larger key to make it easier to press.

the size and weight are great. i was concerned it would feel top heavy while typing but that is not the case at all.

the antenna is a little big. if the reception is good (as i've heard) then it will be worth it. my tmobile reception sucks. but it would fit in your pocket much nicer without one.

the unit was non functioning. but i had a XDA so i'm pretty familar with the Windows Mobile features and GUI. i just typed, slid, poked and prodded the device for about 10 minutes and then told my friend to sign me up. 2 years for the $109 plan - 1350 minutes, unlimited data. plus $5.99/month for their replacement plan which seemed like a good idea on a $600 phone.

should be here Friday morning.