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First Impressions of Samsung's i320 Smartphone
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Mike Temporale
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Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 8577
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:30 am    Post subject: First Impressions of Samsung's i320 Smartphone Reply with quote

I've been less than happy with my i-mate SP5m for a while now. It's thick, it's slow, the joystick is fragile beyond belief, and it just doesn't feel that good in your hand. Certainly not as nice as the HTC Typhoon did. So I've been looking closely at all the different QWERTY smartphone devices because I wanted to increase my mobile messaging from just reading and the odd reply to more full on email access. My decision was made considerably easier during the recent Mobius Boston event as we were all given a brand new Samsung SGH-i320 Smartphone. Very Happy

I've been using this phone for almost a week now and I have to say that Samsung did a really nice job on this phone with one exception: battery life. The size of the phone is simply incredible, and the extras that Samsung baked into the OS are really well thought out. I'll be working on a detailed review of the device over the coming days. However, if you have any questions or if there's something you want me to focus on during my review, feel free to voice them. Here's a couple quick snaps for your visual enjoyment.


Figrue 1: No, that's not dust under the SP5m screen. It's just dust on the SP5m. Wink The i320 is just about the same thickness as the Q, but it's not as wide or tall as the Q. Click on the image for a larger version (~420KB)


Figure 2: Down the right side of the i320 you have a key for accessing the Quick List menu, then a key for Voice Notes (short press) and Camera (long press). Both of these applications can easily be changed in the settings menu on the device. After that, you have a headphone port and then the Sync cable port. Click on the image for a larger version (~400KB)


Figure 3: The battery door is the hard to open. It's easily the toughest door I've seen on a Smartphone. There's little chance of it popping off and the battery falling out. Click on the image for a larger version (~420KB)
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crispeto
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Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 237
Location: Portland

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 12:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

So do you like the i320 better than the Dash-Excalibur? Have you had a chance to play with the i607? Any over all preferences?
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Mike Temporale
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Joined: 07 Jul 2003
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Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 2:00 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

crispeto wrote:
So do you like the i320 better than the Dash-Excalibur? Have you had a chance to play with the i607? Any over all preferences?


I haven't seen or touched the i607. However, it is my guess that it would be very similiar to the i320. The Excalibur has a significantly better battery life than the i320. Other than that, it offers WiFi, Quad band, and a cool predictive type feature. On the other hand, Samsung is only tri-band, but it's smaller and offers some cool software/hardware additions.

I found the keyboard on the Excalibur a lot harder to use. The keys are smaller and have a mushier feel. I like them to click or snap when I push them.

I really like the size of the i320 and I expect I'll be using it for some time to come. However, I also expect that I'll be adding the Excalibur to my drawer of devices at some point. Wink
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dstrauss
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Joined: 06 Dec 2005
Posts: 33
Location: Texas

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike:

A couple of questins:

1. How well do the split (top half-bottom half keys work)?

2. Do you press both keys to dial numbers?

3. How do the i320 and Excalibur compare size-wise?
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Rocco Augusto
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Joined: 28 May 2005
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Location: Portland, OR

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ohhhhhh! now im sooooooo jealous! Wink
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ricoks
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Joined: 18 Jul 2006
Posts: 25

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 3:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i've seen pics of the right side which has the ribber covers over the ports. I see one that looks 'identical' to mini-usb, however the little icon looked like a headset. Also, if that is all that is for, what is the port right below it?
I too wonder about dialing - do you 'have' to hit both buttons for dialing, or can you do either one, or a specific one?
Thanks for the help?
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Mike Temporale
Managing Editor


Joined: 07 Jul 2003
Posts: 8577
Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

dstrauss wrote:
1. How well do the split (top half-bottom half keys work)?


There not anything special. It's just like any other keyboard where you press Function first to get the top half. Otherwise it's just pressing the keys as normal. They look like they're special because of the peak in the middle of the key, but they're not. I like the keyboard and find it very easy to locate and press the right key.

dstrauss wrote:
2. Do you press both keys to dial numbers?


Not just for dialing, but anytime you need to press a number key, you can press either of the keys inside the white square and it will be treated as that number. It's really cool because it means you can easily use this device in your right or left hand. Where the Q and Excalibur have the numbers aligned on the left side of the device, which is impossible to use in your left hand.

dstrauss wrote:
3. How do the i320 and Excalibur compare size-wise?


I've posted some pictures in my Mobius wrap-up (see link above) and in a post I made last week (see link in my mobius post). Basically they are really close in size. The Excalibur is thicker, and a little wider, but almost not noticable.
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Mike Temporale
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Location: Toronto, Canada

PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 6:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ricoks wrote:
i've seen pics of the right side which has the ribber covers over the ports. I see one that looks 'identical' to mini-usb, however the little icon looked like a headset.


Yeah, it looks so much like miniUSB that I had to try a cable. It doesn't fit. It's just Samsung's proprietary connector for their headset. Sad

ricoks wrote:
Also, if that is all that is for, what is the port right below it?


Yup, that's it. The port below is another cable designed for sync/charge. Again, it's nothing that I've seen before. It might be a standard Samsung design, I wouldn't know. (It's my first Samsung phone).

ricoks wrote:
I too wonder about dialing - do you 'have' to hit both buttons for dialing, or can you do either one, or a specific one?


Either button, or both. Doesn't matter. It really makes dialing nice because you don't have to be all that accurate. Just a rough estimate and chances are good you'll hit the right square. Laughing

ricoks wrote:
Thanks for the help?


No Problem. Very Happy
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extravagant
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Joined: 01 Feb 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

can i ask how it appears when someone calls you? do you get a baloon pop up? (I think thats the best) You also said there's some cool extra software, such as?

And does anyone know if this phone the next upgrade will have GPS? Or another QWERTY will have GPS?
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Mike Temporale
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 04, 2006 8:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

extravagant wrote:
can i ask how it appears when someone calls you? do you get a baloon pop up? (I think thats the best)


The Balloon pop-ups are the way it's done on the Pocket PC. This has the standard Smartphone incoming call screen.

extravagant wrote:
You also said there's some cool extra software, such as?


There's a lot of things. Everything from customization apps for the picking applications to be connected with hardware buttons to world clocks, alarms, stop watch, and lots more. I'll be making a detailed list on my review.

extravagant wrote:
And does anyone know if this phone the next upgrade will have GPS? Or another QWERTY will have GPS?


As far as Smartphones go, there's been no talk of GPS. Sad
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