I have had my
Samsung i730 for some time now. All in all I would give it a A-. Keep in mind however that I doubt there is a Pocket PC Phone out there that would get an A+.
Windows Mobile 2003 is alright. I have had few problems with it, but I can't say I have not had any. I lost all my data one day when the device crashed (OS related from what I can tell, I can't blame the phone itself). Not a problem though, I had everything backed up! Or did I? Nope, somehow the ActiveSync's auto backup had not been working for the previous two months. I lost everything. I must reluctantly assume (but not admit) that part of this could have been user error, so I will only drop the grade from A+ to A for this one.
Bluetooth works alright. It's plenty fast and low power, but you can only sync with one Bluetooth computer. The partnership must be set up in advance as well, so no "Guest" partnerships over Bluetooth. Again this is an OS issue. A down to A-.
WiFi works alright, but is intentionally crippled by Verizon. WiFi cannot be on at the same time as the phone. Speed is fine but range is a bit lacking. Gotta take the grade down two clicks from A- all the way to B.
Web browsing has been better than I expected due to Picsel browser. It works similar to Adobe Acrobat allowing web pages to be viewed in much higher resolution than the screen. While I would have given points for that, the fact that the screen is 240x320 and that Flash doesn't work break even. Grade stays at B.
There are many other basic features that I would expect in a pocket PC (such as voice recording, MP3 capability, processor speed, etc.). This phone at least meets them all. Grade stays at B.
I would liked to have seen a 480x640 screen. However I understand that is a lot to ask. That coupled with the Picsel browser I will keep the grade the same at B.
Small! Grade increases to a B+.
Battery life is relatively short, but not horrible. Would drop a grade, but because a standard battery and an extended battery are included with the phone the grade remains at a B+.
The phone is easy enough to use. It's definitely a Pocket PC first, but that's what I wanted. B+
It has enough RAM to operate well (No increase or decrease in the grade). However I do like the fact that there is almost 100MB of flash built into the phone. An SD Slot is provided for a lot more if needed. Increase to A-.
No Camera. I don't care. No grade change (I am not sure I would add grade if there were a camera either). A-.
FINAL ANSWER: If I were to rate the phone overall I would give it an A- anyway. Since that agrees with my "in-depth" rating, I am going to have to rate this phone at A-. All in all a pretty good phone, I am glad a got it.
