PDA Reviews

The Samsung Galaxy S series Smartphones are clearly an attempt by Samsung to compete with the giant Apple’s iPhone. Though the iPhone is a giant leap in technology, there are still quite a few drawbacks. Utilizing this fact regarding the iPhone, many stalwarts of PDAs and mobile phones, and a few other manufacturers of electronic devices, have started producing their own super Smartphones. Though this may sound weird, the fact is that shortly after the release of the iPhone, competent devices like the Galaxy Smartphones have cropped up showing the world that there still are equally good Smartphones in the world. Now as if the S series is not powerful enough to conquer the digital world, Samsung has recently released a series of even better Smartphones, under the name Galaxy S 2 series. We are now going to analyze one such highly rated Smartphone from Samsung, by the name Samsung i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone. It looks very promising indeed and is specifically designed to display true professionalism. The younger generation need not worry when we say professionalism since few phones on the planter are as entertaining as the i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone. So, why wait? Let us go straight into the details as we unveil one of our favorite gadgets from Samsung.

Design:

To be honest, we are quite delighted to see a full touch bar from Samsung. Of course, all the Galaxy S phones are full touch bars, but the i9000 is somewhat different when it comes to design. It is sleek, glossy, has smoother edges, and more importantly, easy to hold. Speaking of edges and sleekness, the i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone measures about 64.2 mm wide, 122.4 mm high and just 9.9 mm deep. This is hence one of the slimmest phones in the recent past. This is also an incredibly light weight device since it weighs just about 118 grams, which is pretty low when compared to an average high end PDA in the market today. And since as discussed before, the device is completely full touch bar type, there is no room for a keyboard. The 4 inch display occupies most of the real estate and a couple of keys occupy the bottom most part of the front display. And that is the main thing which we liked about this device. Since it is aimed at vying the Apple iPhone, the odds are that its design could be the same, though it has got its own identity. The full touch bar form factor is a pretty good idea for a latest PDA device since things could then be easier for the users.  Since the design attracts most of the users, it looks like Samsung has taken full care of the design of the i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone.

Immersive Experience:

Yes. And such an immersive experience can be derived only from a display that is as awesome as the one you see on this device. 4 inch display, make no mistake, the i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone sports a whopping 4 inch display, of course, measured diagonally, and is capable of displaying some real good pictures for you. And the kind of display used here is not seen elsewhere, not even on Apple iPhone. The Super AMOLED display technology used by Samsung is the main weapon in their repertoire. Samsung boasts that it has the brightest AMOLED screen in the world today and it is used n the display of the i9000 Galaxy S. Standing for Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode, this AMOLED display is a super cool technology that can display some great visuals, but at the same time, it also protects your very important eyes from straining. And with such an excellent display mechanism, you can watch videos, movies, scroll through pictures, engross yourselves in gaming, enjoy reading plenty of eBooks, and do lots of similar stuff. We really enjoyed the vibrant colors and their vividness on the screen. Another important fact regarding the display which we observed was that the screen is non-reflective. This means that even when you are under the sun or some light source, you can still clearly see the screen and the elements on it, and not the reflections due to the light. This will also increase your comfort while watching videos and moreover, you can also shoot videos in daylight with clear understanding of what you are filming. We honestly have never seen so many utilities sported by a PDA’s display.

Features:

And here comes the most interesting topic of everyone when it comes to any PDA or a mobile phone. What are the new features? Are they awesome enough for me to go for it? How well have they managed in bettering their counterparts on some other similar devices? These are the questions that linger in the mind of an average purchaser, and this briefly explains what users expect from their devices. Since we have already loved the design and display of the i9000 Galaxy S, let us now move on to the features and see if they can match the best in the business. Hold on to your hats!

Ultimate Processing:

In order to outperform it competitors, Samsung had to introduce some of the latest and interesting features regarding the hardware. And there is no looking back when it comes to hardware on the i9000 Galaxy S PDA Phone. If you look at the kind of processing system the i9000 comes with, you would then understand the fact that Samsung has made a lot of effort to boost up the performance of its Galaxy S series mobiles. A 1 GHz processor, made by Samsung itself, is enough to show you the power of the i9000. Honestly speaking, most of the PDAs and high end mobile phones today come with processors ranging between 500 Hz to 800 Hz. Therefore, you can obviously sense that the i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone will really be smarter than its all counterparts and it is going to be faster and more accurate than many phones and PDAs you will find in the Market today. This is hence known as the ultimate processing mechanism from Samsung and this means that even many applications are opened at the same time, there would not be much pressure on the processor and you still see the device operate with a good pace. The device also will not get stuck up too many times even during heavy multitasking and this certainly is good news to all those business professionals who often multitask while they are on the go.

Android Platform:

This needs no introduction maybe. Android is certainly one of the most famous platforms in the world at present and is also lately being integrated into many devices and gadgets. We also know the fact that this is one of the most user friendly operating systems you will ever see in the market. The reason is, there are many apps and features that are simple to use, which make your tasks much year. One touch, and you will get what you want. And today there are more free apps from Android than from Apple. Hence you can visit the store, browse for apps and download for free, whichever app you wish to have on your device. It includes loads of internet add-ons, instant messaging, instant email, instant Google search, and instant access to YouTube videos. Using 3G on a device that has Android is even better. You can then browse the internet faster than ever before, send emails within no time, search faster, and stream videos at a high speed. And in case you need an even faster performance, you can use the Android Operating System, download new apps or create your own, and put them on your daily briefing screen. This will help you do your tasks quicker than ever before. Also when compared to the other operating systems existing today, like Apple’s Mac and Microsoft Windows Mobile OS, the Android is better performing and is also preferred by most of the users.

Daily Briefing:

Daily Briefing is a special feature introduced by Samsung for the Samsung Galaxy S series Smartphones and it allows you to choose the type and also the number of widgets you want to have on your screen. Daily Briefing helps in transforming your Smartphone into your personal secretary and helps you through updating and organizing your daily information. There is a stock of applications and features regarding Daily Briefing, which make your tasks easier. For example, the weather report and the daily headlines are displayed every morning and if there are any tasks scheduled for the day, they will appear on the screen. Also stuff like Emails, SMS texts, notifications, reminders, and pending tasks will be seen on the screen and this briefly is known as daily briefing. It briefly gives you all the things you need to know for the day and helps you go through your daily activities with ease and without forgetting them. You can never be absent minded if you have your i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone with you. We have also liked this aspect regarding the device since it reminds you of work and also keeps you on your toes even if you are on the go. It can be one of those deciding features since not many Smartphones come with a feature that is as comprehensive as Daily Briefing.

Memory:

Memory is another major feature when it comes to any PDA since most people want to have a look at the internal memory given by the device. One would also want to see if there is a provision given by the device in order to extend the memory if needed. Well, the i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone answers both these questions lingering in the minds of the users, with some solid memory details. The device comes with a built in memory of 16 GB, which must be more than enough for almost any PDA. Since the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S Android Smartphone is aimed at the business professionals who need some good memory on their PDAs in order to save their important data and files, the i9000 could do them more than a world of good. It can also be used by others, and especially those of you who love to have entertainment on the go. Since there is ample of memory for you on the device, you can store plenty of music files, videos, documents, games, and sometimes even movies. If 16 GB is too less for some of you, you are blessed with an option to enhance your device’s internal memory. There is a provision to purchase SD cards, which are coming with a memory of 64 GB nowadays, and to insert them in your i9000. This adds to your already existing 16 GB of memory space. Hence, it is nothing but a great boon to almost every user of the device.

Camera:

And yes, this is one of those regular features nowadays. The camera is a must on every mobile phone these days and one must be surprised at its absence. But, quality is what is important too. We do not need some camera, but we look forward to a pretty decent camera that can capture some cool pictures when there is no digital camera readily in hand. The i9000 comes with a 5 MP camera, with features like auto focus, geo tagging, face detection and smile detection. Pictures with resolution of up to 2592 x 1944 pixels can be captured with this camera and videos of HD quality can be obtained too. The camera of the i9000 can capture pretty high resolution videos of 720p at 30 fps frame rate, so you get some decent movie like pictures off the lens.

Google Maps:

The Samsung i9000 Galaxy S cellphone sports a wonderful feature, which you will rarely see on any PDA device today. It is the Google Maps Navigation application. Though any PDA connects you to Google Maps through the internet, there’s practically no other device that comes with an application for navigating. In association with Google, Samsung has started an application that can help you search and find for places all around the globe. It allows you to find the destination you require, with ease and simplicity. You can even browse through the most complex streets that exist in each and every nook and corner of the world. This very special application provides you three distinct views, namely satellite view, real street view, and traffic view. This means that you will be able to find almost all the locations that are along the way, and places like businesses gas stations, and parking lots can be found easier than ever before. Now, unlike the maps feature on most other PDA devices, the Google Maps app on the i9000 works fine even when you are travelling. Even while you are traveling in your car, these maps load pretty quickly and more often than not show you proper directions. You can also combine Google Maps with GPS, and you get live positions and directions along with distances, whenever you want.

Swype + Write and Go:

Over the years, the most common mode of communication has been changing. A few years ago, people used to prefer talking on phone to texting. But now, things have changed, and texting is now preferred by almost everyone under the sun. With the issue of privacy being more and more important nowadays, people are starting to resort to texting while they are out in public. Though talking on phone is still preferred at homes, texting is the new trend when it comes to communicating via mobile. And Samsung has invented a new technology that makes to type even faster. Actually, this does not involve typing at all. A new term, called Swyping is introduced by Samsung in order to make texting easier than ever before. With this sort of technology, all you need to do is swype your finger across the alphabets and the words will be formed automatically. This process is easier than typing as it does not involve movement of all your fingers. With the new ‘Text at Hyper speed’ feature you can type your text messages 1.5 times faster than normal texting. Coming to Write and Go, this special feature allows you to write a text message beforehand and then later on, you can select such pre-written text messages from the memory, and send them by either of SNS, email, SMS, MMS, calendar or memo. These twin features are easy and fun to use and will also add to the awe.

Social Hub:

Social Hub is another comprehensive feature from Samsung. Whenever you have multiple accounts, and multiple mails and messages to check, you can take the help of the Social Hub. Social Hub connects itself to your phone book and it smoothly integrates all of your account details like SNS, IM, email, and calendar accounts to one single place so that you no longer will have the need to spend unnecessary time checking separate sites in order to view your mail and messages. The Samsung Galaxy S i9000 also helps you in easily keeping in touch with your family and close friends. With the help of Samsung Galaxy S’s integrated messaging service, a new feature, one can automatically sync and manage the history for all SNS and IM accounts, by the means of selecting them just from one screen. When everything is under one app, things will definitely seem a lot easier for you since you do not need to visit multiple sites for the same. One touch, and you will be seeing what all is in store for you for the day.

Layar Reality Browser:

The first ever Reality Browser, introduced by Layer is seen on the Galaxy i9000 Smartphone. The Layar Reality Browser may sound new to many of the readers, but it one of the fastest growing applications in the mobile market today. It is a mobile app designed for discovering more information about the world around you. One single click, and you can dig out information about your surroundings. This app uses the new Augmented Reality (AR) technology and therefore displays digital information about the world called “layers”. These layers are hence displayed digitally, into your Smartphone’s field of vision directly.

It is analogous to the map viewing that is seen on some other PDAs today, but it is a more interesting feature since it gives you an animated view of all the details of your surroundings. With this option, you can do lots of interesting stuff such as sharing your augmented experiences with your family, friends and followers. Just by simply connecting to Layar with your Facebook or Twitter account, you can upload and share your layers, spots and screenshots with your friends and family. It is certainly a fun filled application that keeps you engaged.

ThinkFree Document Editor:

There are quite a few differences between the ThinkFree document editor and a normal document editor. The ThinkFree office, which is analogous to the MS Office, allows you to access your documents which are saved online via your i9000. You can view or download these saved files anytime you need and then you are also allowed to edit those documents by means of typing, adding files, links, or attaching photographs or videos etc., Once you are done with the editing process, you can resave the documents again in the same place or even mail them to whichever person you want. Creating, editing, saving, and sending of files are made so easy when the ThinkFree Document Editor comes into play and we really liked the way security is provided to your files.

AllShare via DLNA:

The i9000 from Samsung Galaxy S, comes with the all new power packed feature known as AllShare (via DLNA). This feature is about connecting you to the other Samsung electronic devices at home. When all devices can be connected with such ease, it means that you can wirelessly connect and sync the devices in order to share stuff like videos, photos, music and more. AllShare can be seen on various latest Samsung appliances and it can be used to bridge connections between your phone, your TV, Blu ray player and PC. Just by the push of a button, the network gets activated and on your screen, you can see what all is in store for you in order to sync and share, and where are all the entertainment files hiding quietly. You can select files of your choice and choose to transfer them from one device to the other. It is such a comprehensive network that sharing will become so easy that you do not need any connecting wires, devices or mechanism. Things have become so intelligent after the word wireless came into play.

Wireless Tethering:

Internet has become an important part of our daily life. To connect to the internet and to be online always is one of our everyday jobs since it gives us fun and entertainment. But sadly, the internet is not sunlight and it is not available everywhere around you. There are places around us like cafes, airports, offices, universities, etc., where you can get connected to the internet easily via Wi-Fi. But elsewhere, unless you have a wireless modem connected to a laptop, or unless you have a 3G internet connection, you cannot go online and surf your favourite web pages. This is the reason why Samsung has introduced the concept of wireless tethering. Of course, the word play has paid off well here, but the utility is even more interesting and intelligent. It is analogous to Wi-Fi, but its working is, more or less, similar to 3G.  The Wireless Tethering application allows you to connect up to the web via 3G. This helps users a lot in places where they are normally not allowed to connect to the internet. For example, you can sit in your car or bathe in the oceans, but you can still go online and share your views via Wireless Tethering.

There ends the features list and we are pretty happy regarding almost everything. The errors are very few and far between and since no PDA device under the sun is regarded as perfect, we are very delighted that there are so many features sported on the device.

Performance:

Since we have already seen hat all features are sported by the device and how they perform, there is very little to analyze here, in the performance section. Whichever way you look at the i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone, you can see that there are not many faults in the performance. Since it has come with a combination of pretty solid hardware and software components, there supposedly would not be too many issues for one to get worried. The operating system, the processor are pretty solid and attractive, the extra features and utilities provided are way cool when compared to any other similar PDA device, and the numbers are more reasonable than their counterparts on some other mobile phones. On the whole, the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone is totally smart when it comes to performance and one must be a proud owner of the device. You are guaranteed high quality output by Samsung and the reputation of the manufacturer says it all.

Battery:

The battery you will see on the Samsung i9000 galaxy S Smartphone is a Lithium ion battery with a capacity of 1500 mAh. This is way better than the battery capacities seen on similar PDAs, which come with 1100 mAh capacities. This very new revamped battery gives you longer battery lives, which is a pretty good sign, after all. When it comes to the talk time life of the battery, you can get a maximum of 803 minutes of battery life on 2G and 343 minutes on 3G. And regarding standby time, you get a maximum of 750 hours of life on 2G and 576 hours on 3G. This is pretty long for battery life and our tests also concluded that the battery sported on the i9000 Galaxy Smartphone is indeed super cool.

Warranty:

The i9000 comes with a 12 month parts and labor warranty. Extensions of warranty are also available and one can visit the Samsung website for more details.

Verdict:

If you are still waiting for our opinion on this mobile, we would like to say that this has got to be one of the best PDA devices going around today. A comprehensive feature package, captivating design and display, and pretty solid performance makes it our choice, and of you are a professional looking for a wondrous device, we recommend the i9000 for you.

Samsung i9000 Galaxy S Smartphone - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Samsung
Model Name	Samsung i9000 Galaxy S
Model Number	I9000
Dimensions (W x H x D)	122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9 mm
Weight	119 grams
Colors available	Glossy Black
Display Size	4 inches
Display Type	AMOLED
Display Features	Gorilla glass display TouchWiz 3.0 UI Multi-touch input method Accelerometer sensor for User Interface auto-rotate Touch-sensitive controls Proximity sensor for auto turn-off
Operating System	Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to v2.3
Processor	1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, Hummingbird chipset
Camera resolution	5 MP
Video	720p @ 30fps
Camera features	Auto Focus, geo tagging
Card slot	Micro SD, up to 32GB (verified)
Memory	8GB/16GB storage, 512 MB RAM, 2GB ROM
Phonebook	Yes, unlimited
Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email
Browser	HTML (Google Chrome Lite), Layar Reality Browser
Supported Digital Audio Formats	MP3/WMA/AAC player
Supported Digital video Formats	H.263/H.264/MP4 player
Radio	No
Alert types	Vibration; Downloadable polyphonic, MP3, WAV ringtones
Speaker phone	DNSe (Digital Natural Sound Engine)
3G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
GPRS	Class 12 (4+1/3+2/2+3/1+4 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGE	Class 12
Bluetooth	Yes, v2.1
USB	v2.0
Additional Features	ISDB-Tb Digital TV tuner (only available for Brazilian market) Social networking integration Digital compass TV-out Organizer Image/video editor Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration Voice memo/dial/commands Predictive text input (Swype)
Battery	Standard battery, Li ion
Battery life	Talk time: Up to 13.5 hours Standby time: Up to750 hours
Warranty	1 year

Right now, it is a world of Galaxy S phones from Samsung and the Epic 4G from the company is not one of the finest phones around, which has nothing to do with the fact that it is the only 4G model in the group. The phone also holds in to a few of the Galaxy line’s very vital features, such as the 4” super AMOLED display and1GHz Hummingbird processor. This Epic is very light, which contradicts it being 1/3rd thicker than the other Galaxy S models that weigh less too. The slide-out keyboard takes up the Epic not only just on its predecessor, but also over the first 4G phone of Sprint, the EVO 4G, to which it is comparable to.

Having a glance at two other Galaxy S models of US, the AT&T’s Captivate and T-Mobile’s Vibrant, it should not take long for you to realise that this is totally a different beast. Being just the second WiMAX PDA phone to the released in the states, and the first one to have a physical keyboard, this will prove to be a very important release for Sprint as this a time when its subscribers count have started to pickup after several quarters of disappointment. As we just mentioned, it is quite important note that the Epic 4G is Samsung’s 1st WiMAX device and its direct rival, the HTC EVO 4G was simply mind blowing. And, Epic has lots to do and is it? let us find out.

Design:

Black: always in-trend

Out of most Galaxy S flavors in the market, the Epic 4G, despite its name and form factor, might just have the most nondescript appearance. If it is good or bad, totally depends on your personal preference, but FYI, we liked it. The fascia of the device is mainly dominated by an expanse of black gloss that is rimmed by a matching black bezel, making it an almost intimidating when it is just sitting in front of you with its screen switched off, as you will not be able to readily see the outline of the display or even the capacitive buttons below it. It will just be a whole lot of black with some tastefully proportioned logos of Sprint and Samsung at the top and bottom. In fact, it is so black that it is almost like you are looking at the rear of the phone.

Light:

Samsung Epic 4G PDA Phone feels very light at 15 grams less than the EVO, to be exact. To be frank, we really would not have cared it being a bit bulkier, which again leads us to wonder whether they could have equipped something beefier than a 1500mAh battery without causing any issues. Though the screen of the device is about three-tenths of an inch smaller than the EVO’s, the two are surprisingly close in length and width, and in other words, you should not consider this over the EVO simply because you think it is going to be easier to hold. At 14.2mm deep, the Epic is noticeably thicker, but still comfortable in the hand and it certainly does not produce that ridiculous bulge in your pocket, that is, unless you are wearing something skinny and fashionable.

AMOLED display:

The 4 inch Super AMOLED display at WVGA resolution of the Samsung Epic, is just the same as the one you will find on the Captivate and Vibrant, and as you can imagine, it is absolutely glorious. This display is capable of displaying about sixteen million shads and also possesses a WVGA resolution that allows it to produce some very vibrant and great looking graphics and video. This display also has got a wider viewing angle with a higher contrast ratio when placed next to a traditional LCD. If you are kind of not used to these kinds of displays, even if you are already familiar with standard AMOLED, we are sure that you will be pretty shocked by the insane black level and the rich, dazzling color saturation that you get from this display. Still, we would like to insist that it does not perform as well as a traditional LCD in direct sunlight, though it is not completely washed out; but you could always make out the contents of the screen if you squinted just hard enough.

The all-important rear:

Moving on to the rear of the Epic 4G phone, Sprint has got it right where its rivals went wrong. It has quite a subtle black soft touch, which is nothing like the cheap glossy plastic of Vibrant or faux carbon fibre weave of Captivate, giving you a bit of grip while holding on to it. One of the few concessions to style on the entire phone are the sparkling flecks on the back cover. And, though most of us will not like our phones to sparkle, we have to admit that it would have been a bit too plain, if they had just did it with a flat black. The only issue that we have with the rear of the PDA is that, it pries off, and most consumers will prefer the sliding style phone as it involves vell less of, “I am afraid if I will break this thing” feeling that you will usually get when you are trying to yank a flimsy cover straight up and out, but taking into consideration you will need to get in there, it is basically not an issue.

Keyboard:

The overall feel of the sliding mechanism of the keyboard is quite solid and not flimsy at any side. It is a flat five row type with some good separation in between the keys. There is some good strong action on each of the keys, sans any mushiness. However, we would also say that we could have put up with the space between the keys to enlarge the keys themselves. The layout of this keyboard is a mixed package, for instance, the instance access to Home, Menu, Back and Search buttons is awesome, whereas the locations of the Enter and Backspace keys are troublesome and, we cannot understand the need of a dedicated smiley face key. The slideout keyboard of the Samsung Epic 4G kind of falls behind the ones of its Android counterparts such as the HTC myTouch 3G Slide and even the Droid 2. This is not to say that it is not good, it is just that not every novice user will be able to get around it without some bumps.

The connectivity and ports:

One of the other very stylish part about this phone is that, in the sides, there is a thin chrome ring that surrounds it, which is quite tasteful and actually seems to be working in here. There is the standard array of slots and connectivity such as the volume rocker, power, two stage camera buttons, a 3.5mm headphone jack and also a micro USB port. As in the case of its Galaxy S siblings, the Epic too possesses a spotless retractable door that protects the port; which is an alternative that is much better than the flimsy plugs that you can find in some of the other ones.

Buttons:

Just below the display, there are four capacitive buttons including Menu, Home, Back and Search. Since these buttons are located below the Samsung Logo, there is plenty of separation between them and the bottom of the display; however, they seem to suffer from a couple of issues. To start with, they are just not sensitive enough and you might have to tap twice occasionally in order to actuate it. There was also the issue that showed up its nasty head on the other Galaxy S models; the buttons seem to be backlit on the different schedule than the display. They just black out after about five seconds and switch on back when a button or the display is touched. But, Samsung has also offered a good solution for that. You can actually change the behavior of the button backlighting; it uses the keyboard’s backlight timeout setting, which is six seconds by default but can be set to match the screen. Problem solved.

Package:

Sprint has neglected the cute or strange (depends on how you look at it), “TV Dinner” kind of packaging that EVO had and gone for a more traditional packaging. Though it might seem a little boring, on the positive side, unlike the HTC EVO, with this kind of set up is easier to keep closed, that is, if you really care and plan on hanging on to it for a while. It does not depend on a flimsy cardboard sleeve to keep the lid on and the good news is that, they have gone with a really thick and sturdy high quality material for both halves of the packaging. Inside the box itself, you will find the Epic 4G itself, a USB charger, micro USB cable and surprisingly, the same decent ear-buds that comes with the Vibrant and Captivate. No cables are permanently attached to the charger, which has become pretty common these days. If you are looking to have some serious fun with music, you can still use your own headphones or earbuds, but it is quite cool that Samsung has offered some buds that are high in quality; just enough to include a pair of replaceable tips too.

Features:

Android 2.1:

In most areas, the Epic 4G runs the same TouchWiz 3.0-skinned build of Android 2.1 that you find on other versions of the Galaxy S Phones, which also means that you have to deal with the same set of complaints. Most of the issues that we will be mentioning here, will not bother those who are going to deal with it for the first time. The greatest issue with the device is that, it has too much colour in everything, an issue that is enlarged by the fact that the display that make the bright colours look very bright.

Memory:

In the box, you will also find a SD to microSD converter which can be used with the 16GB microSD card that comes pre-installed under the phone’s rear cover. The nice thing here is that, you will not have to remove the battery to get at it. You might be wondering why Samsung is offering 16GB when its major rivals offer only 2GB, well, it turns out that the Epic has only a little over 400MB of internal storage or the Apps, which is nowhere near the capacious 16GB capacity of the others. Hence, Sprint just compensates by throwing in a beefy card. This might work OK for most users, but it is important to note that, this in turn means that you will not be able to get up to 48GB of storage by spending on a 32GB card. We were just left wondering why Samsung had left out the internal capacity when they had tried to make the device as Epic as possible. The only thing that we can imagine is that, they might have simply ran out of space with all the modifications on the model over the standard Galaxy S, such as the slider mechanism, LED Flash and the WiMAX circuitry.

Software:

As far as software is concerned, Samsung has done an average effort at holding back. When the phone is switched on for the first time, the installed apps consume two full pages in the launcher, which feels quite manageable. Besides the normal Galaxy S custom stuff like AllShare and MediaHub, you also get Qik with video calling capability, Sprint Football and NASCAR, Sprint Hotspot, TeleNav-powered Sprint Navigation, ThinkFree Office lacking the Google Docs integration of the version available in the Market, and Sprint Zone, which is basically a one-stop shop for finding Sprint stores, checking out your account, and getting quick access to apps the carrier recommends. Sprint TV’s also included, of course, but it just hangs on 4G whenever you try to watch a program.

Home screen dismal:

The annoyances continue to creep up on the home screen, where Samsung seems to has opted to display a large panel number indicator just below the status bar. Note that they use a seven panel setup. We do not mind that they are permanently displayed, and in fact, we would rather prefer it looking at the way Droid X and Droid 2 manage to do it. But the issue here is that, the one TouchWiz has is simply huge, just large enough that they could have managed to squeeze in another widget or icon row if they wanted. We thing Samsung should have taken a cue from Google, HTC or even Motorola’s first generation Blur UI, in order to implement this the right way.

Camera:

Yet another area in with the Epic wins over its other Galaxy branded cousins is, what is just below its 5 megapixel camera, a good quality LED Flash. Obviously, you cannot expect a lot out of the primary camera of Epic, given that its cousins do not even ship with any sort of flash and it is quite obvious that Samsung has managed to prioritized a thin shell over the heavy duty optics. Having said that, the stills were pretty good, with the shots looking clean and sharp with minimal artifacts and 100 percent zoom. We even discovered the hard way that you will get locked out of the camera app if the battery dips to 15%, hence, make sure that you have plenty of juice before heading out for some serious shots. As we had mentioned earlier, the Epic is equipped with two cameras; the 5 megapixel primary on back paired with a weakling VGA cam on front. Make no mistake, this second camera is not to be used for anything but video calling, and considering that the quality of your video call is limited by bandwidth more than by camera quality, it will work just fine there. The Epic’s camera app allows you to toggle between cameras, while the second camera is used for a “self portrait” mode, but trust us; you really will not want to do that.

Video:

The video capture was very less impressive than the still images. The real issue here is that, it has been advertised as a 720p recorder. It is true that you will be able to toggle a 720p mode, but in order to associate the quality of the output that you get with anything you get with anything you might consider being 720p is totally bizarre. It is simply not good. What Samsung should have done is to cap the op to 480p and just offered 1280 x 720 as something like and “extended Solution” mode, which would have eased the consumers at least a little bit. On the positive side, the audio quality is quite decent, though not as strong as the Droid 2 or the Droid X.

Performance:

Apart from an occasional stutter while scrolling in the browser, the Epic’s performance felt in line with what we should expect of its Hummingbird core. It was generally responsive and smooth. By Android’s nature, it is easy to gum up the works by installing too many apps trying to do too many things at once, but with a few of the essentials installed, the device fully synced to Google account and everything sped right along. There was some occasional hiccup with the phone’s many window transition animations where they would flash or stutter; it was hard to tell whether this was a performance issue or simply a bug.

Call Quality:

Call quality is very good most of the time. There is a little bit of voice distortion in the caller’s voice, but that did not wreck the overall call quality. It was loud and clear, though a bit tinny.

4G:

As far as 4G performance is concerned, it get quite tricky as the network performance varies highly by locations and other variables. But, generally we are quite happy with the on device data and hotspot mode. It will never cease to make you feel “WiFi Fast” both in terms of speed and latency, which is exactly what you will need to make a fantastic mobile hotspot. We managed to get 4Mbps down and 1Mbps up consistently.

Battery Life:

Moving to the battery power, we were able to get 3 hours and 43 minutes of use from about 97% power to shutdown with the phone in 4G hotspot mode while occasionally interacting with the handset, continuously streaming internet radio, and some other internet stuff. That bests the EVO by a few minutes. We checked Android’s built-in battery monitor shortly before the Epic shut down, which is the screen where you can see what components and apps have been draining your juice the most, and were surprised to see it report that the display had allegedly been responsible for fifty five percent of the drain, despite the fact that we had played with the phone for perhaps 10 to 15 minutes. We suspect the app is not properly accounting for the 4G radio, but that is just a guess, and if by some odd chance it is accurate, that paints a pretty scary picture for the power consumption of these Super AMOLED displays.

Value:

Understandably, the biggest issue with the Epic 4G is its price. At about 250 dollars, it is the dearest Galaxy phones ever from Samsung, this price comprises of a new two year service agreement and a 100 dollars mail in refund.

Warranty:

Samsung offers its Epic 4G one year warranty for parts and labor.

Verdict:

It is quite impressive that Sprint has already managed to release two very high-end, exceptionally desirable devices built specifically to take advantage of its 4G network. So, the question is, if it is the right phone for the job? Yes, it is a great phone.

Samsung Epic 4G Smartphone - Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Samsung
Model Name	Samsung Epic 4G
Series	Galaxy S
Product type	4G Android PDA
Dimensions (H x W x D) mm	124 x 65 x 14 mm
Weight	155 g
Color	Black
Phone Design	Candybar touchscreen
Candybar touchscreen	Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
Size	4.0 inches
Resolution	480 x 800 pixels
Display Features	16M colors Gorilla Glass display QWERTY keyboard TouchWiz 3.0 UI Multi-touch input method Accelerometer sensor for UI auto-rotate Touch-sensitive controls Proximity sensor for auto turn-off Swype text input
Alert types	Vibration; MP3, WAV ringtones
Phone Navigation	Multi-touch input method Touch-sensitive controls
OS	Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair)
CPU	ARM Cortex A8 1GHz processor
Memory	512MB RAM, 512MB ROM
Storage	microSD, up to 32GB
Primary Camera	5 MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash
Features of camera	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection
Secondary Camera	Yes, VGA
Video	Yes, 720p@30fps
Format support	MP4/DivX/WMV/H.264/H.263 player MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3/FLAC player
GPRS	Class 10 (4+1/3+2 slots), 32 - 48 kbps
EDGE	Class 10, 236.8 kbps
3G	Rev. A, up to 3.1 Mbps, HSDPA
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n; WiMAX
Bluetooth	v2.1 with A2DP
USB	v2.0 microUSB
Connectivity	Bluetooth Capability GPS Capability Internet HTML Browser USB Connectivity Wi-fi Connectivity
Internet Browser	HTML
Messaging	SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS Corporate email Instant Messaging Predictive Text Input T9
Highlight Features	Mobile TV Social networking integration Digital compass Organizer Image/video editor Document editor (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF) Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa integration Flash Lite v3.1 Voice memo/dial/commands T9
Battery Type	Standard battery, Li-Ion 1500 mAh
Standby	Up to 300 h
Talktime	Up to 5 h 30 min
Warranty	One year

When was the last time you used your desktop? Does this question seem kind of outdated in this day and age, where innovation happens by minute? Well, this is exactly the kind of feeling that Blackberry gives to the consumers, with launch of every handset, each outclassing the other. So, what are the special features loaded by the manufacturer, RIM (Research In Motion) in the Blackberry Curve 8330? Does it meet the expectations of the CDMA users? How different is this CDMA version of Verizon from the original GSM variant offered by AT&T? If these are the kind of questions lingering in your head, then just sit back while we walk you through the Curves, offered by both Sprint and Verizon.

Design & Build:

The RIM Blackberry Curve 8330 is designed to fit hands of any size and it comes in two different shades – a bright silver from Verizon, with Sprint choosing a more dashing Titanium finish. Both versions have a rubbery trim that runs alongside the phones. Its sleek design is sure to catch the envious glances of Blackberry Pearl owners. Weighing just 7 ounces, the Curve does not really require any nerdy holsters and can just about slip into any pocket. Accepted that the Curve does not really catch your attention at a first glimpse, but its silvery finish along with its rounded edges and chrome accents, is a definite competition to the Samsung BlackJack. The top right corner hosts the LED indicator flashing varied colors, based on the events. The volume rocker and multifunction key are towards the right, both standing out against the black trim with their flashy chrome. The miniUSB port and 3.5-mm headset jack is nested on the left with the back multifunction key right below it. On the top left is a single chrome key that acts as a mute key, which also functions as a standby key, with being held pressed for a few seconds. Again, the two cutouts, one in the center and the other towards the right acts as speaker holes for the Curve. The hardware volume controls is located on the right. The rear of the Curve is otherwise flush and uneventful, but for a 2Mp camera lens, with no opening for the battery. While the Curve’s microSD slot works suitably with memory expansion, it is not that easy getting to. Well, RIM could have found a better slot to locate the microSD card, as against being located beneath the battery. It makes removal of the battery kind of irritating and particularly the need to switch off the phone every time the card needs to be accessed is all the more annoying. Then again, since the chances of removing the card is pretty rare, we can live with it.

Curve 8330’s Display:

The front panel is quite a star with its striking 320×240 pixel, 2.5-inch display, featuring a light sensor that blends with the dim ambient lighting. The vibrant QVGA screen does, beyond doubt, a solid job when it comes to displaying pictures and text. Nonetheless the Curve, similar to the other Blackberry gizmos, uses an archaic font that is known to take extra space, which we feel is unwarranted. That being said, almost all the items are pretty legible in any given lighting conditions. Again, RIM’s signature feature does not come as a surprise anymore – yes! we mean the backlit trackball, this in conjunction with the Send, Back, Menu and End Call keys along with the sublime, well-spread QWERTY backlit keyboard.

QWERTY Keyboard:

RIM’s keyboards are highly touted for their abundant shortcuts and ease of use. The well spaced out keyboard that RIM has managed to squeeze in, is absolutely convenient to type, even for those, who are not great fans of QWERTY keypads. It is definitely much sturdier and wider as against the Pearl, which hosts a not-so-sure to type keyboard and not really good with guessing words that we are trying to peck in. The QWERTY keyboard  in Blackberry Curve 8330 Smartphone is housed beneath the trackball that aides with navigation. Though the trackball takes some time to get used to you might find it, eventually, to be pretty responsive. Well, you may not experience the same speed levels as in a scroll wheel, but it ultimately wins you over with its versatility, particularly with navigation of web pages and the like, wherein a 2-D movement would be appreciated as against 1-D. Confirmation is achieved by inward clicking of the trackball.

Interface:

There is nothing much to comment on the Curve’s interface, as its OS is very much similar to the several other Blackberry models like the Pearl and 8830. The highly customizable interface allows users to reorder applications as per their preference, and also to remove unwanted icons from the main display as seen fit. Of the lot, the customizing option worth mentioning would be assigning both the multifunction buttons to just about any task that users see fit. The trackball seems to be of great help with it comes to navigating the menu, much better than the Pearl’s trackball or the rigid 8830. The only hitch is, as much as it could be moved 360 degrees, it only traverses vertically or horizontally through the menus and cannot be wrapped around the ends of the menu. This is kind of annoying and we prefer the mouse as against this semi-input mechanism. Though we are highly impressed with the customizing gimmick, organizing folder and hiding icons, we are kind of disappointed with the interface on the whole. Yet another aspect of annoyance was with adjusting the ring volume. Any other phone under the sun lets you to adjust the volume by just hitting the rocker in the standby, a fairly simple task, of course. Blackberry decides to differ here! You will have to click on Profiles, go to Advanced, choose your preferred profile, scroll down and get to Phone, go to Volume and then it finally lets you set the desired level. Absolutely ludicrous! We hope RIM takes care of this in their following versions to avoid such seemingly simple tasks appear Herculean.

Features:

Phonebook:

Thanks to RIM for keeping the Curve’s phonebook relatively straightforward and simple to use. Choosing New Address from the Context Menu in the Address Book allows entry of a new contact, or the other alternate is to directly save the person from your recent call or email list. Every entry is allowed two office numbers, three email addresses, two home numbers, a pager, mobile, fax and “Other” number along with an entry for a BlackBerry PIN number. There are slots allocated for home/office addresses, as well as anniversary and birth dates. Sorting of Contacts is done either by user definable categories such as custom ringers and picture IDs. There are sections allocated for webpage and notes as well. Searching directly from the main screen giving the contact’s first or last name, yields result with the Curve matching it from the contact list. With a highlighted entry in the main contacts view, the user can initiate a call by hitting the send button. If an entry has several numbers, a window pops up allowing you to select the person you wish to call.

Messaging:

Following the BlackBerry tradition, the Curve offers oodles of messaging options. Aside from the standard MMS and SMS onboard, support is also offered for Blackberry PIN messaging and multiple email accounts. Of note, the Sprint version of the Curve, does not support MMS and hence has to be received in the SMS format and users might have to view the images by clicking on the link via the browser. Likewise the images needs to be sent as mail attachment as against conventional MMS. PIN messaging almost identical to sending an SMS, but for the fact, that it needs to be sent via RIM’s secured server as against the conventional SMS gateway. Regardless of their carrier, all BlackBerries come with an exclusive PIN. All one has to do is to opt for the PIN Message option, and the message is sent by entering the PIN in the “To” field. As much as this looks similar to an SMS, this is not considered as an SMS package, although the data gets used. While the Sprint CDMA comes with messenger clients such as Yahoo, AIM and Gtalk, the Verizon version does not, but can be availed of through their portal.

Organizer:

The robust Calendar function in the Curve 8330 PDA Phone can be managed both on phone and PC, and is remotely manageable with pairing it to a BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server). Tasks such as creating an appointment are fairly simple along with options for reminders and recurrence. Mark the Appointments as private if you wish to for added security.

PIM and Other Apps:

The Blackberry Curve 8330 Phone is loaded with Personal Information Management (PIM) Apps such as Tasks, Address Book, Alarm, Password Keeper, Calculator, Voice Recorder, Memo Pad, etc. All of these, for the most part, are to the point and simple, no bells and whistles. While there is nothing extravagant about any of the above, it is nice to have a solid password application as a part of the package. Few other notable applications as a part of the default suite include Sprint Music Store, Voice Dialer, Handmark’s Pocket Express, Sprint TV, Facebook, IMs that include Gtalk, AIM, Yahoo and of course Blackberry Messaging. The Curve allows for Reminders to be set and to group them into categories as well. There is also a Voice Note Recorder that helps with taking notes, especially helpful for those always on the move.

Reception And Voice Quality:

With the GSM Curve models being well known for their clear and punchy call quality and above average reception, the Curve 8330 is no exception and continues the trend. In strong coverage areas, the reception is generally 4 bars out of 5 and a 1 to 3 with moderate coverage areas. Both the Verizon and Sprint versions of the Curve 8330 are not known to have dropped calls and possess a relatively good call quality. Its loud and clear built-in speakerphones are worth mentioning. The Curve 8330 also supports headset and hands free profiles via Bluetooth. The DSP also seem to work just fine via both headsets with reduced noise levels in the road, but for the winds. Blackberry’s voice command software, VoiceSingal VSuite 2.1 works exceptionally well with voice command and voice dialing. It also performs well even in the absence of voice training or pre-recorded voice tags and is also seamless over Bluetooth.

Wireless Connectivity:

RIM has a notable series of devices in the Curve line to its credit, in that it supplements the levels of connectivity to the Blackberry lineage. The Sprint variant of the Curve compliments the EV-DO connectivity with Bluetooth and GPS.  Well this literally means that the options are endless for users to connect to devices and services.  When it comes to the cellular world, the Sprint version of the Curve is an EV-DO 1x gadget, which though cannot be compared to the speed of a basic DSL connectivity, is still quite prompt for a cellular connection, and is efficient enough to not drain the battery.

Bluetooth:

The RIM Blackberry Curve 8330 features a 2.0 Bluetooth that is compatible with AVRC, HSP, SPP, HFP and A2DP profiles, this literally means that it could only be used with a stereo or mono headset. Nonetheless, files can be transferred to Media Player through a complicated or sensitive process. Once inside the Media Player, go to context menu and opt for “Receive Using Bluetooth.” Yet again, Bluetooth is another wireless option for headsets and DUN (Dial-up Networking). With using the Bluetooth, the Curve takes the form of a modem for tablet PCs and laptops, which obviously attracts additional costs, depending on the plan used. Sprint’s Version of Curve does not support Wi-Fi though.

GPS/Maps:

Both Verizon and Sprint version of the Curve 8330 comes with an in-built GPS, which takes roughly around 30 seconds to get a lock and very much reliable in terms of a navigational tool. The GPS performance is just mind blowing and is right on dot (when it comes to accuracy) and gets signals indoors too. Sprint’s Blackberry is loaded with RIM’s BlackBerry Maps for free, offering maps of North America along with navigational software with just the directions and no voice guidance. No worries, if you are particular about voice guidance, there is always the option of buying Sprint’s Navigation services for $2.99 a day or $9.99 a month or better still purchase a full package which includes voice guidance supported by TeleNav. If you are wondering about the same on Verizon’s version of the Curve, well bad news – Verizon switches off the GPS access and BlackBerry Maps, but the good news is it offers its very own VZ Navigator supported by “Networks In Motion” for the same cost as Sprint. There is not much of a difference in the options, navigational features, directions, routes, maps, and voice guidance and the info provided by both Curves is relatively accurate. Besides providing the directions and your location, the same can also be forwarded to your friends via E-mail, SMS or PIN. Now if you are not keen on paying the extra charges, it is your call, as you can still avail of the free Blackberry Maps that does certainly render turn-by-turn directions on screen along with point of interest. But the speed is definitely no match to the 3D TeleNav maps, not to mention its lack of voice guidance. So, you might want to think twice before opting for free maps, as it is not a wise choice especially if you were to drive alone, then checking maps and looking at directions would be tedious without voice guidance, particularly with the screen turning off every now and then.

E-mail:

The E-mail setup on the Blackberry is as good as it gets. Be it the Curve or for that matter any Blackberry model, it is a “Killer App.” It comes as no surprise with their undeniable advantage with corporate backend assimilation along with push email. Setting up a Gmail account utilizing the setup wizard is a child’s play in the Curve, particularly with the phone supporting ten corporate and personal accounts. Once inside the browser, the trackball, which is used more so as a mouse makes navigation easy. Page and Column are the two viewing modes with the former shrinking the page for the users to pan around and zoom in on areas of interest. Though this cannot be compared to the typical desktop experience offered by Opera Mini, it can be compared to Mobile Internet Explorer. The additional spell checker feature (only for email, not for multimedia/text messages) along with a customizable dictionary is something that is welcomed with open hands. Akin to the 8800 and Pearl, the Curve also allows viewing JPEG attachments, PDF, Word, and Excel. Overall the Curve’s performance is very much snappy identical to its kith and kin, with a loading time of 9 to 10 seconds followed by the images. 10 to 20 seconds later. WAP pages are loaded at lightning speed. Despite their popularity with E-mails, Blackberry devices lag behind in comparison to other smartphones like the iPhone, Window Mobile, Nokia etc., when it comes to rendering mails in HTML format, as they still end up showing broken links or unsightly pages when displaying HTML pages.

Multimedia and Apps:

The Curve 8330 Smartphone from Blackberry is loaded with a media player for video playback and music with the Sprint’s variant offering a Sprint Music Store and Sprint TV while the former charges $0.99 for downloads over the air and also offers its own music player, the latter offers a mix of both on-demand clippings and live TV, which includes unique made-for-mobile content. MP3 and AAC files are supported by the player with the unprotected iTunes also working just fine. The audio quality is just awesome, via both the stereo headset and the built-in speaker with the volume being fairly loud. For all the Bluetooth headset fans out there, you would thoroughly enjoy listening to music on the 8330. Yet another benefit is, being able to skip tracks by just clicking on the Fast Forward button in the headset as against the conventional 2-step process of clicking on the menu and then selecting the track. The player also comes with standard playback controls along with shuffle and playlist support. Video playback on the Curve 8330 is pretty decent on a bare minimum 326kbps/15fps/QVGA, but it had trouble playing WMV files though. With the Curve packing an EV-DO, it is capable of data speeds of roughly 300 to 600 Kbps and can probably hit 2.4Mbps, which means faster web access and downloads and hassle-free media streaming. In comparing the two CDMAs, while the Sprint version supports Sprint TV, the Verizon version does not support V Cast music/videos on their smartphone. Well, Verizon must be under the impression that corporate/business users wouldn’t really miss streaming songs or videos. But hey Verizon! Blackberry is no longer for just the corporate crowd, it is open to consumers as well. That being said, the smartphone does have other varied avenues for multimedia. Along with supporting MP3, AAC+, WMA, eAAC+, AMR-NB and MIDI audio formats and WMV, MPEG, H.263 video formats, it also allows to search songs by Album, Artist and Genres. The Curve comes with a software CD with a copy of Roxio Easy Media Creator that enables creating Mp3s from CDs with a provision to add audio tags, not to mention the full-screen mode for video playback. The Curve also supports AT&T services like streaming XM radio at a monthly rate of $9.99. The download happens quite rapidly with a wide choice to stations to choose from with the inclusion of seven genres namely Rock, Pop, Hip Hop, Urban, Country and Decades.

Pocket Express:

Yet another noteworthy feature of the Sprint worth mentioning would be the Pocket Express previously called On Demand that offers rapid access to weather, sports, stocks, travel info, entertainment etc., to its users. It also acts as a portal for downloading ringtones and games, a relatively handy application that gathers hoards of information in one place and extremely useful for users, turning them more productive.

Sprint’s Facebook:

While the Facebook app comes preloaded with the Sprint CDMA, Verizon users need to download the same over the air and will have to find the link al by themselves. Sprint’s variant of the Curve is definitely considered more compelling and user friendly as against Verizon’s with the inclusion of all such apps (TV, IM clients, Facebook etc). while Verizon users can still download all of the above or even go ahead and utilize third-party substitutes, it kind of gives us the feeling that Verizon is all set to strip the Curve (and phones alike) of their functionality. Well, no one can help noticing the drastic out of box difference between the two CDMA phones, with the Sprint version being a definite hit among users.

Memory:

In terms of storage capacity, the Blackberry Curve 8330 has on-board a memory space of 96MB with the expansion slot being able to take up to 8GB. The only glitch is the microSDHC card being located underneath the battery, but we can still live with an 8GB SanDisk.

Camera:

The Curve’s robust multimedia competence is what makes it stand out from the 8800 and the Pearl. It comes with a 2Mp camera loaded with LED flash, digital zoom and a self-portrait mirror. Both CDMA versions of the Curve performs outstandingly well with not much difference in their performance. The images can be shot in three resolutions namely, 640 x 480, 1024 x 768, and 1600 x 1200 under three quality settins and the pictures taken are very much adequate for a 4×6-inch print. Everything from natures beauty to human portrait is richly saturated and with great detail. We especially appreciate the in-built flash along with its rapid shutter speed that enables it to shoot decent close-ups even in dimly lit areas. The not so wide camera lens aides in turning on the LED flash both automatically or manually. Despite the images being overly sharpened, they look relatively good with the high contrast enhancing the images. There is a good amount of colour balance in the images shot both indoors and outdoors, with flash turning on automatically under poor lighting conditions. The images can be used as wallpapers, caller ID and can even be sent via MMS and E-mail.  And the good news is, its ability to record videos, a feature thus far enjoyed by the Pearl users only.  The video clips can be shot in two resolutions namely, 176 x 144 and 240 x 176, but it is kind of weird that the Cure allows for storage of these only in the storage card and not the Phone’s memory. Well at least, the videos are of decent quality, no complaints here with the LED flash illuminating subjects fairly well even at an arm’s length.

Battery life:

In comparison to the other Curve models, the BlackBerry 8330 has a slight increase I battery life. It comes with a rechargeable Lithium Ion 1150 mAh battery with a longer talk time and shorter standby time. The alleged 11 days standby and 4.3 hours talk time is kind of overrated, but not that much. While using the phone to make calls, browsing and listening to music does not drain the battery life dramatically, using the GPS for long commutes, watch Sprint TV in addition to using the phone for calls and browsing generally does, and warrants daily charging. For instance, watching Sprint TV for 15 minutes drains 15 to 20% of battery life. So with regular and normal usage of the Curve, the battery life is at its best.

Performance:

The Sprint version of the BlackBerry Curve 8330 is no fancy gadget nor does it seem special in a specific way. Nevertheless, it is rock solid and well designed with the kind of attribute to blend easily into day-to-day activities and does not really demand much by way of altering the default setup or tweaking. But at the end of the day, it sure is the kind of gadget that provides users with ample info and gets them places. Curve’s GPS integration and E-mail would be the best example to prove this. Now, it is ultimately your call to decide switching over from your existing device to the Curve taking into consideration your requirements and the budget, of course.

Warranty:

With a limited parts warranty and labor warranty of one year from the date of purchase, all other details pertaining to warranty can be found in the warranty leaflet.

Verdict:

The BlackBerry curve remains an office phone; great support for mail connections (be it with MS Exchange, Lotus Domino, Novell Groupwise etc.). While the new ads try to tell you that this is not just for corporate users, we beg to differ. The choice of provider plays a huge role in the quality of apps you can have on your Curve; but then the choice of applications should not drive the choice of the phone itself. The Curve is a great choice for a CDMA customer waiting on a Black Berry so long; but then if you are planning to use this like a millennial you might be a touch disappointed with the trackball, UI and usability for the average user. For a change, check if your profile suits a Black Berry rather than the other way round.

Blackberry Curve 8330 Smartphone - Technical Specification Details

Manufacturer	Research In Motion Ltd
Model Name	Blackberry Curve 8330
Product Series	Curve Series
Dimensions	4.2 x 2.4 x 0.6 inches
Available Colors	Titanium and Black
Weight	4 oz (113 grams)
Display	TFT LCD color display
Display Screen size	2.5 inch
Color resolution	16-bit (65k) with 320×240 pixels
Input	QWERTY keyboard Trackball
Interfaces available	USB
OS	RIM BlackBerry OS
Application Software	Alarm, Address Book , Tasks, Calendar, Calculator, Notes, Blackberry Maps, Organizer, Voice memo/dial/commands, Predictive Text Input
CPU	312MHz Processor
Messaging options	SMS, MMS, IM
E-Mail	IMAP, POP3, SMTP, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Domino, Blackberry Connect
Phone Functions	Multiple numbers per contact, Picture ID, Ring ID
Cellular Networks	CDMA800, CDMA1900
Cellular Data;Links	CDMA2000 1x, 1xEV-DO Rev. 0
Alert Types	Vibration, MP3 Ringtones
Memory	Built-in 32MB RAM/96MB ROM
Location Based Services	Yes, GPS
Supported Video Formats	WMV
Supported Audio Formats	MP3,WMA
Web Browser	HTML, Blackberry Browser, RSS
Wi-Fi enabled	No
Audio Compatibility	MP4/WMV/H.263/H.264 player MP3/WAV/eAAC+/WMA player
Video Playback	MPEG4, H.263, WMV
Utilities	Clock, Alarm, Games
Wireless Communication	Bluetooth
Connectivity	3.5 mm Audio jack
Memory Slot Type	microSD, microSDHC, up to 4GB
Camera	2 MP, 1600×1200 pixels, LED flash, Digital Zoom, Mirror
Included Accessories	Stereo Headset USB Cable Power Adapter Home Charger Leather Pouch 1GB microSD card (Sprint Curve only)
Battery	Standard Battery, Li-Ion 1150mAh Standby: Up to 264 h Talk time: Up to 4 h 30 min
Warranty	One year

Smart phones just cannot stop getting better. The Droid X is the latest super-phone to hit the markets. Developed by Motorola and Verizon Wireless, the phone packs enough to woo a potential customer with enough features embedded for him to take on the world: speed, response and style. These three are synonymous to what this piece of technology has to offer. Whilst not a successor to the previous original Droid and the Droid 2, it has seemingly replaced them as the flagship of Verizon Wireless in this segment and has become the most popular Android device. Released on the 15th of July, this phone is definitely here to stay and can hold it’s own with respect to its competitors.

Design:

Build and Display:

Encased in a matte black candy bar design, Motorola Droid X Smartphone comes with a 4.3-inch 854 x 480 pixels capacitive touch screen LCD display, a significant leap from the 3.7-inch screen of the Droid, is big and expansive by current standards and is bound to captivate the media geeks for being benevolent for multimedia purposes, with playing movies, viewing photos and so on. It has got great color saturation, contrast and functions well when used outdoors. For those who just need to text and mail, the screen can really catch the eye due it’s expansiveness and also reduces eye strain.

Swype Keyboard:

With a big screen comes a big keyboard, and it makes it easier to send those long texts, e-mails and keep it error free with less mistypes, dial or interact with the Android OS. The Swype keyboard enables the user to type faster without taking the finger off the screen. The user merely needs to drag the finger from one character to another.
This helps in efficient typing of texts and mails. It can also be turned off for those users who prefer the traditional input method.

Ports and Connectivity:

It provides DLNA compatibility and HDMI Micro out pins which enhances its connectivity. DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) is used to share content wirelessly with other DLNA equipped devices. It provides inter-operatability and helps the user to share, transfer, send and receive data with another phone. The 3.5 mm headset jack is located on the right side of the phone, and the ports for micro USB and HDMI features on the left.

Interface:

The Droid X operates on Android 2.1 operating system, with an upgrade to 2.2 coming later this year. The new software is expected to enhance the speed of the already fast Droid X and also the JavaScript integrated into the browser of the phone. The advantages of 2.1 are that it includes a good keyboard interface, HTML 5 support, and Microsoft Exchange support. There are multiple customizable home screens (up to nine) available.

There are dedicated keys for controlling the volume, Camera, Back, Home, Power/ Lock, Menu. There is also a hepatic feedback feature which makes the phone vibrate each time a button is pressed. With a pinch-to-zoom feature, the browsing experience is enhanced.

The system supports a wide array of applications and this enables the Motorola Droid X  Android OS phone to be customized and tweaked according to the user’s demands. It is Flash supportive and this in turn helps in the performance of many applications and games. Free maps are available with turn-by-turn directions, and a lot of Google applications such as Google Maps, Google Maps Street View, Google Talk, etc can be integrated into the system. Widget capability, Social Networking sites integrated via ninjablur are other features likely to turn heads.

Features:

Processor:

Fitted with a 1GHz TI OMAP processor and a 512MB RAM, one can only expect the Droid X to be fast. And fast it is. The Texas Instruments OMAP processor helps the phone to be fast, efficient and responsive and helps to run things super smooth. It makes everything ranging from browsing to moving between panels fast.

Memory:

24GB storage! Enough said. With an in-built 8 GB storage and a 16 GB microSD card included, and that’s plenty of room for multimedia and everything else. And if you feel the 24 GB storage is not enough, here comes the catch. The microSD card slot supports up to 32 GB cards, which can increase the storage capacity from 24 to a solid 40 GB.

Camera:

While the previous Droid version came with a 5.0 mega-pixel camera, the Droid X is coming out with an impressive 8.0 mega-pixel camera, so the user can take photos up to an incredulous 3266 by 2450 pixel resolution. That is not all. It also shoots a good solid 720p HD video, with also a noise canceling feature enabled by the mics for video recording.

Cameras have become a vital component in any phone. With it, people can share what they witness and with a good camera, this experience is enhanced. The 8.0 mega-pixel camera produces images of superior quality and with in-built features of image stabilization, flash and zoom, and supportive features like scene functions, color effects, and editing functions and Geo tagging, taking pictures will definitely be a pastime, this phone means much more when in the hands of someone who clicks images on the go.

The camcorder can record high-definition videos at 720p or 1280 by 720 pixel resolution, at 24 frames per second. This results in good detailed video quality and also with high definition audio along with editing features like resizing, audio editing and so on.

Noise Reduction:

With three built in mics, the phone provides apt noise cancellation improving call quality by reducing static. This also helps in getting good audio while recording videos with the camera.

MotoBlur:

MotoBlur is a push-based service that focuses on social networking. With social networking playing a big role in daily life of every tech savvy consumers this is one feature which most cannot do without. It includes a wide variety of widgets for this purpose by combining various social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and a whole of other services all in one place with regular feeds and data coming into your hands through these widgets. One can connect to their friends, keep up with important events and know what is happening around them, and in a secure environment all thanks to the MotoBlur.

Multimedia:

Motorola Droid X PDA Smartphone packs enough in terms of entertainment factor would be an understatement. The phone is loaded with features like Android Media player, Android Market, the popular game Need For Speed Shift and that is just saying a few. The Android Media player makes listening to music a pleasurable experience. The headphones are sold separately. Radio lovers can tune into the FM Radio, songs can be bought and downloaded from Amazon’s MP3 store or merely by transferring from the computer. The Android Market is an innovative idea which enables users to create and develop programs for use in the phone which are put up in Google’s store and can be purchased online. A wide range of applications are therefore at the user’s disposal.

With the high quality screen bound to enthrall the user, watching movies will be easy. Movies can be downloaded from a Blockbuster application, and video playback is simply too good to ignore. For gaming aficionados, the built in ‘Need For Speed Shift’ is definitely a must have. Flash capability enhances the performances of other games as well.

Connectivity:

Droid X stands out for its connectivity features. With Bluetooth technology, WiFi, 3G, WLAN and DLNA capabilities and the Android HTML Webkit, one can be assured to be connected wherever they are. The device can act as a 3G hotspot for up to 5 other devices, definitely advantageous to connect other mobile devices and laptops and computers. A valuable service when faced with a Wifi less environment. This smart phone can be used as a modem to access the Internet on a system. It is also provided with GPS and Location services. Google Maps and a whole other applications being available, the Droid X provides also turn-by-turn instructions, which means getting places will never be a tedious task. The device can also be hooked up in a car to aid navigation. Impressive.

Performance:

Interface:

The interface is a smooth and quick Android 2.1 operating system powered by the OMAP processor. It is customizable and delightful to the eye, though it can be cluttered with meaningless widgets. Occasional chances of sluggishness and slow responses are encountered. Still, the Droid X does not leave it to be found wanting. With a whole lot of custom widgets available, the user can tweak it to his needs. With the coming upgrade the current performance is predicted to be improved.

Call Quality:

The phone has good audio quality, though it could be a little louder. With the Verizon’s network providing service, the frequency of dropped calls is very low. The 3G network provides strong reception, and with good clarity even when signal strength is low. With 8 hours of talk time, one can simply chat away!

Camera:

The 8.0 mega-pixel camera provides high quality images, however stumbles in low light conditions and when in high zoom. The camera application is a tad slow and can be quite slow in response. Still it manages to dish out quality photos and with a lot of editing features. The video recording at 720p is worth looking into. With an 8.0 mega-pixel camera one cannot ignore the quality of video it provides. The device demands a steady hand for non-wobbly footage. Also the three mics can be switched between, depending on the shooting style and the subject. It also provides noise cancellation.

Connectivity:

The Droid X runs on Verizon’s 3G network and calling, texting and other features are fast as fast can be. There are significantly less number of dropped calls and with three microphones and a quality speaker, the call quality does not disappoint. The WiFi connectivity enables the device to be latched on to a WiFi service when available and has been excellent in that account. Surfing is speedy as well.  The device serves efficiently as a 3G hub and can be connected to up to 5 devices.

Battery Life:

Considering the magnanimity the developers have provided in the number of features, the Droid X would have been assumed to be a heavy consumer when it comes to power. However, the 1,540 mAh Li-Ion battery provides an 8 hour window for talk time and 9.2 days on standby. This is good enough considering the utilities that come with the device. Motorola has added a performance toggle between three modes of CPU throttling, Performance, Smart and Battery Saver. The 3G hotspot feature can guzzle a chunk out of the battery though.

Warranty:

Motorola Droid X PDA comes with one year warranty from the date of purchase.

Verdict:

With technology moving at a pace seemingly faster that light, the market is flooded with a plethora of smart phones, each one encompassing new features to knock the fluff out of its competition. The Droid X’s arrival has already indicated the shift that can be witnessed in this scenario henceforth. With a device packed with a whole lot of user friendly features the Droid X is one phone that cannot be missed out on. With a responsive and expansive screen, a smart keyboard, the fast interface and extended connectivity, the Droid X announces its arrival in style.

Check HTC PDA Phones Reviews, Samsung Smartphone Reviews in this website.

Motorola Droid X PDA Smartphone - Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Motorola
Model Name	Motorola Droid X
Series	Droid
Product type	Android based smart phone with camera
Dimensions (H x W x D) mm	127.5 x 65.5 x 9.9
Weight	155 g/5.47 oz
Phone Design	Candy Bar
Display Technology	TFT, FWVGA (240 dpi)
Size	4.3″
Resolution	854×480
Vibrating Alert	Yes
Phone Navigation	Full Touch, Dedicated Keys for Volume Control, Back, Home, Search, Menu, Power/Lock
Wireless Interface	3G, WiFi, Bluetooth, DLNA
OS	Android 2.1 (update to 2.2 available in September)
CPU	1Ghz TI OMAP3630-1000
Memory	512 MB RAM/2GB ROM / 8 GB Flash
Storage	8GB Flash Rom; microSDHC, Class 6; Max Memory Card Supported: 32GB; Total memory expandable up to 40GB
Camera	8.0 Mp
Features of camera	Dual LED flash, image stabilization, 4x zoom, HD 720p quality (1280×720p resolution) up to 24 fps capture; up to 30 fps playback
Format support	AAC, H.263, H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, WAV, eAAC+, > WMA v10, MIDI, AAC+
Ringtones	Preloaded and downloadable ringtones; RINGTONE FORMATS AAC, AAC+, eAAC, eAAC+, MP3, OGG
Connectivity	CDMA 800/1900 MHz EVDO Rev. A,WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Stereo Bluetooth v2.1 + EDR with A2DP and AVRCP, 3.5mm TRRS audio jack, USB 2.0 HS, OTA, HDMI, Over the Air Sync, PC Sync, DLNA
Mobile Email	Yes
Internet Browser	Yes
Messaging	SMS, MMS, Email, IM
Highlight Features	8.0MP Digital Camera, Video Camera Capabilities 720p, Wi-Fi® enabled, Google Maps, Built-in GPS capabilities, 3G network access, Bluetooth® enabled, Multimedia Player, Wireless Email, Phone and SMS/MMS
Battery Type	Rechargeable Lithium Ion
Capacity	1540 mAH
Talktime	8 hrs
Warranty	One year