Belkin 2-Port KVM Switch with Audio

Average customer rating: 3.5

Not great
Great Phone But Being Phased Out
An excellent palm phone - too bad it's only for Sprint!
Equal parts pleasure and pain
Sublime Smart Phone

PCS Phone Samsung I330 (Sprint)

Manufacturer: Samsung
Product Group: Wireless
Binding: Wireless Phone
ASIN: B00007E9TR

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The Samsung i330 is one of the standouts emerging from a breed of smartphones that are cropping up to fill the market niche for a single pocket-sized device for dialing and computing. Samsung's second foray into the handheld market, the i330 runs on the Palm OS platform and replaces the i300 with a slimmer profile, a boost in power, and some additional options.

Sized halfway between a PDA and phone (measuring 4.9 by 2.4 by .7 inches), the i330 is light and slim enough to hold during a marathon phone conversation and has curved, rubberized sides for a comfortable grip. Additionally, the 256-color,160-by-240 graphic LCD screen is large enough to perform computing tasks easily with the included stylus.

Running on the Palm OS 3.5.3, the icon-based layout is familiar, and shows 12 icons (out of 18) at a time. Two central buttons on the lower end of the phone offer manual scrolling up or down through icons and four other buttons take you directly to your memos, to-do list, address book, and calendar. Additional preset icons at the bottom of the screen take you to the main menu, phone book, calculator, and find button. We found the speakerphone function in particular was quite handy, for it let us access PDA functions while continuing our conversation.

Calls made from our home and our car were clear, but the ringer on the i330 was a little bit quiet on its loudest setting and was a bit muffled when the phone rang from a handbag. The voice-activated dialing feature, however, recognized our voice, even with a loud TV blaring in the background, and put our call through immediately. The phone keypad on the i330 is on the touchscreen, and we found that error-free dialing was much more likely with the stylus than with our fingers. However, the i330 does have hot keys so you can dial directly from the phone book without the stylus if you choose. Additional icons at the bottom of the phone screen access a list of the last 10 outgoing calls, turn on the mute button, activate speed dial, and control the keyguard.

The i330 comes with a fast 66 mHz Dragonball processor designed to get the most out of CDMA 1XRTT wireless networks, allowing an average speed of 144 kbps for data transfer. The large screen made it a pleasure to download Web content - everything from news sites to flight information.

The i330 comes with a cradle that dually works for charging the smartphone and synchronizing its data with Microsoft Outlook on a desktop computer. Loaded with 16 MB of RAM, the phone has enough memory to hold data for the average user. Other available features for the i330 include a digital camera and a keyboard for enhancing the phone's capabilities.

Overall, we recommend this phone to business users who are looking for a PDA/phone unit in a smaller size than usual but that still allows for loads of usability. --Cristina Vaamonde

Pros: <ul>

Offers complete business solution

Sized for comfortable phone or PDA use

Intuitive Palm OS platform

Additional accessories include digital camera, keyboard </ul>

Cons: <ul>

Touchscreen a tad sticky at times

Quiet ringer </ul>

How We Tested Battery Talk/Standby Time

When reading our reviews, you should view the test results of mobile-phone battery talk time and standby time as relative information only. Many variables, including carrier signal strength at your location, signal consistency (including incoming and outgoing calls), display and ringer settings, and battery charging methods and history, will affect performance. When handset manufacturers and mobile phone carriers list talk-time and standby-time ratings, they usually include disclaimers about variable performance and often refer to the times they publish as maximum times. Some quote expected battery life ranges, and in this case you're probably safe to assume you'll experience at least the minimum rated range. Note that manufacturers of dual-mode digital and analog handsets publish battery-life rates for both digital and analog modes, as analog mode consumes much more power than digital mode.

Our Tests: We tested digital-mode talk and standby times with each phone. Prior to each test, we fully charged the phone's battery according to the manufacturer's directions. To test digital-phone talk time, we turned the phone on, established a digital carrier signal, dialed a number in our test lab, and, when the call rang through, took the receiving phone's handset off the hook. When all went well, we didn't do anything else except record the time when the phone died. In a couple of cases, the phones lost the signal and dropped the calls. If we were right there and could redial, we did so immediately and continued running the test. Otherwise, we halted the test, recharged the battery, and started the test over. Assuming consistent carrier-signal strength, this test should represent best-case talk time. And it's worth noting that several phones' talk-time performance significantly exceeded the manufacturers' ratings.

To test digital-phone standby time, we turned the phone on, established a carrier signal, and left the phone in standby mode. We checked the phone every few hours (for what was often days on end) until the phone finally cut out. Since no outgoing or incoming calls occurred during testing and because the phone was not moved, this method should represent best-case standby time, again assuming consistent carrier signal strength.

Customer Reviews:

Not great.......2007-05-01

phone quality is good. Button layout doesn't make whole lot of sense. So many buttons so little it can do. I was on travel last winter for a month. guess what heppened when i cameback? all my address book is lost! PC sync does not always work. battery life is average.

pros:
1. sound quality
2. screen size
3. look & feel

cons:
1. battery life (may be due to big screen)
2. Not easy to list out missed calls
3. Some basic features needs stylus. For example, if i want to save a number from incoming call list i need to click File -> Save

Great Phone But Being Phased Out.......2005-07-10

I've had an I330 since 2003. It was an excellent phone and PDA, but I wouldn't recommend buying one, even a used one because:
1. Accessories are very difficult to find. You can't find a replacement stylus. With no stylus, you will have to use your fingertip or carry a different one around. The problem is that other stylus will not fit in the built in shaft. Sprint PCS doesn't even carry some I330 parts on its web site and its stores never have accessories because it has been discontinued. Batteries are becoming scarce.
2. Echo problem is bad and very annoying. Callers will complain about an echo. The problem is that if you use the handsfree speakerphone option, the microphone will not cut off, even if you power down. You have to remove the battery and then power up.

An excellent palm phone - too bad it's only for Sprint!.......2004-11-12

This phone rocks - I am really disappointed that it is not available to be used on any other provider. The phone itself has been the only reason I stayed with Sprint - even here, in Kansas City, the WORLD HEADQUARTERS of Sprint the service areas are always dropping calls and it is expensive!

The pda phone is awesome, though. I can be on the phone while scheduling. It has voice dial which has great recognition and the screen keeps its color beautifully. The interface is slick and sweet - again, it is the ONLY reason I have stayed with Sprint!

Equal parts pleasure and pain.......2004-03-24

Others have touted all that the I-330 is capable of when it works. Those reviewers who have praised the I-330 haven't owned one long enough.
What they fail to mention is how supremely aggravating it is to be stuck with something this expensive when a fatal flaw surfaces. The I-330 is subject to any number of them. I'd still have a serious bone to pick with I-330s, even if they didn't tend to die in infancy from unknown causes. But their brief life-span alone renders them deplorable.

Hasn't happened to yours yet? Quick--drop everything and HotSync your data. You're next!

Let's say you're one of the lucky ones who hasn't spent hours trying to set up replacement I-330s that are as faulty as your original I-330. Guess what? Even when it is working "properly", you still have to download and install third party email software, because the I-330's Blazer browser is hopelessly incompatible with Sprint's own website.

Is it Samsung's fault that the devices don't work? I suspect it is all Sprint's fault. Sprint, whose network the I-330 doesn't mesh with. Sprint, who doesn't bundle any software solution. Sprint, who didn't even acknowledge the inherent incompatibility. Sprint, who sends out dead-on-arrival replacements. And most importantly, Sprint, who doesn't value customers enough to do anything to make amends. Better a less advanced device with a responsive carrier, than a cutting-edge flop (the I-330) with a company that doesn't give a rip (Sprint).

The I-330 is not for casual users. This is a handset aimed squarely at professionals who will pay a lot in order to get a lot. With the I-330 and especially with Sprint, whatever you pay will be too much.

Sublime Smart Phone.......2003-11-09

The first thing you need to know about the i330 is that it is more svelte than it looks in pictures. This is a slender, beautiful machine, an impression I did not get from the photos I've seen in various places on the net.

The second thing you need to know is that if you're a mac user, you're going to need the Missing Sync for Samsung. Search for it on Google. Otherwise, you'll have no Hot Sync, and thus, no Mojo. Also one should note that the connection seems a bit on the slow time during Hot Sync. Perhaps due to some manner of translation?

That said, I'd reccomend the phone. A color screen is not essential in life, but it sure is nice. It's hard to put my finger on what the advantage is, but it certainly feels better when in use. And games, of course, are vastly improved.

I've used a lot of Palms: a Palm IIIe, a Handspring Visor, a Palm M105 (gift), and a Sony Clié SJ20. All are worthy devices, but the Samsung takes the cake. Smart Phones have come a long way since the VisorPhone, and at this point, there is no good reason to have a sperate palm and cell phone. Putting them together is a natural combination, and termendously useful. I am waiting for my Vision plan to activate, and so cannot yet comment on that aspect of the device, but I would reccomend the i330 even without. It's just a nice phone. It feels light and comfortable in the hand, and the black grips on the side are superb.

The only complaint I can register is that this is not a flip-phone design. Of course the overall cooler i500 is. If you've got the cash, that's the way to go. If you don't, this'll do in a pinch.

Final Analysis: Good Stuff.

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