The Samsung i760 — Design and Features

What makes a device appealing? What draws you to look at a device to make a decision if you want it to be your constant companion for the next two years? I think it is design first, and then the feature set it offers.

The design is what caught me with the i760 and is why I decided to check it out and do a review when Chris asked if I was interested. There have been several devices that have crossed the Mobilitysite portals, all were nice but all of them just didn’t have that special look that caught my attention enough to make me make me want to look further into it.

Symmetry is a characteristic that most vendors incorporate into their devices because it is pleasing to the eye. When you glance at a device, buttons are usually placed so if you were to draw a line down the middle and fold the device in half, each side would lie exactly on each other matching button for button. The human face is a perfect example of symmetry with matching eyes, eye brows and ears. But the symmetry of a figure can be enhanced to draw out its full beauty by inserting an offset to draw the eye away from the center of the figure momentarily. An example is small birthmark on the face of a beautiful woman like Marilyn Monroe.

The Look

Samsung clearly had the idea to create a device that was symmetrically appealing and yet it gave this device that special offset to draw your eyes to look at and fully appreciate its beauty at first glance. Most devices that have a 5-way toggle have it placed in the center of the device just below the screen. Samsung took that toggle and offset it to the lower left creating an immediate action with your eyes to look at the toggle, then the numeric keypad to the right then the screen. It is a natural reaction of the eyes and coupled with symmetrical design in each of these three areas, you get an instantaneous gratification of beauty in this device.

The Toggle

Located in the lower left, there is a shinny five way toggle with a brushed circular area brandishing four arrows indication direction of movement. A shiny center button lies on the inside of the toggle for selection of items. Above the toggle there are three buttons, the outer two are the soft key s and the center button has a Clear function which deletes characters from the display when you are in text entry mode.

The Soft Key buttons are unique in their placement in that the right Soft Key does not lie below where its function would appear on the screen. At first I thought that would cause confusion with a user but surprisingly it does not, and in fact it is easier (and faster) to use in either portrait or landscape mode. The Left and Right Soft keys are used to navigate through menus and applications by selecting the choice indicated on the lower left or right area of the screen display. Besides the Soft Key Buttons, Soft keys located on the screen are touch-sensitive keys, that appear on your display, and change function according to the feature being used.

The Keypad

Located on the right you find a 12 button keypad for numeric entry. Like the left side, there is symmetry in the keys and there is also an �offset� to draw your eyes in the angled placement of the numbers and characters. All of the buttons have a pleasing look, an excellent feel when you slide you fingers over them and a great tactile feel.

The Screen

The upper two thirds of the i760 has a 2.8″ 65k color TFT screen sporting a 320×240 resolution. Turning it on for the first time and seeing the quality output gives a great feeling that this will be a terrific experience. There are seven themes to choose from but Verizon added their own that truly gives a great first impression of the color capabilities of this device.

Above the screen is a Samsung logo and centered is the ear speaker and a small indicator LED to the right used for indicating if features are active on your phone such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi or if the device is charging. Verizon has their logo centered just below the screen. Both logos are small, unobtrusive and give that polished look to the branding.

Lastly because of its unique placement is the locations of the call receive/end buttons. Located at the bottom left/right of the screen, what makes them unique is their placement. Although you can see then from the top, they really are controlled from the sides. My first impression was that I liked the placement (since most devices have them directly on the front) because it appeared as if it would be easier to use when holding the device but alas, it is my first issue after using the device for several days. The call end works perfectly (as it should) but the call receive button, when pushed with slight pressure, will move the slider screen ever so slightly. I found it to be uncomfortable and frankly, annoying. However if this is my only issue, then it is not enough to be a concern.

The Top

We only have one item on the top of the device, the Power On/Off Button

The Left

This side sports two items, the microSD memory card slot ant the up/down volume key

The Bottom

The bottom has two items as well. The Power/Accessory Connector that is used for charging and to connect your phone to your PC (or accessory). Located above the connector and well hidden within its design is the microphone.

The Right

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Starting at the top and working down we have the Headset Jack, Voice Command/Windows Start Button (yes, Voice Command comes pre-loaded), the OK button, the Camera button and lastly, and the biggest surprise to me, the Stylus.

The Stylus, at first glance looked like a button to me. It was neatly located in a position to the right of the keypad and looked like it was a button but lo and behold, it was a stylus hidden and safely secured for easy access when needed. Without question, this is the first device that I actually loved the location of the stylus.

The Back

The back of the device has the 1.3 megapixel camera and the battery

The Slide-Out KeyPad (Board)

Holding the device in the landscape position, it will easily slide open and lock firmly in place with a spring loaded mechanism. In fact, it was such a good experience on the first opening, I opened and closed it a half dozen times to check out the mechanism. Looking at the back when opened, you can see that there are two tracks it slides on giving a secure experience in opening and closing. As you open (or close), the final movement is a secure �snap into place� position giving you the immediate feeling the device is ready for use. It is a nicely designed smooth process that I was very pleased with.

You can�t help but notice the layout and, if it is dark, the immediate look of the keys with a bright white back light. Personally I like the white backlight rather than the blue some vendors use; it�s just easier to see. There is an adjustment to increase the timeout of the backlight when not in use as well as the ability to NOT use the backlight in the daytime (personalized settings).

Because I don�t generally use the keyboard for long text entry, I like the feel while entering text and feel it is very good. However, a skilled text messenger might find that they would prefer a more sensitive keypad.

Unlike some devices, the layout of the QWERTY keypad has sufficient space between keys so you easily avoid hitting multiple keys. There are additional softkeys on this keypad on either side. I would have preferred to have the location of the OK and Windows keys to be under each of these softkeys. The result of that would be space for two additional �special function� keys.

Initial Program Experience

So the look, feel and the initial experience was exceptional. Turning it on the first time and letting it run through its setup was easy. Normally after setup I would immediately connect with my computer, setup the sync parameters I use and install a few basic must have applications but this phone was different.

I wanted to see what came with it (for the review) but also was excited to try it out so in fact for the first 4 days with this device I used it with the �stock programs�. Well almost! Because of some questions I was answering in some forums I needed to test out MSNBC Mobile to test a solution to a question that was asked.

The download via the Verizon network was fast (or at least it seemed that way) and the install was easy. I was very impressed with the network as it downloaded and I watched a few videos. Because my area in Massachusetts as well as in Maine typically has very poor reception, I was not expecting a great experience � boy was I surprised. It was near perfect! I have no question in my mind that Samsung put a very good radio in the device and clearly the Verizon network was at peak performance. I had to look outside to see if there were several hundred guys in Verizon jackets standing there � the Verizon guy was not there; I was disappointed.

So that initial experience was very good and little did I know that I was just about to have another terrific experience. I was checking out the device and at the same time dealing with questions in the forums. A question came up on Live Search, which by the way if you have not tried, you need to do so � it is outstanding and getting significantly better with each new release, so I went to http://wls.live.com and downloaded the latest version. Again the download was fast and the install was flawless.

I went to the Bluetooth settings, paired the i760 with my GPS receiver, created a COM port and was using Live Search in minutes � literally minutes. I used the speak feature, it recognized what I said, searched the internet for the information, presented me with choices then download the maps in seconds. The device handled the program easily and the network provided the data flawlessly. I was pleased.

What�s �under the hood�?

Finally it was time to check out all the �guts� of the device. There is an ARM920T 400 MHz processor behind this device and it is noticeably �peppy�.

The i760 comes with the following memory:

Phone ROM: 16MB RAM: 4MB

PDA ROM: 128MB RAM: 64MB

Looking at the memory in Settings, we had 64.46 in Storage and 54.48 in Program

I ran a lot of applications and had available free memory down to as little 2 MG and everything was working fine. Since I have used this device, I have not had the need to reset and I have not experienced any slowdown in functionality. I believe that Windows Mobile 6 is managing memory very well and the device is rock solid.

So speaking of “reset”, the soft reset button was in a rather unique place and one that I thought was the best that I have seen.� Sliding out the keyboard, there is a little red button inset just below the left Soft Key where you can easily insert your stylus to perform the reset.

Programs - Included Software

Games: Bubble Breaker, Solitaire

Office Mobile: Excel Mobile, PowerPoint Mobile, and Word Mobile

ActiveSync, Calculator, Camera, D-Day (count down program with alarms), File Explorer, Get Applications (shortcut for Internet purchases via Handango)(Editors note: I wish they would not add this type of legalized Spam), Notes, Obexftp, Picsel Browser (a viewer for reading almost any document or webpage � this turned out to be a great experience for web page viewing), Pictures & Video, Search, Task Manager, Tasks, Windows Media, Windows Update, Wireless Sync (Verizon Wireless Sync Email solution) and a World clock.

It was a decent offering to get the average user up and running and most importantly enjoying and learning the potential of the device. I was somewhat surprised though that the opportunity to have V-Cast on the device was left out of the mix.

Settings

The settings were typical for what you expect with the addition of a couple of items that were pretty cool. In the Personal Tab, there was a Phone Display icon that allowed you to not only change the skin used but more importantly, a �handler� to make it easier to pick the way you dial (Great for left handed people). Under the System Tab, there was an icon for R2VS which is a program designed to produce specific sound effects when your ear phone is connected.

Settings � Personal Tab

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Buttons (for changing the function of pre-assigned buttons), Input (options for method, word completion and voice recording), Lock (device password protection), Menus, Owner Information, Phone, Phone Display, Sounds & Notifications, Today, Voice Command

Settings- System Tab

About, Backlight, Certificates, Clock & Alarm, Data Connection( the ability to switch data connection to Internet data call or USB/Bluetooth Modem),Encryption, Error Reporting, External GPS, Memory, Power, R2VS, Regional Settings, Remove Programs, Screen, Version

Settings � Connection Tab

The Connection Tab was pretty basic with the normal expectation of Bluetooth, Connections, USB to PC, Wi-Fi and Wireless Manager

Music/Video

The i760 did a nice job playing music and the screen was terrific for videos. With the External memory capability you can always have a video on hand for enjoyment.

There was a cool little application that would enhance the music experience but unfortunately, I was unable to use/test it.� There was not an included wired headset with this review sample and I did not have a headset that would work with it.

Camera

I was disappointed that there was only a 1.3-megapixel camera, but the quality was decent for web work or an instant memory when you don�t have that special camera with you. The pictures shown were taken mid-afternoon with a clear sky. The interior pictures had only existing light.

An inside looking out was decent.� The exterior shot picked up great color in the sky.

A framed Photograph and a watercolor with existing light

The following were taken at the Banknorth Garden with the Boston Bruins playing the Buffalo Sabres.� The Bruins won!

(I won a Luxury Suite for a game of my choice so we spent a Saturday Night on Causeway Street)

The Video capability is probably a feature you would rarely use because of the 176-by-144-pixel size. It is just too small to keep as a permanent memory although it did reasonably well.

Wi-Fi

Besides Verizon�s EV-DO Rev 0 network, the ability to connect to the net via the built-in Wi-Fi 802.11b/g was fast, easy and a joy to use.

Sync

I was unable to test the ability to sync with an XP machine but I will tell you that the experience on Vista was excellent, actually, flawless and fast.

The only thing that disappointed me was the icon on the screen didn�t change. Last week I got an HTC Touch and I was pleasantly surprised that after the sync setup, a picture of the Touch was displayed � I liked that and would have been ecstatic if it happened with this sync setup.

With a week of daily syncing, I have had a great experience with WMDC and the i760 sharing content between two PCs as well as using a 3^rd PC to connect as a guest.

E-mail

I use several e-mail accounts, so it is important for me to be able to check the account I want when I want. The setup, as usual, was easy and the device performed extremely well. I do not use Exchange but I did like the fact the setup allowed you to easily setup your Exchange account.

The automated process used for getting the server settings was fast and worked on all but one of my accounts � which is typical for that particular account.

Impressions

My experience has been relatively flawless as I used and discovered the features of the i760. Clearly designed for the person that has the desire to have a workhorse for a device, it handles Office tasks, Internet, email, music and video seamlessly.� The design on the front still gives me a good feeling every time I pick up the device to use it.� I am really pleased with the ease of dialing numbers and the convenience of having the SoftKeys located above the 5-way toggle.

I was really impressed with the extended battery and chose to use that battery rather than the included standard battery. For several days I used the device exclusively checking email, my RSS feeds as well as surf a few favorite web sites. In addition, I continuously checked the daily news using MSNBC.com and found that experience very enjoyable. At the end of the day, I still had plenty of power remaining.

I decided to see just how long the battery would last with minimal (but necessary) use. Starting on a Tuesday morning with a full charge, I drove to Maine and used the device to make several calls lasting a total of 20 minutes, checked my email once and RSS feeds a couple of times.

Over the next two days I used the phone to make several brief calls and synced the device everyday with my laptop. On the return trip, I made another few calls lasting less than 20 minutes as well as checking my email and feeds. Bluetooth was enabled for the entire trip and while in Maine, I used the Wi-Fi connection for aprox 10 minutes to test it out at my lake house.

When I returned home and started my computer to sync the device, it was then that I received a low battery message � time to charge! I was pleased, very pleased with what I was able to do over several days without having to change the battery or charge it. The experience convinced me that I would be very comfortable not bringing the charger (but having the spare battery packed for emergency) on a short trip.

Overall the device is solid but that is not to say it does not have its faults. I was disappointed that the call/receive buttons did not light up. It made it especially difficult to receive or end a call at night while driving if you were not using a Bluetooth headset. I was particularly unhappy with the effect on the slider when pressing the call/receive button. The slider would always move ever so slightly and made the experience somewhat uncomfortable. There could have and should have been a stop integrated into the slider to prevent that movement.

After several days of use, I was also disappointed in the placement of the OK button. I found myself continuously pressing it at the most inopportune times. If it was located just slightly higher in its placement, access would still be comfortable and easy and the inadvertent press would be eliminated.

The placement of the Power ON/OFF button is in a standard position for most devices but it can be inconvenient for turning the device on (or off) when single handed operation is what you choose to do. If it was located on the front face at the top left, it would enable convenient single handed use.

So was there any one piece of software that was great? You bet there was! I have become an advocate of Picsel Browser. What an amazing experience to not only view documents, but to browse my favorite websites using a pan and zoom feature had me thoroughly enjoying all the content on a page. I was blown away at the speed of the download and the quality of the experience. This browser should be on every mobile device.

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The Verizon Experience while using this device has been incredible both here in my Massachusetts home but equally good (and possibly better on a few occasions) at my lake house on the mid-coast of Maine. I always had a phone signal, I always had a data connection and the call quality was always very good. And interestingly enough, all those Verizon guys that kept following me to make sure I was connected where ever I went never once asked to use the bathroom � how do they that?

So that was my experience and I liked it.� In fact my son kept eyeing the device in hopes that he could get to use it but it is time to send it back so the last piece I’ll say is the ease of a Hard Reset.� I have had all my personal information on this device so I needed to be able to remove it and to make sure it was gone.� A factory reset was the order for the day and it was easy, very easy.� By rotating the phone to a landscape position and at the same time I pressed both the reset button with the stylus and pressed the Action for a few seconds.� In an instant there was a message on the screen indicating the Hard Reset. was in progress.

Overall, I have few complaints with the Samsung i760 and none of them other than the slider moving are a major concern but rather just an annoyance. The quality of the device, the ease of use all coupled with Windows Mobile 6 make this device an excellent choice.� If you are looking for a device that will handle a myriad of tasks easily, then keep the i760 in mind … it was a very good experience.

Specifications:

Intel XScale 400MHz

240×320 Touchscreen Color Display

64MB RAM / 128MB ROM Chip

microSD Memory Card Slot

802.11b/g Wi-Fi

Bluetooth 2.0

Weight: 5.29 ounces

EV-DO

Talk Time: 3.5 Hours (8.5 Standby)

1.3MP Digital Camera

Windows Mobile 6 Professional

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The Full i760 Device Specifications can be found by CLICKING HERE

Pros

Superior Design

Fast

Excellent call quality.

Dual lighted keypads

Cons

Keyboard slides when pressing Call Answer Button

Call Answer and Call end buttons do not light up

No GPS

Supported memory up to 2GB

Written by Jack Cook · Filed Under Pocket PC Phones, Samsung 
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