I'm happy to report the phone pairs nicely and is able to make and receive calls without a hitch. As expected, the battery and signal stength indicators do not work. The phone re-pairs very nicely when re-entering the car as well. Overall, this is the best option for the TL I've found under Verizon's offerings. The V710 constantly had problems with call quality. So far, 100% satisfaction with the i730 in this arena.

If you have questions, let me know!

 

orskier,

Thanks for the review. I am very interested in this phone and plan to order it as soon as I can get the b2b rep to call me back. I have been trying for a week.
If you have any issues with the phone in the next week please let me know.

Thanks,

gldman

 

I also have my eye on this. But some inconsistent behavior between the TL and the i730 are reported here.

 

orskier, may I ask how much Verizon is selling this for? I check out their page but is still not available. Says coming soon.

 

The phone is very cool, I just got mine yesterday. A couple of minor things I didn't like are the slider mechanism has a bit of slop in it and the plastic holster did not fit the phone - at all. That said, the Samsung site has a nice leather holster for it along with many other accessories.

The phone paired nicely with the car, and as mentioned you don't get any data on the phone showing (signal strength, battery level, etc.). I hope Samsung or Verizon will come out with and update to allow it to show all of the information.

 

I paid $385 ($100 discount for signing up for the data account). This price was a result of a discount due to my employment. So far I haven't had ANY issues with the phone in the TL. I haven't experienced any of the issues others have experienced.

 

There is also another bluetooth coming out Tuesday w/ Verizon: click here

 

Does signal strength battery level, etc. show up on your car display?

 

No signal strength or battery level display.

I've done transfers and everything. Seems like full functionality other than the sig and bat indicators. I have had the bluetooth connection drop during a call but I think that was due to some poor software I had installed on the phone.

 

$599 with a 2 year contract and no data plan, which is an additional $45 per month.

Having played with the i730, I think it's a nice phone, but overpriced for what you get. I'm considering bagging my Samsung i700 for the Treo 650 as it's easier to use, has camera and camcorder functions, a brighter and sharper screen, and allows for use of most of its functions by one hand whereas most functions on the i730 require 2 hands. Furthermore, if 650's the battery completely drains, you lose nothing! With the i730, everything's gone within a few hours of the battery's final 'puff' and you have to reinstall all your add-ons and resync it to get up and going again, and yet despite that you still LOSE your call history permanently.

I can get the 650 for $299 with a 2 year extension to my existing Verizon contract. So what if I have to spend $19.95 to add the same Voicesignal voice control software to the Treo? Granted, all phones can't be all things to all people, but I think the overall value of the 650 is better and there's lots more add-on software available for the Palm OS. And oh yes, the Treo's keyboard is illuminated so it's viewable and useable at night.

 

Are you sure about the claim if you lose the battery that you lose everything? From what I read there is a utility that backs everything up. Not sure, I could be completely wrong. The web browsing seems pretty cool on the i730.

Hank

 

DMZ, are you eligible for NE2? This would reduce the price another $100. Also, if you sign up for the unlimited data plan, there is another $100 discount.

As for your other comments, I think it really depends on how you really use a phone/PDA. If you are going to use Verizon's internet service a lot, the Treo would be a bad way to go. The Treo is not compatible with the EVDO network. When you are using the internet on the EVDO network, calls will still come through. This is NOT true with the older network the Treo uses. Also, the I730 comes with 802.11 (wifi) built in. The Treo does not. This may or may not be important to you, but is a HUGE bonus to those of us who do care.

hank1105 is correct, there is an application called Sprite that takes care of this so you don't loose everything. Another solution is to configure the phone to mostly shutdown before the battery is 100% dead. This prevents it from ever having to rely on the internal memory battery.

Out of the box, I think the I730 is much more stable than the Treo.

Either are great phones though, they are designed/priced for different users.

 

I can certainly see how having WiFi and EVDO can be advantageous, but as often as I need to browse the net from my phone, which is once in a blue moon to do something like find a store's location or phone#, especially when it's not in the Nav system, I can use the old Quick2Net which only uses minutes. General web browsing is something I do from my WiFi based laptop at home or when traveling.

Yes, I qualify for NE2, but to get that BIG additional $100 data plan discount, you have to sign up for AND COMMIT to the $49.95/month (no longer $45) or the $29.95/month (limited) data plan in order to get it. These plans are available on the Treo as well as the i730 using the Verizon ExpressNetwork. Not quite as fast as WiFi or EVDO, but fast enough in most cases. Since my main use of a cell phone is not as a web browser, and with gas prices on the rise (now $2.80/gal for premuim here in NYC), those $$ are headed into my TL's gas tank.

As I stated in my prevoius post, all phones can't be all things to all people..... different strokes for different folks. But having had the i730's predecessor, the i700 also running WM2003 for the last 2 years and even as a computer systems consultant / designer & developer, I'll take the latest Palm OS with one handed operation on the Treo.

Also, in the midst of my research of i730 vs. Treo 650, I had a communication yesterday with the CEO of a company called espringusa (espringusa.com), a high tech company that does extensive design and production of broadcast quality commercials, corporate videos, and High Definition film shoots. He is also a former i700 owner who looked at the i730 and opted for the Treo 650...........and absolutely swears by it !

 

DMZ - I completely agree with, all depends on needs. I am a systems consultant and would really use the internet browsing and funtionality around that in every day life. Although I use my cell phone a good amount as it is right now. I currently have a Blackberry but am switching jobs and looked at an all in one solution and it is between the i730 and the Treo 650. I am not a big Palm OS fan, I much prefer not using a stylus as I am a faster typer. The Samsung just appeals to me more then the 650. I don't care about a camera and in some cases clients that I work for don't even allow camera phones in their buildings (security related).

The pricing plans aren't cheap, if you figure $45.00 or $49.00 bucks for the data plan, can't figure out which one it is yet, that is unlimited. Then tack on the minutes, so you are looking at 80 bucks for 1600 minutes. Monthly bill around $130-$135. The company I am going to reinburses me up to $125.00, so not a bad deal at all.

Quick question - what is the NE2 discount?

 

NE2 = New Every Two. Credit of $100 towards purchase of a new phone every 2 years. Since you're getting reimbursed, the $49.95 extra (which is what it is now as Verizon just raised the price from $45) is a no-brainer.

I wasn't a big Palm OS fan either, that is until I took a good look at the latest version, 5.4. It appears they've addressed a lot of PalmOS's shortcomings. One difference right off the bat is in the address book. In previous versions and with Windows Mobile 2003, you could only list by last name or company. The new PalmOS also allows you to list by first name. I haven't encountered the 'No Cameras Allowed' situation myself yet, but I know others who've had. I do know there are those putting off purchasing an i730 pending release of a camera version.

In the end, you'll wind up with some of the best technology currently available regardless of which phone you choose.

 

fyi, the motorola E815 shows the signal strength and the battery life in our TL's. this is the newer version of the V710.

 

No doubt. Motorola's got their Bluetooth act together more than most nowadays.

The 2 phones we're comparing in this thread are full fledged PDA models.

 

i realize that the E815 is not a PDA, i was just responding to this post.

 

Fortunately we have numerous products to choose from so we can choose products that are appropriate for our usage patterns. It sounds like the Treo is best for you DMZ.

One part of your post was slightly confusing, so I'll try to clarify for those others reading this thread. The data plans don't differentiate between ExpressNetwork and EVDO. If you get the $44.99 (The one I have) unlimited data plan, you can use either ExpressNetwork or EVDO. I agree with you, the ExpressNetwork is quite fast and good enough for most things.

 

Thanks for the all the help guys. Unfortunately I called up my local verizon wireless and the sales rep had no clue about the Samsung i730, all he said was that he saw it on the web, I was like you do understand that you guys are now selling this. This just pisses me off. I hate dealing with idiots. This is a $600 phone you think verizon would have trained their sales staff or something like that. Sorry for the rant, just pissed off. I am sure there are knowledgeable sales reps out there with Verizon Wireless, this just ticked me off. Off to a different Verizon Wireless store.

Hank

 

Here's a better one. The i700 and 730 are typically not stocked in their stores. You have pay for it, then it's gets shipped to you Fedex for delivery in a day or 2. Then when you go back to the Verizon store with a problem, you'll be told to call the data dept and given the toll-free 866# as NONE of the in-store techs are eqipped to deal with that phone. How's that for getting you pissed off?

Imagine, you spend $600 for the carrier's most expensive phone and you can't get technical or repair help in their stores??? F**k Me, Bulls**t!!! This is another reason why I'm leaning towards the 650.

 

It must differ based on location. Out here on the west coast I have found the i700 and i730 stocked in several stores. I went in for tech support 3 days after I bought my phone and they were more than happy to help me there. The more I talk with people that have verizon, it seem like they are pretty inconsistent in behavior.

WEIRD.....

 

Weird is right !

You would think they'd stock the phone and support it in their stores in a place like Manhattan, NYC?

NOT !!!

 

I live in the NYC metro area and DMZ is right on the money. VZW stores are a joke. I called another store yesterday, at least the salesperson knew what I was talking about, but they didn't have any in the store. Still I get 15 days to try it out, if I don't like it I just pay for the days I used it, not the phone itself, just the plan. I will be going over to the store I called yesterday to place my order.

 

2 weeks ago, I walked into the VZW store on Route 4 in Paramus to inquire about the i730. The salespeople gave me a funny look claiming they've never heard of such a phone.....DUH !!! I said, "The replacement for the i700 (as I pulled mine out of my shirt pocket) that's about to come out and is already available through the business channel?"...once again..DDUUHH !!

3 days ago, I walked in to the VZW store on Steinway St. in Astoria (recently relocated from Northern Blvd) to inquire about both phones. The idiot salesman was in a daze, didn't know answers to basic questions, and drifted away whenever I asked him something....another DUH.... When I asked him about availability of the 650, he said it had to be ordered. I responded, "Are you sure it's not in stock?"..... THREE TIMES over a 2 minute period. That made him finally look in the computer and go "Oh yea, we got it". This location also had discontinued models on display like the i700 and the Treo 600, yet didn't have any of them in stock.

One thing common to all the VZW stores is the way phones are displayed with that security tie from the display stand. Since that's the only working i730 they have, you can't get a feel for the phone's slide mechanism nor how the phone really feels in your hand or fits in your pocket. Nice way to try and sell a $600 phone, huh? The VZW store DUH's just keep racking up, don't they?

Despite all this, there's one VZW store salesman I've found that has a brain, can answer questions intelligently, and talks like he's really awake. Just so happens it's the VZW store in my neighborhood at 73rd & 3rd in Manhattan. His name is Allen Oldham (he's used to the jokes). So if you're in the NYC area, on Verizon, and looking for a new phone, call him. The store's # is (212) 606-4700. Tell him you referred by the guy who was that store's 1st i700 sale when it came out 2 years ago.

 

Well I just purchased the i730, should be at my home address tomorrow at the latest. They had a demo model, but as DMZ stated, you couldn't get a feel for the keyboard. Although overall I think it is a slick design and tried navigating it with one hand it wasn't bad at all. Here is something interesting, when I went to pay for the phone it was $500 bucks plus tax, go figure. My wife has a verizon cell phone, so I just put this phone under the family shared minute package. So we get 1500 minutes for 100 bucks plus the unlimited data package for the i730 at 45 bucks, plus insurance is 6 bucks for my phone. So basically $150 a month, plus I get reinbursed $125 of that, sweet The only cost, albeit a big one, was the phone. Plus I get to try it out for 15 days. We shall see, hopefully it will be live up to its price.

 

hank1105,

Congrats! I think you'll love the phone. My only word of advice is to give it the full 15 days. Don't give up on it after a day or two. Once you customize the phone a bit, it is amazing what you can do with it. You can tweak it quite a bit to save battery power too! PM me if you have questions.

-Wayne

 

Thanks Orskier - we shall see. I will definitely let you know how it goes. I can't wait to try EVDO and connect to my home server via the Terminal Services client. Now just have to figure out how to make it an access point, not the right forum to be posting questions like that, but that would be awesome. I am sure someone can figure a hack or some kind. I will let you know how it goes. Thanks!

Hank

 

Turn the phone around. You are probably putting it in backwards . . .

 

Just a quick update - got the i730 this past Friday, so far so good, although I am a complete noob to pocket pc smart phones, which is depressing since my job is server infrastructure and design for a consulting company. I don't have a TL as of yet, so I can't comment on that, but the phone is very slick and well thought out.

BTW: You can use the phone as a modem to connect to the 1xx/EVDO network, which is slick. They are working on doing this via Bluetooth.

 

http://ptech.wsj.com/archive/ptech-20050623.html

 

I have had the i730 now for 2 weeks. It pairs flawlessly with the TL (I have done so multiple times in an attempt to correct the problem below).

Often, it works fine (other then not providing battery and signal strength, which I really miss). However, intermittently I will dial a call, hear it connect and talk for about five seconds at which time the Acura announces:

"Bluetooth connection with [my phone] has been lost"

The call, of course, continues, and I have to frantically search for my phone while the other party is wondering what is going on, having vaguely heard the above voice... Meantime, I am cursing etc.

This has been discussed on the pdaphonehome board, and one solution (which works but is frustrating to have to do) is to soft-reset the phone.

I hope a software patch will be released to fix this problem, much as it has helped Treo's 650's. A fabulous bonus would be the ability to see battery and signal strength data too.

I'd be delighted to hear other i730 owner's experiences too.

 

I should add that once the annoucnement of, "Bluetooth connection with [my phone] has been lost" and the call continues, of course it continues via the phone (where the bluetooth has been shut off in the process), and not via the Acura HandsFree system.