Samsung Intrepid – wider body, better keyboard

For:

Comes with ‘Tellme’ service by Microsoft, there are features like 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, 3.2 MP camera and full QWERTY keyboard

Against:

Keyboard is a bit cheap, big size is not pocket friendly.

The Whiz Kid Speaks:

Samsung Intrepid is a CDMA2000 1X technology phone which has support for CDMA2000 1X 1900/800 bands. The display is 2.5 inches big and gives a resolution of 320×240 pixels. (It is a resistive touch screen) Supported audio formats are MIDI, WMA, AAC+, AAC, MPP3. Supported video formats are WMV, H.264, H.263 and MPEG4.

The handset comes preinstalled with applications like Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile and Adobe Reader LE. The operating system used is Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional. The Intrepid has SMTP and POP3 connectivity. 1480 mAh lithium ion battery has a rated talk time of 360 minutes.

On the top of the phone, there is a 3.5 mm jack for headphones, micro-USB/power connector and volume rocker button. On the sides of the phone, there is a compartment for stylus, camera capture/activation key and power key. The handset has 256 MB RAM / 512 MB ROM and is powered by 528 MHz processor. PIM features include converter, notes, stopwatch, world clock, calculator, alarm, to-do/tasks.

Razzle Dazzle:

The look of the phone isn’t that flashy, it has a blocky shape but is thin. However, the wide size of the device is the biggest turn off, it will be a bit difficult to put the phone in the pocket. The phone is 4.6 inches tall, 0.51 inch thick, 2.59 inches wide. The wideness may not be good when carrying it around but gives you a bigger keyboard.

Inside Dope:

Samsung Intrepid is Sprint’s first mobile phone to have a Windows Mobile 6.5 OS. The messaging features on good on the device but the looks aren’t impressive, it is wider than your standard QWERTY keyboard smart phone and it is a bit tough to carry it around. On the bright side, the wide body makes way for a keyboard with larger keys so it is easy to type messages and e-mail. We thought that the QWERTY keyboard on the Intrepid was one of the best ones we have ever laid our hands on in our lab tests. The wide phone also gives you a bigger display. The phone is touch screen and scrolling through the honey comb layout menu is really easy. The phone goes well with the new features provided on Windows Mobile 6.5 OS. The Intrepid has world roaming capabilities, in the US, it uses Sprint’s network and when traveling overseas it will switch to a compatible GSM network. The device is shipped with SIM card. One more feature worth mentioning here is 3.2 megapixel camera which takes good quality photos.

Display

The display of the Intrepid is 2.5 inches big, diagonally and gives a resolution of 320×240 pixels. This display is not as sharp as the Tour, the edges of images and text aren’t as smooth and there is a bit of pixilation visible. On the bright side, the wider phone gives you a wider display; the touch screen interface sweetens the deal further. The screen is not capacitive but resistive so you will have to use stylus and press a bit harder.

Navigation array and keyboard

The navigation array consists of two soft keys, the four way navigation button with OK button in the center, start menu shortcut and Talk and End keys. There is no back button for going to the previous screen. The full QWERTY keyboard beneath the display is really good. The buttons are large, basically because the phone is wider. This is not all, the buttons are big and are not slippery. Even though the buttons have a bit of cheap and plasticky feel to them, typing is comfortable and we didn’t have much mishits. The number keys are highlighted in red. The bottom row of the keyboard has several shortcut keys for applications.

Network

Intrepid is a world phone capable of global roaming. Here in the US, it supports Sprint CDMA network and when you are overseas, it will switch to compatible GSM network. The dual mode device supports international 2100 MHz UMTS band so you can also get 3G support overseas. Sprint comes with a SIM card and you can swap for local SIM card when you are traveling abroad. Sprint offers data coverage in 150 countries and voice coverage in 185 countries. We will advice you to check out roaming rates before you start using the phone or you may get shocked by the long bills.

Phone book and additional features

There is no limit to the entries for contacts on the phone. Each entry can take multiple e-mail IDs, phone numbers, job title, home and work address, etc. Some additional features on the phone include multimedia and text messaging, conference calling, speed dial, voice dialing, speakerphone, etc. Microsoft My Phone service lets you back up all your contacts, appointments, text messages, pictures, etc to Microsoft’s online server incase your device gets stolen or lost. There is a feature called ‘Tellme’ which we were quite fond of. It performs simple tasks like searches and voice dialing and all you have to do is say the words.

Messaging

Windows Mobile 6.5 doesn’t make any drastic changes to messaging and e-mail. There is support for Microsoft’s Direct Push Technology which delivers your e-mail in real time and also automatically synchronizes with Outlook calendar, contacts and tasks through Exchange Server. Windows Mobile 6.5 promises busy/free calendar lookup, unified messaging, conversation view for e-mails and more with Exchange 2010. The phone comes built in with AIM, Yahoo and Windows Live and there is support for IMAP and POP3 connectivity.

Camera and music player

We really liked the photo quality of the 3.2 mega pixel camera and there were lots of editing options like auto focus, white balance controls, ISO settings and five modes for shooting. The Windows Media Player on the Windows Mobile 6.5 supports file formats of MIDI, WMA, AAC+, AAC and MP3. Supported video formats are H.264, H.263, WMV and MPEG4. For storing you pictures and music, the Intrepid comes with 512MB ROM/256 MB ROM and memory is expandable up to 32 GB through microSD cards.

Games and other applications

Intrepid comes with tons of applications and games like Solitaire, unit converter, calculator, Smart Reader business card scanner, Adobe Reader LE, MSN money, MSN weather. Sprint gives you more applications like Sprint Music Store, Sprint TV, NFL Mobile Live and Sprint Navigation. You can download more free and paid apps from Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

Call quality

Call quality of the Intrepid is good, the audio is clear and rich. There is no background noise when talking on the phone. Our friends too gave us similar results, they said they could hear our voice clearly. However, speakerphone calls were hollow and voice wasn’t as clear. Bluetooth calls sounded really good.

Battery life

1480mAh lithium ion battery of the Intrepid has a rated talk time of six hours. In our lab tests the battery survived for nine hours which is greater than the rated talk time and hence really impressive.

Verdict:

Samsung Intrepid is an excellent mobile phone, it has all the features that you look for in a messaging phone. We really liked Microsoft’s ‘Tellme’, a voice activated service.