Introduction & Design
Samsung's IP-830w handset for Sprint is a serious business device. The "International Smart Device" and "Mobile Intelligent Terminal" monikers emblazoned on the packaging and handset itself are something of a clue to this phone's target market: Business users who travel abroad and need maximum connectivity and productivity wherever they go.
The IP-830w is unique in that it's a Dual-Band CDMA/GSM phone. That's right, it will work on both Sprint's CDMA network and international GSM networks (but not GSM networks in the US). Powered by Windows Mobile 5, the IP-830w is a full-fledged PDA phone with a touchscreen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, and mobile versions of Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and Windows Media Player 10.
Almost a dead ringer for Samsung's i-730 for Verizon, the IP-830w reminds me of one of those oversized, high-end Swiss Army knives with a fold-out "blade" for everything from sawing twigs in half to opening wine bottles to securing Philips-head screws. The IP-830w is a big, thick device that means business. Short of WiFi, it packs just about every feature a business user could ask for. And the lack of WiFi is tempered by access to Sprint's EV-DO data network. But is the IP-830w too much of a good thing rolled into too big a package?
At 114 x 58 x 25mm in size and weighing a whopping 183g (that's nearly six and one half ounces), the IP-830w is a big device. Samsung did a good job of making the phone look good, but they also made no bones about its girth. Buying this phone means you value function at least a little more than form - put it on the counter at your local coffee shop and nobody's going to mistakenly ask, "is that the new KRZR?"
A slider-style PDA phone, the 830w is done up in a nice matte silver and blue finish and features a large stub antenna with a telescoping extension - again, function over form. The front of the handset is dominated by a 2.8" touchscreen with a cluster of controls beneath it: left and right softkeys, messaging and menu keys, and a four-way directional pad with center select button. Beneath these, dedicated call, back, and hang up/cancel buttons are physically set off from the other controls for easier blind access.
The front panel slides up to reveal a backlit QWERTY thumbboard in the standard Windows Mobile layout. The buttons are long and narrow, and the left half of the keyboard slants to the upper right while the right half slants towards the upper left. Such small keys are somewhat difficult to use at first, but they do provide good tactile feedback by way of a solid "click," and I got used to them after a short time. Still, a horizontally-aligned slide-out keyboard like those found on the HTC TyTN and Cingular 8525/8125 PDA phones not only makes for a roomier layout, but it also puts the phone in landscape orientation for typing, which I find to be a more comfortable solution.
The back of the 830w is finished in silver and split between the battery panel and speakerphone grille. Sprint packages the phone with both standard and extended life batteries, each of which easily snaps in and out of the handset and locks into place via a slider button. On the upper right corner of the phone's rear is the stylus holder. The stylus included with the 830w is one of the nicest I've ever used, featuring a ribbed metal shoulder for easy gripping and a telescoping back end that let me adjust the balance of the pointer to my liking - very classy.
A plastic-capped headphone jack is found on the left panel of the phone along with the voicemail button, two-way rocker switch for volume, and a sliding switch that locks the entire device. For some reason (aesthetics, I guess), Samsung made the headphone jack silver and the rest of the side buttons blue. The two-tone color scheme looks okay, but the etched headphone icon is much easier to decipher in its silver plastic than the other buttons are in their blue plastic. The right panel of the 830w is bare save for the SDIO-ready Secure Digital memory card slot.
The top of the IP-830w houses the infrared sensor and a slot for a hand strap. The bottom panel features a single accessory port that's used to connect the included AC charger and USB data cable. A voltage adapter is included for using the handset overseas.
Nobody's going to buy the IP-830w on the basis of its looks; they're going to buy it to stay connected and productive away from the office. That being said, the phone doesn't look bad (well, except maybe for that giant stub antenna). It's just big. And heavy. But it feels good in the hand, both for calls and using the stylus on the touch screen. Use of the QWERTY board while the phone is extended open is a little awkward, as the device becomes top-heavy, but it's not so bad. If you need a powerhouse PDA phone but like the slider style, this Samsung might be the one for you.
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