It's a music phone! It's a business phone! Actually, it's both; Jørgen Sundgot reviews the 3 GB Samsung SGH-i300 and learns good things do come in plus size packages.
Review summary of the Samsung SGH-i300:
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 It may not look like a music phone at first glance, but looks can be deceiving: outstanding audio quality, intuitive and comfortable navigation, spacious storage and first-rate synchronization render the SGH-i300 the best music phone we’ve reviewed to date. As if that wasn’t enough, it’s also a first-class alternative for business users not in need of editing capabilities, and contains a raft of clever little touches which show attention to detail and result in a finely polished handset. Heartily recommended. Price: $300.
Pros: 3 GB hard drive; outstanding audio quality; superb display; WMA DRM support
Cons: A tad large; battery life not the best; limited business capabilities
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Full review of the Samsung SGH-i300:
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Dedicated music controls, outstanding audio quality and a standalone media application to back up Pocket Windows Media Player 10 are clear hints: Samsung's slightly rotund SGH-i300 is a 121 g music phone by design, but also lays claim to business users with an array of high-end features and its choice of Windows Mobile 2003 as a platform. The question is: wherein lies its true nature?
Play it again, Sam(sung)
As the first music phone to hit shelves with a 3 GB hard drive, the Samsung SGH-i300 has no direct competitor at the time of launch - and even if it did, we suspect it would have a hard time measuring up. Out-of-box audio quality is better than most; add a high-quality pair of headphones through the bundled 3.5 mm conversion dongle (complete with a microphone for use as a handsfree kit) and you'll have a hard time wiping off a broad grin.
Navigation is a breeze courtesy of the combination of an unusual scroll wheel mounted atop a five-way navigation pad, providing strikingly intuitive track browsing, volume adjustment and music navigation. A dedicated music key effortlessly calls up Samsung's media player, which relies on the Pocket Windows Media Player 10 engine but adds a few touches including caching songs from the hard drive to memory and separates music volume control from the overall volume of the handset - very clever indeed. Also, not only does the handset support MP3 and WMA, but also WMA DRM, rendering it compatible with a number of all-you-can eat online subscription services.
Courtesy of Bluetooth support, the SGH-i300 can even stream audio in stereo to a compatible headset, although this takes its toll on battery life - a somewhat sparse commodity, even though Samsung generously includes both a standard and double-capacity extended battery. What about actually getting music onto the handset, you ask? As a Windows Media device, the SGH-i300 synchronizes with Windows Media Player 10 on a PC over USB in a process which is simple yet powerful - although a tad slow. To speed up things, users can choose to connect the device as a USB portable drive instead; another clever little touch.
Getting down to business
With a medium-sized, high-resolution QVGA display of outstanding quality, the SGH-i300 not only makes light work of navigating music but also excels as a business phone - for viewing purposes, that is. Running Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, overall performance is snappy whilst connectivity is reasonably comprehensive with tri-band GSM, EDGE for semi-high speed data; microSD expansion; Infrared for legacy support and Bluetooth for dial-up networking.
Common document formats such as Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat are viewed with ease, and we also favour the admittedly excellent keypad - yet by nature, neither the document management nor data entry capabilities of the SGH-i300 measure up to thumbboard-enabled alternatives.
And now, in supporting roles
Other aspects of the SGH-i300 we'd like to draw attention to include its decent 1.3 Megapixel camera; the dedicated profile management button; and surprisingly good voice quality and signal reception. Also worthy of mention is the bundled cradle which allows for charging one battery whilst using another, and a handy collection of tools including file and task managers. We could, however, do entirely without the fragile, hinged plastic insert that protect three different slots around the handset.
Availability
The Samsung SGH-i300 is now available throughout Europe, selling in the €750 EUR range without subscription.
Price and availability
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