Samsung Saga i770 Phone, Blue
Posted by adminAug 30
- Dual-network world phone for access to Verizon Wireless’s CDMA network in the U.S., and GSM networks when travelling abroad
- 3G speeds on EV-DO network; access VZ Navigator for GPS-enabled for turn-by-turn directions; use phone as a modem for your laptop
- 2-megapixel camera/camcorder; Bluetooth for handsfree devices and stereo music; MicroSD expansion to 16 GB
- Up to 5 hours of talk time, up to 325 hours (13.5 days) of standby time
- What’s in the Box: handset, battery, charger, stylus, USB cable, pre-installed SIM card, international plug adapters, global support kit, user manual, quick reference guide
Amazon.com Product Description
A productivity powerhouse for on-the-go, fast-paced business communications, the Samsung Saga enables you to enjoy Verizon Wireless’s reliable CDMA/EV-DO service here in the U.S. as well as access GSM wireless services in more than 200 destinations worldwide for voice and 150 global destinations for data. The Saga combines a full QWERTY keyboard with a large 2.55-inch touchscreen that makes it easy to to send email, text and instant messages. And with t… More >>
Overall, I’m pretty happy with my Samsung Saga. This Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional smartphone works well enough that it has untethered me from my desktop computer for many functions – checking work and personal e-mail, Facebook, LinkedIn, and the weather; updating my personal calendar and tasks; and editing some basic documents. Mobile web-browsing is a decent experience on the included Opera Mobile and Internet Explorer Mobile web browsers. Windows Mobile 6.1 offers a nifty auto-complete feature which works across the phone’s web browsers, Word Mobile and the internal e-mail program, that suggests words as one types.
Some technology-savviness is a requirement for owning this phone; it takes some fiddling to configure the phone to one’s preferences. Configurability is one of the Windows Mobile’s strengths; especially that of the “tiled” front-screen “Today” interface. The “tiles” show more information than traditional icons. I’ve configured the front-screen of my phone with a Google Search box; the calendar tile — which shows my next two appointments; and the task tile — which shows the number of my regular and high-priority tasks. Also available are a messaging tile — which shows the number new text messages, MMS messages, e-mail, and voicemail; and a pretty “Samsung Today” – which gives the phone a cute, but simple, mobile phone-like interface.
With the recent release of Google Sync, the Saga can also perform (wireless) push synchronization with one’s Gmail’s contacts and Google Calendar account. One nice feature is that the synchronization schedule may be customized for peak and off-peak times, and that these times may themselves be customized.
The Saga works best for those who have Microsoft Office 2007. Office Mobile 6.1′s default file formats are Office 2007, and the phone’s various personal productivity features — calendar, tasks, contacts, notes, etc., synchronize best with their respective folders in Outlook. OneNote Mobile notes get their own notebook in OneNote 2007. Samsung’s PC Studio software allows Windows XP users to synchronize the phone’s contacts with Outlook Express (via the Windows Address Book), but this feature is not supported in Windows Vista. Windows Vista users apparently must have Microsoft Outlook or use Google Sync for contacts and calendar synchronization.
There is an unevenness to the Samsung Saga and its underlying Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system. While the Saga has a very good keyboard and productivity applications, the phone’s keyboard lacks a delete function ([Fn][Backspace] in many other phones). The use of a stylus is still necessary to select blocks of text. While the e-mail program properly displays inbound formatted e-mail – bold, italic, tables, etc., the program only supports plain text for outbound e-mail. The phone can either ring or vibrate for incoming calls, but can’t do both simultaneously. The Samsung Saga uses a proprietary USB data connection, which does not consistently charge the phone. Files are only synchronized if they are on the phone; files on kept on a storage card cannot be synchronized. The Saga also seems to have weaker signal reception than other cell phones. My Saga couldn’t find a signal where my wife’s Samsung Gleam had two “bars” of signal.
Dialing contacts and voicemail access did not work for me out-of-the-box; I had to turn off assisted dialing and add a # sign, for each feature to work, respectively. While Opera Mobile and Internet Explorer Mobile are competent web browsers, browsing regular-sized web sites is still done best on a desktop or laptop computer. Opera Mobile lets users zoom into and out of sections in regular-sized web pages, while Internet Explorer requires users to scroll through the web page. Both methods are slow. It is best to surf mobile versions of websites (such as m.amazon.com) on a Samsung Saga.
There are two accessories that will make one’s purchase of the Samsung Saga more enjoyable — a Bluetooth headset and the extended battery. While the standard size battery makes the phone attractively slim – slim enough to slip comfortably into one’s front pants pocket, the standard battery limits the phone to “light” usage. Get the extended battery right away if you plan using the phone on purchasing this phone; otherwise plan on carrying around a travel charger because the battery drains quite rapidly with intensive usage. The extended battery adds about forty percent more capacity — 1800 mAh, versus 1300 mAh for the standard battery, and makes the difference between “light” and “moderate” use of the phone. One must also be mindful of open but dormant data connections (including Bluetooth), because these also contribute to battery life issues. A Bluetooth headset is important because the phone notifies Bluetooth headset users of incoming phone calls, but those using wired headsets must rely on the phone’s ringer — which may not be heard in a noisy public environment, or if the phone is kept in a jacket pocket.
People who are willing to tinker a little bit under the hood will find Samsung’s Saga i770 an affordable, utilitarian phone. Those who have Microsoft Office 2007 (or at least Outlook 2007) will be able to make the best use of this phone.
Rating: 3 / 5
I’ve had this for two weeks. It is a feature packed device with a fabulous optical mouse, but has issues with battery life and video camera use. While some aren’t big fans of the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, it works fine by me and syncs flawlessly with my laptop. I would rate this phone a 7.5 out of 10.
The REALLY good features:
> Optical mouse (unbelievable — best I’ve used; also has option to use stylus or touchscreen). Makes navigating this phone a pleasure.
> Keyboard is easy to use, backlit
> Use-ability for work — i.e., calendar, emails and contacts
> Thin enough to easily slip into my pocket and go un-noticed by others.
The not-so good:
> Battery life is pretty limited (typical complaint for this type of phone). Need to charge every night, and sometimes during the day.
> Voice quality is OK, with occassional dropped calls
> Video quality is suspect — doesn’t work well in moderate lighting conditions. My previous LG phone (with same camera specifications) performed much better.
Rating: 4 / 5
During my research in preparing to purchase the Samsung Saga i770, I used Verizon’s web site, Amazon’s description of this phone, the on-line User Guide and contacted Samsung directly on 5/28/09. I found a discrepancy regarding the expandable memory capacity. Verizon and Amazon’s web sites state that the Saga has the option of expanding to 16GB. According to the Saga’s User Guide and Samsung representative, the Saga’s memory expansion is only (up to) 8GB.
After playing with the in-store Saga device, I am pleased with all of its features and capabilities so far and still plan on purchasing it. My only ‘con’ is that the phone’s sound quality could be improved.
REVIEW UPDATE – On May 29, 2009, I was contacted by a Verizon Wireless rep notifying me that the software on this phone/device had been updated to handle the 16GB memory. Unfortunately, this was completed after the above-referenced manual had been printed. I have since purchased this device and, so far, am very pleased with it with minor exceptions…submitted 6/23/09.
Rating: 4 / 5
Great list of features, mediocre implementation
GSM/CDMA, wi-fi, multimedia
The phone boasts an incredible list of features. However, each feature functions in an mediocre way.
Reception — mediocre
Battery (real) life — so-so — barely 1 day
voce quality — mediocre
Speakerphone — poor
communication with Bluetooth — slow
camera is mediocre even for it’s poor 2MPix
GPS / LBS — locked and undocumented. GoogleMaps application manages to pinpoint location just Sometimes…
Pointer works well, but touch-screen quality is poor, especially at edges. Can’t scroll…
Screen glares badly
Response (to clicks) is slow
Often runs out of memory. Imagine, you trying to turn on the camera and get “collecting memory” “failed to start”
It’s difficult to talk without touching screen-touchpointer and getting navigated away.
Have to press sleep button after dialing…
There are also issues with Windows, but it’s a different story.
I recommend downloading SKYFIRE browser which makes life much better. Flash plug-in works in it.
Rating: 2 / 5
Do not buy this phone unless you plan to keep it plugged into the wall. The battery is useless. At best the battery life is 6 hours, even if you barely make any phone calls. Verizon never told me this when I bought it. The sound quality is its best feature.
Rating: 2 / 5