My Review - Samsung SCH-i760 and Motorola S9

Introducing the Samsung SCH i760 Smartphone and the Motorola S9 Bluetooth Headset

I have had my Samsung SCH i760 Smartphone (with service through Verizon Wireless) and Motorola S9 Bluetooth Headset for about 2 months now. I can and have recommended both of these products.

I previously had the LG VX8600, which is a thin flip phone, which I would also recommend as well.

The Samsung SCH i760 Smartphone has a ton of features. It has touchscreen operation (you can use your fingers or use the hide-away stylus), Windows Mobile 6 operating system, 1.3MP camera, video camcorder, WIFI, microSD slot and much more. With the Windows Mobile standardized operating system, this device is very customizable. Windows Mobile comes with the mobile version of Windows Media Player (WMA, WMV, WAV and MP3 capabilities with the feature of synchronizing your mobile Media Player with your desktop Media Player to update your playlists, music and videos), File Explorer, Games, Calculator, Office Mobile (Excel, Powerpoint and Word), Notes, Tasks, Picsel Browser (kind of like the Apple iPhone and Touch browser) and Internet Explorer, Active Sync and Wireless Sync, Task Manager (to close programs instead of restarting the phone when it starts to bog down), and Windows Update that keeps you up to date when new patches come out, without having to go to the wireless store to update your phone. There are many programs that are available for FREE or for a small price. Check below for some recommended items.

I find the i760 to be a very great phone. It keeps me organized by keeping all of my ideas in the Notes program (you can type, write or draw), I can set tasks which appear on the main screen and you can set alerts of your tasks, to remind you of things at certain times.

The battery life extends as you begin to stress it and charge it. The first few times you use it hard, listening to music, etc, it only lasts a few hours on the slim battery, a little longer on the extended battery. The life takes about a week or two to work at full capacity. Now my slim battery lasts about 6 hours listening to music all day and maybe half an hour on the phone, after the 6 hours I tend to turn the music off and leave the last of the battery for a short call if I need to make one on the way home from work. The extended battery will last all day listening to music at work and still leave battery left for phone calls and some moderate web surfing. Using both batteries will allow you to do just about anything you want all day, especially great if you are traveling.

PROS:

Not many phones have WIFI, although there are adapters you can buy, this phone has WIFI built in, meaning you can connect to the internet for free, just as you can on a laptop. (You can connect online through the cellular network as well for an additional cost)

Small, not much bigger than my LG VX8600.

Slide out keyboard, easier to type than a touchscreen only keyboard phone - and may be easier than T9 for some people.

Touchscreen as well as ‘joystick’ usability.

Works very well with the Motorola S9.

Keeps you organized.

Upgradeable and customizable.

Comes with a standard and extended life battery.

Charges quick.

Light to carry on a waist clip or pocket.

Better reception than I’ve had in a phone previously.

Well built, strong, does not feel like you’re going to break it while using it.

Simple but professional looking design.

Built in speaker, which is pretty loud for the size, so you can play music while entertaining or going to sleep.

CONS:

When you are doing a lot on the phone, text messaging can be a pain; I’ve had the phone skip letters, having to go back and retype. If you type slower or use the word-hints, you will have more luck.

No T9 texting option.

The SEND and END buttons can be in a weird place when talking on the phone. Since I use the S9 to make most of my calls, it’s not such a big deal, but I have hung up on people by accident when using the phone up to my ear - you just need to get used to a higher placement of your fingers to avoid that mistake.

WIFI uses a lot of power. Not that it’s really a con, just turn off the feature until you want to use it.

The Motorola S9 Bluetooth Headset

The Motorola S9 is a stereo headset for listening to music (if your phone has the ability, which the i760 does) and mono (left side) when making a phone call. The S9 is very lightweight and as long as the buds are adjusted correctly, it will not hurt your ears.

It comes in a few colors, red as shown, mine is blue on the inside and I believe there may be one other color.

There are 3 buttons on each side of the headset. On the left side, there is a touch-sensitive + and - volume, with a Phone push-button in the middle. The right side has skip forward and skip back, touch-sensitive buttons with a Play/Pause push-button in the middle. If you are listening to music when you get a call, the music will pause, the i760 rings as well as the headphones in stereo, push the Phone button and start talking. The S9 has a built in microphone for phone conversations. Once the phone call is done, you can push the Phone button to hang up the call and push Play to begin listening to music again. You may also initiate a call by pushing the Phone button, waiting for the tone and speak, “Call Mom, Home,” for example. It will repeat back to you, confirm by saying yes and within seconds the phone is ringing. You can do all this within 30 feet of your phone, though I’ve had luck up to 60 feet, depending on line of site with the headphones and the phone.

I am unsure how it sounds on the other end of the phone, but I have never had a complaint about not being able to hear what I am saying. The S9 is rather simple, convenient and works very well with my Samsung SCH i760. The battery life is about 7 hours of constant use. It charges very quickly and is a great addition to any cell phone you may have.

Things you need for your Samsung SCH i760:

• FREE Microsoft Live Search - Search movies, gas prices, get directions and much more
• FREE MSNBC Mobile News - Watch videos, look at photos of the week, read headline, technology, business and more.
• FREE Playlist Manager - Hasn’t been updated in a while, but is the only good free program I’ve found. Allows you to select the MP3s you want to play instead of having to select another song after the current song is done. You can use the S9 to switch songs on the playlist and pause songs that are playing.
• FREE Weather Watcher
• Seidio Rubberized Slim and Extended Case with Holster

LINKS:

• CNET Review (8.0/10)
• Samsung Website for i760
• Motorola S9 Website

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