To be fair: the reasons posted for not liking the phone are really trivial, with perhaps the exception of the software.
The optical mouse is a matter for personal preference to decide. What the reviewer failed to mention when he spoke
"Say you're typing in a text field and you want to reposition the cursor two spaces to the right. You move your finger over to the D-Pad to tap over to the right twice, but oh wait, the D-Pad isn't a D-Pad, it's a mouse (unless you have it set to D-Pad in the settings). So, you have to position the mouse carefully and click."
... is that it has a touchscreen: Click there with your finger. Nice and easy, and it's all I rely on with my LG KS20.
No soft-reset hole? If that's a deal breaker, there is an issue :P The power button works equally well.
"And then there are the smaller issues - no better browser, no case/extra stylus/headphones/screen protector included, a proprietary connector for everything, no FM radio, and no flash on the camera."
Let me address those:
1. That's the beauty of Windows Mobile: install Opera 9.5, Skyfire, Netfront, your choice! Nothing stopping you. :) 2. Not many accessories, well, fair enough I guess, but the only important one there is the lack of stylus and perhaps headphones [due to the lack of a 3.5mm adapter]. Fair enough call. 3. Proprietary connectors suck, yeah. But this phone has been out in Europe for a good few months [nearly 6 I'd wager], and as such that was before the push to MicroUSB. 4. No FM radio... well, a shame I guess, but it's hardly a "standard" feature. 5. No Flash: sucks, but then flashes on phones suck regardless [with the notable exception of a few excellent camera-phones]. This is not a camera phone by any means, so the lack of a crappy flash really isn't too much of an issue. They're only good for acting as a flashlight :P
The i780 [or i907 as you crazy Americans call it :P] is an excellent phone, the keypad is great, and despite peoples complaints, Windows Mobile 6.1 is actually not too bad. It's certainly a lot more stable than it used to be.
When your device runs Windows Mobile, a soft-reset button that's easily accessible IS a requirement. No, the Power button won't do when the device hard-locks.
I'm very sad to see mobile phone manufacturers continuing to use the Windows Mobile platform. When your PHONE needs to be occasionally rebooted, you need to reconsider its operating system. Phones are mission-critical devices. If you don't believe me, think about having to reboot your phone to call emergency services or not receiving calls because your phone's OS has silently crashed, causing you to miss a call with a job offer.
That being said, the Opera 9 browser is exceptional... but it ain't free. Why doesn't Samsung provide Opera 9 or another browser by default? Internet Explorer for Windows Mobile borders on unusable. The iPhone's strength is its built-in web browser, Safari. It's stable, fast, and renders pages accurately. (No, I don't own an iPhone. I like SonyEricsson products personally.)
"I'm very sad to see mobile phone manufacturers continuing to use the Windows Mobile platform. When your PHONE needs to be occasionally rebooted, you need to reconsider its operating system."
Even the space shuttle needs occasional rebooting. Arnt Sony Ericsson phones notorious for software instability problems?
Agreed with all your points. I think this device looks nice, and I love the idea of the optical mouse. But if any phone cried out for a custom rom, it's this one... cut out all the crap, put HTC Home on it, and you'd probably have an awesome device.
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To be fair: the reasons posted for not liking the phone are really trivial, with perhaps the exception of the software.
The optical mouse is a matter for personal preference to decide. What the reviewer failed to mention when he spoke
"Say you're typing in a text field and you want to reposition the cursor two spaces to the right. You move your finger over to the D-Pad to tap over to the right twice, but oh wait, the D-Pad isn't a D-Pad, it's a mouse (unless you have it set to D-Pad in the settings). So, you have to position the mouse carefully and click."
... is that it has a touchscreen: Click there with your finger. Nice and easy, and it's all I rely on with my LG KS20.
No soft-reset hole? If that's a deal breaker, there is an issue :P The power button works equally well.
"And then there are the smaller issues - no better browser, no case/extra stylus/headphones/screen protector included, a proprietary connector for everything, no FM radio, and no flash on the camera."
Let me address those:
1. That's the beauty of Windows Mobile: install Opera 9.5, Skyfire, Netfront, your choice! Nothing stopping you. :)
2. Not many accessories, well, fair enough I guess, but the only important one there is the lack of stylus and perhaps headphones [due to the lack of a 3.5mm adapter]. Fair enough call.
3. Proprietary connectors suck, yeah. But this phone has been out in Europe for a good few months [nearly 6 I'd wager], and as such that was before the push to MicroUSB.
4. No FM radio... well, a shame I guess, but it's hardly a "standard" feature.
5. No Flash: sucks, but then flashes on phones suck regardless [with the notable exception of a few excellent camera-phones]. This is not a camera phone by any means, so the lack of a crappy flash really isn't too much of an issue. They're only good for acting as a flashlight :P
The i780 [or i907 as you crazy Americans call it :P] is an excellent phone, the keypad is great, and despite peoples complaints, Windows Mobile 6.1 is actually not too bad. It's certainly a lot more stable than it used to be.
When your device runs Windows Mobile, a soft-reset button that's easily accessible IS a requirement. No, the Power button won't do when the device hard-locks.
I'm very sad to see mobile phone manufacturers continuing to use the Windows Mobile platform. When your PHONE needs to be occasionally rebooted, you need to reconsider its operating system. Phones are mission-critical devices. If you don't believe me, think about having to reboot your phone to call emergency services or not receiving calls because your phone's OS has silently crashed, causing you to miss a call with a job offer.
That being said, the Opera 9 browser is exceptional... but it ain't free. Why doesn't Samsung provide Opera 9 or another browser by default? Internet Explorer for Windows Mobile borders on unusable. The iPhone's strength is its built-in web browser, Safari. It's stable, fast, and renders pages accurately. (No, I don't own an iPhone. I like SonyEricsson products personally.)
"I'm very sad to see mobile phone manufacturers continuing to use the Windows Mobile platform. When your PHONE needs to be occasionally rebooted, you need to reconsider its operating system."
Even the space shuttle needs occasional rebooting. Arnt Sony Ericsson phones notorious for software instability problems?
Regarding Opera Mobile 9.5 - the beta is free.
Agreed with all your points. I think this device looks nice, and I love the idea of the optical mouse. But if any phone cried out for a custom rom, it's this one... cut out all the crap, put HTC Home on it, and you'd probably have an awesome device.