Mickey Papillon

October 6th was the official launch day for Windows Mobile 6.5, and the same day Sprint announced the Samsung Intrepid.  This touchscreen front-facing qwerty world phone is a nice addition to the Sprint lineup, and reminds me a lot of the Blackjack or Ace.  For all it’s improvements over the predecessors, don’t plan on being blown away by this phone, as it doesn’t bring anything to the smartphone table that you can’t already find.  The Intrepid used in this review was provided by Sprint.  It is available for $149.99 with 2-year contract.

• Samsung Intrepid with Stylus
• 1 Standard 1480 mAh Lithium Ion Battery
• Sprint SIM card
• MicroUSB AC Charger
• 3.5mm Stereo Headset with microphone
• MicroUSB Sync/Charge Cable
• Various guides and CD’s

Specs

• Technology: CDMA/EVDO Rev. A with GSM/EDGE/HSPA world roaming capabilities
• Frequencies: 850/900/1800/1900/2100
• Weight: 4 oz
• Size: 4.6″ x 2.6″ x 0.5″
• Cubic Volume: 5.98”
• Screen: 320 x 240 (QVGA)
• Camera: 3.2MP
• Headphone Jack: 3.5mm
• 150MB of RAM after reset
• 260MB of storage space
• 528MHz processor

Phone/Data
As I have come to expect with most Samsung devices on the CDMA side, the signal strength is decent.  The quality of sound on both ends of the conversation was clear, and the typical great Sprint connection was there.  However, it did seem that in comparison to a Sierra Wireless USB stick, the phone did lose service in areas with weaker signal.  I had the opportunity to travel with the device, and found that the the Voice and 3G were solid in and around the Phoenix and Chicago areas.  Also, Wi-Fi worked great when connecting to hotspots as I went.  There is a nice option to toggle the radios on and off through the use of the dedicated key located on the lower right corner of the keypad.

One of the nice things is the Global Network capabilities of the Intrepid. With both GSM/EDGE in a quad-band configuration, and single-band 2100mhz HSPA 3G, the phone can literally be used almost anywhere in the world. This feature makes the phone much more attractive to those that want to have CDMA service here in the US, but want to take their phone with them when they travel. The phone does come with a Sprint SIM card, but the phone can be unlocked to use with other SIM cards, and the phone will not recognize any other SIM cards until you do so.  Unfortunately, you’re out of luck if you want to use your unlocked Intrepid on HSPA in the United States; neither T-Mobile nor AT&T employ the 2100Mhz frequency for U.S. 3G. So your Tour will be stuck on 2.5G EDGE if you decide to unlock and use here in the US.
Hardware
If there is one thing that could be changed right off the bat about this device, it would be the screen.  The 320 by 240 resolution seems very “fuzzy” by current smartphone standards, and the 2.7 inch screen is cramped compared to the almost inch larger one of the new Touch Pro 2 devices also running Windows Mobile 6.5.

The Intrepid hardware looks like a blend of the Samsung Ace and a Blackberry.  The front-facing qwerty is very comfortable to use, and the keys are spaced very well.  There are dedicated keys for the speakerphone, voice command, email and the comm manager.  Each is also customizable, and can perform other functions per the direction of the user.
As a comparision, here is the Intrepid compared to other smartphones.

T-Mobile Touch Pro 2 vs. Intrepid vs. HTC Diamond

Intrepid vs. iPhone 3GS

Intrepid vs. Blackberry Curve 8330

Front

Left side. The Intrepid has a volume rocker switch and access to the microUSB charging/syncing port.

Top side. Intrepid has access to the 3.5mm headphone jack

Back side. Intrepid has a 3.2MP camera, however no flash. There is also a self portrait mirror, and a speaker for the ringer and speakerphone.

Also, the back cover of the device slides off to reveal the battery, which unfortunately must be removed to access the SIM and microSD card.

Software/Features
All you need to say…Windows Mobile.While Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional is an upgrade to the 6.1 revision of the software that has been out for the past year, besides the Marketplace and the honeycomb Start menu, there is little difference to the user.

While many “under the hood” improvements have certainly been made, the fact is, this device still feels like something you could have purchased 2 years ago.  My experience with the Treo Pro 1 year ago, rivaled the experience with the Intrepid.  Not a good thing in a mobile world that is passing Microsoft by rapidly.

The 3.2MP camera on the Intrepid has so-so photo quality.  When compared to the HTC or Blackberry 3.2MP shots, it seems a bit grainy and washed out.  The auto focus helps create clear shots, but it just doesn’t impress like some other smartphone cameras these days.

Here are a few photos showcasing the quality of the camera.

Overall
If you are looking for a low priced front facing qwerty smartphone with the latest Windows software, then the Samsung Intrepid will not disappoint.  Samsung has improved many things over the Ace/Blackjack line that keep the die-hard fans going.  However, if innovation is what you are looking for, move along, the Intrepid simply blends into the crowd.