Amazon.com Product Description

The PalmOne Treo 650 boasts all the legendary features of the venerable Treo 600, plus a whole lot more. Now with Bluetooth, a higher resolution screen, a removable battery, and an improved keyboard, the Treo 650 is once again on the cutting edge of Smartphone technology. It offers all the functionality of a high-end Palm OS-powered PDA, a cell phone and a VGA camera. Simply put, it's the ultimate mobile office companion.

Design

Click the image to get a closer look at the Treo 650's features.

Under the hood, the Treo 650 features Palm OS 5.4, 32MB of RAM (23MB available for end user storage), and an Intel PXA270 312 MHz processor. The design retains the same popular form factor as the Treo 600 with a few subtle, yet significant, changes. The unit's screen has been dramatically enhanced to support 320 x 320 resolution and the full QWERTY keypad has been redesigned for greater ease of use. The top of the unit features an expansion card slot for SD and MMC-based memory and expansion cards. There's also an infrared port here for line of sight data transfers, as well as a handy switch for turning off the phone's ringer. A five-way navigator controls most of the phone's menus and operating system functions, while quick application buttons on either side of the navigator get you to your favorite applications in a snap. The left side of the unit features a volume up/down toggle plus a handy user-customizable button that can be assigned to any phone or PDA function. The rear of the Treo 650 houses a loudspeaker, as well as the VGA (640x480) camera unit. A touchscreen stylus can be tucked away on the right side of the phone. Meanwhile, a combined charging, data, and accessory attachment port is housed on the bottom of the unit, as is a standard 2.5 mm stereo headset jack.

Calling and PDA Features
All the of the Treo 650's phone and PDA functions are designed to provide an integrated, seamless experience. For instance, you can type in the name or initials of a contact on the keypad to dial them. Or, use the touchscreen and stylus to copy information from an email and quickly paste it into another email or text message. All of the latest phone features folks expect are built-in, too, like a handsfree speakerphone, polyphonic ringtones, a vibrate mode and picture caller ID. The capacity of the unit's address book is only limited by the amount of internal and expansion memory available. Use the Treo 650's Bluetooth capability to wirelessly sync your contacts with your PC or Mac (yes, Mac!). Headsets, car kits and other wireless peripherals can also be paired with the unit via Bluetooth.

The Treo 650 is also a fully functional Palm OS device. That means that a huge library of applications, from spreadsheets to word processors to games, can be added to the Treo 650. It's easy to perform multiple tasks like checking your calendar while talking on the phone or dialing calls directly from your contacts list. Familiar Palm OS software ships with the handset including calendar, calculator, clock, contacts, memo, and task management applications. Real Player for video and MP3 playback, VersaMail email client, and DataViz Documents to Go for mobile access to spreadsheets and text documents, are also included.

The unit's memory expansion slot allows you to transfer music, photos, and video from your desktop. Or, use it to load additional games and applications.

Messaging and Internet
The device fully supports SMS and MMS messaging for rapid exchange of pictures, text and video via Sprint's instant messaging system. Other Sprint PCS Vision services are also supported, such as mobile email, web browsing and instant messaging. Sprint's PCS Business Connection service, which is fully compatible with the Treo 650, gives you secure, remote, real-time access to Microsoft Outlook Exchange-- including email messages and attachments, calendar, business directory and personal contacts. You can also respond to meeting requests, access documents stored on your desktop PC, and view email from POP3 and IMAP4-based email accounts, including Sprint PCS Mail, Yahoo!, Earthlink and more.

Imaging and Entertainment
The Treo 650's built-in camera features a 2x zoom, a flash and a self portrait mirror. While the camera is great for taking stills, it can also function as a camcorder, allowing you to capture MPEG4 video to the unit's memory. The device ships with two games, Zap! 2016 and Handmark Solitaire, and many more Palm-based games are available. As mentioned, the device ships with Real Player, so you can use your Treo 650 as a portable MP3 and video player. Keep your tunes loaded on a memory card and you're ready to go with stereo sound wherever you roam.

Vital Statistics
The PalmOne Treo 650 weighs 6.30 ounces and measures 4.40 x 2.30 x .90 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 5 hours of digital talk time, and up to 300 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the CDMA 800/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
Treo 650 handset, lithium-ion battery, USB HotSync cable, headset, AC charger, user manual, software CD-ROM. ... Read more

Features

• Vibrant 320 x 320 touchscreen display
• Built-in Bluetooth wireless technology
• Buit-in digital camera with video capture
• Innovative backlit QWERTY keyboard
• Full access to Microsoft Outlook Exchange and POP3/IMAP4 email clients

Reviews (43)

Phone very unreliable
Phone has excellent features but has bad reception.Just after a month (right after the store exchange policy expired) the charger is not working.Some loose connection may be. I read somewhere else that others are having similar issues. It is frustating to have your cellphone breakdown because of the charger issue.How can I recommend this to anyone with this kind of issues ?

Looks Nice but Functions Poorly
I was really excited to buy a Treo 650.It was going to be my first foray into the world of smart devices, and the first time I dropped some serious cash for a phone.
What a mistake.

The Treo 650 looks great - everyone wants to play with it when they see it.The screen is bright and colorful (too bright to operate when driving at night), and you can SMS in a dark bar quite happily.

Unfortunately, you can't do much else.
Nobody can hear me.Whether I use the Treo like a normal phone, on speakerphone, or with a headset, it doesn't matter.I'm constantly screaming at people, repeating myself, and having people hang up on me because they just can't hear what I'm saying.I've upgraded the software, but it hasn't improved anything at all.
On top of that, the phone interface is really slow.I often find myself hitting dial, and seeing nothing happen.After 5 seconds, I'll hit dial again, and the end result is that it will register that second input as the default for the dial screen - hang up.Then I have to go through the dialing process again.It's so annoying.

I also got a 1 GB SD card, with the thought that I would use the Treo's mp3 player instead of my iPod on short trips around town.Well, now I only appreciate Apple more.Realplayer constantly skips reading from the SD card.And I won't go into the details, but even getting music onto the SD card to begin with was an arduous process; so is making a playlist.So much for that part of the plan.

Maybe if you intend to use a Treo as a PDA primarily, and don't really care about the phone part, it's a good buy.But if this is going to be your day to day phone, buy something else, like a phone.Palm just doesn't have the phone software up to a point where it's really functional, and for me at least, no amount of other toys or stylish looks makes up for that.

I was a early adopter..
And like some of the reviews it had it's issue's to begin with.The issue's were Roaming problems, People telling me that they couldn't understand what I was saying, the mail client not work, I guess thats about it.

Well, about 2+ months ago sprint emailed me and gave me the instructions to upgrade my phone.BIG improvement!!!The voice improvement was so great people asked me if I got a new phone!!Th e mail client now works without a hitch.And the roaming now works with no issue's whatsoever.

My only gripe now is that you still can't use the phone as a bluetooth modem, but I've gotten assurances that is coming.

I love this phone, it truely is a fully packed PDA that also works as a great phone.I recommend this phone 5+ Stars!!

Great device
This is one of the best investments I've made this year. I'm able to move freely from my home office without ever worrying about missing an call, email or instant/text message.

On another note, you need to beware of Sprint's equipment replacement plan. Lockline is absolutely the worst company I've dealt with. Two refurbished phones were sent to replace my lost Treo and both malfunctioned. Clueless customer service would not replace the phone a second time. Said it was "unlikely that two phones were bad".

NOT RELIABLE - DO NOT BUY!!!
I've had the Treo 650 for four days and I've missed over 50% of my incomming phone calls.Why?Because it reboots at random times all day.... it shuts off at random times all day... and it doesn't reboot with the phone enabled.

Excellent.

Add to that- The email linking is inconsistant - even with simple POP email accounts - The treo fails to connect over 50% of the time.What's the point???

So I did some research.I grabbed the 1.08 OS patch from PALM... too bad it didn't fix anything.

I'm returning the phone. It's the most expensive call blocker I've ever purchased.I've missed emergency phone calls becuase of it's flakey OS!!!

This thing may look good on paper, but it doesn't actually function in person.

Speaker phone is useless... Call Volume problems.... Buggy operation:

BUYER BEWARE.



-M ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

With a VGA camera and flash, dual color displays and voice dialing, the PM-740 is a great mobile companion and a great way to get and receive images on the go. It's the perfect complement to Sprint PCS service and Sprint PCS Vision wireless services.

Design
The PM-740's sleek clamshell form factor houses an internal 128 x 160, 65,000-color display. There's also a supplementary, 96 x 96 full-color display that displays pictures, call information, battery life, time of day, signal strength and more. An extendable antenna is located on the top right side of the phone. The VGA camera and LED flash unit are housed just above this display. Handy up/down buttons are located on the left side of the phone for quick menu navigation. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button above the handset's dial pad. A 2.5mm headset jack is also provided. Power charging is handled by a port on the bottom of the phone.

Calling Features
The phone's built-in address book allows you to assign up to 300 contacts with up to 6 entries per contact. You can customize your caller ID by linking a downloaded image or photo to a specific phone number in your contact list. Polyphonic ring tones are supported and there's also a vibrating alert to keep things discreet. The ringer ID function lets you assign ringtones to specific callers, and the voice dialing feature allows for quick, voice activated calling of pre-programmed contacts. The PM-740's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911 (where available). Perhaps most importantly for users in rural areas, the RL-A760 is a tri-mode phone, meaning it can operate on Sprint's digital PCS network, as well as analog networks that serve many outlying areas.

Messaging, Internet and Tools
The PM-740 covers the messaging basics with support for sending and receiving text and picture messages. With Sprint PCS Picture Mail, you can take a picture anytime and send it to family and friends instantly while on the Sprint PCS Network (Sprint messaging charges apply). Easily save your pictures on your PM-740 or store them online at sprint.com/picturemail, where you can share and upload unlimited pictures to create albums. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built-into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The PM-740 also supports PCS Vision email and instant messaging capabilities. Sprint PCS Vision transforms the wireless experience from something that's simply functional into something visual, entertaining and highly personalized. MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL Instant Messenger are all supported by Sprint's PCS Vision service. PCS Vision mobile Web services let you check out sports scores, get your seven-day forecast, check your flight status, and stay up to date with the latest news. Experience full-color graphic versions of popular Web sites.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the PM-740 including a calendar, a calculator, an alarm clock and a to-do list. A voice recorder lets you record short memos for later retrieval.

Imaging and Entertainment
The fun really starts with the PM-740's built-in VGA camera. Capture great pictures in low-light situations with the built-in LED flash. The camera also features image brightness control and a handy self-timer-- so you can be in the picture, too.

The PM-740 lets you choose different screensavers and backgrounds to make the phone suit your style. With PCS Vision service, you can download games like Tetris and Pac-Man, as well as additional ringers, screensavers and backgrounds.

Vital Statistics
The Samsung PM-740 weighs 3.46 ounces and measures 3.5 x 1.8 x 1 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 192 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the AMPS 800/CDMA 800/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
PM-740 handset, AC battery charger, lithium-ion battery, user's manual. ... Read more

Features

• Picture mail and text messaging capable
• Built-in VGA digital camera with 4x zoom
• Innovative slideshow screen saver
• Download ringers, games, wallpapers and screensavers
• Enhanced voice recognition

Reviews (4)

Great features - some issue with the sound
I agree with just about everything that the previous reviews have said about the features. One thing I really like on Sprint with this phone is you can very easily send SMS or E-mail directly from a menu without going through a web page (which takes like several minutes). Very useful tool!

The only issue I have with the phone is the sound quality. On some calls it seems perfect on others, especially with other Sprint phones, the A740 seems to "clip" the sound and you get a noticable sound as if someone was switching on and off a mute button. I returned one phone that had this problem and got another which seems to do it less but still does it. I have an older LG phone and tried them side by side and the LG has none of these problems on identical calls in identical places - it also seems like the problem is worse when the battery is not at 100% charge. I took the phone to a local SprintPCS retail center and they tested it ok and told me that "nobody else is returning theirs". If you have one of these and notice anything, maybe you could send me an e-mail at leifer "at" delcoms.com

One of Many Samsung Phones I've Had Over the Years
I have always had Samsung phones. I made a switch back in September of 2004 to a Sanyo 8200. It had the speakerphone and so many features plus everybody told me how great the Sanyo phones are compared to all the other offerings from Sprint PCS. Well, I just returned the 8200 last weekend. It was the biggest piece of garbage phone I've ever used. To start, the audio was terrible on calls. But anyway, enough about the Sanyo.
The Samsung PM 740 is a great little phone. I wanted a small phone that had not only a bright screen but also a brightly lit up keyboard. This phone is one of the brightest lit up keypads I've ever had. I used to have a Samsung A 500 a couple of years ago. It was a great phone. Also small. The 740 is smaller. I would agree with the other reviewer tht the menu screen should be changed from icons to a list as it is hard to tell what the pictures represent. Audio quality is top notch...very loud on calls. The ringer could be a little louder...at full volume up, the ringer is a little weak...not a huge deal as it does have vibration alert too. The battery that comes standard is OK but I know already that a longer life battery is a purchase I will soon make as they really do extend life between charges. It's construction seems like it will last without any problems. One thing I like about the Samsung phones much better than the Sanyo phnes is that if you want to call somebody that either called you or you dialed within the last 20 calls, all you have to do is push talk and scan up or down a few numbers and push OK or talk to dial. On the Sanyo, you have to navigate to the call log, then search for outgoing or incoming, then navigate up or down, and it is just a lot more pushing of buttons which can be a nuisance when driving. Also, this is the first phone that I remember from Samsung that has finally placed the "OK" button in the middle of phone keypad where it belongs, instead of on the left side which was hard to get used to. I would reccomend this phone to anyone who is looking for a very small and lightweight phone that also has a quality feel to it. Love the really, really brightly lit keypad!!!

great phone
i've had the phone for 2 weeks now and everything is great.the phone has a very solid feel; feels well constructed.i get reception everywhere, usually at least 2 bars (out of 4).clarity and volume are great.the camera is fun to have, but it's more of a novelty than anything.the external display is also very nice to have, especially in full color.the screen has a nice resolution and brightness.built in ringtone selection is very large, including both traditional rings and musical ones.the navigation is very easy.managing your contacts is also simple, and being able to assign different ringtones to different groups is also nice.in response to the other review, you can change the main menu from pictorial to a list.battery life is okay, but this is my first phone, so i can't make a great comparison.very sleek, it will definitely make your friends jealous.amazon ought to add a picture to the site :)lots of stuff not in the manual that you can do.great features, usability, look, and quality.great phone.

I recommend!
I purchased this phone last weekend and have been quite happy with it, so far.By no means am I a technical expert when it comes to cell phones (so this review may be a bit lacking) but everything seems great.

Usability:

The menus are easy to navigate.The first change I'd make on the phone is to pick a new format for the menu.I'd view the menu in a list format.The default is set to show the little picture icons.It's a little hard to tell what each small icon is.The small size of the navigation arrows are a bit frusterating, but something I've already gotten use to.

Reception:

The reception seems fine.I'm able to get decent reception (at least 2 bars when the antenna is down.)Most areas are either 3 or 4 bars.My old phone was a Sanyo 4900 and I notice the same type of call quality.

Volume:

Ringer volume and earpiece volume are both good.

Camera:

This is my first camera phone, it works well.Don't plan on using the camera a whole lot, but of course, it's great to have.

Overall Quality:

This is the area that I really look for in a purchase like this.I have yet to find an aspect of this phone that does not seem well built or that worries me about breaking in the future.Okay, maybe the antenna is a bit flimsy when extended, but I'm not concerned.There is nothing on this phone that screams, "Break me."That's a good thing!

As I said, this phone has been very good so far.I recommend it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compatible with Sprint cell phone service, the Sanyo PM-8200 includes a built-in VGA digital camera with an LED flash, push-to-talk capability, voice dialing, Internet capability, and much more, all displayed on a 1.8-inch, 65k color LCD screen.

See a detailed view of the phone's features

Calling Features
Used simply as a phone, the PM-8200's features include vibrating alert, voice dialing, call screening, a dedicated speakerphone and voice mail button, push-to-talk, and a 300-entry phone book capacity with picture-ID capability. It also supports mobile-to-mobile (walkie-talkie) direct link for up to 6 simultaneous users. This phone supports TTY/TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) devices.

Messaging and Internet
This phone provides SMS two-way messaging, conventional email, and predictive text assistance, plus picture sharing and voice-memo picture attachment. The PM-8200's Internet connectivity also lets you access online services such as stock quotes, road directions, airline information, entertainment, and more. You can download Java applications (version J2ME) to add additional capabilities to your phone, and high-speed data transfer and download round out the package. The PM-8200 is GPS capable.

Organizer

Multishot feature: Take up to 8 rapid shots in sequence

The PIM organizer included with this phone provides programmable reminders for holidays, birthdays, or other significant dates, an event calendar, to-do list, call alarm, alarm clock, calculator, world clock and more.

Fun and Games
For fun, the PM-8200 sports a built-in VGA digital camera, outfitted with a flash, digital zoom, self-timer, multi-shot capability, plus fun frames, color tones, and a security camera lockout feature. The PM-8200 also features 32 chord ring tone capability, and the usual downloadable ring tones, screen savers, wallpaper, and games, in addition to the ones built in to the phone.

Vital Statistics
The Sanyo PM-8200 weighs 3.64 ounces and measures 3.34 x 1.85 x 1.02 inches. Its Lithium Ion batteries are rated at up to 3 hours talk time, and up to 12 days standby time.

... Read more

Features

• Feature-packed with VGA camera and flash, speakerphone, dual-displays and more
• VGA camera includes 640x480 resolution, flash, zoom capabilities and auto-focus.
• Vivid dual-displays in 65,000 colors for life-like images
• Built-in speakerphone and voice dialing make communication a breeze
• Includes phone, rapid wall charger and user documentation

Reviews (25)

Can't Hear
Like everyone said before, I bought this for all the features and the great battery life.All those have delivered except I feel like the battery doesn't last that long anymore AND the charger that they provide starts to "get loose" and stops charging the phone correctly after a while and you have to get the alternative charger for the phone.This phone gets great reception and I get reception in places that most other people don't...ONLY ONE PROBLEM....... YOU CAN'T HEAR WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING TO YOU!The speaker in the earpiece of this phone is terrible.I thought it was me at first.I thought that it was the OTHER person's cell phone because how could it be mine if I had full reception bars?Well it is the phone.The speaker is simply a piece of junk.Hopefully Sanyo will correct it with future phones because I really do like everything else about the phone.I gave it 2 stars though because the basic function of the phone is obviously the most important thing and that is seriously lacking.

Great phone!
I have been with Sprint for almost 2 years now and have had 3 different phones.Out of the 3 I have to say that the Sanyo 8200 is the best.I love the screen call feature.I've read the other reviews and alot of people complained about the audio quality.I haven't had that problem.Now, I just recently had to get a replacement under the warranty because the vibrate did not work but other than that, I think the phone is great. I love the design of the phone, its compact and light and comes in 4 different colors.I orginally wanted the red but went with silver only because at the time the Sprint store that I purchased the phone from did not have the red one in stock. Im thinking about upgrading though.I never keep cells phone for a really long time.If something new comes out and I like it, I usually buy it.I like the new Sanyo 5600 but Im not keen on spending $500 for a cell phone.I think I may just settle for the Sanyo MM 7400.

Sanyo, what were you thinking?
All the gadgets in the world can't hide the fact that this phone sounds horrible. I first thought it might be a bad phone, so I exchanged it. Guess what? It's the same for all of the 8200's. I love the reception but if you can't understand the person on the other end what's the point? It's like owning pretty car but it it can't shift into drive. Stay away from this phone.

mixed bag
I fell in love with this phone at the store: great design, great features, great camera, I was psyched.Then I started using the phone - the WORST audio quality!Everyone who calls me sounds like they're coming through a train terminal PA system.The static is in the phone, it's not the reception.I'm still using this phone because I still love the design, but just know you're buying a phone with terrible audio.

What happened???
I first bought this phone right off the line (3 days after it was put in stores) For 4 months it was the best phone i have ever had. decent quality in pictures, advanced text messaging (text messages came direct to my phone rather than me logging into a site to get them) and the speaker phone made talking a little easier when i needed full movement of my head to see what was around me (IE. driving, walking etc.)
But the biggest thing that seems to plague the new sanyo picture and video phones is the place you plug into the phone to charge the phone. WHAT HAPPENED?? Only four months into owning this and i have to jimmy the phone so that i can just charge the battery. And i am not the only one who has this problem. Many of the guys i work with are sprint users and have this exact phone or one similar and have the same problems as i do. This major defect makes this phone a bad sale. i mean how can you use the features if you can't get power to the phone. Sanyo needs to find a way to fix this, and then this phone type will once again be the ace it was when i first bought it. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Compatible with Sprint cell phone service, the Sanyo PM-8200 includes a built-in VGA digital camera with an LED flash, push-to-talk capability, voice dialing, Internet capability, and much more, all displayed on a 1.8-inch, 65k color LCD screen.

See a detailed view of the phone's features

Calling Features
Used simply as a phone, the PM-8200's features include vibrating alert, voice dialing, call screening, a dedicated speakerphone and voice mail button, push-to-talk, and a 300-entry phone book capacity with picture-ID capability. It also supports mobile-to-mobile (walkie-talkie) direct link for up to 6 simultaneous users. This phone supports TTY/TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) devices.

Messaging and Internet
This phone provides SMS two-way messaging, conventional email, and predictive text assistance, plus picture sharing and voice-memo picture attachment. The PM-8200's Internet connectivity also lets you access online services such as stock quotes, road directions, airline information, entertainment, and more. You can download Java applications (version J2ME) to add additional capabilities to your phone, and high-speed data transfer and download round out the package. The PM-8200 is GPS capable.

Organizer

Multishot feature: Take up to 8 rapid shots in sequence

The PIM organizer included with this phone provides programmable reminders for holidays, birthdays, or other significant dates, an event calendar, to-do list, call alarm, alarm clock, calculator, world clock and more.

Fun and Games
For fun, the PM-8200 sports a built-in VGA digital camera, outfitted with a flash, digital zoom, self-timer, multi-shot capability, plus fun frames, color tones, and a security camera lockout feature. The PM-8200 also features 32 chord ring tone capability, and the usual downloadable ring tones, screen savers, wallpaper, and games, in addition to the ones built in to the phone.

Vital Statistics
The Sanyo PM-8200 weighs 3.64 ounces and measures 3.34 x 1.85 x 1.02 inches. Its Lithium Ion batteries are rated at up to 3 hours talk time, and up to 12 days standby time.

... Read more

Features

• Feature-packed with VGA camera and flash, speakerphone, and dual displays
• VGA camera features auto-focus lens, zoom capability. flash and 640x480 resolution
• Dual LCD/TFT displays offer crisp images in 65,000 colors
• Speakerphone and voice dialing make communication a breeze
• Includes phone, rapid travel charger and user documentation

Reviews (28)

Superb phone with great features!
I have had this phone going on a year now and can faithfully say that I have very few complaints!! First of all the phone has NEVER and I mean NEVER failed me! This will be the 5th Sanyo I have owned, starting with the faithful 4500, and have never been let down. I have seen numerous complaints about sound quality, but short of the volume being a little low on occasion, I cannot see too much fault. The speakerphone is only half-duplex, but most cell phone speakerphones are only HD at the moment. Also you cannot expect board room sound out of a tiny micro-sized speaker! It does very well for its size. Ready link performance is top rate, as well. All in all another great Sanyo product!

Going on 5th bad phone in 5 months...
I bought this phone for FREE in dec 2004. (special)

2 months later the head set wouldn't work anymore. (the head set to plug in the jack and speak hands free, and i have a few plantronic headsets that work great, the big ones.)

Store would not give me a blue one, only silver. 2 months later the head set wouldn't work anymore.

Given the run around at the sprint stores and tech and made to drive over 500 miles going back and forth (in 35 mile increments).

Given 3rd phone, got to my car and started to make a call, head set wouldn't work right out of the box. That's less than 90 seconds after leaving the store.

Given 4th phone the same day (not working this same day, 2 bad phones in the same day) and would keep beeping, the icon for battery would blink from full charge to BEING recharged (not in need of, but being), while half muting the person on the other end of the phone call.

After 4 hours in the store this day, even though they saw it was not working, refused to replace because their tech guy went home and he was required to say it's broken before they change it out.

My previous phone was the sanyo 4900 which i had to replace in the first week, but has lasted for the last 2 years, very dim screen and big, but worked great.

The 8200?, I got it free and it's cost me so much money in time and gas and trouble, feels like It's cost me $1000. By far the worst quality phone I have dealt with in the last ten years.

emailed sprint and they have agree to allow me to take any of their phones and they will credit the 229 list price.
Did not offer to compensate for all the BS their store reps have put me through. Worst people in the world at the sprint store in Asheville, NC... patton ave. Hendersonville road and mall is where you should buy if your in this town.

I've liked sanyo alot, but now I'm almost scared off of them. My old samsung wasn't as strong in reception and battery life, but I'm using cnet to investigate phones that have the same problem with everybody.

I do have a few friends that have not had AS MANY problems as I have had and they are hard on phones, my 4900 still looks new. I'm very easy on my phones.

If I had not gotten 4 bad phones....
just rating the phone on the features and the like, I'd probably rate it 3 stars at best.

The phone is average, imo. The worst thing about the phone, from all the phones, is to listen to a conversation on the phone, you either have to turn the volume down to the lowest, if you turn it up so that you can easily hear the other person the sound becomes very distorted and choppy.

Based on that one thing, I would not suggest buying this phone. Add in the problems I've gotten with the 4 bad phones, I can not give this a good review.

what's up with the hissing on sprint phones?
I got this phone after switching over from Verizon.The first thing I noticed was an audible hissing when I'm talking on the phone.I went to 3 different sprint stores and tried out all the models that were available and there was noticeable hissing on almost all the phones.But most notably on Sanyo models.The phone that had the least background hissing was the LG 325, but I wanted a flip phone.The PM 8200 also has a horrible speakerphone (it's loud, but very distorted and cuts out when there is cross-talking).The PM 8200 also distorts the caller's voice slightly.If you've never had a good cell phone like an LG, (my previous verizon phone was the LG 4400 and callers sounded crystal clear), you may not notice the relatively bad sound quality of most of the Sprint phones.I returned the 8200 within the 14 day period and instead got the Samsung RL-A760.The sound is much clearer on this phone with less hissing, but is slightly larger and does not have a camera.the speakerphone on the Samsung is much better and does not cut out during cross-talking, at least on my end. overall, the PM8200 is a good phone if you can stand the hissing and distortion.

What a great phone...
and it does everything that I could ever imagine (web, pictures, alarms, downloads, speaker phone) - except streaming video, which the newer version (PCS Phone Sanyo MM-7400 (Sprint) has.

One great buy!

GREAT!
This is a great phone! It has all the features such as camera with flash, calendar and other stuff. I have no problems with it except for one. The metallic seems as if it is prone to scratches and it feels awkward when I handle it with extra care. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

The Sanyo MM-7400 has many of the high-end features discriminating wireless users have come to expect; video messaging, streaming video playback, an LED camera with flash, and Ready Link walkie-talkie capability, all wrapped up in a stylish form factor. It's a great choice for those who want to take hold of the power of Sprint's PCS Vision services.

Design
The MM-7400's sporty clamshell form factor features rubberized trim for greater durability. The top cover houses an internal 176 x 220, 65,000-color display. There's also a supplementary, 64 x 64 full color display on the outside of the cover that displays pictures, call information, battery life, time of day, signal strength and more. An extendable antenna is located on the top right side of the phone. The outside cover also features a large speaker/microphone for speakerphone and voice recognition applications. A VGA camera and LED flash unit are housed just above the speakerphone. Snap-on faceplates are available, letting you dress up the phone to suit your style. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button above the handset's dial pad. The Ready Link service is operated by a button on the left side of the phone-- walkie-talkie style. A 2.5mm headset jack is also provided.

Calling Features
The phone's built-in address book allows you to assign up to 300 entries, each storing seven numbers, with a total capacity for 500 numbers and 300 email and Web addresses. A separate Ready Link phone book provides easy access to 200 personal contacts and 200 company-provided contacts. You can customize your caller ID by linking an image, color or photo to a specific phone number in your phone book. The phone supports ringers with up to 72-chord polyphonic sound and you can choose from multi-chord, melodic ring tones and other traditional ring tones, including vibrating alert. Meeting mode lets you press a button to auto-answer a call and place it on hold, providing you enough time to exit your meeting and take the call.

The MM-7400's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911 (where available). Perhaps most importantly for users in rural areas, the MM-7400 is a tri-mode phone, meaning it can operate on Sprint's digital PCS network, as well as analog networks that serve many outlying areas.

Hands-free operation of the MM-7400 is easy with the built-in speakerphone while enhanced voice recognition allows you to speak numbers digit by digit or speak the name of anyone in your phonebook. You can also command the phone to give you a status update on battery and coverage strength. Voice features are speaker-independent, so there's no need to train the phone to respond to any one person's voice.

The MM-7400's Ready Link feature lets you enjoy the convenience of quick, walkie-talkie style communication at the touch of a button with one or several Ready Link users anywhere you go (Sprint PCS Ready Link service charges apply).

Messaging, Internet and Tools
The MM-7400 covers the messaging basics with support for sending and receiving text and picture messages. With Sprint PCS Picture Mail, you can take a picture anytime and send it to family and friends instantly while on the Sprint PCS Network (Sprint messaging charges apply). Easily save your pictures on your MM-7400 or store them online at sprint.com/picturemail, where you can share and upload unlimited pictures to create albums. Because the MM-7400 supports video capture and playback, you can also send video messages via Sprint PCS video mail. Store them online, or send them to computers or other Sprint PCS Vision video phones. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built-into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The phone also supports PCS Vision email and instant messaging capabilities. Sprint PCS Vision transforms the wireless experience from something that's simply functional into something visual, entertaining and highly personalized. MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL Instant Messenger are all supported by Sprint's PCS Vision service. PCS Vision mobile Web services let you check out sports scores, get your seven-day forecast, check your flight status, and stay up to date with the latest news. Experience full-color graphic versions of popular Web sites. The phone also supports multimedia services that, with the built-in Sprint Media Player, allow you to see and hear the latest news, sports, weather and more in full-color video and vivid sound while on the go.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the MM-7400 including a calendar, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a to-do list and scheduler. A voice recorder lets you record up to 72 seconds of voice memos for later retrieval.

Imaging and Entertainment
As mentioned, the MM-7400 features a built-in VGA still and video camera with zoom and autofocus features. Capture clips up to 30 seconds in length and save them or send them to friends via Sprint PCS video messaging. Again, the phone's built-in video player lets you view video content on your phone.

The MM-7400 lets you choose between different font sizes for easier reading, and there are four different background screens for the phone's display. With PCS Vision service, you can download games like Tetris and Pac-Man, as well as additional ringers, screensavers and backgrounds.

Vital Statistics
The Sanyo MM-7400 weighs 4.06 ounces and measures 3.64 x 1.97 x 1.13 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.5 hours of digital talk time, and up to 288 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the AMPS 800/CDMA 800/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
MM-7400 handset, AC battery charger, lithium-ion battery, user's manual. ... Read more

Features

• Take it to the Next Level! With the MM-7400 Multimedia phone
• Watch and listen to streaming media
• Enjoy games and 3D screensavers
• Capture digital still pictures and shoot 30-second video clips
• Sporty and stylish design with interchangeable faceplates and a slip-resistant Dura-Grip™ trim.

Reviews (8)

Great Phone Overall
After doing extensive homework on all the phones, i decided on this phone due to the multimedia and readylink features.I have not been disappointed with either. i was aware that sprintTV wouldnt be that but about 15 fps and thats not hdtv quality but its still pretty cool.Readylink is clear in my area just takes time to get use to use the buttons.The camera and camcorder features are ok and anyone looking for professional quality pictures or exceptional video recording this isnt for you.The camera and camcorder are average but do you expect from a cell phone under 200.For the price and the money this phoen is pretty awesome and i have been extremly satisifed.Oh by the way dont throw the manual away because this phoen as so many features.

Nice Package
This phone has just about everything available on a wireless handset: calendar, camera (still and video), TV, games, ringtones, internet, PC sync and changeable faceplates.I've owned this phone for about 2 months and still enjoy it.I definitely believe that the phone should come with an extended battery as part of the package.

this phone sucks save your money for a downpayment on a home
This phone is expensive and horrible. Mine full on broke after just 2 1/2 months. It just decided to stop powering on! So then, I got a new one and it just wouldn't pick up a signal. It's a horrible phone and sprint is a horrible provider.

Great Phone!
This is a great phone with great features!I've owned it for a little over 5 months.It does just about everything a gadget junkie would want it to do.And it's surprisingly not bulky for such a multi functional phone.It's definately worth the money.

Signal Faded Craziness
Like another reviewer, I am seeing the signal faded problem. The phone started off having no problems, but then the problem kept getting worse and it degraded very quickly. I have only had the phone 5 days and it is now almost unusable! I had to call customer service about 20 times before I could get through! And to top it off I was outside and within 600 feet of a known Sprint tower. They did a PRL update, but this made no difference.

The number of bars indicated, whether the antenna is extended, or whether the network is typically crowded seems to make no difference on whether it is going to drop a call. I am guessing that the phone is having problems transmitting a strong enough signal. I can hear other people fine right before it loses signal, but other people can't hear me. The phone will typically drop the call between 20 and 40 seconds. If it makes it past a couple of minutes, it doesn't seem to have a problem. However, making it past a couple of minutes is quickly becoming rare. On a side note, the phone does not seem to have any problems maintaing a data connection. I can upload pictures and browse the web without any problem.

I plan on exchanging the phone for an identical one. I am hoping that I get lucky with the next one. If it also fails, I'm going to switch to a different phone.

I really like everything else about this phone. But if it can't make a call, what's the point?

------

I took my phone into the local Sprint store that I originally purchased the phone. It turns out that this phone has a firmware problem and it is has been a known issue for some time. The local Sprint store just received the firmware patch this morning. Apparently their technician had been hounding the corporate office to send him the patch. He was motivated because he also had the same phone and problems. Previously they just reapplied the firmware and updated the PRL list. That seemed to help some, but not really fix the issue. The latest firmware fixes the core problem. I made several test phone calls over my lunch hour and did not have a single problem.

If you get this phone, ask and make sure that the latest firmware has been applied to your phone. I would imagine that within a couple months all existing inventory will be sold and all new phones will already have the firmware in place from the manufacture. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

Designed for the business user, Samsung’s SPH-i500 slim wireless device combines a flip-top phone with a Palm OS organizer for maximum productivity while on the road. The dual-band/tri-mode i500 offers wireless fast web access from any location for looking up stock quotes, flight schedules, and weather forecasts or using email and text messaging. The 160-x-240-pixel, 65,000-color touch screen enhances the web capabilities. The phone also offers speedy information retrieval with its web clipping service. This wireless phone’s 16 MB of memory provides plenty of room for downloaded information.

The included desktop holder offers easy battery charging and synchronizing with your desktop or laptop.

Powered by Palm OS 4.1, the PDA lets you run standard applications such as an Address Book, Date Book, and Expense Report. The i500 has Graffiti writing software and a special writing area for entering letters as well as several other text input methods. This organizer even hooks up to a compact, portable keyboard for almost PC-like data entry convenience. The i500 synchs up information with other IR devices or PCs and also comes with a cradle for PCs that don’t have an IR port.

Top phone features on the i500 include voice memo, voice-activated and four-digit calling, polyphonic ring tones, and vibrate mode.This smartphone is rated for up to 2.8 hours of talk time and 210 hours of standby time on a slim battery; 4.2 hours of talk time and 250 hours of standby time on a regular battery; and 5.4 hours of talk time and 350 hours of standby time when using an extended battery.

The i500's features summarized:

• Get two productivity tools in one compact wireless phone, and no compromise in functionality for convenience and style.
• See the Web at high speed and in living color on the i500's vibrant touch-screen display.
• Get quick access to flight schedules, directions, e-mail, stock quotes, weather, scores, entertainment listings and more.
• Get plenty of room for storage with 16MB memory.
• Palm OS 4.1 gives you the functionality you need to be more organized and productive.
• Get quicker access to Palm OS applications using hotkeys.
• Get Web information faster with Web-clipping capabilities.
• Extend your phone's capabilities using powerful third-party Palm OS applications.
• Multi-task with ease by using phone and Palm applications simultaneously.
• Make easier and faster calls with voice-activated and four-digit dialing.
• Take calls discreetly by switching to vibrate mode.
• Collect your thoughts using the voice memo feature.
• Use polyphonic and standard ring tones to create distinctive ringers.

Features

• This tri-mode CDMA phone from Samsung is one of Sprint PCS's flagship 3G phones
• Large color display supports 4,096 colors (128x160 pixels)
• Comes with personal calendar, date book, address book, to-do, and HotSync
• Supports wireless Internet (WAP 2.0) and text messaging
• Stylish phone features a graphical menu and polyphonic ringtones

Reviews (51)

Cool toy
Okay, I'll admit, there are some significant shortcomings for this phone, ie, no 3rd party text messaging, 3rd party email, etc.
These things cost $30 to $50 to purchase.I got the SnapperMail download, they have a 30 day free trial.But be aware that once you decide to purchase it, you must purchase the Premiere edition or higher for it to work. Overall though, really cool phone. The PDA portion of it is very nice.

PDA but no Communications
Slow Inet Acess. Can read emails, but no way to respond. Simply a contact DBase. Inet is slow. Buy a Treo. Sprint sucks w/ this technology. Tried so many times to make this work. If you have nothing to do, give another try......As always you might get moisture damage...

Great phone, great "form factor", but ya gotta dial Sprint
I wrote a review early on my site, and thought I'd share here.You can visit us at:http://www.badassreviews.com

"
When I put this site together, I thought that part of the goal for any aspiring bad ass was to find those must have things in life: love, liberty, and cool stuff. In the spirit of this pursuit, I present to you a pretty remarkable piece of technology that I have come to love (and detest) for variety of reasons.

The single best quality of this phone is that it marries a phone with the full blow Palm OS 4.1 Palm's latest and greatest OS is up to 5 and soon around the corner probably 6. But Palm 4 still continues to be the dominant OS of the PDA market (I could be wrong on this, but I don't think Windows CE is quite there yet, and Blackberry is well.. that's another story). Essentially, this PDA allows you download and install from a collection of thousands of software titles. Check out Palm Gear). If you ever wonder if there is something you wish you could use to track, organize, reference, play with, learn from, at a bus stop on cold winter day, you can be assured someone's already thought of it and made it available at Palm Gear.

"My Treo 600 also does that, what's the big deal?"

What Treo users, and essentially all other PDA/Phone users can't do, is look good using their PDA's. "Form factor" is the term given to a device's design, and how much space it takes to be a functional piece of equipment. The Samsung i500 has the single best form factor of all other PhonePDA's. Most of the PhonePDA's on the market look like heavy soap bars, some of them like the Treo's have a tiny keyboards mashed in, with badly beveled buttons that require some getting use to.

Samsung's i500 does away with all this and leaves a simple writing area that you use a Palm style (also snuggly available on the phone) to write into the system. This is not for heavy email users! If you need to send emails/messages back to the office on daily basis, you'll probably need some more functional than aesthetically pleasing.

But this Phone/PDA rocks, looks good, and is an easy conversation piece at the bar. Never mind the fact that it has a stylus that doubles as a pen.

Inside Scoop:

This phone is offered by Sprint for and astounding rate of $500 new. You'll be able to find it on ebay for around $200-$300 depending on how used it is, what accessories come with it, and if it fell off a truck in Jersey or not. My recommendation is to pick one of them up from ebay. This phone is constructed very well, and I have dropped and it has survived couple times already without any protection.

The Dark Side:

Sprint. By far and away, Sprint continues to be a promoter of pioneering technologies, at the same time, crippling them of the basics. The single largest issue with this phone is that SMS messing service that Sprint has neglected in providing. In order to actually use the SMS system on this device, you need to purchase and install i500SMS v0.31. According to some users groups, you can call Sprint, complain and have them purchase the software for you (check out PDAPhoneHome)

Still, anyone SMS messaging you, better enter their name or initials to the message, because unless they are on the Sprint network, you will not be able to know what phone sent you that message. This is just one of those things where the rest of the world seems to have a good grip on, and we in the U.S., the greatest country in the world, are still struggling to figure out how to deliver it. Technology does move like molasses sometimes.

We still thing is the a pretty cool phone, despite it's short comings.
"

Thanks!
B.A.R.
http://www.badassreviews.com

firmware issue
This is a great phone, and other reviewers have covered most of the topics, so I'll just mention one thing.The phones are still being sold with the old firmware.There is a major bug in the firmware, which will hang the sprint vision connection, requiring a manual disconnect from the data service or often a power recycle.This make the otherwise fabulous wirelss email sync (which pushes the email to your phone like blackberry) useless.

Most sprint stores don't know how to do a firmware upgrade on this phone, or they don't have the cable.So don't count on being able to upgrade, most people can't.

pdaphonehome.com has all the details.

this review is as of 12/04.

Great phone/Palm combo -- almost everything I wanted!
I sorely needed a new phone to replace my trusty StarTac and my aging Palm V, but delayed doing so for a couple of years because I just didn't see anything out there that I thought would combine their functions effectively.I wanted a clamshell phone that wouldn't accidentally dial people from inside my bag.And the Treo phones and other stick-style smartphones just seemed too big.Although I'm fine with a thumb-board (I carry a RIM for work), I prefer Graffiti, so I wanted a phone that allowed me to input using Graffiti.I tried out my husband's Treo 300 and frankly missed the Graffiti functions.I also thought it was too clunky.I've found that the i500 is almost everything I wanted out of a Palm/phone combo.

The pros:Sleek clamshell design -- compact and stylish, even with the hefty extended-use battery.It's solidly built -- no flimsy flips like the Treo 300.The screen is surprisingly big for such a small phone.The color and resolution is quite good -- the photos I keep on my phone look good.I like the Graffiti writing space -- it's small, but easy to get used to.The Palm functions are well integrated.It's easy to call people from your address book, and it's easy to save phone numbers (like from incoming calls) into new or existing entries.With the extended battery, I can go for a few days without having to charge up -- even the slim battery gets decent performance.The cradle offers one-button syncing, and can charge a spare battery at the same time as the phone -- a nice touch.Using hacks easily found online, you can put just about any photo on your screen as your wallpaper.You can also set unique rings for different people (no photo ID, though).

The cons:No speakerphone!This is a really strange feature to leave out, since it makes it hard to use the Palm at the same time as the phone.You can always use a headset, but that's just another step you shouldn't have to take.I also think it would be nice to have a caller ID screen on the outside of the phone so you don't have to flip open the phone to see who's calling.And I miss the dual-function keys on the StarTac -- functions you can easily access just by pushing "FNC" and then one of the numeric keys.I used to be able to switch the phone to vibrate by hitting two keys -- now I need to ratchet down the ringer, which can take up to 10 button presses, depending on how loud you have your ringer volume cranked.I also used to be able to mute my phone easily using the FNC button -- I have no clue how to do it on the i500, but it's certainly not a one-button thing.The screen is sometimes hard to read outside in the sun.Minor quibble -- there's apparently no way to add to the polyphonic ringtones supplied with the phone.There are plenty of options, to be sure, but it would have been nice to be able to add to them to truly personalize the phone.

On the high price -- I bought the phone used, which brought the price down significantly for me.Would I have paid the full retail price?Maybe, especially since I probably would have paid more to buy a new Palm and a new phone.At the deeply discounted price, however, I definitely got my money's worth. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

WIth an innovative sliding design, Bluetooth and a VGA camera, the boldly designed PM-325 from LG makes a powerful statement while keeping you up to date with the latest wireless technologies. It's a great companion for Sprint PCS users who want the power of PCS Vision functionality.

Design
The phone's unique sliding keypad reveals a bright, 65,000-color, 128 x 160 screen. When not in use, the screen collapses to a smaller size and displays only vital data, such as time, incoming calls, signal strength and battery life. Most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button above the handset's dial pad. A button to engage the camera for quick shots, as well as up/down volume and selection buttons, are placed on the left side of the unit. The phone's 2.5mm headset jack is placed on the top right side of the unit, while the VGA camera and self-portrait mirror are placed on the back. Charging and USB data connectivity (via a USB adapter) are provided on the bottom of the unit. The PM-325 features an internal antenna-- nothing to snag or break off.

Calling Features
The PM-325's built-in address book can store up to 200 contacts with five phone numbers each. The address book also stores email and web addresses of contacts. Record your own ring tone, or choose from one of 24 multi-chord melodic ring tones and six traditional ring tones. There's also a vibrating alert for when you want to be discreet. Voice activated dialing makes calling your friends, family and associates as easy as saying their names. You can also speak up to 30 numbers with the sound of your voice. Know who's calling you by linking downloaded images and photos to specific contacts in your internal phone book. The PM-325's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911 (where available). Perhaps most importantly for users in rural areas, the PM-325 is a tri-mode phone, meaning it can operate on Sprint's digital PCS network, as well as analog networks that serve many outlying areas.

Because the PM-325 is Bluetooth-enabled, you can use a variety of headsets and handsfree kits for total wireless freedom when you're on the go.

Messaging, Internet and Tools
The PM-325 covers the messaging basics with support for sending and receiving text and picture messages. With Sprint PCS Picture Mail, you can take a picture anytime and send it to family and friends instantly while on the Sprint PCS Network (Sprint messaging charges apply). Easily save your pictures on your PM-325 or store them online at sprint.com/picturemail, where you can share and upload unlimited pictures to create albums. T9 text entry, which is a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built-into the unit-- a plus for mobile email and text messaging users.

The PM-325 also supports PCS Vision email and instant messaging capabilities. Sprint PCS Vision transforms the wireless experience from something that's simply functional into something visual, entertaining and highly personalized. MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL Instant Messenger are all supported by Sprint's PCS Vision service. PCS Vision mobile Web services let you check out sports scores, get your seven-day forecast, check your flight status, and stay up to date with the latest news. Experience full-color graphic versions of popular Web sites.

The PM-325 ships with a calendar and scheduler, a voice memo application with up to 3 minutes of record time, and a notepad. An alarm clock, calculator and world clock are also included, as is the very handy restaurant tip calculator. Never dine without it!

Imaging and Entertainment
The fun starts with the PM-325's built-in VGA camera. Capture pictures with up to 8x digital zoom and choose from a variety of customizable options, such as different color tones, brightness levels, and white balance settings. You can even customize your own camera shutter sounds. The PM-325 lets you choose between normal and large font sizes for easier reading, and there are four different theme skins and a variety of built-in screensaver selections and clock display options. With PCS Vision service, you can download games like Tetris and Pac-Man, as well as additional ringers, screensavers and backgrounds.

Vital Statistics
The LG PM-325 weighs 3.32 ounces and measures 3.92 x 1.82 x 0.9 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3.2 hours of digital talk time, and up to 168 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the AMPS 800/CDMA 800/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
PM-325 handset, AC battery charger, lithium-ion battery, user's manual. ... Read more

Features

• Bluetooth® enabled camera phone with sliding keypad
• Vibrant 65,536-color LCD screen
• Integrated CMOS Digital Camera
• Side Button Triggers Voice-Activated Dialing and Memo Recording
• Unobtrusive Internal Antenna

Reviews (13)

Bad Bluetooth = Bad Phone
I give a one star, not because of the phone's overall quality

Overall, its built solidly, and the voice quailty seeems fine

however, you're paying for a 'Bluetooth' phone that really has not much bluetooth at all

bluetooth headsets work here ----- but the best part of bluetooth is being able to sync up with your home computer and download your contacts and calendars into it ---- something that has been disabled on this phone

Hopefully, Sprint will correct this feature on later Bluetooh phones

Awsome
This is by far an awsome phone. All of the features are really accesible and easy to use. The camera and sliding keypad are a plus. I would reccomend getting it from sprint though because it is cheaper.

Bluetooth/Battery support is so-so, but otherwise nice phone
The battery in this phone is tiny, so with regular use I charge it atleast every other day.

It does not function perfectly with my Motorola HS850 Bluetooth Headset, meaning I cannot use the voice-dial/redial features built into the headset as expected.

Otherwise, this phone does SMS messaging (so no more logging onto the web for text-messages), has a clean interface, and the sliding keypad allows for convenient text-viewing and call-answering/ending.

Its footprint is small, also, so it fits comfortable in the pocket or small purse.

Also, the antenna is built in, and the phone still maintains great reception.

The only beef is that the slide-out keypad is somewhat flimsy-feeling, since it is plastic, but it maintains well.

Overall, this phone serves its purpose very well, despite lacking a longer batterylife and better Bluetooth v1.2 support.

Save your dough
The main reason I bought this phone in the first place was b/c it was way cooler looking, smaller and had more features than my Sanyo-4900. Even though it has more features, it is still not worth the money. I still have the sanyo, and I'm considering switching back to it, or buying the newer version, the RL-4920. The screen constantly looks dirty from collecting grime, the keypad easily slides closed,resulting in an ended call, the keys are to flush with the phone and are hard to press w/o accidently hitting another one. The phone shuts off time to time when in a data transfer, (internet, messaging, picture upload/sending) and sometimes during a call. I'm the kind that likes to have a strap on the phone so I can easily pull it out of my pocket, or loop in around my wrist to keep from dropping it when talking or carrying the phone, but this phone doesn't even have a hole to put a strap on it. So thank god I haven't dropped it yet. I've tested out the bluetooth with my computer, the only thing I can really do with it and my comp. is take calls through my computer, much like speaker phone, but on the computer.
Overall, the phone has good reception, seems to keep up with my roomates Sanyo-7300, but for the price (around 250) you'd be better off savying an extra hundred bucks and buy a Sanyo.

Somewhat disappointed
I absolutely love this phone! But I am disappointed by what has happened, after today I will have had 3 in less than 3 months. I keep having a problem with the phone "shutting down" in the middle of a call (I would love to know if anyone else has expierenced this too), also the callerID quit working 3 days ago. The size, features, and ease of use make this a good phone, but with the problems I've been forced to consider another. ... Read more

Amazon.com Product Description

While the RL-7300 might look like a basic clamshell, it is actually a rugged, powerful mobile companion with great features like push-to-talk, a speakerphone, and dual color displays. Folks who need a phone that can take a beating will like this device. Plus, the instant communication of Sprint's Ready Link push-to-talk technology makes it great for the working world.

Design
The RL-7300's sporty candybar form factor sports a 132 x 176, 65,000-color main display, plus a 64 x 64, full-color secondary display on the outside of the front cover. In addition to the secondary display, the front panel features a speaker for speakerphone and voice dialing applications. An extendable antenna is located on the top right side of the phone, while most of the phone's features and on-screen menus are controlled by a five-way center button above the handset's dial pad. The Ready Link service is operated by a button on the left side of the phone-- walkie-talkie style. A 2.5mm headset jack is also provided.

Calling Features
The phone's built-in address book allows you to assign up to 300 entries, each storing seven numbers, with a total capacity for 500 numbers and 300 email and Web addresses. A separate Ready Link phone book provides easy access to 200 personal contacts and 200 company-provided contacts. You can also customize your caller ID by linking a photo to a specific phone number in your contact list, or use voice dialing to automatically dial up to 30 pre-programmed contacts with the sound of your voice. In addition to a vibrating alert, you can choose from preloaded ring tones to jazz up your incoming calls. The phone offers a variety of traditional ring tones as well as polyphonic (32-chord), melodic ring tones. The RL-7300's GPS location technology pinpoints your exact location when you dial 911 (where available). Perhaps most importantly for users in rural areas, the RL-7300 is a tri-mode phone, meaning it can operate on Sprint's digital PCS network, as well as analog networks that serve many outlying areas.

Hands-free operation of your phone is easy with the RL-7300's built-in speakerphone. Meanwhile, the RL-7300's Ready Link feature lets you enjoy the convenience of quick, walkie-talkie style communication at the touch of a button with one or several Ready Link users anywhere you go (Sprint PCS Ready Link service charges apply).

Messaging, Internet and Tools
If you need basic messaging capabilities, the RL-7300 has you covered as support is built-in for sending and receiving SMS text messages (Sprint PCS text messaging charges apply). T9 text entry, a technology that makes it easier for people to enter words and text on handsets, is built-into the unit-- a plus for text messaging users.

The phone also supports PCS Vision email and instant messaging capabilities. Sprint PCS Vision transforms the wireless experience from something that's simply functional into something visual, entertaining and highly personalized. MSN Hotmail, Yahoo Mail and AOL Instant Messenger are all supported by Sprint's PCS Vision service. PCS Vision mobile Web services let you check out sports scores, get your seven-day forecast, check your flight status, and stay up to date with the latest news. Experience full-color graphic versions of popular Web sites.

For business users, the RL-7300 offers something special. Sprint PCS Business Connection service is supported by the phone and it gives you secure, remote, real-time access to Microsoft Outlook or Lotus Notes information-- including email messages and attachments, calendar, business directory and personal contacts. You can also respond to meeting requests, access documents stored on your desktop PC, and view email from Internet email accounts, including Sprint PCS Mail, Yahoo!, Earthlink and more.

A number of handy software tools are bundled with the RL-7300 including a calendar, a calculator, an alarm clock, and a to-do list with scheduler. A voice recorder lets you record short voice memos for later retrieval.

Entertainment and Customization
In addition to allowing you to choose one of four background screens for your phone's display, The RL-7300 lets you choose different font sizes when sending messages or accessing your browser. With PCS Vision service, you can download games like Tetris and Pac-Man, as well as additional ringers, screensavers and backgrounds.

Vital Statistics
The Sanyo RL-7300 weighs 4.24 ounces and measures 3.71 x 1.97 x 1.12 inches. Its lithium-ion battery is rated at up to 3 hours of digital talk time, and up to 96 hours of digital standby time. It runs on the AMPS 800/CDMA 800/CDMA 1900 frequencies. The phone comes with a one year limited warranty.

What's in the Box
RL-7300 handset, AC battery charger, lithium-ion battery, user's manual. ... Read more

Features

• Ruggedized Ready Link compatibile phone with dual-color displays, speakerphone and voice dialing
• Quick, walkie-talkie style communication with Ready Link allows you to communicate at the touch of a button
• Rugged design minimizes wear and tear
• Built-in speakerphone and voice dialing make communicating easy and safe
• Includes phone, rapid wall charger and user documentation

Reviews (15)

Above average with some minor flaws
The SCP-7300 is above average at best, but that could be because I live and work in NE Florida, and most things don't work correctly here. The features that most others have talked about are nice, like the ease of use and the ability to quickly navigate through the various menus.

The four main problems I have with this model are as follows: 1. Calls get dropped or signal is lost despite having 4 bars. 2. Speaker does not work well in that it picks up too much background noise and is difficult (but not impossible) to use. 3. No easy way to redial the last number you called. 4. And I haven't seen this problem mentioned, but there are times when I dial a number, press the "talk" button, and the number disappears. I then have to re-enter the number, sometimes 5 or 6 times before it takes the number and actually dials. This also happens on the presets, I'll push number 5, for example, and the 5 disappears after pushing the "talk" button. I have 4 bars and everything seems to be working properly. Unfortunately, I cannot replicate this at a Sprint store, so they look at me like I'm nuts! But it does happen on occasion, so keep that in mind. Also, I've have 4 of these phones (same model) and they all do it. In fact, I got a new one yesterday and it did it today already.

It's not a bad phone, and I get them pretty cheaply for use at work, so I can't complain too much. They're better than Nextel, that is for sure.

great no frills phone
If you also believe that a phone should be a phone & a camera is a camera, then this may be for you.

This is replacing my old friend Sanyo 4900...greatest reception phone by Sprint ever made....I just dropped it a few too many times until it finally became unreliable.
The 7300, after 2 days, seems to equal the reception of the 4900...I find that the signal strength BAR indicator may show 1 bar, but that appears to equal what 2 bars were for the 4900....just need to interpret it differently.

the volume from both the speakerphone and earpiecee are very loud and perhaps clearer than other phones that cram a photo lens into the same area of where you listen...

Feels durable and solid for a flip phone.....I like the rubberized edges. Not sure if the battery life will come close to the 4900, but its a smaller phone so probably thats 1 trade off.

I highly recommend the (discontinued) 4900 model as well as this 7300. In general, most people i talk to say Sanyo is the best Sprint Cell phone maker. Ive owned LG and Samsung, and they both had issues. Go with Sanyo!

Best phone I've used
I got this phone to replace a Samsung that got lousy reception.The Samsung would drop calls, and left people asking me to repeat myself.I decided to go with this phone after seeing strong reviews for it on the internet.That's why I'm surprised to see some people here say they didn't get good reception with this phone.I think it's very well designed and rugged....I know it's going to last me years.I get good reception no matter where I go (I'm in the Atlanta area and take trips to D.C. and NY).Maybe there's a lot of bad units that get shipped with manufacturers.I never liked my Samsung, and replaced it with the same model when I thought it could be the model.The replacement would get lousy reception as well.I have a couple friends who use that model Samsung, but they don't seem to have the same problems.Sanyo seems to work for me better, and I notice it emmits less radiation then Samsung models.

Sanyo 8100 is better than Sanyo 7300; I miss the 8100 menus
Reception - 2 bars low
The reception of the Sanyo 7300 is about half of the Sanyo 8100.The number of bars on the 7300 is always about two less than the 8100.When in a call, it's hard to understand the other party because they are always dropping out.

Speakerphone - can't interrupt speaker
When using the speaker phone, you can not talk (interrupt) until the other stops talking.

Returning Missed Calls is much more complicated
If you like how the 8100 menu works, you'll miss the ability to quickly call back missed calls.Here are the key strokes for both to call back from the point where you first see the Missed Call:
8100 = View, View, OK, OK
7200 = View, Exit, Menu, OK (Call History), 3 (Missed Calls), Options, OK (Call)
That's 3 extra keystrokes and 3 extra moves.Note: "View" and "Exit" is the same button."Menu" and "OK" is the same button."Options" is the button above the "Back" button."Extra Moves" are defined as having to use a different key.

Calling Alternate Numbers is much more complicated using Outgoing History
8100 = Menu, OK (Call History), OK (Outgoing calls), OK (for last outgoing), Down (Alternate), pick alternate phone number
7300 = Menu, OK (Call History), OK (Outgoing calls), Options, Down, Down, Down, OK (Go to phone book), pick alternate phone number
That's 3 extra key strokes and 2 extra moves.The 8100 uses the same key for the first 4 key strokes.That's value.Whoever made this so complicated should have their head examined.I used the alternate feature of the 8100 all the time.After the primary phone number fails using voice dial, 70% of the time I want to try the alternate.The 7300 is such a pain.

Summary - Software investment saved
The only reason I will keep the 7300 is that my employer doesn't want pic phone on their premise.Also, the software I bought for the 8100 (FutureDial) works on the 7300 once I downloaded the update.

Writing my frustrations - since I can't call anyone
I bought the RL 7300 in June and returned it for a new one a month later when I wasn't able to make or receive calls and my text messages were coming in hours after being sent (with the original times to prove their tardiness) and weren't being sent out at all. I figured it MUST have been the phone.

The brand new replacement is even worse. One reviewer mentioned not being able to make or receive calls in Pittsburgh. Since I have purchased this phone I have traveled to Detroit, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York, Minneapolis and Chicago. In not one of those major cities was able to use my phone like normal people. My boyfriend, who was with me through all of those cities, was able to call any and everyone on earth. He also has Sprint, but luckily, a different model Sanyo phone.

The phone looks nice and is easy to navigate, but everything else about it makes me want to scream. I have been trying to hold out on buying a new phone, mainly because that one was expensive enough and I keep praying that ONE DAY it will work. Sprint admitted that the performance is not as good as many of the other Sanyo phones and after numerous "fixes", I still can't dial out when I want to. Only when the phone allows me to. Unfortunately for me, tonight is not one of my few lucky nights.
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Product Description

Treo 600 is a small, simple to use smartphone with a built-in QWERTY keyboard. It seamlessly combines a full-featured mobile phone and Palm OS organizer with wireless communication applications like email, messaging and web browsing, and even a digital camera-to simplify both your business and personal life. The keyboard, five-way navigation button and other cool design features make it possible for you to get more done in fewer steps, with just one hand, and without having to swap back and forth between applications. And it's still lightweight, stylish and small enough to fit in your pocket. CDMA Model: 800/1900 MHz nationwide coverage by Sprint ... Read more

Features

• Treo 600 combines a full-featured mobile phone and Palm OS organizer with wireless applications like email, text messaging, web browsing and even a digital camera
• QWERTY keyboard makes entering text and accessing information fast and familiar-perfect for messaging and a must have for email
• Built-in color web browser, Blazer, gives you fast access to nearly all the sites on the web-not just the ones optimized for mobile devices
• Take a picture or share images with others via email-you can even attach a photo to a phone number so you can see exactly who's calling with Picture Caller ID
• Because Treo 600 runs the popular Palm OS, there are thousands of applications you can download and use-like MP3 players, etc.

Reviews (153)

Phone very unreliable
Phone has excellent features but has bad reception.Just after a month (right after the store exchange policy expired) the charger is not working.Some loose connection may be. I read somewhere else that others are having similar issues. It is frustating to have your cellphone breakdown because of the charger issue.How can I recommend this to anyone with this kind of issues ?

Unreliable PDA phone
I am now on my THIRD Treo 600.The first two were replaced because the phone would turn itself off and back on again, go out of service when calls were being made or received, and losing my programmed data.My third treo is only a week old and is dropping calls constantly.I have been happy with the phone when it works, but, reliability is a serious problem.Verizon Wireless has been no help either other than in replacing the phone under warranty which takes no less than 2 hours of my time and two days to ship.Battery life is less than expected and I'm usually recharging the phone by late afternoon.Another annoying feature is the low battery warning that must be cleared from the screen if you're trying to dial in codes to check voice mail or other dtmf services.It will interrupt you every 10 seconds.Also, the person on the other end can hear your low battery tones, voice mail notifications, etc.Annoying.

Better than I thought it would be
I got my Treo 600 (on Sprint) from my work. I always preferred the flip phones to these lareg PDA phones so my first thought was, "Well I can't complain... it's free". However the more I used the phone the more and more I found it to be a really good little device.

First off it might be large, but it's actually a good deal thinner than most phones I've used. Thinking the large size would be a problem in my pocket I first tried the phone on one of those horizontal belt clips. Kept the phone out of my pocket, but the clip itself was rather bulky so I took a chance at just pocketing the phone. The slim design fit better in my pocket than any of the cell phones I've used before, which actually surprised me. It fits in my hand rather well too.

The keypad took a little getting used to... like maybe a day or two. Once you get a feel for the little keys everything actually makes sense in the design. Also the large screen it touch sensitive to so technically you don't even need to use the keypad unless you are writing in contacts or something. The navigational buttons along with the hot buttons make it easy to get to contacts on the phone, emails, the camera functions, and more.

As a phone it's neither better nor worse for me than any of the better cell phones I previously used. I live in Houston and only a few occasions have I not gotten a signal. I suppose the speaker could be a bit more powerful, but I can see some tradeoffs here for the sake of the design. The speakerphone function has become really usefull in the car or when I need my hands free. Battery life seems pretty good. I only need to charge the phone maybe once a week with regular use.

I don't have too much use for the PDA functions aside from getting work email. I have found that a game of solitaire does kill the time when having to wait around for stuff like getting an oil change and what have you. I have found some uses for basic things like the calculator and calender, but aside from that most of the extra function stay unused.

I have made good use of the vga camera though. I never expected high quality megapixel images so the image quality actually was better than I thought it would be. I wouldn't make photo prints out of the pictures I take from this thing, but for email and such it's fine. The camera has been extra useful during those moments you wish you had a camera for since I always carry my phone around. The amount of memory on the phone is enough to store over 400 snapshots. That's pretty cool.

You can surf the web on this thing, however I wouldn't recommend it. The connectivity is rather slow and takes me back to the old 14Kbps modem days. Still it's better than nothing if you need to get a quick map/directions or movie times. The email on the other hand is fast. The phone connects to the company Exchange server so maybe that has something to do with it.

The phone is pretty sturdy. More than once the phone fell five feet onto the concrete and didn't so much as flinch on the inside. The chrome looking parts on the outside however are prone to scratching. Looks like even having keys in the same pocket as an unprotected Treo can leave minor scratches over a period of time.

I don't know what else to say. When I first got the phone I didn't think I would like it. An hour later I find that I really like it. Lots of functionality in a slim package.

Very Poor Signal Strength
The Treo 650 I bought is ALWAYS two to three bars below other phones (at the same location) in signal strength. Sprint has been totally unhelpful in thi