Samsung is expected to launch a new Pocket PC Phone, the SCH-i730, at CTIA Wireless 2005 in New Orleans next week. The new smartphone packs a lot into what is purported to be a smallish shell for a Pocket PC, about the size of a Treo 650.

There's one problem, however. You can’t use the CDMA i730 in Europe, so those who travel between continents won't find this particular Pocket PC Phone attractive.

Enter the SCH-i830, just approved for release in the U.S. by the Federal Communications Commission. This handset, which appears to be very similar to the i730, integrates both a CDMA and a GSM/GPRS radio. As a result, you won't have a problem using the handset on both continents.

A second cellular radio has its drawbacks, however. The i830 nixes the i730's integrated camera and built-in Wi-Fi capability.

SCH-i730
Other than the features mentioned above, the i830 should otherwise be very similar to the i730, which integrates 64MB of RAM and 128MB of ROM—a good amount of memory for a smartphone. It'll also bundle Windows Media Player 10, dual stereo speakers, and 3D sound.

Other features include the aforementioned Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless networking. It also has an SDIO-enabled Secure Digital slot for peripheral and memory expansion, and a processor that is said to run at about 500 MHz.

Although the i730 uses the standard tablet Pocket PC design, it integrates a retractable QWERTY thumb-keyboard that slides down from underneath its 2.8-inch (240 x 320 pixel resolution and 65,536 color) display.

You can view the screen in either portrait or landscape modes because the handset runs on the Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Second Edition platform.


i730

With 3G EV-DO support, CDMA carriers like Verizon Wireless and Sprint could offer the i730 for their high-speed wireless networks. EV-DO phones can theoretically transfer data at up to 2.4 MBps.