AT&T Samsung Epix i907 unboxing
Well, this has been a long time comin’, hasn’t it? We just got our grubby mitts on that much-debated Samsung Epix i907 and boy… it’s thick! Counting out the AT&T Tilt, this is probably the thickest phone in their line-up. Now, you do get Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional with a touch screen with Haptic feedback, a QWERTY ‘board, optical mouse, 850MHz/1900MHz/2100MHz HSDPA and GPS. So, for some, that might be enough of a reason to overlook the beast-like form of the Samsung Epix. We’re highly disappointed with the screen in general as it looks extremely dated and pixelated — much like the Samsung Omnia. We haven’t had much time to put the phone through our rigorous tests, so check out the unboxing shots in the meantime.
Click on over to our AT&T Samsung Epix i907 unboxing gallery!
i took a look at this phone at the att store yesterday. they didnt even have it on official display yet, so i got to have it in my hands as if it were mine.
it really is not that thick at all. As stated before, it is as thick as the original blackjack with the extended battery and i really couldnt tell much of a difference from the blackjack 2 while it was in my hand. That picture on the box sure isnt flattering nor is the phone any thinner than previous blackjacks, but by no means will this thing weigh you down.
As for the functions. I really liked the optical mouse. It was very smooth and zoomed across the screen with ease and with practice, im sure a lot of precision. I was also very impressed with the accuraccy of the touchscreen. Other than scrolling down a webpage with my finger, i didnt have to press anywhere twice, and didnt make any mistakes. The screen itself is definately an upgrade from the original blackjack and seemed a little sharper than the second.
All in all, this phone is not at all “revolutionary”, but it does a lot of nice things for a relatively attractive price. Personally, im going to wait until the bold and fuze get released to make a decision on my upgrade, but i came away more impressed with this phone than i thought i would.
I went down to my local AT&T store this morning and played with the AT&T Samsung Epix i907.
First of all, everyone in the store was calling it the Blackjack III. They totally didn’t know what an “Epix” is. I had to explain what it looked like before one guy realized that I was talking about the device they had received last night.
As I was trying out the phone, I was doing things that the AT&T store “experts” were not awrae could be done on the phone (streaming internet TV and radio from Asia, using HULU and watching an episode of some TV show….). After a while three employees (a russian, a syrian and a californian) were all clustered around me and asking to see something from their country / state. The irony of course is that they all had iPhones. And they can’t do that on their iphones…
BOTTOM LINE: AT&T — YOU NEED TO TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES MORE ON WHAT IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE DEVICES – JUST LIKE THE CEO IN THE SPRINT ADVERT IS SAYING!
BOLD TIDBIT – one rep at the store said that AT&T would be finishing a tower upgrate process at the end of October, and after that is done, they will release the BOLD. It seems all those iPhones have been sapping the 3G juice right out of the system. Knowing the BOLD would be so popular, AT&T have been delaying things until they could upgrate their 3G networks. Is this really the case? I don’t know, but I thought it was an interesting story.
My impressions of the AT&T Samsung Epix i907:
I liked the biggger screen (though I’m sure it will be a while before all the software I use is ‘optimized’ for its new screen dimensions) and that hefty battery ought to last through the day! The optical mouse is great as it removes the need to pull out a silly stylus – and this is important to me. The haptic feedback is helpful. Size-wise, it’s not bad at all.
I didn’t like the shiny grey plastic housing. It looks cheap to me compared to a matte finish or a rubberized surface. Because of the reflective surface, it was a little hard to read the letters on the keyboard. I’ve been a smartphone user for years, and I like my “back” button, but I’m sure I would get used to it.
When news of the SGH-i780 broke around September 2007,I really wanted this device. It seems like the perfect match of form and function for me. But in the interveining year, other newer devoces have been announced and released making this seem a little old and tired.
I have a question for the more technical folks on the BGR site: In what ways is the AT&T Epix i907 different from the originally released SGH-i780?
Of course, the new epix is running winmo 6.1. Does one have more / less memory? Faster processor? Better throughput?
Many thanks for your help on this!
This is what I have been waiting for. I don’t know where BGR is coming from with the FAT comments. I currently have a Tilt and THAT is fat.
I was a Treo user before and I really miss the one handed operation of a front facing keyboard.
My new Epix arrives tomorrow, so I guess my day is shot. I love new toys!
It was $99.99 yesterday on attwireless.com but it is now $199.99 today. Does anyone understand the immediate price increase?
I’m guessing it was a typo… the price sheet I saw in an AT&T store today had $199 after mail in rebate…
Guys, I decided to purchase the phone site unseen based on the specs. I figured that .5″ is about the same size as current blackberry phones, iPhone, blackjack II, etc.; plus I was looking at getting the Palm Treo Pro (retail for $549-Dell has it for $475). It is supposedly .53″ and it looks pretty slim compared to my Treo 750 which is .87″ thick. The main reason I pulled the trigger to get the Epix without seeing it is because I convinced AT&T to sell it to me for $99. They honored the price that I saw online yesterday (10/21/08) WITHOUT a mail in rebate. I only paid $99 + tax. The reason for that is because my contract was screwed up, else I could’ve bought it yesterday. AT&T made me happy today. As long as it’s not as thick as my 750, I won’t complain about it’s size since I get such a power packed phone for $99. Hope you guys have as much luck as I did…
Ive held it and it is basically as thick as my treo pro. Hardly any difference at all.
As for the haptic feedback, just look on google, a hacked version of the software is readily available (and it is configurable). It is running free and clear on my treo pro, major improvement (the treo pro rocks by the way, much faster and more stable than my tilt was, and the front facing keyboard makes ALL the difference).
Anyone with a Treo Pro want to trade for an Epix? I like it alright, but I really wanted the treo. Let’s make a deal! adamking1 at HOTMAIL
do you know if it has voice command?
plus, i can walk into class with my phone and plug it into the projector and display my project, like my word documents and excel spread sheets and even play a power point off of this.
I’ve had a epix for a couple weeks now and i like it except for 2 things: 1) the touchscreen doesnt seem sensitive enough. 2) I can’t get used to the optical mouse, I can’t navigate fast enough. I prefer the 4-way nav over optical mouse but sometimes you need the optical mouse (my fingers are too fat to hit little buttons, and taking the stylus out to click a button is just dumb).
Luckily I found a nice little CAB installer for chgFingerMouse on http://www.MySamsungEpix.com that lets me change the mouse function on the fly in any program using one the hardkeys.
It’s alot easier to use now but i still wish that the touchscreen was more responsive.
I wanted to know if you can use the Wifi Ferature on the Epix with out having the internet package on the phone form At&t.
I have had the epix for over a month. My only problem with it is that it has a lot of trouble connecting to wifi. I called at@t but they don’t “support” problems with wifi.
ps and I do have the internet package with at@t. When I asked if I could use wifi without the package they said they didn’t know.
I’m a Epix owner and I thought it would be neat to create a Wiki for Epix users to share tips and info. I hate looking through posts for tips or a site where I can’t contribute something useful. Check it out and add your tips.
@epixness, where did you find the cable to connect to your projector? I haven’t had any luck finding one.
Best Buy has this online for 89.99$ with a new two year contract and 139.99$ with a 2 year upgrade. As far as plugging into a projector I don’t think Epixness was plugging directly into the projector but using the phone as a mass storage device plugged via usb into a pc where he can pull up his powerpoint, words docs, and excel sheets.
the epix is thicker than the i780 but it has a massive battery, rated at 1800mAh.