Over the weekend I bought myself a new “toy”, the Samsung i780. OK, it’s not really a toy because this is essentially an extension of my work life. This is my first Windows Mobile device and for a Mac user this is a weird experience, but I purchased anyway and in a matter of 2 days, I…

  • Set the device to check my Gmail via IMAP every 5 minutes.
  • Work with my office Exchange server so I get real-time email, calender, contacts, and tasks sync from work. Yes, this is officially crazier than plain vanilla push email.
  • Installed, set up, and successfully navigate with GPS so I don’t get lost and won’t be late for meetings/dates.
  • Installed Adobe Acrobat LE for reading PDFs on the go.
  • Installed Flash Player 7 so I can watch YouTube on the go.
  • Set up home and office WiFi for faster than HSDPA connection when indoors.
  • Installed Google Maps just because the maps look better than the default GPS software’s, but the GPS chip doesn’t work with Google Maps.
  • Set the web browser to load my Google Reader feeds on start up. This is officially my “newspaper”.
  • Installed Olive Tree bible software so I got the holy book with me when I go to church.
  • Installed Blackberry Connect 4 and Citrix ICA client just in case I need the added connectivity.
  • Installed GPRS Traffic Monitor to track my data usage. You need to get the special version 1.11w for this device.

So far I have to say that I love the device (I don’t even know if I should call it a phone anymore). Everything I need is right there when I need it including email and meeting reminders when I’m taking a dump. I can already hear the anti-crackberry guys going… S T R E S S… but hey, if it helps me work faster and gives me more flexibility, why not? I like to think of it as convenience, not craziness. (And the people say: “yeah right!”)

Anyway, there are two thing which every owner of a Samsung i780 needs before we can conclude on TCO. They are: an unlimited mobile data plan and an extra charger.

Why unlimited?
If you leave the phone to do wireless ActiveSync on Exchange keeping you up to date with your work in real-time, then you’re talking about roughly 15-20MB of data traffic a day depending on how much email and changes to your schedule you have. Add Gmail IMAP every 5 mins, streaming YouTube, Facebook updates, Twitter messages, RSS feeds, Google Maps updates, and random tiny screen surfing, then multiply that by the days in a month. Now you get the picture.

Another charger?
The extra charger is for one simple reason. The battery life absolutely sucks! If you’re never near a power outlet, I recommend you never get this device. There is a reason why they give you two batteries in the box when you buy it. An ordinary mobile phone will likely last you 2-3 days depending on usage including wireless data usage and taking photos. This one doesn’t even last one day. I charge it overnight, unplug it in the morning, and head to work. Persistent HSDPA, occasional WiFi, and normal phone and SMS usage leaves me 90% empty by 10:30pm at night. Phone and network services then shut down leaving me with a plain old PDA and no emergency calls. That’s what you get with a device that has three wireless radios: HSDPA, WiFi, and Bluetooth.

TCO: Samsung i780 (S$288), StarHub MaxMobile (S$36.38/month), Extra charger (S$15)

Welcome to Ben’s connected world.

Upodate: I just installed Skype and Google Search for Windows Mobile. Great stuff, works perfect. Also, if you’re a major Google user, you’ll need this page with all the Google Mobile apps and services.