Customer reviews from Samsung US
Samsung - I917 Focus Mobile Phone (Unlocked) - Black
Average customer rating
4.4
(868 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 868 reviews
5 Stars
535
4 Stars
224
3 Stars
47
2 Stars
29
1 Star
33
87%of customers recommend this product.
(
686 out of
785)
Customer Reviews for Samsung - I917 Focus Mobile Phone (Unlocked) - Black
Customer Rating
5
Provided Services (Ecosystem)
on April 17, 2011
Posted by: Be300Hn
from Imperial, MO
Expertise:Intermediate
This review is going to focus primarily on the WP7 OS. While it does have some missing features which would be nice to have now, it is a Rev 1 initial release and even with the missing features is a pleasure to use. Microsoft has acknowledged these missing features (multi-tasking for 3rd party applications, IE9 and improved support for office documents with SkyDrive are my primary concerns) and has noted they will be released later this year, copy and paste is already in the process of being updated. Where I think the WP7 really shines is the tight integration with Microsoft services and social networks (currently Facebook integration is the best available Twitter integration to come later this year). Ecosystems seem to be what a mobile OS needs to be considered a contender, I have used the IPhone4 & Blackberry never used an Android Device but have done a decent amount of research on them. So I am familiar with other OS ecosystems with that said I believe Microsoft has developed an Ecosystem (which is more than just apps also consider Services Provided) in my opinion which is unmatched by any current mobile OS.
1_Office integration OneNote is fantastic I can update on my Laptop, Web Browser (SkyDrive) or WP7 and they all stay in sync. Also has SharePoint, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Can't sync Word or Excel with SkyDrive yet but supposedly later this year.
2_Xbox Live integration manage your profile, customize your avatar, see what friends are online, check your gamer score, check messages, unlock achievements through Xbox Live games on your WP7, also has non Xbox Live games as well etc..
3_Zune integration my personal favorite, good selection of Songs, Music Videos, Movies & TV Shows (Rent/ Stream or Buy) and Podcasts . Desktop software is a pleasure to use very Stylish/Modern looking. Zune Pass is great allows you access to their entire music library you can download and transfer to your phone (useful for limited data plans) or stream an album from your phone, can also use the web browser from any PC to stream music as well. Also worth mentioning is how Zune services can be used across multiple platforms example I could rent a movie and watch it on the Television (through Xbox), Laptop or WP7.
4_Windows Live (Hotmail & SkyDrive) also works well with WP7 to sync calendar, contacts and email (my opinion this is the best email set up I've used ). View & edit from web browser OneNote, Word, Excel & PowerPoint. Currently OneNote will sync with your WP7 so you could edit it on your laptop, through web browser or WP7 and your notes stay in sync (support for Word and Excel are suppose to be out later this year). You also have the ability through find my phone to map it, ring it, lock it and erase it should you happen to loose your phone. Also have the ability to upload pictures from your phone to SkyDrive overall a pretty impressive set of tools.
5_Bing is also integrated and I find it a pleasure to use on my laptop or phone. I find it to have a very modern/stylish look to it and is also a very capable search/decision engine. I really like Bing maps integrated very well on the phone also very well done on the Web with quite a few options available.
6_Internet Explorer is not to bad renders pages quite well and is pretty responsive would like to have more options for favorites, flash support along with HTML5 which should all be resolved with IE9 mobile version later this year.
2_Xbox Live integration manage your profile, customize your avatar, see what friends are online, check your gamer score, check messages, unlock achievements through Xbox Live games on your WP7, also has non Xbox Live games as well etc..
3_Zune integration my personal favorite, good selection of Songs, Music Videos, Movies & TV Shows (Rent/ Stream or Buy) and Podcasts . Desktop software is a pleasure to use very Stylish/Modern looking. Zune Pass is great allows you access to their entire music library you can download and transfer to your phone (useful for limited data plans) or stream an album from your phone, can also use the web browser from any PC to stream music as well. Also worth mentioning is how Zune services can be used across multiple platforms example I could rent a movie and watch it on the Television (through Xbox), Laptop or WP7.
4_Windows Live (Hotmail & SkyDrive) also works well with WP7 to sync calendar, contacts and email (my opinion this is the best email set up I've used ). View & edit from web browser OneNote, Word, Excel & PowerPoint. Currently OneNote will sync with your WP7 so you could edit it on your laptop, through web browser or WP7 and your notes stay in sync (support for Word and Excel are suppose to be out later this year). You also have the ability through find my phone to map it, ring it, lock it and erase it should you happen to loose your phone. Also have the ability to upload pictures from your phone to SkyDrive overall a pretty impressive set of tools.
5_Bing is also integrated and I find it a pleasure to use on my laptop or phone. I find it to have a very modern/stylish look to it and is also a very capable search/decision engine. I really like Bing maps integrated very well on the phone also very well done on the Web with quite a few options available.
6_Internet Explorer is not to bad renders pages quite well and is pretty responsive would like to have more options for favorites, flash support along with HTML5 which should all be resolved with IE9 mobile version later this year.
The above mentioned are all Provided Services (Ecosystem) of Microsoft which they have integrated into WP7 and done it quite impressively also these are all services which I can access from my Laptop, Web Browser or WP7 device (all with my windows live id one password for all these services very convenient). There is always room for improvement and any of my complaints are very minor with the majority of them being fixed with the update due out later this year. I have been using this phone since Nov 2010 and still find it a pleasure to use, it is unlike any OS currently available, very responsive/fluid, the UI is very modern/stylish looking. I find the Live Tiles to be a very good idea especially once developers start to utilize them better example there are apps which let you track the score of a game on the tile which pushes updates so you could just glance at the screen see the score without getting into the application and get back to life. I could see where this would very useful for many applications such as airport information is your flight on time, gate updates etc… Microsoft also has the best developer tools around they have created a lot of apps in a short amount of time. As for the hardware the screen is fantastic, not sure I like the placement of the power button (on the side continuously turning it off by accident until you get use to it), expandable memory storage, I believe AT&T is finally starting to roll out Windows Certified Micro SD cards. I found this to be the phone which appealed to me, it is nice to be able to choose a phone manufacture and model of your choice and still maintain a consistent End User Experience, overall I am very impressed with the current user experience and very excited about the direction in which WP is heading.
Pros: Bright display, Lightweight
Cons: location of power button
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
4
Performance
5
Design
4
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
The simplest high tech phone ever
on April 19, 2011
Posted by: Mississippi
Expertise:Intermediate
This phone has everything you can imagine and is the easiest to learn to use unlike some other brands that are way to complicated or take too much time to learn. I love the sleek design and light weight. The pin to start is so much better than small icons on other phones. Great job Samsung.
Pros: Bright display, Inexpensive, Realistic color, Lightweight, ease of use, large icons on start screen
Cons: battery usage
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Fantastic Phone
on April 22, 2011
Posted by: jdandison
from NC
Expertise:Expert
Love this phone. The software is great, the vertical integration with Microsoft's services (Xbox Live, Windows Live, Zune) is fantastic.
Hardware is speedy and light - and the screen is just awesome.
Pros: Bright display, Durable, Realistic color, Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
4
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
fully funcational
on April 25, 2011
Posted by: gunman49
Expertise:Intermediate
Has everything I needed to be productive in my business
Pros: Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
Simply awesome interface
on April 26, 2011
Posted by: nynj2000
from NJ
Expertise:Expert
It is so much better than any other smart phone I had before including "the one". Apple may need to watch out for this one.
Pros: Built-in speakers, Bright display, Inexpensive, Durable, Realistic color, Lightweight
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
4
Performance
4
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
3
Windows 7 Focus
on May 2, 2011
Posted by: Rika76
Expertise:Intermediate
I bought this phone in January of this year I like it but the only thing that I DO NOT like is that I can not upload nor send videos via MMS....
Cons: can't send video
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
3
Design
4
Value
3
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
4
Capability/Function?
on May 12, 2011
Posted by: beintimidating
from Sterling, VA
Expertise:Intermediate
Being an enthusiastic Samsung supporter, I'm stumped on the capabilities of this phone. Either Samsung has taken technology to a new level that is beyond me or it's VERY simple. Ringtones? Wallpaper? Fonts? Volume control (Silent, Loud/Outdoor)? What happened to these options?
My other issue is probably a little whiny, but this phone has an EXTREMELY sensitive touch screen. This may be a pro for others, but this is definitely a nuisance for me.
*I would like to justify my non-recommendation of this product: Being in the 20-25 age range, without ringtones and personalization, I couldn't imagine any friend of mine being interested.*
Pros: Built-in speakers, Bright display, Inexpensive, Durable, Realistic color, Lightweight
Cons: low function, high sensitivity
No, I would not recommend this to a friend.
Features
2
Performance
4
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US
Customer Rating
5
By far the BEST phone I've ever owned :o)
on May 13, 2011
Posted by: ichbins217
from florida
Expertise:Intermediate
Looove the sleek design, the crisp pixs, MS and windows-7, being able to check my emails and FB on the spot... calendar which keeps me on time, many free apps, fabulous music and videos, enough memory to have my fav pix to show off :o)
Highly recommend this phone to anyone who wants to be connected in this 21st century!
Highly recommend this phone to anyone who wants to be connected in this 21st century!
Pros: Built-in speakers, Bright display, Inexpensive, Durable, Realistic color, Lightweight, easy display of all options, thin in design
I would recommend this to a friend!
Features
5
Performance
5
Design
5
Value
5
Written by a customer while visiting Samsung US