AT&T's Samsung Epix now epically official

It's already been floating around for a day or two, but Samsung and AT&T have decided to go ahead and follow up their latest WinMo smartphone's release to stores with... oh, you know, some actual press material. The i907 Epix rundown goes something like this: Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, 3.6Mbps HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, 2-megapixel cam, AGPS with AT&T Navigator, Video Share support, 320 x 320 2.5-inch touchscreen display, and one of those crazy "optical mice" for on-screen navigation when using the touchscreen itself is just too much trouble. Get it now (or yesterday, if you were really on the ball) for $99.99 on a two-year contract.

[lettcco @ Oct 21st 2008 12:43PM]

epix fail?

[Cybergypsy @ Oct 21st 2008 12:44PM]

Fail

[iEye @ Oct 21st 2008 12:47PM]

So basically they went with a super useless 2.5" touch screen so that there would be space for AT&T to put its slap happy Logo and name on it?

nice, nice...

[Phoenix @ Oct 21st 2008 12:48PM]

for once... I agree with you.

[Neil @ Oct 21st 2008 1:01PM]

Sad, but apparently true...

[tpadekar @ Oct 21st 2008 2:05PM]

WOW... for once, I agree with you... Can't believe I just said that! :-)

And +1 just for that! :-)

[Esat Dedezade @ Oct 21st 2008 2:54PM]

Me too! See how by not mentioning the iPhone and saying everything but it sucks people actually treat your comments with respect!

[Canoo @ Oct 21st 2008 12:50PM]

Whats with the huge gap between the screen and the buttons? Surely it wasn't designed like that just for AT&T's logo.

[Esat Dedezade @ Oct 21st 2008 2:55PM]

That. Was. Epic.

Ctrl + D for me!

[ccoolty @ Oct 21st 2008 12:50PM]

So... It's another winmo phone. whoop dee frickin doo, basil.

When did engadget become a phone site and not a gadget site?

[Chris Ziegler @ Oct 21st 2008 12:55PM]

And a phone is... yep! A gadget. Settle down.

[ccoolty @ Oct 21st 2008 12:57PM]

Are you the phone defender?

A quick look at your history shows mostly(if not all) replies on posts about phones.

http://www.engadget.com/profile/168435/

[Chris Ziegler @ Oct 21st 2008 12:58PM]

Actually, yes. I'm Engadget's mobile editor. Nice to meet you.

[Jon @ Oct 21st 2008 1:00PM]

OWNED!

[Ed @ Oct 21st 2008 1:01PM]

Ohhh.... don't you feel like an idiot now. LOL!

[Jon @ Oct 21st 2008 1:01PM]

More seriously, this is a pretty neat device. I'm not sure I've seen a phone with this form factor that has a touch screen. And the optical mouse thing is neat too. And it's available today.

[Lowest Ranked @ Oct 21st 2008 1:14PM]

Even if you are new ccoolty, you're not making a good first impression. Bashing a tech blog for posting gadget related info? And a quick glance at the top of the article would have confirmed the author's identity as the 'phone defender'.

[Zelatio @ Oct 21st 2008 1:42PM]

Jon:

Wait...really? Have you ever seen any Palm device made in the past 10 years?

[rock99rock @ Oct 21st 2008 2:01PM]

Chris, that was one of those moments in your life that you can always look back on and say, awesome. Take a screenshot, show the grandchildren in 40 years ;)

Hilarity! That made my day.

[Jon @ Oct 21st 2008 2:45PM]

@Zelatio:

Ah, I forgot about the Palm devices. First Windows Mobile one, then, maybe.

[Phoenix @ Oct 21st 2008 3:03PM]

...all the recent palms HAVE been Windows Mobile.

[eggothewaffle @ Oct 21st 2008 12:52PM]

Personally, I prefer the upcoming Homeric Epix model more.

Although I can't begin imagine the odyssey it will have to undergo to come to these shores.

[ccoolty @ Oct 21st 2008 12:55PM]

What? I heard something about a illiad reference, but, what?

[eggothewaffle @ Oct 21st 2008 12:57PM]

Oh ccoolty, what are you harpying about now?

[NRGZ28 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:07PM]

This phone does look pretty good though.

[nightrydr21 @ Oct 21st 2008 1:20PM]

I'm sure the phone is $199.99 after contract

[Jon @ Oct 21st 2008 1:29PM]

$99 after MIR.

[Charles Knight @ Oct 21st 2008 1:30PM]

"and one of those crazy "optical mice" for on-screen navigation" - I don't understand why people are getting so hung-up about the optical mouse - you don't like it, you turn it off with a couple of clicks and it works as a standard d-pad. I've been using a i780 for over six months and it works just fine.

[TheGasMan @ Oct 21st 2008 2:09PM]

Hmm... Didn't know you could do that. Interesting.

[Neoprimal @ Oct 21st 2008 2:06PM]

That gap with the logo is like a pulsating zit on someones face, just ready to blow....you WANT to ignore it, you WANT to look away, you WANT to focus elsewhere, on eyes, cheeks, anywhere else!, you WANT to pretend like everything's alright, do the polite thing, you know?


....but...you...just...can't.


I suppose $99 on a 2 year contract will make the phone at least attractive to some. But personally, I couldn't deal with the small screen and the huge waste of space between the screen and buttons.

[emanuel castro @ Oct 21st 2008 2:08PM]

neat

[Brad Endsley @ Oct 21st 2008 2:19PM]

Holy Crap!! If you follow the read link and go to AT&T's web page, and then expand the Wireless Technology +, they say it supports the 21,000Mhz band. I wonder if the FCC has been informed.

[213Katabasis @ Oct 21st 2008 2:27PM]

its $199 after MIR .. i work at ATT so i would think i would know.

Also, the screen ends where the battery slot begins... prob why there is a gap.

[Shea @ Oct 21st 2008 5:25PM]

"so i think i would know"
uh... welcome to the 2nd grade.

[Abhishek @ Oct 21st 2008 2:53PM]

I bit and bought one today. After waiting forever for the Bold, and the Fuze, and being disappointed with the iphone, I went ahead and got this baby. It's a nice device. I'm a guy so I don't mind carrying a thick phone, even then it's not much thicker than the iphone 3g or the blackjack.

What its got: Standard WinMo 6.1. It's got great specs, which is the reason I got it for. Wi-fi, GPS, 3G speed, etc. The battery life is supposed to be 7 hours which is awesome! The standard html browser does it's job decently. 624 Mhz processor on this beast, and it shows. Haven't used the stylus much but it's a great option to have. Camera is nice.

Cons:
Listening to music requires a conversion jack to 3.5 mm because just like ALL SAMSUNGS, this one uses that samsung universal port for headfones and charging and USB-laptop connect. Haven't had a chance to test it out in terms of volume and stuff, will do it on my way back from work.
Another issue I would have with it would be, the screen I believe is 320 x 320. With a lot of 3rd party apps being developed for a 4:3 aspect ratio, I don't know how compatible (or incompatible) they might end up being for the epix.
Still, right out the box, it was a choice between this or the htc tilt. I wish AT&T carried Nokia's (specially the E71) and i'd be on it in a second. As of now, this will have to do. Hopefully I won't be let down by this phone.

Ohh, and texting on this is easy. That's a great plus for a big texter like me.

[Al @ Oct 21st 2008 4:12PM]

I beg to differ I have a Samsung i760 and mines has bad, but not as bad, 2.5mm jack.

[Cornelius @ Oct 21st 2008 4:53PM]

You're going to be regretting this purchase once the touch pro is out in a couple weeks.

[Abhishek @ Oct 21st 2008 5:09PM]

@ Cornelius

Naah. I'm not much of a touch screen fan. Hate getting it all smudgy and stuff. I prefer keypads and buttons. But even then, I would be highly surprised if they manage to release the Fuze before December.

@ Al

My bad. I got wrong information frmo the AT&T rep then.

[Jason @ Oct 21st 2008 9:23PM]

Abhishek, what's the verdict on the volume?

[Abhishek @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:23AM]

Hi Jason,

I'm coming off a Nokia N95, so to say the volume of call and speaker is decent is saying something. Obviously it's not as loud as Nokia's, but they're not bad. Certainly better than the iphone 3g.

[kwahhn @ Oct 21st 2008 2:54PM]

Pretty sure it's 99.99 after MIR.

http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-details/?device=Samsung+Epix(TM)&q_sku=sku3030219

[213Katabasis @ Oct 21st 2008 3:05PM]

ok ..... i am typing this from my work computer right now and am staring at the phone display. The phone in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho is $199.99 AFTER MIR ... it rings up at @299.99 and you get $100 bucks back in the mail.

Online =\= instore pricing

[kwahhn @ Oct 21st 2008 3:16PM]

So buy it online. It's still 99.99 as the engadget article claims.

[Joe Adkins @ Oct 21st 2008 3:30PM]

Anyone else notice that it's available without the obligatory $35 PDA connect service? Website says it's available with the $15 Media unlimited plan. You save $20 a month. For that fact alone I'm thinking about picking one up.

Wonder if the PDA connect thing is a error?

[Abhishek @ Oct 21st 2008 4:03PM]

Actually, that part is a bit iffy as of now. They said that I need to be on a data plan to be eligible for the rebate. The PDA data plan = $30, but that I can take it off after the 1st month when the rebate comes in. Otherwise, I can take the $100 rebate and buy samsung accessories.
The Mail-in rebate as of now, only lists other devices. The Samsung Epix isn't even up on any rebate form till now. I'm waiting to see what happens. Because I already have a $20 unlimited texting plan, and i'm hoping if I do need a plan...I can go buy with the $15/month rather than $30.

[kevin @ Oct 22nd 2008 12:11AM]

i checked one out at the store today and i have to say the keyboard is a disappointment. the blackjack ii had a good keyboard but the keys on the epix are too close together. considering that waste of space where the att logo is, the keyboard really took a beating for absolutely no reason. i was thinking about getting one, but now i guess i'll just wait for the lg incite or att fuze.

[Mark @ Oct 22nd 2008 1:25AM]

$99 is a great price for a Treo 800w competitor.

[Abhishek @ Oct 22nd 2008 10:14AM]

Hmm...when I visited the site today, they've taken off the $100 online discount. So now it's $199 after Mail in rebates.
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phone-details/?device=Samsung+Epix(TM)&q_sku=sku3030219

I got mine y'day from the store, and since I had a print-out with me of the webpage where it clearly states $99 after MIR, the manager logged in and manually deducted the $100. Though he didn't have a mail-in rebate document for the Epix ready though. I'll be pissed if this thing is jacked up to $200 after rebates. At $99 it's worth it, at $199, i'll have to rethink (coz just down the street, I can get a Nokia E71 for $365 before bargaining).

[Rich Gautier @ Oct 22nd 2008 8:32PM]

F---- AT&T - I just bought a Tilt on the 19th. This has more resolution on a slightly smaller screen and more processing power, and I now have a 2-year contract....talk about obsolete the minute you get something...*@&^!&*%@#*@#

[Judson @ Oct 22nd 2008 8:57PM]

Just return it, Cingular has a 30 day return policy