Figured I'd share my thoughts on the i760 as well. The i760 is replacing my trusty WM2003 iPAQ and it's also my first Bluetooth phone. Hopefully this will be useful to someone not coming from another PDA phone.
Initial thoughts: It's smaller than I thought it would be, but not as small as I'd hopped. But then again it is a PDA phone and it's still easily pocketable. The soft screen takes some getting used to. Dragging horizontally it sometimes feels like there's a "texture" to it...almost like the stylus is hitting a piece of dirt. It's a big change from the hard screen of my old PDA, but I wouldn't say it's worse. Hopefully it's as sturdy over all.
The slider is very easy to use. I'm still getting used to the bit of "shimmy" that occurs when putting it in or out of my pocket. I also have to ship my grip a bit to keep it from trying to open when I use the answer button. It's never actually opened, but a bit more stiffness in the mechanism would be great.
Keyboard/keypad: This is why I got the i760 instead of waiting for the XV6800. The keypad/keyboard combo works great The front soft key locations don't bother me at all. In fact, I like how close they're placed to the d-pad: it's just a matter of shifting your thumb from the d-pad to hit them. Because of this I find myself using the d-pad almost exclusively, something I never did on the iPAQ. In fact, 90% of my daily use of the phone is done without the stylus or keyboard, and probably 75% with just the face buttons.
The keyboard takes a bit of getting used to, but I'm betting that's true of any keyboard this size. I have hit the call button a few times while using the keyboard, but it's not a deal breaker. Tilting the i760 as MRailing suggests does help.
The only thing I don't like about the keyboard is that it works so well in most cases that you really notice the ones where it doesn't. For example, the symbol pop-up menu is excellent, but doesn't seem to work on the e-mail password field. I also don't like how the front keypad is duplicated on the screen for some phone features. However, this is a WM6 thing, so I can't really fault the i760 for this.
Audio: Yes, my phone does have the "tinny" or "buzzing" speaker. But it's only the earpiece. The speaker phone sounds great, both to me and the person on the other end. The buzzing isn't horrible, and dropping the volume a bit does help. However, it is there. Calls sound fine with the Jawbone headset.
Bluetooth/Wi-Fi: No issues here so far. My new Jawbone headset paired up easily with the phone and works great. I was also able to connect to 802.11g network without any trouble. EVDO is readily accessible in my home, so I think the phone is using that instead of the wi-fi. (Is there any way to force wi-fi instead of EVDO?)
Performance: This is hard for me to judge since my last PDA was a WM2003 device. However it seems snappy enough. The screen orientation changes quickly and programs load quickly as well.
PIM Functions: I'm synching one exchange account and two POP e-mail accounts. This has really changed the way I work. Now I can scan e-mail first thing in the morning and have my mailbox cleaned out before I turn on my office computer. I just wish Exchange allowed you to synch notes wirelessly.
Software Added So Far:- Magic Button - "X" Button closes programs
- Weather to Go - Today Screen Weather Plugin
- Calendar Plus - Enhanced Today Screen Plugin. (I really wish tAgenda worked on WM6...)
- FlexWallet - Password Management
- LogMeIn client - Remote Access
Other: CallWave voicemail management (not really on the phone, but a great service)
Planned additions:- TCPMP - Media player
- TomTom or Garmin GPS software (w/Bluetooth GPS puck)
Accessories: So far I've only bought the Samsung desktop charger and a NazTech case. My feelings on the case can be found in the case thread. I knew the desktop charger was really just a cradle, but I needed it to keep the phone from getting lost on my desk. I like that it can hold the phone horizontally or vertically. It would have been perfect if VZW had included an actual charger in the box. As far as other cables, I plan on picking up an additional travel charger for the cradle and a retractable sync/charge cable and coiled car cable when available.
Other Comments: I'm still searching for a single-line date/time plugin for the Today Screen. I like the Samsung clock, but the "3d effect" on the background graphic can make it difficult to read at times.
Final Thoughts: I'm glad I upgraded. Having one device to carry is great and the EVDO has made it possible to be productive in places I wouldn't have thought possible (waiting for my car, at the doctor's office, etc.) And having all my contacts on my phone is very, very nice. Even more so since I didn't have to enter them in manually.
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