CTIA Fall 2009
The Intrepid is essentially a follow-up to the Ace. It's a very business-oriented phone aimed at the corporate type who needs Windows Mobile and global roaming. The Intrepid doesn't change a whole lot, but it does update to Windows Mobile 6.5.
[updated] The keyboard look more BlackBerry-like, which should be a good thing, but using it was disappointing. The keys are very sharply angled, in a weird way. The keys are large enough that you should be able to use your thumbs, but the weird angle forces you to use your fingernails. It could be much better.
Curiously, the Intrepid has a touch screen, even thought it's only QVGA resolution. It never hurts to have the extra option of using your fingers, and most of the improvements in version 6.5 of Windows Mobile are aimed at devices with touch screens, but somehow it seems odd in this device. It's almost as if they added the touch screen just to show off the pretty new Start menu in Windows Mobile Pro 6.5.
Like the Moment, Samsung and Sprint have done little to change the default OS. Just like the Moment has "plain" Android, the Intrepid has a very standard version of Windows Mobile. That seems to be a thing with Sprint these days. Too much carrier meddling with the interface is often unpopular with tech-minded consumers, so it's refreshing to see a carrier trying to deliver the "orginal" OS experience.
The rest of the Intrepid hardware is unremarkable, although it's nice to see a 3.5mm audio jack and 3.2 megapixel camera. That's more attention to casual needs than we see in some business-oriented phones. The low-res screen is unfortunate, though. A higher-res display would benefit all tasks, business and otherwise.
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