Messaging, Internet & Connectivity
4.5
Combining a high resolution main display with large, easy to use buttons, the M1 makes reading and composing messages quite easy to do. The M1 relies on Sprint's standard navigation and messaging screens, which are functional if not the most elegant UI implementations to be found on a mobile handset. However, the QVGA screen resolution allows for text rendering that's crisp and easy to read even at the smallest font size setting. In fact, when set to display the smallest font size, the M1 can show an entire 160 character outgoing message without scrolling.
The M1 also features support for AOL, MSN, and Yahoo! instant messaging and email, as well as Sprint's own PCS email. While heavy users of email and messaging will likely want a smartphone with a full QWERTY keyboard, the M1's large keys, easy to read display, and fast EV-DO data speeds make it a solid choice for messaging nonetheless.
Internet access on the M1 comes by way of Sprint's Power Vision network. While the M1does have a Web browser capable of displaying many HTML websites (pages are reformatted to a one-column layout), Power Vision Internet access is all about Sprint's custom content. Sprint's EV-DO data network allows for some of the zippiest wireless data access in the United States right now.
Power Vision service is not cheap, and Sprint's TV, Movie, and Music content is - dare I say - a bit overpriced itself. But the M1 handles all of Sprint's content with ease, and streaming video looks particularly good on the handset's QVGA display. A nice feature of the M1 is its ability to play video clips in either portrait or landscape mode, the latter approximating the widescreen format of film and HD video.
Sprint's online offerings also include games, ringtones, themes, and wallpapers available for purchase, download, and use on the M1. Again, this premium content isn't cheap, but it does work very well on the handset. The Sprint stores are relatively well designed and easy to browse, though some pieces of content are found in odd and/or multiple locations.
The M1 is a dual-band CDMA handset with support for Sprint's EV-DO data network. It only works on Sprint's network. Wi-Fi support is not included on the M1.
Bluetooth includes support for audio devices including the A2DP stereo profile as well as file transfer and wireless printing and use of the M1as a cellular modem. In a somewhat odd move, Sanyo built the M1 with Bluetooth v. 1.2 and not 2.0. The phone also comes with a data cable that plugs into the bottom-mounted accessory port and allows for syncing via the included connectivity software, and use of the phone as a USB flash drive with a PC (though placing/receiving of calls is disabled in USB mode).
The M1also features a 2.5mm stereo headset jack that works with the included earbuds. A 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter is also included to allow use of any standard headphones with the handset.
The phone features 1 gigabyte of internal memory available for user storage. There is no removable memory card slot for memory expansion.
