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Sprint Goes Global With New Samsung Phone

Gary Krakow

In the past, business travelers who carried one cell phone on an overseas business trip had to choose from models from AT&TT or Deutsche Telekom's DT T-Mobile.

That's because those two cellular providers use the GSM cellular standard and -- even though the U.S. uses different frequency bands -- it was easy to make handsets that worked here and abroad.

So people who used VerizonVZ and Sprint NextelS in the U.S. basically had to get a second phone for use in other countries.

Watch my video review to see how the Ace performs its magic:

Last year, Verizon introduced the BlackBerry 8830 -- a combination CDMA-band phone for use in the U.S. along with a built-in GSM radio for use on overseas frequencies. The 8830 is a very large handset that lives up to its claims -- somewhat.

Last month, while covering the Mobile World Congress convention in Barcelona, we found that our 8830 handsets allowed us to make phone calls but refused data connections while we were in Spain. Verizon was never really able to explain the problem. But, the bottom line was that our BlackBerry couldn't do email in Spain.

Although not a BlackBerry, the Samsung Ace is a clever new CDMA/GSM solution from Sprint. The Ace is really a CDMA version of the Blackjack phone -- with overseas GSM coverage added in. The main difference between how Sprint and AT&T handle things is that overseas, Sprint gives you a choice.

First, let me tell you about the handset itself. It's small and thin: 4.65 inches by 2.32 inches by 0.46 inches. It weighs in at a scant 3.9 ounces. There's a 1.3 megapixel camera on the back and a useable QWERTY keyboard on the front. The skinny lithium-ion battery is said to be good for more than four hours (less if you're addicted to Solitaire -- like I am).

There's a thumbwheel on the side to help with navigation. The Bluetooth is of the stereo variety (that means you can listen to your music via wireless stereo headphones).

All sorts of goodies are inside, including music downloads (there's a microSD slot for storage) and also the Sprint TV (a subscription service). Watching videos on the phone was pretty good on the 2.3-inch color screen.

The Ace runs on Microsoft's MSFT Windows Mobile 6 operating system -- not Research In Motion'sRIMM BlackBerry. If your company runs a Microsoft Exchange server -- than this phone will do the trick. Of course, it doesn't work on TheStreet.com's system.

The phone itself runs on Sprint's CDMA voice network here in the U.S. -- as well as their high-speed EV-DO data network. Super-fast downloads come standard.

For the overseas half of the phone, Sprint has come up with an interesting solution. Instead of locking the SIM account card to use only Sprint services, you have a choice. If you want to use your Sprint account and U.S. phone number when you're overseas, you're all set.

But, if you want to save money, you can purchase a local-use SIM overseas and use it in the Ace. That also means that you'll have a local phone number (so people there don't have to dial a U.S. number to reach you). It's a cheaper solution for people doing business in foreign countries.

Sprint is currently offering the Ace for $450 -- minus instant savings of $150 -- minus $100 instant rebate -- for a grand total of $200 with a service plan -- including its $100-a-month all-you-can-eat offer.

In my testing, I found the Sprint-Samsung to be a great solution for Microsoft Exchange users who frequently travel overseas.

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