Smart phone or PDA with phone?
Discussion
Having just got a new job that will mean meeting and contacts with a dose of driving I'm looking to consolidate my communications kit. I currently run a Palm Tungsten T, a Siemens SL55 and have a Garmin GPSMap76S.
I'm therefore considering rolling all this lot into one and can see the two camps; smart-phone and the PDA-phone. Both of which can have something like TomTom installed.
Does anyone have any particular views/gripes about what I should be looking at? More than that, are there any particular pieces of kit to consider/ignore completely? I've noted a couple of items, not looked at them yet, but want to hear suggestions first rather than prompt a reply to one that I mention.
Cheers,
Rick
I'm therefore considering rolling all this lot into one and can see the two camps; smart-phone and the PDA-phone. Both of which can have something like TomTom installed.
Does anyone have any particular views/gripes about what I should be looking at? More than that, are there any particular pieces of kit to consider/ignore completely? I've noted a couple of items, not looked at them yet, but want to hear suggestions first rather than prompt a reply to one that I mention.
Cheers,
Rick
Have got an Orange C500 smartphone and like it a lot. If your contact and calendar management is mainly done in Outlook, with the odd addition/move on the device, it does the job very well; it's as much as I ever need. It's excellent as a regular phone too, very responsive and with great battery life.
My housemate has an Orange M2000 pda-phone; it's pretty big and bulky, battery lasts two days tops (one day with a lot of calls) and it's a bit awkward to make a quick call or send a text while walking along. However, as a mainly data-focussed device, it's great. Web browsing is very useable, data input via stylus or the slide-out keyboard is very easy, it can connect to wifi networks, and you've got the full range of PocketPC apps to use.
Somewhere in-between is the Orange M500 (aka MDA Compact, XDA Mini, etc) which is a full PDA-phone but shrunk down. The screen is a little on the small size for full PPC resolution, but it gives you all the power and apps in something properly pocketable. They're still a little awkward to use as a phone due to the lack of keypad, but at least it's not like sticking a massive slab up to your ear!
If you can live without built-in wifi, I'd probably recommend the M500/MDA Compact. I had one on order for weeks and only cancelled for the C500 because I got fed up with waiting and found a brilliant deal with the Copilot satnav included. They're probably the best compromise yet if you need all the functionality PocketPC offers.
If you mainly spend your time on the phone but want to keep your full Outlook diary and contacts with you, the C500 (or it's replacement, the C550) is perfect.
I don't have much experience with them, but if you prefer the Palm platform (or have spent a lot on apps), the Treo phones may be worth a look.
My housemate has an Orange M2000 pda-phone; it's pretty big and bulky, battery lasts two days tops (one day with a lot of calls) and it's a bit awkward to make a quick call or send a text while walking along. However, as a mainly data-focussed device, it's great. Web browsing is very useable, data input via stylus or the slide-out keyboard is very easy, it can connect to wifi networks, and you've got the full range of PocketPC apps to use.
Somewhere in-between is the Orange M500 (aka MDA Compact, XDA Mini, etc) which is a full PDA-phone but shrunk down. The screen is a little on the small size for full PPC resolution, but it gives you all the power and apps in something properly pocketable. They're still a little awkward to use as a phone due to the lack of keypad, but at least it's not like sticking a massive slab up to your ear!
If you can live without built-in wifi, I'd probably recommend the M500/MDA Compact. I had one on order for weeks and only cancelled for the C500 because I got fed up with waiting and found a brilliant deal with the Copilot satnav included. They're probably the best compromise yet if you need all the functionality PocketPC offers.
If you mainly spend your time on the phone but want to keep your full Outlook diary and contacts with you, the C500 (or it's replacement, the C550) is perfect.
I don't have much experience with them, but if you prefer the Palm platform (or have spent a lot on apps), the Treo phones may be worth a look.
I've got a SonyEricsson P900 now..
Quite a bit older now, things have moved on but a very good PDA/Phone!
If I were you.. wait for the next one to be released (P1000 I think it will be named)... looks to be one of the best yet.
Of course the price tag will be a few pennies! On contract you should be able to get it cheap enough.
Try www.esato.com for some info on these phones.
Dave.
Quite a bit older now, things have moved on but a very good PDA/Phone!
If I were you.. wait for the next one to be released (P1000 I think it will be named)... looks to be one of the best yet.
Of course the price tag will be a few pennies! On contract you should be able to get it cheap enough.
Try www.esato.com for some info on these phones.
Dave.
I use the HP iPAQ 3640. It's great - I've got a 1GB SD card in it - TomTom5 runs great, it's bluetooth, WiFi, and does all I want of a phone / PDA.
I used to carry around a iPAQ 5450 & a Motorola Razr, but now only one device.
The battery life can be bad, but it's on the cradle at home, charges in the car - no real issues for me that 2 days without charge is about the max (unless you turn off the backlight & WiFi)
Runs movies OK, lots of space for MP3s....
Only downside is texting when walking along can be a pain...I simply stop walking for a moment
Hope that helps,
Chris
I used to carry around a iPAQ 5450 & a Motorola Razr, but now only one device.
The battery life can be bad, but it's on the cradle at home, charges in the car - no real issues for me that 2 days without charge is about the max (unless you turn off the backlight & WiFi)
Runs movies OK, lots of space for MP3s....
Only downside is texting when walking along can be a pain...I simply stop walking for a moment
Hope that helps,
Chris
Avoid the MDAIII like the plague, for ever losing & dropping calls, mic failures, freezes, stupid qwerks like not being able to use the text from texts eg use number, stupid that some features you can use your fingers others you cant so its crap as a phone in all honesty. buttons on every face a crap idea, Bluetooth only works 1m away max!, appalling quality if and when it does work.
Lots of features badly developed by guess who?
Lots of features badly developed by guess who?
I've had a look at the Sony 910i and was quite suprised by the size. Seemed like going back a few years to the standard mobiles of the mid-nineties.
Still, being sensible. I reckon the GPS useage won't be that cruicial (more of a third place function). So it'll be phone first, PDA second, GPS third. The problem I've got at the minute is that Outlook is the weapon of choice in the office and I don't want to have to install Palm Desktop and a transfer application to get my mail, contacts and meetings form desktop to handheld-item.
So does anyone have any views over the Sony 910i vs hendheld PDS/phone?
Rick
Still, being sensible. I reckon the GPS useage won't be that cruicial (more of a third place function). So it'll be phone first, PDA second, GPS third. The problem I've got at the minute is that Outlook is the weapon of choice in the office and I don't want to have to install Palm Desktop and a transfer application to get my mail, contacts and meetings form desktop to handheld-item.
So does anyone have any views over the Sony 910i vs hendheld PDS/phone?
Rick
The 910i is a nice phone no question, but I feel that its a bit of a lump...
I stand by my recommendation above - ipaq & phone all in one, works well, is a bit smaller (certainly thinner) than a 910i, and seemlessly integrates with outlook.
With regards to the comment above about not being able to us the info in texts, just cut & paste and you are there...
Hope that helps
Chris
I stand by my recommendation above - ipaq & phone all in one, works well, is a bit smaller (certainly thinner) than a 910i, and seemlessly integrates with outlook.
With regards to the comment above about not being able to us the info in texts, just cut & paste and you are there...
Hope that helps
Chris
chris.mapey said:
With regards to the comment above about not being able to us the info in texts, just cut & paste and you are there...
Chris
Thats exactly what you cant do with an MDAIII, some apps you can, some parts of the same app you can but receive a text or email & you cant cut & paste from it. Seems incredibly daft which it is & is obviously an oversight as is the whole MS based OS.
There is a way round it & thats to forward the message & from within that message you can cut & paste. Especially annoying if someone send you their address or postcode & you want to type paste it into multimap etc you can't aaaaggghhh
A badly executed/tested/released piece of software IMHO
>> Edited by cptsideways on Saturday 20th August 14:58
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