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Heaven forbid anyone ever compare Apple's $500 wonder to a like-priced device from another manufacturer. Why does everyone coo over the cruddy screen, when I can get 640x480 and 800x480 screens on other smart phones?

T-Mobile Ameo, 640x480 screen and real 3G broadband speeds.

Or wait awhile and pick up a phone in the I-Mate Ultra line. They all look sexy, and they all have a screen that blows the iPhone out of the water. And of course they all support real 3G speeds as well.

Or heck, just never get lost again.

All those prices by the way? Unlocked phones. If you are going to sign up for a contract, why pay $500 for a phone, when you can get a high quality (albeit not top of the line) Windows Mobile phone for under $100.

Hell, don't like Windows Mobile? Go with Symbian. They have some high-res devices that are a lot cheaper than $500.

For $500 you could almost BUILD your own cell phone and get something far more capable then what Apple is dishing out. Does anybody know of an after market supplier of GSM or CDMA chips? :-D

At the risk of sounding like a plug (it's not, it's just I've ordered from them before)...

http://www.mobileplanet.com/

You should be able to find something here.

The iPhone doesn't really cost $600, just like your average RAZR that comes with a 3 year contract doesn't cost $0. I don't know how much the AT&T voice + data contract costs, but if it's around $55/month you're paying $2000 for 2 years of voice and data + ownership of the hardware. Of course if you were going to pay for this voice and data plan anyway, and there's no chance of a better/cheaper one coming along from a competitor in the meantime, then you will end up with a pretty good deal.

A quick look at similar phones shows that they are around the $600-700 mark.

HTC Touch $590 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=149753
02 XDA Aton Exec $770 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=138374
HTC TyTN $685 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=145222

Given the premium that Apple usually charges for their hardware, I can't really imagine a stand-alone iPhone being sold for less than around $1000.

I personally have an HTC TyTN and it's fantastic, I just wish it was a bit smaller and that the touch screen was a bit easier to use with my fingers (without the stylus) - maybe I should grow a coke nail.

The iPhone doesn't really cost $600, just like your average RAZR that comes with a 3 year contract doesn't cost $0. I don't know how much the AT&T voice + data contract costs, but if it's around $55/month you're paying $2000 for 2 years of voice and data + ownership of the hardware. Of course if you were going to pay for this voice and data plan anyway, and there's no chance of a better/cheaper one coming along from a competitor in the meantime, then you will end up with a pretty good deal.

A quick look at similar phones shows that they are around the $600-700 mark.

HTC Touch $590 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=149753
02 XDA Aton Exec $770 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=138374
HTC TyTN $685 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=145222

Given the premium that Apple usually charges for their hardware, I can't really imagine a stand-alone iPhone being sold for less than around $1000.

I personally have an HTC TyTN and it's fantastic, I just wish it was a bit smaller and that the touch screen was a bit easier to use with my fingers (without the stylus) - maybe I should grow a coke nail.

The iPhone doesn't really cost $600, just like your average RAZR that comes with a 3 year contract doesn't cost $0. I don't know how much the AT&T voice + data contract costs, but if it's around $55/month you're paying $2000 for 2 years of voice and data + ownership of the hardware. Of course if you were going to pay for this voice and data plan anyway, and there's no chance of a better/cheaper one coming along from a competitor in the meantime, then you will end up with a pretty good deal.

A quick look at similar phones shows that they are around the $600-700 mark.

HTC Touch $590 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=149753
02 XDA Aton Exec $770 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=138374
HTC TyTN $685 http://www.mobileplanet.com/p.aspx?i=145222

Given the premium that Apple usually charges for their hardware, I can't really imagine a stand-alone iPhone being sold for less than around $1000.

I personally have an HTC TyTN and it's fantastic, I just wish it was a bit smaller and that the touch screen was a bit easier to use with my fingers (without the stylus) - maybe I should grow a coke nail.

Yes there is. Only the $600 version of the PS3 has WiFi.

You can buy a WiFi ethernet adaptor for less than $100. Why would you pay more again?

The other thing you forget is that MANY users of the system will never even want to hook into a network. I bought the PS2 network adaptor years ago but never installed it because there was no point - I enjoy single player games much more than the mindless fragfests that are most online games. I especially dislike the juvinile comments online, that turns a lot of people off and limits my time even on PC online games to a small amount.

So the $500 model is cheaper even for those that want to network - whatever percentage of console users that might actually be. Even the XBox does not have anywhere near 100% of users going online.

Have you looked at the Loox 720? - VGA
- Bluetooth + WiFi
- 128MB Flash
- 520MHz processor
- USB host

I think that I may have found something in the ballpark of what I want:

http://www.mobileplanet.com/product.asp?code=12897 7

(not pimping the site, just found it)

Anyone with OQO experiences, please feel free to share.

Heh. When I was at school, I used to listen to music while walking to/from class. I can't count the number of times I slung my heavy backpack full of math and science textbooks into the car, only to find that I'd accidentally wrapped my extremely resilient headphone cord around one of the straps. Headphone cable came out of the left side, phones wrapped around the back, but the mp3 player was on the right side, because I'm right-handed. Bag moves forward, pulls tough wire tight around neck...GAAK!

Have since purchased headphones with a breakaway plug in the middle.

http://www.mobileplanet.com/product.asp?dept_id=23 50&pf_id=MP731385&listing=1

In my work I spend about 30% of my time driving and 30% of my time walking; and I have a diminished attention span. So I listen to Sirius in my car, and internet streams on my Verizon Audiovox XV6600 using their unlimited EV-DO network here in the Chicago Burbs.

I had tried the same thing with a Treo650 on Cingular's EDGE but encountered nothing but headaches with the Treo. I've been a Palm fanboi since `97 and sadly the Treo650 changed all of that. It was completely unreliable even in factory settings just being used as a phone! The damn thing crashed when I received phone calls, when I received Emails/SMS, and once got into a reboot loop when I had the nerve to receive a SMS while on a phone call. I had it for 2 weeks and unable to resolve my troubles.

There are a few things I should warn about though in going the route I have. This burns through an amazing amount of battery, especially when used in conjunction with my iTech Bluetooth Stereo Headset which I highly recommend to anyone thinking of pursuing this route. It instantly makes this the coolest portable music route to take. But you'll need to also invest in a much bigger battery, I personally opted for a 2200mAh Li-Ion but there are 3300mAh also available. Of course you'll need a stylish case that can comfortably fit the engorged battery. My 2200 barely fits in my Covertec. Lastly, you'll need a decent SD Card if you don't have one already. You will be amazed at how much difference a spare gig of storage can make, and this actually makes for a nice portable video player as well.

Let us review the cost of convergence:
Audiovox XV6600 = $600
Stereo Bluetooth Headset = $70
2200mAh Li-Ion Battery = $80
Covertec Leather Case = $40
Corsair 1Gig SD Card = $80
Never being alone in the harshness of meatspace without the warm buzz of the collective = Priceless.

There are some things money can't buy, for everything else resistance is futile.

US$150 for a low-power wireless module + micro isn't bad, but it isn't inexpensive either.

These days, you can get Bluetooth _GPS_ units, with a replacable Li-Polymer battery, for the equivalent of US$120 these days. The things they are short on (as compared to this Zigbee board) is battery life (20 hours full tilt... as compared to years for Zigbee?), an accessible OS, and expansion boards for connecting sensors.

It would be _so_ nice if someone convinced Leadtek or Arkon etc to add TinyOS and sensor expansion capabilities things to their GPS units. :-P

Close- but I was also thinking more something with a ROM-based operating system, more like This with a bluetooth keyboard addon. Same specs though when it comes to drop, water & dust intrusion, etc.

Sorry to be a smart ass, but that problem has already been solved.

3 in 1 pda car charger

They also have a disclaimer that Sharp USA won't support it. $849.95 Mobile Planet

Doesn't matter, because the transfer rates for a 3gig $1100 CompactFlash Type II Card are so incredibly slow (3.5mB/sec). You can buy a 80gig IDE drive that transfers at 58mB/sec for $66.

That's 16 times faster for 1/16th the price. Anyone still want to replace your hard drive with a CF card?

Mobile Planet has listing for one by SanDisk and another by Socket.

...they also carry the Hagiwara Sys-Com card.

Mobile Planet has listing for one by SanDisk and another by Socket.

...they also carry the Hagiwara Sys-Com card.

Mobile Planet has listing for one by SanDisk and another by Socket.

...they also carry the Hagiwara Sys-Com card.

Mobile Planet has listing for one by SanDisk and another by Socket.

...they also carry the Hagiwara Sys-Com card.

I get the impression all the doo-hickey digital cameras out there right now really are the polaroids of the modern world. It looks like this one doesn't even have a flash. Convenient, but...in the end, we want our memories stored in a format that doesn't look like crap. Plus, with the tiny ultra-compacts Minolta and Canon have available, you're certainly not sacrificing much space or weight to have a real camera with you.

There are CF Cameras available to PDA users currently, but the reception to them that I have observed is generally luke warm. Neat idea in theory. But in the long run, when a year-before-year-before-last 2MP pixel can be purchased for practically nothing these days, using a 1.1MP or 1.3MP camera just doesn't make much sense.

Just because you CAN integrate it doesn't mean it's a worthwhlie idea.

First Mouse was made by MS, had a hard time waking up but other than that rock solid.

New mouse and keyboard are made by Apple. Work great, naturally.

Printer is connected via Bluetooth PM-300 USB Printer Module and works great.

And we know already that Apple's bluetooth adapter plays very well with cell phones...

Funny, there are a ton of other 40GB MP3 players that have been on the market for a little while.

This one is a bit cheaper than the iPod:
Archos

So, you might argue that the iPod is the smallest 40GB player out? Wrong again. Check this one out:
Rio Karma

Not that it's a BAD player- it's just not as Revolutionary as the Mac fanboys claim. :-)

Those iMacs don't look so bad... even if they're next to impossible to upgrade. :-)

Stewey

Is now soon enough? All you need is a modem.

AFAIK the NR series uses the same "Motorola Dragonball VZ - 66MHz" that is in the T-series.

See http://www.mobileplanet.com/askexperts/PDA_Palm.as p and e.g http://www.djajic.com/handhelds/Sony_ClieNR.html.

Palm machines aren't exactly known for fast CPUs, at least by desktop terms. This chart shows clock speeds from 16Mhz (Zire) to 66MHz (Sony Clie T665C), with most current units at 33Mhz. Now, I know clock speed ain't everything, performance-wise, but it kinda looks like most current machines won't be able to play much. Maybe spoken word stuff, which can get by with much lower bitrate & sample frequency, but forget ditching your iPod just yet...

Port the player to Linux for the Zaurus and iPaq, or even Pocket PC, and then yer talkin'.

I'm guessing you mean you want a Bluetooth dongle you can plug into your USB (printer | scanner | keyboard | mouse | HDD | joystick | pressure cooker) and make it work -- since this is the kind that seems hard to find.

Bad news -- it doesn't exist, and probably won't ever exist. If it does, it will be a hack that will cause a whole generation of telephone support personnelle to commit suicide (similar to the invention of parallel port scanners and other hack-job peripherals).

All is not lost, though. You can at least get rid of some wires. They make Bluetooth Parallel adapters and Bluetooth Serial adapters, some of which even have Linux drivers available! While not a complete solution, it is a (good?) start.

At the risk of sounding like some kinda company advert man, I'll just point people towards Mobile Planet. No, I don't work for them; I've just bought many fine wireless toys there.

They have various brands of 802.11b CF, such as:

Dlink

Casio

Linksys

Socket

and Symbol.

They also have the Xircom Springboard module that's being talked about in this thread.

At the risk of sounding like some kinda company advert man, I'll just point people towards Mobile Planet. No, I don't work for them; I've just bought many fine wireless toys there.

They have various brands of 802.11b CF, such as:

Dlink

Casio

Linksys

Socket

and Symbol.

They also have the Xircom Springboard module that's being talked about in this thread.

At the risk of sounding like some kinda company advert man, I'll just point people towards Mobile Planet. No, I don't work for them; I've just bought many fine wireless toys there.

They have various brands of 802.11b CF, such as:

Dlink

Casio

Linksys

Socket

and Symbol.

They also have the Xircom Springboard module that's being talked about in this thread.

At the risk of sounding like some kinda company advert man, I'll just point people towards Mobile Planet. No, I don't work for them; I've just bought many fine wireless toys there.

They have various brands of 802.11b CF, such as:

Dlink

Casio

Linksys

Socket

and Symbol.

They also have the Xircom Springboard module that's being talked about in this thread.

At the risk of sounding like some kinda company advert man, I'll just point people towards Mobile Planet. No, I don't work for them; I've just bought many fine wireless toys there.

They have various brands of 802.11b CF, such as:

Dlink

Casio

Linksys

Socket

and Symbol.

They also have the Xircom Springboard module that's being talked about in this thread.

At the risk of sounding like some kinda company advert man, I'll just point people towards Mobile Planet. No, I don't work for them; I've just bought many fine wireless toys there.

They have various brands of 802.11b CF, such as:

Dlink

Casio

Linksys

Socket

and Symbol.

They also have the Xircom Springboard module that's being talked about in this thread.

At the risk of sounding like some kinda company advert man, I'll just point people towards Mobile Planet. No, I don't work for them; I've just bought many fine wireless toys there.

They have various brands of 802.11b CF, such as:

Dlink

Casio

Linksys

Socket

and Symbol.

They also have the Xircom Springboard module that's being talked about in this thread.

Actually, to address this very issues I recently purchased an iPaq Stowaway Keyboard. Now, I am comforted by the fact that I can CTR-ALT-DEL any time I want!

Seriously though, the stowaway keyboard is fantastic if you're like me and can't write (using the stylus) anything more than a few words without getting frustrated. The one down side is that airport security agents aren't completely convinced that the keyboard isn't some high-tech weapon.

most are $1k+, but some good looking WinCE based ones.

A list of Tablets

Also check out this thing, Its WinCE with a generic clamshell, but has two fold points instead of one. This means you can put on a small plastic keyboard cover, flip the display all the way around and use it like a tablet. Also, theres a small CMOS camera in the middle part so you can take pics.

most are $1k+, but some good looking WinCE based ones.

A list of Tablets

Also check out this thing, Its WinCE with a generic clamshell, but has two fold points instead of one. This means you can put on a small plastic keyboard cover, flip the display all the way around and use it like a tablet. Also, theres a small CMOS camera in the middle part so you can take pics.

It is nice to have a small, highly portable machine, but I think I tend to agree--keyboards that small are uncomfortable to type on. I got an MPC-102, an earlier Casio subnotebook (still available from Mobile Planet). I think I'm going to give it to my sister, as she's in college, and presumably has smaller fingers. I think a Toshiba Portege and other machines in the three-pound class are are better compromises between size, weight and keyboard size. The Sony subnotebook, with the Crusoe processor, might work, too.

One thing that really bothers me about the -102 is that it cannot boot off of any but the associated Casio CD-ROM drive, which are rather expensive and hard to come by. I'm experimenting with an Archos PCMCIA drive, but I'm not sure if it'll work.

Another solution you may consider is the Intermec 6651 terminal (approx $1500 on Mobile Planet.com). It's fairly light-weight (approx 2 lbs), about the right dimentions (8.4" L * 5.5" W), has a built in camera, and also supports PCMCIA Type 2 cards, as well as CompactFlash cards. It runs Windows CE and the thing I like about it over the Compaq I-Paq is that it has a keyboard so you're not stuck screen typing everthing. The battery life is about 8 hours( as long as you turn the backlight off or autodimm it after a few seconds).

It only has 32 meg of memory which is split between storage and programs, but you could easily add a couple hundred meg CF card or Sandisk for the storage. The camera will do still pictures as well as video w/ sound. I have been able to fit about 2 hours of video on a 175 Type 2 Sandisk card, or about 8533 still pictures. Sandisk makes Type 2 cards up to 880 megs or so, but they are pretty pricey(~$1800). Over at pricewatch, you can pick up a 256 meg Sandisk for about $300 or a 256 meg CompactFlash card for about $355. The battery is removable, so you could get additional batteries (about $129) to swap out along with a couple of Sandisks during your ride and have your support van charge the batteries/upload the video.

Another great thing is that it has a built in 56k modem so you can dail into any ISP along the way (great for where you won't be able to get cellular coverage) and also a USB port. If you decided you didn't want to use the built in camera you could always opt for an external USB Camera that fit your needs.


If you want to know more, take the fuzzy rabbit slippers off and mail me.


In the words of Homer Simpson... "Mmmmm... beer."

Another solution you may consider is the Intermec 6651 terminal (approx $1500 on Mobile Planet.com). It's fairly light-weight (approx 2 lbs), about the right dimentions (8.4" L * 5.5" W), has a built in camera, and also supports PCMCIA Type 2 cards, as well as CompactFlash cards. It runs Windows CE and the thing I like about it over the Compaq I-Paq is that it has a keyboard so you're not stuck screen typing everthing. The battery life is about 8 hours( as long as you turn the backlight off or autodimm it after a few seconds).

It only has 32 meg of memory which is split between storage and programs, but you could easily add a couple hundred meg CF card or Sandisk for the storage. The camera will do still pictures as well as video w/ sound. I have been able to fit about 2 hours of video on a 175 Type 2 Sandisk card, or about 8533 still pictures. Sandisk makes Type 2 cards up to 880 megs or so, but they are pretty pricey(~$1800). Over at pricewatch, you can pick up a 256 meg Sandisk for about $300 or a 256 meg CompactFlash card for about $355. The battery is removable, so you could get additional batteries (about $129) to swap out along with a couple of Sandisks during your ride and have your support van charge the batteries/upload the video.

Another great thing is that it has a built in 56k modem so you can dail into any ISP along the way (great for where you won't be able to get cellular coverage) and also a USB port. If you decided you didn't want to use the built in camera you could always opt for an external USB Camera that fit your needs.


If you want to know more, take the fuzzy rabbit slippers off and mail me.


In the words of Homer Simpson... "Mmmmm... beer."

Actually, Fivas have been available in the U.S. for a while. I bought my -102 from Mobile Planet several months ago.

Ok I found some info... this does look cool... GRiD Pad, Medical uses, and an interview with some folks who worked on GRiD Pad.