New Communicators from Kyocera and HP

An anonymous reader submits: "Here are two links to articles about the new HP iPaqs and Kyocera's new Communicator .... Both are pretty sweet pieces of hardware."

Comments

other kyocera products

[random735]

I have a Kyocera QCP-6035 "smartphone" (basically a PalmIII+cellphone) and based on my experience with it, i'd defintely buy another Kyocera "hybrid" device. The integration is incredible..when i'm using it as a phone, I forget it's a PDA. when i'm using it as a PDA, I forget it's a phone. Except for those occasions when it's *useful* that it's both (ie jotting down notes while on the phone). None of this "touch screen" buttons for dialing crap, my phone has a real keypad, etc.

The new 7135 looks like it continues this pattern.... that said, I got my Kyocera for $50 after rebates. I wouldn't be inclined to be an early adopter on a device like this (6035s started around $500-800)

Re:other kyocera products

[angst_ridden_hipster]

I'll second all of that, but the 6035 is more than basically a Palm III + Cell Phone. It's also a wireless modem and a voice note recorder.

It's also a really spiff ssh-1 wireless terminal.

It's a heck of a product. You can get 'em now for $100 with the rebate and commitment to Verizon (ack). But they've got a 700/1000 minute plan with long distance included and data calls just counting against minutes for $50/month.

At least with the most recent revisions of the ROM, they did a great job with the integration. It's all pretty natural and easy to use.

Re:other kyocera products

[mesocyclone]

I am a longtime owner of the Kyocera QCP-6035 and I find it a surprisingly lousy product compared to what it could be. The integration of the Palm PDA and the phone is almost non-existent. I want an integrated device, not just two devices in one package (although I have it because the latter is still better than the same two devices in two packages).

I would be much more careful next time, as Kyocera has not demonstrated to me the ability to create a good user interface that integrates the features properly.

Maybe I'm just missing something or didn't RTFM enough times, but just calling someone in the Palm phone book is a real pain

Samsung's new ones

[jlv]

I have the Samsung I300 Smartphone - color palm + phone. Like the Kyocera 6035, it's already obsolete. But, I love it.

Interesting enough, while Samsung is about to release a new smartphone (the I330) that is much like the I300, they have an even newer palm/phone coming out later that is a flip phone like the new Kyocera. Pics here
http://www.pconline.com.cn/digital/textlib/mobile/ m01/10206/69730_1.html
and here
http://www.mobilmania.cz/Mobilnitelefony/Ar.asp?AR I=102483&CAI=2107

maybe finally someone got a clue?

[rapid prototype]

is it possible they are finally catching a clue? from kyocera's man Goetter:

"Voice is still the killer application, and our device has been tailored for voice first," Goetter said. The gadget's design is more like
that of a phone than a PDA. It's foldable and has a keypad, and its size is phonelike too. It measures 3.97 inches by 2.43 inches by 1.17 inches and weighs 6.6 ounces.

"Other (similar devices) are very much PDAs first. We're coming at it from a phone-centric standpoint," Goetter said.

exactly. i'm not carrying two clunky devices (cell phone and PDA), but one of those devices is more important (cell phone). maybe when i'm tired of my nokia i'll check out this one, after the price drops a bit next year.

-rp

Re:maybe finally someone got a clue?

[infiniti99]

The problem is that a phone-centric combo device is probably going to be a bad PDA. I'm already convinced that PDA-centric combo devices (like the Nokia 9000 series) are bad phones. Thus, my opinion on combo devices is that they simply aren't as usable as separate, dedicated components would be.

While you say you'd rather not carry two devices, I think that is the optimal solution. 99% of the time, you only need your phone, but in the 1% instance you need a PDA, you want something good. I say take the cell phone with you all the time, and then choose to take the PDA with you depending on the necessity. Bluetooth completes this.

Me? I use the Nokia 6310i and the Sharp Zaurus. No compromises.

Kyocera rocks!

[Satanboy]

I just got a new Kyocera three days ago, and I'll tell ya what, its got the best sound of any cell phone I have ever heard, and the interface is a breeze.

I would highly recommend one, they are much cheaper than many of the other phones out there, and they seem to be better.

I am very happy to see they are getting their PDA phones out. My phone isn't a total PDA conversion, its more of a hybrid with a web browser and 56 k connection, but its still very usefull and I am very happy to have one.

--those are my two cents anyways

Re:Why buy Palm?

[JWW]

Ummm, because they're generally HUNDREDS of dollars cheaper.

I really like the look of the iPaq, but for $600-$750, I could buy another desktop. For another $200-300 I could buy a full fledged laptop.

400 MHz

[colmore]

I've heard that the move from 200 to 400 MHz on these devices has barely changed noticable speed, while adding a good $200 to the pricetag.

I'll wait for reviews to cement the decision, but I'll probably be going with an older, not that much slower, 200 MHz device.

Re:400 MHz

[Anonymous Coward]

The word appears to be although the Xscale chip runs at 400 MHz when running code for the previous generation Arm chip, it runs it about as fast as a 206 MHz ARM. Multimedia is said to actually perform poorer than with the previous generation of PocketPCs.

Microsoft says they will only support the Arm ver. 4 code base, Intel says you really ought to be compiling for Arm ver. 5. So we the users, will suffer.

I speculate that Microsoft is hoping that pads kill pocketPCs so they can kill PocketPC development and support a single Windows code base.

The Greatest Improvement...

[T3kno]

Is that they finally transposed the iPaq and Pocket PC logos. I have been waiting for months for somone at Hewlettcompaqard to pull their head out of their ass and fix this. Finally!! I'm off to BestBuy.

Re:The Greatest Improvement...

[T3kno]

Please disregard my previous post. I have been smoking especially potent crack. I found myself on an alien world called Bdjarneaux surrounded by little poprox eating orange worms, and /. was my only link back to reality. Thank you.

This thing is neat, but...

[spaten-optimator]

Article:

"The 7135 features a color screen, Global Positioning System technology, a Secure Digital expansion slot with input and output capabilities, and a built-in digital audio player. The device comes with 16MB of memory and runs version 4.1 of Palm's operating system."

That's all well and good (and, based on the picture, a hell of a lot sexier than the Treo's that are running around my office now), but what they need to fix (before adding all the bells and whistles) is the fact that I can't drive from work to home and talk to my brother on the phone for 30 minutes without getting dropped during the handoff between cell towers.

They also need to fix their "nationwide coverage" that doesn't include some key semi-rural areas (I checked - they're in the US) where I go on analog roam, spilling dollars a minute down my phone.

I'm not saying an integrated GPS-PDA-MP3-Web browser-Phone is a bad idea. I think its yet another cool geek toy.

But for god's sake, take some of that R&D money and BUILD SOME MORE TOWERS!

Re:This thing is neat, but...

[Osty]

And you of course, oh holier than thou one, have never spoken to a passenger whilst driving. It's the same thing. If the phone's in a _proper_ handsfree kit, there's no issue.

No, it's not. Not even close. With a passenger in the car, he or she has the same view of the road as the driver. Therefore, if a situation arises where the driver needs full concentration (and you'd be surprised how often this happens, what with soccer moms in their oversized SUVs and idiots talking on their phones ...), the passenger can shut up. The person on the other end of the phone has no clue, and will just continue to babble on and on, distracting the driver and causing a dangerous situation. There's more to driving than just having your hands free for the wheel and shifter (if necessary). To be a good driver, you must have situational awareness. You need to not only know where the other drivers are on the road in relation to your car, but you also need to be able to anticipate what they're going to do. How can you do that if you're chatting up somebody on the phone, talking about where to go to dinner or what movie to see later? Simple -- you can't. Anybody who says you can is either an idiot or a liar.

Don't get me wrong. I don't subscribe to the Liberal battlecry of "There should be a law!" I'm not saying there should be a law against talking on a phone while driving (although there already are such laws in some areas). All I'm saying is that for your own safety and mine, please keep the phone conversations to non-moving situations please.

Re:THIS is cool

[angst_ridden_hipster]

Well, I ssh into my servers from my Kyocera 6035 all the time.

When I go into places like Starbucks, people ask me "Dude, is that a phone, or a brick?" because it's bigger than their dinky little Motorolas. I laugh along with them, because by the time they get their double mocha frappaccinos, I've r00ted their box from my phone, and am tr0janizing their Outlook to send all their sensitive business plans to the competition, and their pr0n collections to their wives.

path paralysis

[Lemmy Caution]

I'm considering switching carriers, waiting for my carrier to come up with a new product, going with a Kyocera or a HandSpring or a Nokia or a Sony Eriksson - in fact, the proliferation of options, and the fear of service abandonment/obsolesence - has motivated me to do nothing. I've frozen my decision to upgrade my phone service until there's been a market shakedown. (The opportunity cost of waiting is not great - I have a cell phone and a palm pilot already.)

I know that a number of other people are in the same boat, and with funds and budgets being tighter, people don't feel like they have money to burn on just getting the fastest-newest-fanciest. What does that mean for the ability of manufacturers to develop new products? I'm not really sure, but I do think that a lot of manufacturers are going to feel some pain for a while still.

Re:Why buy Palm?

[rodgerd]

Because the Palm has a shitload better UI, as well as a better life. And some of us have cellphones that need to be charged once a week, not once a day.

I don't see why people bother with iPaqs. They're bigger, bulkier, and far less practical.

Complete spec from the Kyocera web site.

[FocaJonathan]

The complete spec from the Kyocera web site.