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Selecting a PDA/Cellphone Combination?
zrk asks: "It's coming time to replace my cellphone - way out of warranty, physically broken, the coverage isn't what it could be, and so on. My initial thinking here is that I should replace it with a combination PDA and cellphone, but I have no clue as to which way to go. The selection process seems to be along the lines of either getting the cellphone service/coverage I want OR getting the small computer I need and living with passable phone service. Another possibility is to get a phone and PDA that easily interact. I live in the north-eastern part of the US, and given that I travel occasionally, I'm concerned with phone service. Verizon seems to have the most complete coverage, but they don't offer all the devices. AT&T also seems OK, but there have been a lot of complaints about bandwidth. Sprint is OK, but coverage is spotty as you go more rural (insert your own Axe Gravy Soap joke here). I know of Handspring's various products, some of the Pocket PC type devices, and also the Kyocera Smartphone lines (still waiting on the 7135!). Which way do I go, George, which way do I go?"
"If you're going to recommend something, have some questions I'd like you to answer:
- How is your PDA functionality - limited, annoying because of size, etc?
- How is the phone service?
- What do you wish your PDA/Phone could do that it can't?
- Is it worth buying a combo unit or should I consider elements that interact properly?
I've got a Sidekick. Its a new platform, there developer program isn't even open yet. The service is through T-Mobile.
But, the hardware itself is awesome. Its a JVM based system, and the hardware has:
Qwerty Keyboard, spin wheel, D-pad, USB, IrDA, a Phone plugin, 16M ram.
Current Apps:
Email, AIM, Calendar, Asteroids Clone, ToDo, Notes, A NICE Address Book, Web Browser, SMMS Messages, Phone, Tetris Clone.
And the "Desktop Interface" is unbelievable. You go to a website, login, and you have access to all of the application features of the device. It just keeps everything synced. And these aren't pared down interfaces on the web. It's a good email client, a good calendar, etc.
-- Crutcher --
#include <disclaimer.h>
CNET seems to have a comprehensive list of reviews. In addition to the product lines mentioned by the poster, I would like to hear user stories of the Samsung SPH-I300.
You should check out the T-Mobile Sidekick, also know as the Danger Hiptop. The designers won a few industrial design awards for this device, and it combines pda/internet/cellphone all in one tidy package, with unlimited data!
- Difficult to dial because the buttons are on your screen
- Next to impossible to dial from your phone book with one hand
- Very difficult to answer the phone while driving (I know, but I had hands-free).
- Vibrate mode eats batteries, and ringer is very quiet (uses Visor's speaker), so it's difficult to tell when you're getting an incoming call.
- Mine used Voicestream's service which at least in the New York/New Jersey area is spotty at best.
Would love to try something else, but for me, this one stunk.How is your PDA functionality - limited, annoying because of size, etc?
Functionality is good on the Treo 300, talk time is only 2-3 hours though, but it is enough, size is good compared to carrying a PDA and a cell phone, as phones go it is a little big but not too much so. About the only annoying thing is the screen isn't great in bright light, so unlike PDA's like the iPaq which have a great reflective TFT that works great outdoors it sucks to use the Treo outdoors.
How is the phone service?
I use Sprint, seems to have great coverage in all the area I have been in (mostly in the Southwest, where the rural coverage is actually pretty good).
What do you wish your PDA/Phone could do that it can't?
I wish my phone was upgradable, CF, PCMCIA, SD card, anything, it is totally non-upgradeable/expandable.
Is it worth buying a combo unit or should I consider elements that interact properly?
Sprints 3G is great for a little browsing and some POP3 via Eudora, I got it because I wanted to have Internet access anywhere, and it works great for that. So in that situtation, yes it is worth it, you do comprimise on some things (ie battery life) but other then that I enjoy the phone.
After having this thing for a month, the things that are not as happy are:
The last one was a particular problem for me. One of the most pressing reasons to get this was to have ssh (using TopGun SSH) access from my phone in case of emergency, or just feeling the need to check my email with Mutt. If you closed the phone to pick up your daughter, your connection was dropped because you launched the phone when you opened it. I used Buttons-T to get around this by telling it to do nothing when the phone is opened, and no problems since then.
The unit is probably heavy if you're used to a sleek model (I wasn't) but I have no problems keeping it in my pocket around the house at night.
One aside: I've tried getting the TopGun SSH source, and can't seem to get the Login portions that it requires. Anyone know where I can get the complete source? Emailing the author(s) hasn't worked. I'd like to do a code audit to make sure it is correctly verifing host keys, which I suspect is is not.
I bought my wife a Treo 270 for her birthday a few months ago, and our experiences have been mixed but mostly positive.
She's thrilled with the Treo's features and look. The battery life isn't what we were lead to expect from the ads (we get about 2 days +/-, regardless of airtime use, not "1 week of standby"...) but otherwise it's been great. We particularly like the SMS-Email gateway, which lets us send short messages back and forth to the home PC without using airtime for going online. (of course they finally released the GPRS upgrade, but it's more money than we can justify for how much we'd use it) It's the first palmtop organizer device for her, and my first experience with a cellphone. Pricey, but worth it (if you want a biggish-screen, in color, and a keyboard); all she really misses is MP3 playback.
T-Mobile has been another matter. After considerable trouble signing up (several long stories in itself; but after 2 weeks we finally found a competent person who got us going within minutes), we've had few real problems with our service in Denver. However, traveling is another matter. The Treo has no analog mode to fall back on, so we're reliant on spotty GSM coverage on the highways. Vegas is OK; but in L.A. we're roaming fulltime on some other netowrk. When we went to South Dakota recently, there was zero coverage in Northern Colorado, Wyoming, and western Nebraska (except for a few brief blips in Scottsbluff...) In general, cities with 7-figure populations and the Interstate highways near to them are pretty well-supplied, but elsewhere, forget it.
There is the Treo 300, which uses Sprint's PCS network that I'm told has far better coverage. However, we wanted a GSM phone since we also travel to Australia and Europe. I'm sure that GSM coverage in the USA will improve over time (heck, it could hardly get much worse...) - I hope it does sooner rather than later, since I want options other than those idiots at T-Mobile!
Perfectly Normal Industries
I have been a big fan and user of the "two devices" mentality because I find that the solo devices do what they are supposed to better than any one device.
Previously I had a Handpring Visor and a Samsung SCH-3500 phone hooked via a cable allowing me to use the cell phone as a modem for the PDA. With a minimal amount of work (five minutes of configuration) I was able to browse email and the web from the Handspring.
Now I have a Sony Clie T665C. I still have the Saumsing phone, but I am thinking about upgrading. Since the Clie - 3500 cable is running about $50, I would rather not invest in that expensive of a cable only to replace the phone in a few months.
Other than the original hardware charges- buying two devices instead of one and the cable charges (I got the Handspring cable for about $25) - the two pieces work well together. I have played with some friends' Treos and find them bulky.
A minor pet peeve - things with cameras on them. I have a Canon S200 Digital Elph that I enjoy a lot. I do not want anything wasting space with a camera. I realize that there are good needs for them, but I hate that more and more things (PDAs, cell phones, etc.) are putting cameras on them.
I realize this means that, along with my iPod, I will be carrying around four things in my pockets which could almost be combined into one device. I am willing to live with this since:
1) If one part breaks, I am not out a huge investment.
2) If one part breaks, I am not out the entire device.
3) If I do not need one part, I can leave it at home.
4) Each part does it job better than any combination device I have seen.
One other question is if you can use the PDA/phone devices as a modem for your laptop (using a USB cable). That is another use for my phone.
- (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
How is your PDA functionality - limited, annoying because of size, etc?
This phone is about the same size as cell phones were 3 years ago. It is a little larger than the average current phone but not unmanageable for a normal man's hand.
How is the phone service?
I live out West and Verizon has a plan that allows all of Nevada and California for one rate. The coverage has been very good. Out in the country/mountains there are stretches where I can't get a signal, but neither can anyone else so it's not just Verizon.
What do you wish your PDA/Phone could do that it can't?
I wish that security was connected between the two. On my old phone I left it locked all the time and only unlocked it when I was going to make a call. This one is difficult to lock and locking one side does not effect the other (Locking PDA does not effect phone and vice versa).
Is it worth buying a combo unit or should I consider elements that interact properly?
This depends on your usage patterns. I got the phone because I very seldom only needed just the phone or just the Palm. I always had the phone and I have to many phone numbers to keep them all in the phone and palm so most of the time I needed the palm. The newer phones have calendar functions and synch to the PC so if I was not already an avid palm user I could have continued functioning by just getting one of those. That would be my recommendation to anyone who is not using the palm for more than the built-in functions. If you use the palm occasionally then get the seperate devices. There are some cool "planner" binders that will hold both the phone and palm together and even come with a short sync cable so you can configure your palm to use the phone as a modem. This ends up being slightly bigger than the combo units, but it works.
Features I Love
There is a program for the Kyocera Smartphone that keeps track of your minute usage for the month and forecasts estimates for you. I use this all the time to manage costs. There is also a feature built in that adds an entry to the expense db for every call with a time/cost and the clients name. I help keep track of my client calls and get them into the right expense categories for work. I also use Eudora to check POP mail and the web while on the road.
Summary
Basically if right now you carry the palm and phone with you all the time, the combo unit is smaller so go with that. I also find it's harder to forget it because I am already conditioned to check for my phone before I leave the house.
If most of the time you do not carry both and don't regret it then just get the phone. It is much cheaper (probably free with a 1 year contract and rights to your first born) and probably smaller. And finally, if you are only using the palm for scheduling, phone numbers, etc. look into the phones that have that built in. They can synch with a program on the PC and then you have the combo unit without the size/price.
The Kyocera 6035 is not to expensive now because the 7135 is coming out. The 7135 is color (which I don't care about) and has an expansion slot (which I wish I had) so look at the reviews on it.
I can't wait for the P800, although i agree americans may have difficulty as it's GSM. AFAIC its the first fully-fledged PDA-phone combo thats actually the size of a phone.
Upsides of P800:
- size of a normal phone
- pen-based input. Using Jot, which might have been a problem for grafitti fans until palm announced its shifting to Jot
- all the usual stuff - MP3s, camera, bluetooth
- java
- Unbelievably, a mame port.
More downsides:
- Cost - currently selling at about US$900.
- Proprietary Sony memory stick rather than SD/MMC card.
First off, there are basically three O/Ses to choose from:
You may also have heard of SmartPhone 2002 which is another effort to bring windows to cell phones. The only model currently out is the Orange SA phone and based on the early reviews, your choice here is simple - STAY AWAY UNTIL REVISION 2!
For the Northeastern USA, the best choice will probably be the Kyocera 7135 SmartPhone. You are right that it is not selling on the Verizon system yet, but you can buy it from the Kyocera store activated for Alltell and then have your local Verizon store activate it for you. (Yes, they will do that.) You will want to check out SmartPhoneSource for a good community of people who have done this and for directions on doing it.
Hope this is helpful.