Slashdot Mirror
Does Anyone Actually Use a "Smartphone"?
jm2morri asks: "I am currently in the market for a new cell phone and while I'm at it I'd really like to combine my PalmOS based PDA into my new cell phone. I'd really like to keep PalmOS based so that I can sync with my wife who has a PalmOS based PDA as well. However I don't want a camera since there are new security laws being written, as I type this, to restrict the use of camera-phones. Has anyone used one of the smartphones on the market? What is the voice quality like? How often does it crash? Do you have any other observations?"
For the last year and a half, I have been using a Motorola A008 which is a simple smartphone. While I didn't expect to find it so useful (I bought it because it was a special offer for 99ukp for a sim free GPRS - ideal spare phone).
The notepad and enhanced contacts are invaluable, as is the keyboard for sms.
Sadly, it recently developed a really weird fault (works when roaming, just not at home!) and to save time I just upgraded to the Treo 600.
Just my first impressions, but it looks like it will prove just as useful, though not always as convenient, but I can put multilingual dictionaries on it which is a great use for me. mobile email is also a consideration.
All in all, so long as the phone side isn't made too difficult, some of us can make good use of smart phones. However, if all you want is a nice decent phone, there are many simpler and more convenient devices on the market.
This raises some of my concerns about the newer more complex smart phones. The firmware ismore complex and there is a higher likelyhood of something going wrong. I also have a 3650, which is sort of a halfway house and the damned thing constantly reboots, leaks memory and generally incites me to buying large blunt objects!
:)
I assume that the software developed in these devices is to the same standard as most of the rest of the industry. To much rush and too little testing. There is a lot to be said for a bog std phone that is just a phone
Working for Nokia I've participated in several internal product testing (beta) programs over the last four years. The best advice I can give to someone considering a smartphone is this: Wait until the device has been on the market for a few months before you buy it.
Internal testing is pretty good at finding major bugs, but some always slip through and find their way into the hands of the consumer. Most of these become obvious after the device has been on the market for just a few weeks - the sheer volume of people using the devices means bugs are found quickly. Nokia is pretty good at taking that feedback and rolling out updated firmware - usually less than two months after the product's been on the market. (Gotta keep that field failure rate down!)
People looking for stability should avoid devices that use the initial firmware version, unless they mind taking their device in for an update a few months later.
It was the same with my Sony Ericsson P900. The initial firmware release (R1A) had some annoying problems which are well documented on enthusiast sites, but four revisions later (R4B) it's turned out to be a fantastic device.
Blue skies, Barthy Burgers, girls...
I had Kyocera 6035 for a couple of years. Then I switched to Handspring (now PalmOne) Treo 600. I have been using it for over 6 months (since the week it came out in stores).
Treo 600 is the best smart phone on the market. I have sprint as my provider and also have their vision professional pack for $15 per month extra that allows me UNLIMITED web access. I have not used the SMS much but I mainly use my phone for voice calls which are of great quality, it has an awesome speaker phone, it does have a decent camera (cameraless versions to be available soon), included keyboard is the best. I also use my phone to check work email using Sprint's Business Connection software (don't need to buy extra VPN software), you can even log into your VPN using this phone, it also has POP and SMTP mail access, Calendar function is great and I use it greatly, Hotsynching is amazingly easy to do, you can install Palm applications over the air, included web browser is a full featured web browser and you can view just about any website. I also have an additional proxy based browser called Reqwireless WebViewer (a java based AMAZINGLY FAST browser, costs $20 one time, worth every penny).
This phone is amazing if you are a true computer user. I use it sometimes with VNC to access my Windows XP desktop!
There is so much you can do with this phone. There is tons of palm OS freeware and paid software. If you need answers to anything regarding this phone, check out Treocentral Discussion Forum. Great site with tons of useful info, people reviews, experiences and software links.