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?"

Comments

Conventional Wisdom

[haunebu]

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.