Is ATT's ogo A Worthy Purchase?

PhosterPharms writes "The ATT Wireless ogo is a new device on the market which allows unlimited instant messaging, e-mail, and SMS for a $99 purchase, $20 activation, and $15-24 a month service fee depending on options. The idea of having access to my e-mail and AIM no matter where I am is very alluring, but the only review I can find seems somewhat negative. The ATT Forums seem mixed. Does anyone have any experience with the ogo or any suggestions for alternatives? I don't need another cell phone, just a cheap e-mail and IM client - the $300-400 that service providers want for Sidekicks and Blackberries (Plus $40 a month) seem a bit too much."

Comments

Probably not, compared to the other options

[willfe]

I did read your whole question, so sorry for recommending what you said you're not eager to do anyway :)

You're paying $120-ish to get started, then $20 a month for service. Except it's mail, IM, and web only. No phone, SSH, other apps, expandability, etc.

Take a couple hundred dollars ($300 or so, I think), grab some rebates from amazon.com, and get a Treo 600 (or preorder a 650). It's a cell phone, that also runs PalmOS. It supports two-way SMS chat, web browser, IM clients galore (many of them free), IRC clients, mail clients (including POP3 and IMAP), SSH clients, etc. You can be on a phone call (with a headset or just on the normal stuff, or speakerphone) and still get into the other apps and do other things (phone and data are mutually exclusive, but you can play games, mess with the PDA apps, load cached browser pages, etc., while on a call).

You're paying more, yes (service starts at $50 a month), but you get a hell of a lot more, too. I think that's at least 300 national minutes on peak, unlimited off-peak and weekends, and data in unmetered. Using the same cable the beast comes with (though they make smaller/more portable ones that both charge and sync via USB -- even handier on the road), you can attach the phone to your desktop or notebook and get internet access at about 4x dialup speeds with better latency.

Add that you can throw in memory cards to increase storage room, use all its PDA stuff, add software (lots of it free, the rest pretty cheap), and it adds up to a *very* handy device. Use something like Trillian, which proxies your IM messages (on lots of different networks), you can maintain a constant online presence without having to have the client open all the time, etc.

Essentially it's worth the money. I had a Treo 300 for a year and a half (until a number of personal issues destroyed my ability to, um, pay any bills :) and loved it. The Treos are infinitely hackable, amazingly flexible, do lots and lots of stuff, and they're one of the few examples of really spiffy technology that actually works right and can help make life easier. Oh yeah, the 600 and 650 have one of those goofy cameras built in too.

So, um, yeah, my input may not be entirely helpful if you're really limited by budget, but if you can afford it, you will officially like the Treos if you give them a shot. I miss mine and intensely wish I still had mine in service or had a 600 :)

Ehh...

[Gangis]

Some people may think that it'd appeal to deaf users like me, but from reading up on it, I think the Sidekick II (which I own) is a much better choice. Granted, you pay more (Although if you go here you can purchase the Sidekick II for $139.99 instead of the $479.99 retail price.) but you have the ability to do telnet/SSH (REALLY useful!), upload homebrew games and programs.

The Ogo, on the other hand, seems to be an entirely closed system. If I was really strapped for cash, I would consider that but overall the Sidekick II is a much better choice for the geek on the go.