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Smart Phones


Dr. Love
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Anyone here have any advice on getting a smart phone (PDA/cell combination)? I like the ones that are more phone than PDA the best, and the real limiting factor is that the only carriers with any network around here are Verizon, Sprint, Alltel, and NexTel. It seems like most of the phones I've seen use T-Mobile or Cingular.

 

All I want the PDA portion for is to sync my address book with Outlook and run a few other programs. I don't need to web surf or do email or anything like that.

 

Any thoughts are appreciated!

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I looked at them a while ago... but I realized that after I bought the phone I'd want to get at least a gig of memory too, and that put it at about laptop price (last year)... so I passed.

 

I liked the Palm phones best, the Microsoft phones were also excellent... and I was staying away from the Symbian and proprietary phones (like the Sidekick).

 

They make some crazy ones that flip open sideways now with Qwerty keyboards. Those look pretty fancy.

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Don't have TOO much experience in this area, but I've heard Blackberry and Treo are the ways to go. I'd agree that you want more phone than PDA. Too big of a unit will get daunting. Stay away from Cingular. I'd go for Verizon or perhaps T-Mobile if their coverage is good in your area.

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Stay away from Cingular. I'd go for Verizon or perhaps T-Mobile if their coverage is good in your area.

 

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Oh yeah... I forgot about that.

 

Start with the service provider, then look at their phones. Phones are very specific to cell carriers and don't go across networks.

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Just a quick add... I went with Verizon as a new service provider. Been good so far. I nearly went with the smart phone that I could check emails with, etc. But I decided to go another route: bought a decent laptop which I could hook up to networks while traveling for checking email, etc. In fact, I'm on a wireless hotel network now. Plus, I can watch DVDs, etc. Not sure what the nature of your business is or why you need a phone that can do "smart phone" things... but I would highly suggest simply investing in a laptop and perhaps getting a phone with Bluetooth capabilities. :D

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I am going Treo 650 next month. Finally ready to make the plunge. I will report back after I have used it for a month.

 

Anyone have one and want to comment?

 

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Well, if there was any "smart phone" I was going to get, it would have been the Treo. Blackberry came in a close second, though. Let me know what you think... I hope I made the right choice in getting a laptop and upgraded my cell phone (although not to a smart phone).

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I've been thinking about getting a "smart phone" for a while now, but, I'm so backwards technologically, I wouldn't even have a clue what to do with all the features, etc...

 

Maybe someday I'll get something beyond my old (yet reliable) phone.

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I have the Kyocera 7135 Phone and Palm powered PDA. I love it. I do not use the email or web capabilities, but I have everything from Outlook synced to it. I also have about 200 contacts in it. I would love to download our local phone book, but I doubt I could. I use the datebook the most to keep track of appointments etc. I am headed for a convention next month and I have down loaded the schedule of events and locations into the date book for easy reference. A minister that I work with is putting certain scripture and service readings in to his memos, so he doesn't have to carry his book of worship, quite a novel idea. I use about 10% of the capabilities of this phone, but I didn't want to carry a PDA and a phone. The size is little bigger than I was use to, but it is better than two units. The only other thing I don't like is the vibrate mode is not very strong so I miss calls occasionally which is a real irratant. I rely heavily on my phone for work.

 

Edit to add: I am on Verizon. Our service out here in God's country is limited in spots and analog in most rural areas. This phone handles both well, but on analog you better have your car charger.

Edited by Rebellab
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I have the Kyocera 7135 Phone and Palm powered PDA. 

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I can't find that phone anymore... I was looking specifically for that model because it was Palm, it was a clamshell, and it was affordable. But, Verizon doesn't even list it on their website anymore.

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I can't find that phone anymore... I was looking specifically for that model because it was Palm, it was a clamshell, and it was affordable.  But, Verizon doesn't even list it on their website anymore.

 

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I got mine just a year ago, I am suprised that it is no longer available. I have seen quite a few other people with them in the last month or so. I will do some digging.

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Verizon just announced that they are finally going to get the Treo 650 on their network. The rumor around Christmas time was that it would happen this May sometime so it looks like that timeline is still in place. I would seriously wait until this becomes reality. The 650 is the best Smartphone on the market right now IMO and Verizon has the best coverage nationwide.

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Verizon just announced that they are finally going to get the Treo 650 on their network. The rumor around Christmas time was that it would happen this May sometime so it looks like that timeline is still in place. I would seriously wait until this becomes reality. The 650 is the best Smartphone on the market right now IMO and Verizon has the best coverage nationwide.

 

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From a guy that voluntarily left employment with Cingular (no sour grapes, just weren't the same great company I'd gone to work for eight years earlier, pre-merger) six months ago I would whole-heartedly agree with the above info. Since I no longer had employee bennies with CW, and not much to me is more frustrating than dropped calls and lack of coverage, I snapped up the Verizon (not PDA, just regular camera phone). My wife, even though the cheapass beetches about now having a cell bill, even comments on the better coverage and fewer dropped calls.

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Well, first I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts. Just to answer some of the questions and update where I'm at here:

  • For those wondering why I'm into the smartphone concept, it's mostly because I rely quite heavily on my Outlook schedule. Because of that, I bought an iPaq a couple of years ago, and I really got hooked on some of the software and other features. I love my iPaq, but it's not convenient to lug it around with me because of its size. Something phone-sized that I can wear on my belt (like I do my phone right now) would be perfect.
  • It seems to be held in high esteem, but the Treo 650 is too much PDA and not enough phone for me. The whole reason I don't carry around my iPaq is because of its bulk. Plus, I can't even imagine how big of a dork I'd look like with that thing. I mean, I'm a dork, but I like to be a bit more low-key about it.
  • Right now, I really like the Samsung SPH-i500, the Samsung SCH-i600, the Motorola MPx220, and the Audiovox SMT5600.

There are plusses and minuses to each for me. I like the i500's price and carrier (Sprint). However, I'm currently using a Windows CE PDA, so the Palm OS isn't a great thing. Plus, it seems that everything is going to a Microsoft operating system, so will there even be Palm OS phones when I want to upgrade? I don't want to change all of my stuff again.

 

The i600 seems to be slicker than shucks. Verizon is a good carrier here, and it seems to have every feature I want. Downside is that it's costly, and it uses Microsoft's smartphone flavor of Windows Mobile, which isn't directly compatible with my Windows CE programs. Plus, it's not even the newest version of Windows Mobile.

 

The x220 is also pretty dang slick. Every feature I want and more (camera, Bluetooth, etc.). Again, this is a Windows Mobile machine, this time using the 2003 version of the OS. Expensive, too. Plus, although it appears that Cingular is now a provider for my area, I have no data as to how good there coverage is here.

 

The SMT5600 seems like a nice phone, too. It has most of the features of the x220, but at a much lower price. Downside is that it's not a flip phone and it's on Cingular's network.

 

Again, I appreciate everyone's comments, and I hope that the research that I've done can help. Keep the ideas coming if you have them!

Edited by Dr. Love
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Well, first I'd like to thank everyone for their thoughts.  Just to answer some of the questions and update where I'm at here:
  •  

  • For those wondering why I'm into the smartphone concept, it's mostly because I rely quite heavily on my Outlook schedule.  Because of that, I bought an iPaq a couple of years ago, and I really got hooked on some of the software and other features.  I love my iPaq, but it's not convenient to lug it around with me because of its size.  Something phone-sized that I can wear on my belt (like I do my phone right now) would be perfect.

     

  • It seems to be held in high esteem, but the Treo 650 is too much PDA and not enough phone for me.  The whole reason I don't carry around my iPaq is because of its bulk.  Plus, I can't even imagine how big of a dork I'd look like with that thing.  I mean, I'm a dork, but I like to be a bit more low-key about it.

     

  • Right now, I really like the SPH-i500, the SCH-i600, the MPx220, and the Audiovox SMT5600.

     

There are plusses and minuses to each for me.  I like the i500's price and carrier (Sprint).  However, I'm currently using a Windows CE PDA, so the Palm OS isn't a great thing.  Plus, it seems that everything is going to a Microsoft operating system, so will there even be Palm OS phones when I want to upgrade?  I don't want to change all of my stuff again.

 

The i600 seems to be slicker than shucks.  Verizon is a good carrier here, and it seems to have every feature I want.  Downside is that it's costly, and it uses Microsoft's smartphone flavor of Windows Mobile, which isn't directly compatible with my Windows CE programs.  Plus, it's not even the newest version of Windows Mobile.

 

The x220 is also pretty dang slick.  Every feature I want and more (camera, Bluetooth, etc.).  Again, this is a Windows Mobile, machine, this time using the 2003 version of the OS.  Expensive, too.  Plus, although it appears that Cingular is now a provider for my area, I have no data as to how good there coverage is here.

 

The SMT5600 seems like a nice phone, too.  It has most of the features of the x220, but at a much lower price.  Downside is that it's not a flip phone and it's on Cingular's network.

 

Again, I appreciate everyone's comments, and I hope that the research that I've done can help.  Keep the ideas coming if you have them!

 

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Stay away from Cingular and Audiovox in general, if you can. Samsung makes a great product. Does LG make a smartphone yet? If so, check it out... I'm quite impressed with my brand spankin' new LG phone from Verizon.

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  • 8 months later...
  • 9 years later...

 

Maybe I should head over and bump a few threads.

 

 

Or make-out with old college roommates, while throwing a wine and scanner party.

 

Now, I crack me up!

Edited by irish
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...

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