PDA phone recommendations sought

[cyclonekj]

Can anyone give me some insight regarding the ins and outs of PDA/Smartphones? Specifically, I am trying to select from Verizons stable of PDA phones, never having owned a stand-alone PDA previously.

Those choices are:

Motorola Q
Palm Treo 700W
Palm Treo 700P
Verizon XV6700 (HTC Apache)
Samsung SCH-i730

What are the pros and cons of Windows Mobile 5.0 vs. Palm OS 5.4.9? Models without a touchscreen? Slide-out vs. front keyboard? Available software?

Thanks!

 

[TheHelgo]

i haven't sampled all of them, but i have a Palm 700W and love it. The real benefits of Windows Mobile are A) Seemless integration with your MS Office applications (i.e Work, Excel, Powerpoint, etc), and B) Direct Connect to your company's Microsoft Exchange email server. Thus, if you have Outlook as your email, your Windows Mobile device will receive email at the instant that your outlook does.

The Motorola Q will eventually function much the same way, but it is a stripped down version. the Q does not have full functionality of Excel, Word, etc. Plus, the touch screen on the Treo is pretty cool.

The big downside to the Treo vs. Q is the bulkiness of the Treo. It doesn't bother me, but may be a hindrance to some.

Hope this helped.

 

[cyclonekj]

i haven't sampled all of them, but i have a Palm 700W and love it. The real benefits of Windows Mobile are A) Seemless integration with your MS Office applications (i.e Work, Excel, Powerpoint, etc), and B) Direct Connect to your company's Microsoft Exchange email server. Thus, if you have Outlook as your email, your Windows Mobile device will receive email at the instant that your outlook does.

The Motorola Q will eventually function much the same way, but it is a stripped down version. the Q does not have full functionality of Excel, Word, etc. Plus, the touch screen on the Treo is pretty cool.

The big downside to the Treo vs. Q is the bulkiness of the Treo. It doesn't bother me, but may be a hindrance to some.

Hope this helped.

Thanks for the help! Have you used your Palm to connect a PC to the web? Are you a Verizon customer? What calling plan do you have?

 

[Jer]

I have gone through them all it seems in the search for the best trade-off of size and functionality. I liked the xv6700 a lot but I hated not having any number keys readily accessible without having to slide open the device or use the on-screen keypad. There were too many times I was working in the yard or something that I didn't want to touch the screen to dial but had no choice. It was just too cumbersome for the lack of input options while the unit is closed.

I just received the Cingular 2125 this past weekend as I try and decide if it's worth it to change carriers for my dream device. The thing the 2125 has going for it is that it's a phone first and data device second. It has WM5 but it's the stripped down smartphone version. The good thing is the quality is above everything else and the dedicated number keys really make it a great device. It doesn't have a touch screen nor an easy text input method so that's the tradeoff that you would have to decide on.

I think the Treo 700w is probably my dream machine but I can't justify the price. I'm in the middle of a contract with Verizon so the unit would cost me full-retail of around $699

 

[HandSanitizer]

The Verizion xv6700 works pretty good. we are rolling out a bunch of them at work. Nice keyboard that slides out. Nice screen also.
Messaging does a great job with POP, IMAP and Exchange email and it can check mail on a schedule if you like. WiFi is great for those not in an EVDO area and for those who don't wish to spend the money on a data plan. Bluetooth range and reliability are good.

 

[kberyldial]

I use a Blackberry for my phone and email. It syncs nicely with my outlook calendar/contacts etc. I like it but it is the only thing I've ever used.

 

[nicmilani]

I have a Q ... love it ... form factor is great ... cheap ... just watch the battery life, it eats up juice really quick!

 

[clonebacker]

700W Here

I got the 700W when they came out, replaced a 650P. Love it, Windows integration, pop3 e-mail, full internet...although some sites are too large (espn, etc.)

 

[TheHelgo]

Thanks for the help! Have you used your Palm to connect a PC to the web? Are you a Verizon customer? What calling plan do you have?

I have not used it to connect a PC to the web, but according to the IT person at my office the 700W is quite effective as a modem. I am a Verizon customer, and since my office picks up the tab, I have the Full data & voice plan (which i think is ~$80/month, but don't quote me on that).

In addition, since that data service uses EV-DO, download speeds on the device are lightening fast.

My personal advice would be to choose either the Treo or the Mot Q. Treo if you want the full version of Windows Mobile, and Q if you want a lighter device with the stripped down version. Once final note on the Q: Currently the software on it is not enabled for Exchange Direct Connect (i.e your device will have to use a 3rd party provider of email synching like Goodlink). Microsoft Direct Connect for the Q is supposedly going to be out by the end of the year.