Well, my AT&T 8525 died on me. So now I'm in the market for a new PDA Phone. I have pretty much narrowed it down to an AT&T 8925 or an iPhone 3G. I have used a PPC for quite sometime now, and I would like to know the groups thoughts; iPhone or 8925

1. What PDA and/or mobile phone do you use today?

I right now have an AT&T 8525.

2. Are you locked into a mobile carrier (i.e. Verizon Wireless, Sprint PCS, etc.), or do you prefer a particular carrier? Do you know if one carrier has better coverage in places that you need to be? (PLEASE SEE THE CARRIER NOTE BELOW)

It is a company phone so I will need to stick with AT&T.

3. Where are you based? Do you stay in one place or travel a lot? Do you travel internationally... how much and where? Do you intend to use your PDAPhone there?

I really don't do any international travel, but I move around the US quite frequently.


4. Do have a preference of Palm, Pocket PC, Symbian, Smartphone OS, Blackberry, etc.?

I have been a Pocket PC loyalist since my Hitachi G1000

5. Are you likely to run it the way it came out of the box, or do you intend to load a whole lot of extra applications and stuff on it? Do you know of anything now that you will need to run?

I generally add lots of apps to my PDA's. I'm the type that if I try it and like it I keep it. The only really must have app is a expense tracker I use SPB Finance right now.

6. How important is wireless data access, and for what would you use it? (i.e. Web browsing, VPN, Remote termnial Access, Instant messaging, etc)?

Wireless access is pretty important to me. I mostly use it for Web Browsing, but in a pinch I may use it for VPN and Remote Access. I work for a company that uses gmail for its email so I don't have to have Good messaging or Push Email.

7. Will you need to view Microsoft Office documents on the PDAPhone? Will you need to edit them?

Viewing office docs on my PDA is convienient, but not a deal breaker. I know that on an iPhone I wouldn't be able to edit them if necessary.

8. Will you need access to an email system?
a)Is it corporate (Exchange, Groupwise,Lotus, Other?) What Version? Do you want email wirelessly or do you want to do it in the office with a sync cable/cradle? Can you get your Corporate email configured for mobile access or do you need to run a desktop redirector?
b)Is it Pop3/Imap? Who is the service provider?

As mentioned before my company uses GMail so ....

9. Do you do SMS messaging a lot (telephone to telephone messaging)?

I generally send and receive only about maybe 200 texts a month.

10. Do you want to use a GPS with the PDAPhone for mapping and navigation?

Not really, I have a GPS for my car so having one on my phone isn't a must have.

11. What is your size preference.. very close to the smallest cellphone, or you don’t care.. function over size?

The size of the phone isn't an issue at all.

12. How will you carry it... pocket, belt, purse, etc.?

I prefer to carry it on my belt.

13. Do you prefer a particular form factor… flip-phone, candy bar, etc?

No.

14. Do you prefer a QWERTY keyboard, numeric dial-pad, or stylus?

QWERTY & Stylus Preferred

15. Do you want to play a lot of video games on the PDAPhone? What kinds - puzzles, strategy, action adventure, etc.?

It varies, I really play some of everything.

16. Do you want to listen to music on the PDAPhone? What kind... mp3, streamed, etc.?

It's a nice feature to have but I really hate carrying around headphones so, yes, and no.

17. Do you want a camera on the PDAPhone?

Yes

18. Do you have any other hardware you intend to use with the PDAPhone? Do you intend to use any Bluetooth devices? What types of devices?

Bluetooth headset

19. What kind of battery life do you need?(Always near a charger, battery life is not an issue or Need the battery to last several days) How many hours do you expect to spend talking on the phone? How many hours of data?(Web browsing, push email, VPN, IM etc)

Battery life isn't an issue for me.

20. What are your budget limits (PDAPhones range in price from below $100 for older used models to nearly $1000 for high end models without a carrier subisidy)?

I don't have a budget limit.

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Uh, Is This Thing On? :confused:

The learning curve on the iPhone 3G is minimal as the UI is very intuitive. The Tilt is basically the same interface as the previous WM devices you have used.

Web Browsing on the big screen of the iPhone is a pure joy compared to smaller WM screens.

Otherwise, it becomes more of a personal preference as to apps, etc. You can't go wrong either way.

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John

PDAPhoneHome Forum Moderator