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

T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition, purchased November 2002.

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)

Currently using T-Mobile, but can switch at any time.

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?

Northern Virginia. Primarily use in the US. Occassional use in Europe.

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

Pocket PC has worked fine for me. I used a PalmPilot before the Pocket PC, but prefer to have Word and Excel on my PIM.

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 will load some additional applications: astronomy, games, etc. Nothing too ambitious.

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)?

Very important. I use my current phone for Web browsing.

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

I'd like to be able to read documents. I find that anything beyond light editing is difficult on a handheld.

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?

Yes. Corporate system is Exchange, don't know the version. I want to be able to get to my email via the Web instance of the corporate email system.


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

Rarely.

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

Don't have now. Might be nice.

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

My current phone is pretty bulky. I'd like something a bit smaller. Doesn't have to be tiny.

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

Usually carry in my briefcase or backpack.

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

Doesn't matter.

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

My current phone has a full "soft" keypad, i.e., you tap the keypad on the touch sensitive screen. I think I'd like to have a full "hard" keypad this go-round, and lose the stylus.

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

I let my kids use it for games. Nothing too elaborate: chess, go, zebra.

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

I ocassionally listen to MP3 using the headphones. Sound quality isn't terrific for music.

17. Do you want a camera on the pdaPhone?

Nice to have, but not critical.

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?

I'd like to have Bluetooth and WiFi if possible, to support Web browsing while on the road. I currently access the Web using the GSM data channel, which tops out at about 40k. Something closer to broadband would be very welcome. Other hardware might include an external keyboard (I have one for my current phone), headphones.

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)

I'm usually pretty close to a recharger, either at my desk or in the car.

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)?

$500