Hello from the dark side (bought a PocketPC Phone)
Hello all, remember me? About a month ago, I could take the delay of the 7135 no longer and I traded in my Samsung 300 and bought a Treo 300. Well, after about a week, I was still unsatisfied. What did my "upgrade" to the Treo buy me? A better screen (not that compelling), Vision data (nice), dismal battery life (lousy, non-replaceable battery too), 16mb (ok), a keyboard (nice in some ways, frustrating in others). The Holy Grail to me is to have mp3/SD Expansion/phone/PDA, just what the 7135 promises. So the Treo did not satisfy.
However, I discovered a product that *is* available today that has all of that. Did you hear me? Not in 2 months or 6 months, TODAY! And it is probably sitting at a store near you at this very moment or can be quickly purchased from Amazon.com. I am speaking of the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone (also know as the O2 XDA or AT&T SX56). Yes, I bought one and after a week, I returned the Treo.
So let's take a look at what my "upgrade" to the T-Mobile Pocket PC phone bought me. An Mp3 player, no even better, a wma player (wma format has file sizes about 1/2 the size of mp3 with non-detectable quality difference to my ears, so twice the music for the same amount of space). SD expandability--I bought a 256MB card on the spot, may get a 512MB once the price drops a little. I can listen to about 20hours of audio books in addition to all the programs, maps, etc I have on the card. Phone service- this has two parts, the phone portion of the device and the wireless carrier's service. The device itself has all the requisite phone capability that I need, all except for a mute button (there are a couple of developers who are working at fixing that). It also comes with a stereo headset/microphone which will let you listen to stereo music with Windows media and when a call comes in, mute the music and let you talk on the call, very nice. The T-Mobile service in my area appears to be solid. At my house or at work, I've never dropped a call. With Sprint, I always drop calls. Coverage is a deal breaker so Tmobile or AT&T's service here in the US may not be for you. You get 14 days to try it without any obligation if you have coverage problems. For me, it's more solid that Sprint for where I am 99.9% of the time (I don't travel much). The GPRS data service seems about as fast as Vision was on my treo. I do have to manage my data intake, though, as my plan comes with 10mb for $20/mo more (there's a program that will keep track for you but you have to buy it). Now on the PDA side...
Leaving the PalmOS is a drastic step for me. A little bit of background, I have been a Palm user since the original Palm 100s. I have probably influenced over 300 people to buy palm devices in my carreer. I have given seminars at work on how to be more effective by using a Palm device. I even published a palm news website for a period of time. I have tried Windows CE devices in their various flavors but always returned to Palm after the honeymoon period wore off. The PalmOS is just optimized to get data in and out. With WinCE (PocketPC 2002, etc), it's just harder.
Palm vs PocketPC has caused many wars on many continents, and I don't mean to start another, but here's my take. PocketPC comes with lots of nice stuff built in. Voice recorder, very nice. Multiple input methods with rich text (write directions, draw a map on the same note, etc.), nice. It has an excellent screen with lots of pixels to cram data into. Email app, Internet Explorer, PocketWord, PocketExcel, syncs with Outlook nicely (which for me was a downside because I prefer the elegant simplicity of Palm Desktop). It has nice automatic synching whenever in cradle (you make a change or get an email and zap, that change is sent to your device). It's got a great speakerphone, decent phone integration, and decent battery life (lasts me the day, even with lots of mp3 listening--also has an optional 2nd battery available).
Some of the downsides to this phone include having to manage memory (storage vs. execution memory), occasional lockups (easy to soft-reset, running again in about 10 seconds), apps cost a lot compared to palm, etc. One glaring problem that I haven't really found a good solution to is there are no Notes categories on the device. You have categories in Outlook but no access to them on the device itself. Very bad. It is harder to schedule an appointment, but more powerful. I guess that is how I feel about all of the built-in PIM apps, harder to use than their PalmOS counterparts, but more powerful.
What has this power done for me? I find that I am using my PDA a little differently now. I use the media player at night while doing menial tasks around the house. I find that I am using the voice recorder a lot. I can record straight to mp3 so last week I recorded two hour long meetings where much technical information was being discussed and I didn't want to miss any of it. I set my phone on the table next to me, hit record, and caught every word. I paid for a nice app called PocketInformant that solves many of the PIM deficiencies that I didn't like. The device is short on buttons but I found some software that works around that for me too.
If the 7135 were out today, would I switch to it? Probably not anymore. Is the Tmobile PPCP right for you? Maybe, maybe not. I am just suggesting that it might be an option. Try it for 14 days and see. You can get it on Amazon for $300 after rebate.
I've heard good things about that phone (no review as good as yours, though), but have not purchased because T-mobile's coverage is not as good as Verizon's where I need it in N. CA.
I'm giving Kyo/Samsung/Verizon until 12/15 to make a decent pda/phone available, then I'm taking the plunge to
something else (probably the pocketpc phone or sx56). I really
only need the Verizon only coverage area about 15% of the time per month.
Va Beach here ... so, Gadgetpro, how's the battery life? I tried the Thera for about a week and had to return it. Besides being inconvient to use (can't use it like a regular phone - can't hold it up to your head), it had the worst battery life you can imagine.
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The XV6700 is a lot like democracy: They're both less than perfect, but they're the best available ... as far as Verizon is concerned.
Sounds lilke you are liking the PPC OS a lot. I was also tempted by that device but due to the lack of GSM coverage when I travel, it just wasn't an option. What I am looking forward to is the Samsung I700, which adds a camera in a slightly smaller form factor and has Sprint's coverage. Being that I have the Treo 300 now, I've locked in the $10/month Vision rate plan. If Sprint ends up waiting until late January/early February to release the 7135, I may just wait another month or so after that for the I700.
Originally posted by Kreigz Va Beach here ... so, Gadgetpro, how's the battery life? I tried the Thera for about a week and had to return it. Besides being inconvient to use (can't use it like a regular phone - can't hold it up to your head), it had the worst battery life you can imagine.
VA Beach here too. Nice to see another forum member in my area.
Originally posted by Marty What I am looking forward to is the Samsung I700, which adds a camera in a slightly smaller form factor and has Sprint's coverage. Being that I have the Treo 300 now, I've locked in the $10/month Vision rate plan. If Sprint ends up waiting until late January/early February to release the 7135, I may just wait another month or so after that for the I700.
Well, it appears that we have another traitor in our ranks. Pretty soon the 7135 faithful will be outnumbered in their own backyard! Good luck with your PPC phone gadgetpro. Let us know what you think after a week or so of use.........
I'm a bit interested in the i700 myself. It looks pretty sweet, and it's CDMA on Sprint.... so I can at least consider it. I'm not a big PPC fan though........ but in a couple years that might be the only choice out there. I definitely like the idea of the integrated camera... and of course those big hi-res screens don't hurt either.
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Originally posted by Kreigz Va Beach here ... so, Gadgetpro, how's the battery life? I tried the Thera for about a week and had to return it. Besides being inconvient to use (can't use it like a regular phone - can't hold it up to your head), it had the worst battery life you can imagine.
As with all PocketPC devices, you measure battery life in hours, not in days like the Palm. However, with cells phones, I am used to plugging in every night. So my minimum requirement for a device is that it has to last me the day. So on normal days (minor PDA use, a few phone calls), this PocketPC phone is fine, lasts the day with no problem. On heavy days (3 hours of listening to mp3s + phone + internet + pda use), I get to the end of the day and get a low-battery warning. However, low battery warnings begin at 40% charge left (which is very annoying and I had to get a registry hack to disable that), so I am fine. Plus, now that I have an extra cradle at work, it sits most of my work hours charging in its cradle so it is topped-off. There is an external battery available (for a whopping $80!) that piggybacks onto the back of the unit and doubles battery life. There's even a guy who will take the battery and slim it down to its bare-essentials for $30 to reduce the bulk. However, I haven't felt like I've needed it yet.
I have been using Palm OS for quite a few years now as well. Initially, there was no contest. Palm OS was simply much more stable. Now, because pocket PC's seem to be getting more stable and they have more features, I could see myself going either way if the right device came along.
But, I just don't understand why every pocket pc smartphone has a prehistoric Fred Flintstone style slate form factor. I just don't want to carry, and then hold a brick to the side of my face to talk. I want a device that is well protected while hanging from my belt and that fits my face (which happens to be curved).
Maybe in a few years, when I might be back in the market (after buying the 7135), there will be some pocket pc smartphones that have been designed with usability in mind. But until then, at least for me, style isn't everything, but it is at the top of the list.
Thanks for the feedback, Gadgetpro. I guess I'll have to take a second look at the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone. I had always assumed battery life would be like the Thera: till 2:00 PM on a good day. I'm getting mighty tired waiting for the Phantom 7135.
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The XV6700 is a lot like democracy: They're both less than perfect, but they're the best available ... as far as Verizon is concerned.
It's interesting how often decisions revolve around seemingly little issues. I am completely dependent on a Palm application called "Epocrates". It is a physicians desk reference and it is not available for PocketPC. My life would be much more complicated without this Palm application and my life is already complicated enough, thank you very much!
So, for this reason alone (and a host of other personal preferences) I'm wedded to the Palm OS
Originally posted by dwdod It's interesting how often decisions revolve around seemingly little issues. I am completely dependent on a Palm application called "Epocrates". It is a physicians desk reference and it is not available for PocketPC. My life would be much more complicated without this Palm application and my life is already complicated enough, thank you very much!
So, for this reason alone (and a host of other personal preferences) I'm wedded to the Palm OS
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