OT:Smart Phones

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JRod
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OT:Smart Phones

Post by JRod »

I'm currently looking at upgrading. My work has Blackberry services or entreprise (whatever its called). In the coming months I will be out of the office at least a day per work week, where I will have no access to email, web services etc.

I'm leaning toward the Blackberry 7250. I like the keyboard and functionality. And it is what our business uses.

What I don't know about is how good its web services are. I just need the basic, mostly to look up maps address when I'm our on the road.

I did check out the other Smartphones. The Treo smartphone has a lot of stuff I like, pen use. Good graphics great for displaying web pages. I don't like the keyboard, my fingers hit every wrong button.

The other thing important to me is battery life for a day's worth of work.

Being for Southern Colorado, I'm quite limited in what network I can use. And the travel will take me well into the mountains to the kansas border. Verizon seems to be the best in the state although their prices and choices for phones are crappy.

I was thinking about getting a Blackberry for work and using another phone for outside of work but I dont' think that's the best use of money. I wish there was a way to keep my old cell phone and get a new blackberry and would use the same number.

Or should I just wait a few months for a better phone down the pipeline. Although if I get into that game, there will always be a good phone a few months away.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Here's what I said to RobVarak when he asked me about smartphones:

Alright...here is my low down on the smartphones and service.

If you want the best carrier, especially in the Chicago area (now Denver in your case JRod), Verizon is king. I've been there numerous times and I've been happy with my service all the way up into Wisconsin. Also, if you travel at all, Verizon has the best coverage nationwide. I've had Cingular and AT&T in the last 4 years and Verizon has surpassed them all in terms of coverage area and customer service. My dad had T-Mobile and he wasn't happy with it (he travels A LOT). I've been through almost all of Colorado and Verizon has been solid.

Now, the downside with Verizon is their data and voice plans. They are more expensive than the alternatives, especially Sprint. I don't know that I'd switch to Verizon if you were happy with Sprint. Both companies utilize CDMA technology (as opposed to GSM which Cingular/AT&T and T-Mobile use). The difference is really in the data plans. On Verizon, you're going to spend an extra 45 bucks a month for unlimited data (downloading email, web browsing, etc.) whereas on Sprint, I believe it's only 15 or 20. You're probably better off staying with Sprint (in my mind they are the 2nd best coverage/reception wise). Now, this brings me to my next point about the phones themselves.

There are three different types of smartphones on the market right now. You have your Microsoft phones, your Palm phones and you have your blackberry phones. If you're going solo with your practice, I'd recommend staying away from the Blackberry type phones because they require a specific infrastructure (Blackberry Enterprise Server) to deliver emails and those are very expensive. All the guys you see on the streets with the Blackberry likely work for a big company that has this BES available for everyone to use. You won't have that.

Which brings us to the other two types of phones, Microsoft and Palm. On Sprint, you have two MS phones worth considering. The Samsung i600 and the PPC-6600. Both phones are available on Verizon as well so I've had experience with them both. Now, both of these phones run a verison of Pocket PC. The main difference between these two phones is the interface. The i600 is a flip phone that doesn't have a touch screen interface, nor bluetooth. The 6600 has the touch interface, bluetooth and a slide out keyboard for email entry and the like. The main difference is the size...the flip phone is obviously smaller but you get a hellova lot more screen real estate on the 6600 as well as touch functionality which is a lot better than keyboard navigation. If I had to pick one out of those two, I'd go with the 6600 personally.

Now, my real preference is the Treo 650. This is also double sided because the 600 is still available through Sprint as well. Do you want to have Bluetooth functionality (for wireless connections and headsets)? Do you want to have a better color screen (twice the resolution of the 600)? This are the two main differences (along with an improved email client and a faster browser). You'll likely be able to get the 600 cheaper, but in my mind, the 650 is worth the extra money (at least for future expandibility).

I'm a bigger fan of the Microsoft phone software, but as devices themselves go, the Treo is far superior which is the reason it has been so popular.

So that's my recommendation. Stick with the Treo 650 on Sprint (you can't even get the 650 on Verizon right now, supposedly by the end of the month). The money you'll save on the unlimited data plan will be worth the slight slight decrease in coverage area.

Hope this helps.

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Post by dbdynsty25 »

BTW, the Treo 650 comes out for Verizon on the 23rd of the month (business customers can get it tomorrow, May 11th).

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Post by JRod »

DB,

I'm currently on Verizon. I work for the government so we do use blackberry enterprise. And being from colorado I can't use anything but verizon. I do have to admit that Verizon is pretty good in the CO mountains.

Saying all that the Treo is more expensive which is a concern of mine. I dont' want to pay $450 for a damn phone. I do have the new every two deal but I don't know if I should commit to a blackberry when these things get outdated so quiclkly. Two years with a phone is one thing, but two years with a smart phone is another.

If I could keep my existing phone and have it on the same line as my blackberry this would be no brainer. I'm not really up to pay for two phones and services.

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Post by Steve_OS »

dbdynsty25 wrote:BTW, the Treo 650 comes out for Verizon on the 23rd of the month (business customers can get it tomorrow, May 11th).
'

Can you check POP and IMAP email w/ the Treo 650 or do you have to use "Verizon" email??

Also, what about AOL IM or MSN?? Is that available for the 650??

Thanks db.

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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Jrod,

You're right man...2 years is a long time with a phone. From what I'm hearing about the new smartphones that are coming out for Verizon (the Treo 650 included), you will need to purchase the unlimited data plan which is 45 bucks. That is a HUGE factor if you're footing the bill rather than your company. If your company already has a BES then you're better off just picking up the 7250 (i think is the latest BB, the one with bluetooth) and going from there.

Steve,

Yes, there is a mail program on the Treo now that's called Versamail I believe, (there wasn't on the 600) that you can use to check all sorts of email accounts (POP and IMAP included).

I'm not sure about MSN, but I believe there is an app out there that will let you connect to MSN Messenger. I know there is an AOL app because I used it on my 600.

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Post by RobVarak »

db's did a fine job taking time out of his thread-policing duties to answer my questions so well.

I ended up getting a Treo650 through Sprint, and so far it's honeymoon city. I picked up the PalmOne Bluetooth wireless headset which has taught me that I'm hard to understand on the phone while drooling :)

I'm still monkeying around with Versamail, but it does (theoretically) let you configure to d/l from any POP acct. etc. Right now I've got my incoming mail setup ok, but working on the outgoing (SMTP verification issues of some kind)

It's a sweet little machine. I'm sure I'll have more helpful and cogent thoughts after some time has set in....well as helpful and cogent as my posts ever are anyway.
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Post by dbdynsty25 »

I'll be getting my Verizon 650 as soon as it comes out for the general public (supposedly May 23rd) so I'll be available to help out a bit once I get my grubby little paws on it.

Glad to hear you're liking the phone Rob...it really is a sweet and functional phone.

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Post by wco81 »

I heard some people buy the Treo 650s directly from Palm so that it's unlocked? That way they could use it in Europe if they ever travel and when using someone like Cingular, they get clean mail whereas if they buy it locked through Cingular, it gets some kind of Cingular logo crap on every mail. Of course, it's $200 more than buying it locked with a service plan.

Anyways, one strategy might be to see how fast Sprint and Verizon roll out EVDO and Cingular and the other GSM carriers roll out upgraded UMTS networks. Or are these small devices really usable enough to make good use of high bandwidth?

Then there's WiMax which may come and eat the lunch of mobile carriers if the hype is true.

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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Verizon's EVDO network is already here in Los Angeles. The Treo 650 doesn't use EVDO, but the upcoming Samsung i730 does (as well as wi-fi).

I had a phone for a few weeks that supported EVDO and it was impressive. The streaming video was strictly a gimmick, but browsing on the included Wap 2.0 browser was VERY fast. Obviously once you start using smartphones where you can pull down full web-pages, it'll slow down a bit but it's definitely serviceable. I cannot wait till the i730 comes out...it could be anywhere from a month to six months from now, so i'm going to get the 650 in the meantime.

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Post by Steve_OS »

Made out of money eh db?? ;)

Lookin' forward to your Treo 650 impressions, I'm leaning that way as well.

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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Steve_OS wrote:Made out of money eh db?? ;)
Heh...not exactly. I don't have car payments...that's how I justify my spending really. As soon as my car dies (which it doesn't seem to want to), then I will have to curtail the spending a bit. Plus, I get half of my phone costs paid for by my company so its only half as expensive as you guys think. LOL...

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Post by Steve_OS »

dbdynsty25 wrote:
Steve_OS wrote:Made out of money eh db?? ;)
Heh...not exactly. I don't have car payments...that's how I justify my spending really. As soon as my car dies (which it doesn't seem to want to), then I will have to curtail the spending a bit. Plus, I get half of my phone costs paid for by my company so its only half as expensive as you guys think. LOL...
Ahhh, gotcha. Was wondering how the hell you afford all those gadgets. I'm a gadget freak myself, but I spend nowhere near what you do. ;)

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Post by Sport73 »

Anyone know if the Treo 650 will work on the T-Mobile network?

They currently offer the 600, but I really need bluetooth in my phone. I presume if it's GSM compliant and I put my Sim-card in it should work...but?

Thanks in advance.
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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Sport,

If you buy an "UNLOCKED" Cingular Treo 650, it'll work like a charm. The key is that it has to be unlocked though. You can also buy one directly from Palm One for Cingular and then get it unlocked...there are quite a few people out there with unlock codes or programs.

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Post by JRod »

As much as I want a Blackberry or other smart phones. I didn't realize that you had to pay basically another month's payment for unlimited data. That's having two damn phones.

If you figure a few hundred, maybe even more for the phone. Then a monthly fee of 100+ for voice and data, you are looking at quite a chunk of change going out the door.

I didn't realized that they made you pay so much for unlimited data. Too bad they haven't work out a good deal for data and voice.
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Post by wco81 »

They're making you pay broadband prices for dialup speeds. :lol:

There are 3G networks but those are prohibitive. Verizon got a lot of flack because they impair or disable Bluetooth to prevent their phones from being used as modems or so that pictures taken with camera phones can't be easily transferred to computers. They're going to try a similar scheme with music. You buy music on the phone but can only use it on the phone.

The mobile carriers with their 3G networks or Wimax network operators will have to come up with a viable business model.

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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Just ordered my Treo 650, should have it tomorrow morning.

I also picked up the Jabra BT800 bluetooth headset (that probably won't be here till next week). It's the newest headset by Jabra...it's even got caller ID built into the inside of it so you can see who's calling (assuming you're not wearing it at the time). Should be interesting when I get that...it's been getting rave reviews.

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Post by Sport73 »

My company has a BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) and that made me lean toward a Blackberry solution because I wanted sync'd e-mail (read on desktop=read on device etc.)...

After much debate (T-Mobile) between the 7290, which is the typical full-size Blackberry, and the 7100t, a more phone-like Blackberry, I settled on the 7100t.

After a few days...No regrets. This thing ROCKS! I can type faster than any of my friends who have regular Blackberry's on the ingenious and easy to use "SureType" keyboard, I have e-mail, web-browsing (can even check in on DSP) and a great phone (with a surprisingly good speakerphone) with me at all times.

I highly recommend it to anyone considering a Blackberry...
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Post by dbdynsty25 »

I've heard a lot of people don't like the new blackberry...but hey, if you do, awesome. I wish my company had a BES because I woudn't mind rockin' the crackberry.

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Post by Steve_OS »

Lookin' forward to your impressions db.

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Post by wco81 »

Do you guys find that you do most of your emailing on these mobile devices? (does the pricing model really allow for this or is it unlimited?)

Even when you are in the office or home with access to a computer?

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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Well when I had my Treo 600, I did a lot of emailing. I had it set up for my office and home email that way I got EVERYTHING. Obviously work paid for my airtime usage and the data plan (approx. 100 a month) so it's quite steep for guys who just want a cell phone for calls and an occasional email, but for business users, having unlimited data makes emailing (at least the important ones) pretty damn easy and inexpensive while on the road. It's a much better alternative to carrying a laptop, at least for most.

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Post by wco81 »

Interesting.

I have thousands in my Inbox on an IMAP account. The initial download will probably choke the thing. In fact, I don't bother to read my work mail directly from home even though it's IMAP.

I just use Timbuktu to get to my work machine and read it there.

That would be a nice thing, if these devices supported VNC or other screen sharing and had enough mobile bandwidth.

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Post by dbdynsty25 »

Well...after a days worth of use, and two battery charges later, I'm in love.

One problem though...holy crap I wish they would have used the EV-DO chipset on this thing. It would be the perfect device if it was using the high speed network. As it stands, it's only REALLY DAMN GOOD.

I am skipping the built in email client (Versamail) and I went with my favorite back on the Treo 600, Chattermail, which has been updated for the 650. They have fixed a lot of the issues, so it works really well with IMAP and POP servers. The last iteration of the software wouldn't allow you to disconnect from the web after it was done checking for mail...now they do. It works great, and it's all I need on the road. I have gotten my IT department to forward my mail to the phone as well...it's beautiful.

As for the phone functionality...it's pretty good. Obviously it's not as good as a regular phone, but it's damn close. Having all of my email and contact info with me at all times, without carrying a separate device makes it worthwhile. I'm still waiting for my Jabra BT800 headset so I'll let you know how it works out when I'm making and receiving calls just by bluetooth headset. Hell, Verizon has only had three phones come out now that include bluetooth...it's damn exciting for us "late" adopters.

We'll see how it turns out in the coming weeks. I'm still anxious to see the Samsung i730, which is supposed to use the EV-DO network and have all the other Pocket PC goodies included. I'm pretty sure it's quite a bit thicker than the Treo though...so I'm not sure if the positives will outweigh the negatives. We'll see in the next few months.

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