OT:Smart Phones

Steve_OS · Post by **Steve_OS** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:59 am

Hey DB, now that it's been quite sometime, how do you like the Treo 650? I noticed the Samsung SCH-i730 is out for Verizon now, any thoughts on it?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:53 am

Steve_OS wrote:Hey DB, now that it's been quite sometime, how do you like the Treo 650? I noticed the Samsung SCH-i730 is out for Verizon now, any thoughts on it?

Yeah I've got thoughts on the i730...it's even too expensive for ME...and that's saying a lot. I just cannot see myself paying 750 bucks retail on a phone...that's just too steep for my pockets at this time.

The Treo is still great...I've got two phones right now. The Treo and the new Motorola e815. I carry the Moto when I need to be able to access the web on my laptop (Verizon doesn't want you to do it, but if you hack the phone it's possible). I use the moto because it's on the new high speed network (like the i730) so I get some good connection speeds. That's the Treo's downfall at this point...it's still on the old 1x network so it's pretty slow on the internet. I'm fairly certain I'll end up selling it if I don't need to use it to access my work email and everything. Not sure how that's all going to pan out yet.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:23 am

I hear the Samsung has poor battery life.

How much is EVDO service on the Motorola?

Does it have a screen big enough for browsing on its own?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 11:30 am

The Samsungs battery life has been fairly short, especially if you use the Wi-Fi at all. But that is another downside...you can't use the phone and the Wi-Fi at the same time. There is just too much NOT to like on the i730...especially at the 750 dollar price point.

As for EV-DO on the Motorola...I'm only paying 5 a month for unlimited mobile web. That's the trick...I use the bluetooth on the Motorola to connect to my bluetooth adapter on my laptop and connect to the internet that way. Then I can actually view full web pages at about 200-300 kbps per second...which is slightly slower than DSL, but significantly faster than dial up. There are a few hacks you need to do to the phone operating system, but nothing too difficult. The screen on the moto doesn't allow you to browse full web pages...just Wap 2.0 pages, hence the reason I use it to connect to my laptop and go from there. Oh, and if I use the data cable to connect to the laptop and connect to the web, I get 300-500kbps...which is basically DSL speeds...I just like the bluetooth connection because it's wireless.

Verizon tends to try to lock down their phones so you have to use their stupid "Get It Now" crap...but there is pleny of info on the web on how to bypass all of that.

Steve_OS · Post by **Steve_OS** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 9:20 pm

Thanks db.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:21 pm

Steve,

I've had my 650 for a couple months now. Absolutely LOVE it. I almost excusively use the phone with the Palm bluetooth wireless headset, and it's just terrific. Call volume and clarity are excellent, and I'm told that the quality of outgoing calls is similarly high. I have quickly adapted to the small keyboard, and find email to be a breeze.

I suppose that internet is slow relative to broadband, but it doesn't bother me. It seems equivalent to dialup, which was good enough just a couple years ago. It's perfect for email, checking scores, stocks, news etc.

My only small issue is with the hotsync cord connection. It's jittery and occassionally doesn't make a clean connection. This is a classic matter of jiggle til it works, and is not a meaningful problem IMO.

Hard for me to judge battery life, as I spend a lot of time in my car with it charging. Aside from the periodic rundown for battery healh purposes, I seldom have any problems with it. I like that it states battery life left as a clear % rather than solely in graphic form.

Let me know if you have any specific questions.

Steve_OS · Post by **Steve_OS** » Thu Jul 14, 2005 10:38 pm

Thanks for the info Rob, much appreciated. I've been reading reviews about the device for quite some time now. I know db is a gadget freak, it's good to know you are another one.

I know I'm getting one, but I have too many projects at home for the time being, so it will have to wait.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:35 am

http://www.vzwshop.com/treo700w/

The phone of my dreams...a high speed (EV-DO) Treo w/ Windows Mobile 5 software. HOLY CRAP. Only two weeks till release. It'll cost ya though...

1Yr Contract - $549.99
2Yr Contract - $499.99
No Contract - $619.99

I just picked up a Verizon RAZR on sale at Best Buy to get me by until then along with an EV-DO laptop card for wireless browsing. Will be returning both to fund my Treo purchase. Holy sh*t I can't wait.

BTW...if you don't need the Treo...get the Verizon Razr...it's ridiculous. It's soooo much better than the Razr for Cingular/Att/Tmobile with the high speed data access. If you just need a basic phone, the Razr on Verizon is the way to go. On other carries, there are better alternatives unless you just want the sexy high tech look (which most around here don't, so ignore me).

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 1:52 am

Well $60 a month for unlimited EVDO data (only if you also subscribe to the Verizon voice plan in addition, so your phone bill could be well over $100 a month after taxes).

There are some phones coming with Wifi as well as cellular data interfaces. Of course, the carriers who subsidize the phones may disable the Wifi or limit them to their own Wifi-subscription services.

If EVDO could be used everywhere including the home, that price might be worth it. But if you replace your regular broadband with EVDO, you're getting lower speeds and higher latency.

And a 2-year contract to save $120? Within two years, WiMax should be out, not to mention faster implementations of mobile data.

Nokia has their own attempt at a Treo/BlackBerry killer called the E61 with a qwerty keyboard but no camera. Probably in the same price range but I think it's suppose to have Wifi as well as EDGE or maybe HSDPA.

Nokia N80 also sounds slick on paper too.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 2:06 am

wco81 wrote:Nokia has their own attempt at a Treo/BlackBerry killer called the E61 with a qwerty keyboard but no camera. Probably in the same price range but I think it's suppose to have Wifi as well as EDGE or maybe HSDPA.

And yet, neither are Verizon protocols. In Los Angeles, Verizon is king. Not to mention all of my friends and family are on Verizon so all of those calls are free anyway.

And 2 years to save $120? Where did you get that from? Currently I'm paying $40 for voice and $60 for data (I use it at work and on the road instead of tying up the corporate lan).

Data on the Treo will be $50 along with the $40 for voice, so I'm looking at 10 bucks PER MONTH so that would be $240 over two years. That's significant. Not to mention a hack or two that would allow me to surf on my laptop via bluetooth dial up networking but that's besides the point. I return both the Razr and the PC Card and I've almost entirely paid for the Treo.

And Verizon is putting so much money into EV-DO right now, it will be around in two years and it will be their data protocol of choice. That doesn't mean something faster won't come out on someone else's network...but they still won't be able to compete with Verizon in terms of customer base (at least in my circle of friends and family) or coverage map in So. Cal.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 2:31 am

2-year contract price is $500 and no contract is $620?

A lot of people are doing tethering. But aren't Verizon phones notorious for having Bluetooth disabled or impaired to prevent tethering?

If that Treo is good enough (depending on the screen resolution, RAM and other factors), you may not need to tether or tote your laptop around so that could be nice.

Verizon is big here too. But I've gotten calls at home from Verizon and T-Mobile customers. I would have expected worse quality from T-Mobile, which has a bad reputation for coverage. But the call was like another landline and they were calling from NY. Meanwhile the Verizon calls from 10 miles away had echo and other effects of latency.

Quad-band is the way to go if you plan to do any traveling outside the country (although you can get cheap temporay phones too).

For cellular data though, EVDO is probably the best right now. Wait, $10 more for EVDO on the Treo? You sure about that? When I checked earlier this year, they had one price for EVDO on their phones, another price for EVDO on PDA/Smart Phones and still another price for EVDO on the PC Cards. They must have changed it up. Cuz the last thing they touted was that they would cut the usual $80 a month for PC Card service to $60 if you also got a voice plan from them.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 3:12 am

Right...it used to be $39.99 for unlimited data on Smartphones. Since the i730 came out (the first EVDO smartphone for Verizon), they raised the price to $49.99 unlimited data. That's still $10 cheaper than the EVDO card I've got for my laptop ($59.99 w/ my voice plan and $79.99 w/o voice). Of course Verizon "thinks" they can prevent users from tethering, but that's mostly for the basic users. Anyone who knows anything about firmware and programming (or the sites to get that information) can tether if they so desire.

For the past 6 months I've been tethering my e815 and my vx8100 on Verizon via Bluetooth to my laptop. Neither were able to do this out of the box so it took a little research but it can be done. Plus, I know they don't notice when you do it as long as you have the VCast feature enabled on the phone. It just so happens that my work is starting to crack down on people streaming radio stations and just normal web browsing so I'm going to want to have access all of the time...hence the reason I went to the EVDO card. I don't stream radio, so the EVDO Treo would be outstanding for visiting the occasionaly website during the day. Mostly I want it for email and text messaging though since that's what I spend most of my phone time on right now.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Dec 23, 2005 3:13 am

Oh and I agree that voice quality may be a bit better overall for the GSM providers...I just prefer free calls (IN network to Verizon users) and a wider coverage area. I go up to Big Bear all of the time and Verizon is the only company that covers our cabin (and we've had all of them up there at one point or another between all of our friends).

Steve_OS · Post by **Steve_OS** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 11:56 pm

Not sure if you guys saw this or not...

http://blog.treonauts.com/2005/12/treo_700w_revie.html

DB, I didn't get the 650, but the 700w is looking VERY nice. How quick is it to check email on the 650? I mean, if I'm checking my pop OS email, is there a big delay in receiving/sending emails? Or would it be faster to just log into my PC and see it there? Just curious. Give us some impressions when ya get it!

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Jun 10, 2006 3:02 am

The newest addition to my smartphone arsenal...The Motorola Q for Verizon. And yes, it is thinner than the RAZR. It's a thing of beauty.

Diablo25 · Post by **Diablo25** » Sat Sep 09, 2006 1:36 pm

Any of you guys have a Treo from Cingular? I recently purchased a Treo from Cingular and love it. My question involves data/internet usage. On my old, normal, cell phone I had a basic MediaNet package that gave me 200 TM's and 1MB of data...plenty for my limited internet usage (just check some sports scores). I just called Cingular to up that package to their MediaWorks bundle...$14.99/month for 1000 TM and 5MB of data. The support rep told me, flat out, that I couldn't use MediaNet with a Treo. She said I needed PDA Connect for internet access plus a separate TM plan. I responded by saying that on several Treo forums I had visited people were claiming they had these MediaNet plans on their Treo and everything was fine. She said no dice that I needed PDA Connect. I held off on adding the service so I could research it. Can anyone confirm or deny this info? I don't want to add it to my plan and find out on my next bill that i got raped for excessive data charges.

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 10:39 am

I want to get a phone with integrated MP3 player. I'd like to be able to have at least 1GB (through an SD port or something). I'm tied to my current service provider for a bit.

My choices from my current provider are below... any thoughts?

Samsung A900 ($199 cost with contract)... crappy internal storage only though.

Samsung a920 ($69.95 with contract) can take external storage for MP3.

Motorola Q ($249.95 with contract) - does it take external storage like SD?

UT Starcom PPC6700 ($199.95 with contract)

Treo 700wx ($199.95 with contract)

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 12:39 pm

I don't think you need a Smartphone to get MP3 playback capability.

In Europe, the Sony Walkman phones are suppose to be really popular but no US carriers are offering them yet. They tend to be pretty pricey.

There are Nokia phones with 4 GB HDD as well but again, really expensive.

So if you're on a GSM network, you can check sites like Howardforums or Phonescoop to see what you may be able to import.

But the fact is, some of these models are so expensive, it would be cheaper to get an iPod or some MP3 player and a phone separately. Plus you wonder, if you use these things for any kind of extended listening sessions, how much battery life you'd have for phone use.

There are rumors that Apple will introduce two phones in January, a smart phone and a more basic phone, both with iPod functionality integrated. If those come out, that should enliven this thread.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 1:47 pm

Yeah James....most phones these days, at least the higher end models have a way to add storage. Whether it's transflash (microSD), miniSD or regular SD, there are always ways to expand storage. One thing you have to remember is that most phones just tack on the MP3 player...and they sound like complete sh*t. I assume you've got Verizon, or whatever the Canadian version is because the Q is on your list. Don't they have the Chocolate up there? It's just a so-so phone, but it's basically an MP3 player first.

Wco is right though, you don't need a smartphone for mp3 playback...but the Q is the best damn phone I've ever used. If you want email and some decent internet browsing capabilities...the Q is legit. The downside is that you need a data plan which boosts the monthly costs about 50 bucks.

It would help if I knew your provider because if they have similar phones to Verizon, it would be very easy to make a suggestion.

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:00 pm

I know that I don't *need* a smart phone. but of the MP3 enabled ones those were on the list. l I thought I was tied to bell (www.bell.ca) but turns out my contract is over.

My options now that I can switch networks are:

www.bell.ca (Bell is CDMA.... there's no SIM card)
www.rogers.ca
www.telus.net

I know that MP3 players in phones are not as good as standalone devices. But I ALWAYS carry my phone, whereas putting a standalone MP3 player in my pocket as well just adds more s*** to carry and isn't working for me. I'm willing to settle for lower quality MP3 just to get it always with me. I think our company has deals through rogers too, so that might be the way I go.

As far as battery life... I can charge it every night.. and charge it at work too. No worries.

How about this phone:

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk/sony ... -w810i.htm

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:21 pm

Yeah I've heard those Sony Ericson phones are popular in Europe but that Cingular and T-Mobile weren't offering them over here.

So a lot of people just buy imported unlocked versions. But then they run into issues about whether they support the right bands, especially for HSDPA data. They often cost well over $300 so for that money, you want to get as much functionality as possible.

Howardforums has a section devoted to Sony Ericson (as well as other brands) so you can get more feedback info there.

I just got an 8GB Nano. Very light. Got a case for it and then ran a lanyard through it so it's not a hassle to carry at all. So the case came with an armband for working out and my car has an aux jack. Battery life of over 24 hours, as advertised, so I carry it way more than I ever used to the HDD-based players. Of course you give up a lot of capacity but I don't have to sync it for at least a week.

There should be similarly light players which are much cheaper but still better than any integrated MP3 player on a phone. You can probably get a 4 GB Sansa for around $150, not to mention some Asian players for even cheaper (interface and software for music management might suck though).

James_E · Post by **James_E** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 3:38 pm

I just found out I can get a great plan through Rogers as an ATI (now AMD) employee, for $20/month. Couple guys here have that Sony Ericson phone and rave about it. I'll be looking hard at it.

I have a small Sandisk 1GB Mp3 player already. Never carry it... ALWAYS carry my phone. I will be trying to get MP3 in the phone I get on the rogers plan. That sony Ericson is $199 with a 3yr contract. At $20/month for the services below in the employee plan.. I'll take that 3 years !

$20/month
200 anytime minutes
30c/minute overage rate for local call
30c/long distance minute plus airtime
Includes Unlimited Evenings (8pm-7am)
Includes Unlimited Weekends (8pm Friday til 8am Monday)
1000 minutes of local Rogers to Rogers wireless calling

Note: One time activation fee $35, Monthly System Access Fee of $6.95, $0.50 for 911 and taxes extra
Note: 12 months FREE Early Evening Calling (EEC) on 3 year terms
Note: Free unlimited calling for three months on 3yrs terms
Note: Free unlimited calling for two months on 2yrs terms

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Oct 30, 2006 4:00 pm

Hard to beat $20 Canadian a month.

But 3 years though.

That could be an eternity, even if you don't have to have the latest gadgets.

Two-year contracts are more common but I noticed if you go for 1-year contract, you just pay like $50 more for the phone with the shorter contract.

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:46 pm

dbdynsty25 wrote:Wco is right though, you don't need a smartphone for mp3 playback...but the Q is the best damn phone I've ever used. If you want email and some decent internet browsing capabilities...the Q is legit. The downside is that you need a data plan which boosts the monthly costs about 50 bucks.

I am going to quote myself so that I can retract this statement.

Having used the Q for 8 months, and thinking it was the greatest thing since sliced bread, I have had an epiphany. If you need a phone for email...which I do with my new job...the Q is NOT the way to go. The email and messaging on the Q is so far inferior to the BlackBerry way of doing things, that it's not even funny.

While I was in New York, my emails kept getting delayed or just deleted by themselves over the Verizon Wireless Sync system. It pissed me off to no end. I went to the Verizon store, picked up the latest BlackBerry (8703e) to see if it was any better. Holy crap have I seen the light. Even without a BES (BlackBerry Enterprise Server) at my work, my emails are to me instantly and when I send them, the same thing happens. My yahoo and gmail accounts are also synced instantly. The BIS (BlackBerry Internet Service) works great and it is reliable as hell. For anyone that needs a smartphone that actually messages, the BB's cannot be beat.

Now if only Verizon would get the brand new 8800 (8830 on Verizon) in a timely manner. Word on the street is May/June. So I'll just chill with the 8703e (which came out in October) until then I suppose. It will be so painful for me to have to go get a new phone when it's released...I know.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Fri Feb 23, 2007 2:52 pm

love my blackberry. can't go back to a regular phone.

all the ggl aps for it make it even better.