What should my next PDA phone be?

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Posted by Jim on Jan 17, 2008 216 views

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

I own 3 Verizon Wireless 6700’s

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?

On VZW now, no contract and not locked into them

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 PDA Phone there?

US, never outside of US usage

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

WM6 Windows Mobile 6 device

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?

No additional applications except for calculator.org and maybe a game

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

I will use the PDA phone for Internet web surfing, Instant messaging, MSN Communicator and email
Have gotten phones with unlimited Internet, so WI-FI not a big concern

Will you need to view Microsoft Office documents on the PDA Phone? Will you need to edit them?

Yes, occasionally so Yes

Will you need access to an email system?

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?
Is it Pop3/IMAP? Who is the service provider?
Corporate Exchange and unfortunately not supported yet, private Exchange server so access that over OWA

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

Not really - have gotten rate plans with M2M so just call, or use Internet to IM

Do you want to use a GPS with the PDA Phone for mapping and navigation?

YES - this is a huge need with voice turn by turn directions. The same GPS experience you get from a standalone device

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

Don’t really care

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

I always wanted an arm holster so I have the phone for music when at the gym. I got one with an arm holster for our daughter iPhone at the same time. Never found one for the 6700

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

candy bars are to eat - factor not really a big deal

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

Stylus for playing Bubble Breaker
Anything with a stylus usually comes with the rest, but having the stylus is a must

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

puzzle games

Do you want to listen to music on the PDA Phone? What kind… mp3, streamed, etc.?

listen to .mp3’s on the 6700’s SD card. Have SIRIUS in the car. The 6700 doesn’t play the Sirius web client, so being able to play MP3 is a must, be a nice if it could stream Sirius. Can’t switch to XM because of Howard 100

Do you want a camera on the PDA Phone?

It only gets used when the real camera gets broken, so not a must have, but nice

Do you have any other hardware you intend to use with the PDA Phone? Do you intend to use any Bluetooth devices? What types of devices?

Have used a Bluetooth headset, but not regularly

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)

Phone push data all day long to keep up to date with email and our calendars
Expect to dock it every night to charge
Need to get a day worth of usage out of it, not just a few minutes talk

What are your budget limits (PDA Phones range in price from below $100 for older used models to nearly $1000 for high end models without a carrier subsidy)?