Well, ok. One person in the media gets it! :-)

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-2709830-404-20211920.html?tag=sd">http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-2709830-404-20211920.html?tag=sd</a><br /><br />Here is another review of the Pocket PC Phone from T-Mobile. This review seems to review the device for what it was intended to be, a Pocket PC first with phone bits thrown into the mix. It isn't a glowing review but neither does the reviewer forget what they are reviewing. Joni Blecher notes that the device is larger and 1 oz heavier than the Treo. She didn't care for the positions of all of the buttons as some were inadvertently pressed during use. The device lacks Compact Flash support, and while it supports Secure Digital, you cannot access your card while the device is docked since the slot is on the bottom.<br /><br />Of course she liked much of what the device had to offer too. Tapping on a phone number in an email or contact will dial the number and ask if you want to add this number to your contacts. Windows Media Player will pause when you accept an incoming call.<br /><br />She ranked it a 7 out of 10. This is the type of review I was looking for when I <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2584">ranted long and hard a few days ago</a>, one that was a critique on the device in its goals and implementation. Not chastising it for what it wasn't, no more than you would criticize a Palm M525 for being a poor photo editing platform, something it clearly wasn't designed to do. Thanks to ebarguiarena for the link.

[Bob Anderson]

Well, I hate to be the single PPCT fan with an opposing viewpoint, but let me just say, rarely does Microsoft get it right the first time, sometimes they do get it "right" the second, and almost always by the third try they get it, shall I say, perfect! :wink:

My take on this is that these new devices are getting lower reviews because they have some rough edges. In fact, I sometimes think the Pocket PC 2002 phone edition was "rushed to market" when someone at Microsoft realized that the stinger platform wasn't working out quite as planned. I think that this thing was rushed to market, to counter devices like the Treo. And rushing something always carries risk...

I believe that when the next version of Pocket PC comes out (ce.net or ce 4, or whatever) it will do a much better job of integrating these two needs (PIM and phone.) Until then, buyer beware.

[jdhill]

Well, I hate to be the single PPCT fan with an opposing viewpoint, but let me just say, rarely does Microsoft get it right the first time, sometimes they do get it "right" the second, and almost always by the third try they get it, shall I say, perfect! :wink:
This is absolutely a version 1.0 product on the Phone Edition features. Most of us realize that and are looking forward to improved phone features, better integration, new features, etc.

That said, this is indeed a more reasoned review of the device. Note that the reviewer had a number of negative comments about price, features, battery life, etc. The important thing was that she did not compare it to a cell phone and find fault with it because it came out on the short end of that comparison.

This device isn't for everyone. If you need a PDA first and a cell phone second, it might work for you. And yes, the software has bugs and is missing features. The bugs will be fixed and the features will be added.

Only early-adopters and bleeding-edge types need apply at this point. And being a data heavy/voice light, bleeding-edge kinda guy, that may well include me !!!

[Gaiwan]

Woot, my first article submission!

[Pinnacle]

Am I one of only a handful of people who thinks this is a great phone? I've owned 2 Treo's, and while I loved the integrated keyboard, the T-Mobile PPC Phone Edition is just so much superior IMHO. I'm not a PPC fanatic, but I do prefer the platform over Palm right now. Mainly because I travel a great deal, and I like my device to act as a laptop replacement on short trips, especially.

This thing handles true Word, Excel, JPG...well, almost any file type as email attachments. Plus, MP3, video, etc. We all know that PPC part of all this. I love the phone. It picks up my calls, has clear reception, allows for custom ringtones (not beeps, like the Treo), multi-tasking (yes, the Treo can "kinda" do this), SMS is integrated into Pocket Inbox...which is great.

Everyone on the PPC side seems to be making excuses for this device. Don't make excuses...it's pretty darn great the way it is. Everyone on the Palm side wants to desperately destroy this thing...desperation at its finest hour.

It's not perfect, but close to it for me now. I wish i could get one-hand operation throughout while having the complete PPC. I know that's a Smartphone thing, but I want this for my PPC Phone as well. That's my biggest complaint. BUT...I can answer calls one handed and make calls one-handed if calling from my speed dial list. That's as good as I can ask while I'm driving.

BTW, this is coming from someone who logs close to 2000 minutes each month. Again, this is a great phone for a power user. Quit making excuses for it...the shortcomings are few.

Oh yea, I don't know where Walt Mossberg is getting his souped-up Treo's, but this phone gets much better battery life than either of my two Treo 270's I owned.

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

I'm no mind reader, but I think Ed's disgust was over the fact that Walt dismissed PPC phone w/o seeing the obvious reasons why it would be of benefit to a lot of people.

It may be true that the PPC platform in general is rather rough around the edges, but I'd rather have a *rough* PPC than a *smooth* Palm.

Preferences aside, I think this article illustrates nicely the point Ed has been trying to make. Good reviews will consider different angles, and while eliminating personal bias is always near impossible, there are rudimentary steps you can take to minimize it.

These PPC Phones are obviously not for everyone obviously, BUT it's not hard to see who would find use out of them. It's worth mentioning that if you're looking for a phone first (you expect to spend more time talking), then you'll be very disappointed. But it's also worth mentioning that for people that already get a lot of use out of a PPC and don't spend long sessions on the phone, this could be a reasonable upgrade over their current PPC device.

It doesn't matter how rough PPC is or how lame MS can be in supporting their own platform, it's about whether this device could be useful to some people.

I won't argue that the Treo is probably a much more polished device. I might be the first to agree after I get my hands on this PPC Phone, but I still wouldn't prefer it quite simply b/c Palm OS does little for me.

Ekkie