Is This the Diary of a Mobile Madman?

[Raphael Salgado]

<i>"You went thru all those other devices to end up with a memory deficient Treo?"</i> As an active and vocal member in the Windows Mobile community over the past few years, those who have seen my profile and forum posts noticed that I've changed from device to device very often, and even been a 'flip-flopper' like a former US presidential candidate. Others, like the one from the opening quote, just wondered what the heck I was up to. I felt I had to explain.<br /><br />If you could step into my shoes for a bit, perhaps you could considered me a "mobile madman," or you can empathize on how I simply wanted to get it right the first time (which obviously didn't happen :wink:). Either way, you can see why I've been able to answer so many device-specific questions on various forums. Perhaps you have a similar history like me? Can you be considered a mobile madman, too? Read on!<br /><!><br />Back in the day, when mobile devices weren't converged like they are now, I was actually going around with a PDA and a cell phone, tethered with a proprietary cable that I usually picked up from places like Radio Shack or <a href="http://www.thesupplynet.com/">SupplyNet</a>. With each change of a cell phone or a PDA, these companies were making a killing off of me, not to mention the fact that I looked like some ubergeek walking around with his science project, that's when I decided I couldn't take tethering any longer.<br /><br />Technically, I may have even have a longer history of mobile madness, but this is where my history begins with converged devices, and how I progressed (and sometimes regressed) to others.<br /><br /><b>Samsung SPH-i700</b>: My first Pocket PC Phone. Great converged device for its time, but downright horrible support, likely due to both Samsung and Verizon's first steps into the Pocket PC realm. Both were pointing fingers at each other for bugs and issues, until it was Smith Micro :?: who brought out the Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition update a little too late. To add insult to injury, Samsung held a defiant attitude for third-party developer support. A perfect example is Microsoft's own development team for <a href="http://research.microsoft.com/mcom/portrait/">Microsoft Portrait</a> who were adamantly denied access to the i700's front-facing camera, to which I've always argued that mobile videoconferencing could probably have been popular right from there, had they been able to proceed with a popular converged device such as the i700.<br /><br /><b>Audiovox SMT5600 (HTC Typhoon)</b>: This is my first GSM device. Yes, it's an AT&amp;T Wireless-branded Smartphone that I converted to Cingular and made a <a href="http://www.beyondthetech.com/downloads/phone/hacks/SMT5600Cingular.zip">popular how-to guide</a> for others, but it was my first attempt to get a device that was a phone first, and PDA second. Lack of Cingular support for this device (especially the ominous '05' text message for voicemail) had me reconsidering already.<br /><br /><b>Motorola MPx220</b>: There's not much to say about this device, except that I struggled like most MPx220 owners. Horrible memory allocation, frequent resets, poor response time, false hopes with every firmware update, you name it. As much as I still respect the Smartphone platform, it was time to return to the Pocket PC world, and that's when I had my first talks with well-respected US reseller David Weiniger, also known as <a href="http://www.madmonkeyboy.com">MadMonkeyBoy</a>.<br /><br /><b>i-mate PDA2k (HTC Blue Angel)</b>: I really enjoyed this device, having a convenient keyboard, Wi-Fi, and peppy processor. Coming from a small Smartphone, the combination of holding up the large phone to my face and the extremely poor Bluetooth strength unfortunately started the countdown to another device. That, plus the relatively anemic battery life and sliding keyboard getting scratched up and loose all at the same time, accelerated the time left I would have with the device. After a couple of months, I decided I needed something smaller and better.<br /><br /><b>i-mate JAM (HTC Magician)</b>: Probably the most comfortable GSM Pocket PC Phone I had. The small crisp screen and sturdy form factor made it all too easy to keep forever. Unfortunately, rumors surfaced and were later confirmed that Windows Mobile 5.0 would never make it to the device, and I was looking forward to those features and the long-term.<br /><br /><b>E-TEN M500</b>: With the promise of Windows Mobile 5.0, the less-expensive M500 seemed like a great alternative, even though it used cheaper plastic and components that barely rival my daughter's toys. But it was here where I got burned by the extremely poor signal strength, dropping more calls and getting more voicemail notifications without even receiving a missed call. I had to move on to something else before my wife and my friends went from angry to furious.<br /><br /><b>i-mate K-JAM (HTC Wizard)</b>: There was no doubt that the HTC Wizard is, in fact, a great device. I even created my <a href="http://www.beyondthetech.com/blogs/wm/">first blog dedicated to it</a>. Yet, there were some real annoyances I had about the device that just grew worse over time, such as the 200MHz TI OMAP processor's sluggishness, especially when switching to portrait to landscape and back (which happened often for the sliding keyboard) and surfing with "script warning" errors on many pages (even with the setting off). Add the cumbersome keyboard and loose stylus syndrome that inevitably happens for all Wizard 200 owners, and you've got a device that might not last the long haul. Coincidentally, my personal needs started to go from a "phone-first" to a "PDA-first" design.<br /><br /><b>Qtek 9000 (HTC Universal)</b>: While having a lack of other devices to try out, and while having a bit of a wanton desire, I ended up with the Universal. No doubt, this device felt monstrous compared to the K-JAM, but it satisfied my "PDA-first" need to a certain point. The lack of 850MHz fortunately had no effect on me, and the 1900MHz-only signal strength even fared better than my days on the quadband E-TEN M500. However, on my first business trip, I brought along my laptop, only to find out that my network drivers weren't compatible with the hotel's network connection. With no Wi-Fi hot spot available, I loathed a repeated painstaking 9MB download (of which I only needed 500k of that self-extracting archive :evil:) that kept getting cut out over the wimpy GPRS signal. Quoting Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day, <i>"Must go faster. Must go faster!"</i><br /><br /><b>O2 XDA Atom</b>: Needing to utilize EDGE capability on Cingular's network and not wanting to go back to an OMAP processor on the newly released HTC Prophet, the Atom seemed like a better choice. I then believed that the Atom should have been the true successor to much-enjoyed HTC Magician, even though it was nearly as pricey as the Universal. While the camera was ultimately a downright insult to the device, the novelty FM radio proved somewhat fun, albeit for a short time - I found out that my favorite radio station had a live 32kbps WMA stream on the Internet, and I never used the FM radio portion again - no static, and thanks to the FCC, no local commercials allowed, just an instrumental track would take its place - who needs satellite? ;) My first scare with the device (it wasn't charging for some reason, but found out it was a false alarm) had me reeling in my head on how to handle and how long it would take to go through the Hong Kong-based warranty procedure that <a href="http://www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=880411">another had to endure with negative results</a>.<br /><br /><b>Verizon UTStarcom XV6700 (HTC Apache)</b>: I have always walked into Verizon Wireless stores and sampled what I initially thought were feeble attempts to satisfy their offerings in the Windows Mobile world, as compared to the free-for-all attitude that GSM device owners have. That all changed when I walked up to the XV6700 and felt that this should have been the HTC Wizard all along. With EVDO speed, the <a href="http://www.dslreport.com/mspeed">mSpeed test on DSLReports.com</a> scored a jaw-dropping average of 850kbps, while my Atom barely made it to 140kbps. I canceled my Cingular contract, got this device cheap, and enjoyed it for nearly a month. That is, until others' reports of a "dark screen of death" syndrome started to creep up on my device until it really started missing calls on a daily basis. The fact that neither HTC nor Verizon nor UTStarcom could officially acknowledge this issue had me reconsidering this device, since I knew would be locked into it for the next two years. Luckily, I made a good relationship with the Verizon Wireless salesperson-turned-store manager who authorized the exchange well after the initial 15-day mark.<br /><br /><b>Palm Treo 700w</b>: This is where I am now. I was very skeptical when I first heard about this device - no Wi-Fi, pricier than the XV6700, 312MHz XScale processor, and a square screen. What felt more weird was its customizations that were likely designed more for the transitioning Treo 650 user than a true Windows Mobile power user. But, with an open mind, the "don't knock it until you try it" attitude, and swearing that I'd never use another Samsung product (i730/i830 were the only other choices), I went ahead with the Treo 700w. Needless to say, the device seems to have an excellent balance of phone and PDA. Like Janak described in his review, it sure didn't feel or act like 312MHz, and the form factor just won me over. Now, I know why the Palm OS-based Treo 650 became so popular. Sure, it could have used more RAM, an LED flash for the camera, and integrated Wi-Fi, but none of those things were big enough of an issue for me. Just for fun, I installed <a href="http://www.nyditot.com">NYDITOT Virtual Display</a> and am able to squeeze many 240x320 applications into the Treo's display without a hitch. What can I say? It serves my needs on both the phone and PDA fronts, and enforced with Verizon's contract, it's going to be a keeper.<br /><br />From the Audiovox SMT5600 to the Treo 700w, all this happened in the span of just 16 months. That averages to one device every month and a half! The Samsung SPH-i700 was a little while before that period, where I actually tried out some (gasp) regular cell phones, such as the <a href="http://www.mobiledia.com/news/37069.html">infamous Motorola V710</a>. Oh, and you can squeeze a Dell Axim x50v into the above list just because it was a great bargain at the time.<br /><br /><b>Am I the mobile madman some people think I am? Am I too hard or critical on these devices?</b> Perhaps so, but I've just been trying to find a perfect balance in an imperfect mobile world, and it's been a fun ride figuring it out. <b>Is this the end for me? Will this finally be the last device I get?</b> Certainly not, but like I stated in my previous thought, I needed to settle down with a single device and really start enjoy it for what it's worth. I've hard-resetted my devices more often than most people soft-reset theirs, and I've also probably given eBay a good run over the past year in selling my previous devices. Surprisingly, I ultimately broke even in all my transactions, even with paying three (3) early-termination fees with Cingular, because I kept the device, its accessories, and packaging in the absolute-best condition possible in the likely event that it would have been sent off to another happy would-be owner. It obviously also helped that that these GSM devices were SIM-unlocked and without any contracts, making the price a lot higher than the Verizon phones at reduced, subsidized prices with the 2-year contract.<br /><br />Do you have any similar stories to share on how you've migrated from device to device over time, why you did it when you did, and why you'd probably do it again, like me? :wink:

[sdattilo]

Raphael... My brother from another mother... I feel your pain. (mostly in my wallett :D .

It started with the basic palm and then into many a pocket PC... then came the first Treo 600. LOVED it... however, unlocked and buggy as all hell... got it from a place in downtown Chicago.. www.welectronics.com unfortunately for me they are within a half hour drive.

After that...

The first HP phone edition... Dirt slow and bugs.

Treo 650 ... Cingular version... too many software issues and re-boots.

i-mate Jam..... This was the best, worked great, good battery, good speed, great size... but of course there was always better...

i-mate PDA2k Loved the keyboard... size sucked compared to the Jam, but I thought I could live with it.... couldnt

Alos tried the E-Ten M500, but the signal strenght also killed me. and missed the keyboard.

Then hit the K-Jam.. learned alot about this baby on XDA-developers and your blog. Loved it, but then started to feel the speed chokehold... Pain, slowwwwwwwiiiiiinnnngggggggdddddooooowwwwnnnn...

So... E-Ten M600. I thought this was it... Very fast. bad battery, Very fast... ok reception (better than the 500) did i mention it seemed fast.... Although the lack of the soft buttons i was used to was worse than i thought it would be. I could make it without the keyboard, but those soft menu buttons really come in handy.

So... back to the store and a Qtek 9100 (wizard again) ahh.. a little like being back home,, and the most recent ROM upgrades 2.17 i think... actually made it feel quicker... but.... when I picked up the 9100 I made the mistake of looking over the slender younger sister.... the JAMin...

And now The Jamin... Speed is good, Batterlife is solid... Ahhh no keyboard, but the soft menu buttons. The black is sexy and it just feels right.

I too have toyed with the idea of the 700 Treo, but I am not ready for the plunge into Verizon shackles... hopefully there will be one for the rest of us soon to play with.

Oh... and like yourself... since the PDA2k, only about 8 months has passed...

All I can say is thank goodness for ebay.. (check for that qteck 9100 out there right now.

LOVE IT

[Eugenia]

I have 7 phones to choose from here at home. I am getting them for free, as I am a reviewer. I use the Linux-based Motorola A780, as it's the best of the bunch. The SonyEricsson K700i (which I gave it to my husband) is a very good unit too.

The worst phones of the ones I have are the normal (non-Linux) Motorola phones (itunes, razr, slvr, v-series etc). Terrible, terrible UI.

[sdattilo]

being the reviewer meaning they are free? if so SWEET.... if not... welcome to the club... :(

Now, dont you get tired of two devices to haul around? or are you not really needing all your PDA functionality?

[msafi]

entertaining post, BTT.

i bet that you're not gonna keep the treo 700w much longer than your historical average. you'll see :P

[Jeff Song]

My converged device history isn't nearly as complex as yours, but:

December '04-March '05 = SMT5600

March '05-Feb'06 - Treo 650

Feb '06-Current - Cingular 8125.

I had my treo for about a year, and it was a pretty good phone, but lacking as a PDA. I've gotten the 8125 and for the past 2 months, have been extremely pleased with it.

[victore]

I don't nearly have the same history with devices as many of you, but on a similar note, I have lived with faulty Pocket PC's because I'm always concerned that when I go with a new device or even from a freshly hard resetted one, my Outlook data will somehow get corrupted. Sure, it's a pain to reload apps, but I always have the cabs or installers safely archived as well as all the serial numbers.

Ever since I got a hosted Exchange account (4smartphone.net), I'm not nearly as concerned. I've had to hard reset my Qtek 9100 a few times, and each time I was able to download my Outlook data from 4smartphone.net's Exchange server.

[SHC]

I'm getting the fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox T-830 in July. It won't be available in the US but I bet it looks tempting? And thats only 3 months away too. (I don't know too much about US mobile network frequencies but I believe the T series is one short - it's 3G and tri band)

[stevelam]

One device - h2210

'Cos it works!

:)

[jngold_me]

entertaining post, BTT.

i bet that you're not gonna keep the treo 700w much longer than your historical average. you'll see :P

I would definately take the odds against that! :)

[SHC]

entertaining post, BTT.

i bet that you're not gonna keep the treo 700w much longer than your historical average. you'll see :P

I would definately take the odds against that! :)

He's doomed I fear: http://www.fujitsu-siemens.com/campaigns/pocket_loox_t/index.html :devilboy:

(NB: The car key is not to scale, it's the same height as a 4700)

[lapchinj]

Well I do not consider myself a madman once I see the people who I'm up against. My wife thinks so and I do think that my memory is a little DORK'D but I don't qualify as a madman yet.

I started with the 3600 then to a 3700 and onto a 3900 series iPAQ which all worked very nice. But with a memplug sleeve for 2 extra CF cards it was truly a small brick. I could not put it in my shirt pocket which all my Palm friends did but had to keep it in my pants pocket. Always had a problem with holes (in the pockets) and of course it was hard to keep my pants up when I stuck to my diet. My Palm friends though I was a madman - for walking around with a brick.

Then came along my hp4155 which seems to be the best PDA I've ever owned and the one I've alway come back to. Small, light, BT and wireless and only one SD card slot which is the only issue I have with this PDA. Wanting to get a VGA PDA I finally bit the bullet and bought a Dell x50v. It's very nice and I really have no issues with this PDA. It has everything the 4155 had plus the extra slot. VGA makes it a little bigger but hey that's the price.

So naturally I ended up with 2 x50v's (that's another story). Even with all the bad press about WM5 I wanted to upgrade one of the Dells. The first one has OCN5 installed and works fine (kind of expensive for a GPS though). Anyway I installed WM5 and that was the end of my love affair with the Dell and WM5 and I was becoming a real madman (but for the wrong reasons). Never had a happy day since. Freezing seemed to be as common as snowflakes in a snow storm which just made me freeze over. I'm really not in the mood to go zap the WM5 ROM, go back to 2003 and reinstall all that software but sooner or later that's what's going to happen. So for now I went back to my trusty 4155 and loving it.

As for the Treo I love my friends Treo650 and so I've really considered buying a 700w but alas with no wi-fi or BT it's not going to be too soon so for now I'm staying with my 4155 and V710 (and all the wires).

Jeff-

[r@dimus]

Having reviewed the specs, I have yet to find a PPC phone that really peaks my interest. The screens on the Windows Smartphones are too small to serve me as a primary device. I always find the PPC phone devices are always lacking in some important feature or two. They either have square screens, or not as much memory as I would like, or they use the Micro SD card format that I currently have zero interest in.

After spending several months pushed up against the 64MB internal memory limit of my old HP 4150, moving to a Dell X51v with 256MB internal and a VGA screen was like a gust of fresh air. I'll tether a phone to the Dell before going back to a lesser device.

Besides, I hate holding PDA's to my ear.

[Cybrid]

From 2000-Current
My inventory of gadgets has exploded. I, like Raphael desired mobile connectivity for a looong time.
Kingston 56K modem
3Com LAN Card /now a Trendnet CF-100
Casio E-125 to Novatel Sage Wireless CDPD modem.
Casio E-125 to Samsung T-300 cable.(9.6Kbps)
Casio E-125 with Enfora Pocket Spider.(14.4Kbps)
Dell X5 to LG TM520(23.5Kbps) www.gomadic.com best investment for tethering
Dell X5 to LG5450
Dell X50v to LG5450
Dell X50v to UTStarcom 6700 with BT tether.
The near perfect combo of speed, screen and utility.

Still can't believe anyone'd take a 700W over the 6700. Like....dood?


Also note: I have switched phones on Telus' networks on a semi-regular basis. They are Verizon North. Why is it that people are having a hard time understanding subsidy=contract?
Note GSM operators up here also subsidize phone costs with contracts.

Simply buy the phone at full price. Activate on a month to month/no contract/no termination fee.
Then switch at will, sell one... buy another...jump carriers....no problem! Their subsidies are getting chintzier anyway.
My first cell phone had a 50% subsidy on 1 yr contract. Still cost me $450. Sony Zuma Silver.

Nowadays it seems like they subsidize $50 per year flat rate on any phone. You're better off splurging $150 to be able to tell them "bleep off" when you feel it warranted.

[Richard76]

I have been playing around with these gadgets since the days when they were called "Electronic Organizers", starting with a Rolodex back in the early 90's. Although I originally went through a series of Sharp and WinCE devices, my first truly converged device was a Treo 180 (which I still have by the way and it still works, except for the flip speaker).

Although the Treo 180 was a great "phone first" device, I was trying to sync my 2,000 some odd contacts and notes/histories from ACT. I reluctantly went back to a cell phone and a Dell Axim X5 (and a nice, big colour screen). Then I purchased a CF GSM module, allowing me to use my Axim as a phone too. However, it only had 1900 mHz and it was too bulky to use as a phone, so I ended up just using it for email on the road. Oh, and I also used it for SatNav in conjunction with a Globalsat CF GPS. This was a nice touch as it allowed me to stop having to use my eTrex portable GPS tethered to my laptop by way of a serial cable.

My next venture was back with Palm, the T|W to be exact. Less bulk than the Axim/card/phone combo, but I quickly tired of the silly (read afterthought) cover/speaker flopping around all the time.

Then, along came the perfect gadget...the PDA2k. Boy was that a nice unit for its time. In fact, so nice that about 4 months after selling my original unit I couldn't bear being without it so I bought another one (I'll tell you why in a minute). About 6 months into owning the Blue Angel I thought it would be nice to have something a little smaller to carry on the weekends without giving up too much.

Enter an Audiovox SMT 5600. Again, on introduction this was a great little smartphone. And I do mean little. But with a nice size screen considering how tiny it is. Good reception, great meadia player (WMP 10) but missing that all-important keyboard for text and email messaging. I just recently gave this one to my son as he was bugging me for an iPod. He is much happier with the Audiovox...dude.

Then along came the Wizard (aka iMate K-Jam or Qtek 9100). I purchased the Qtek because is was almost $100 less, came from the same manufacturer (HTC) and had a better warranty (2 years vs. 1 year) and less pre-loaded "garbage programs". The size of this unit was great and I preferred the keyboard sliding out from the side rather than the end as on the PDA2k.

Unfortunately for me, the introduction of Windows Mobile 5 introduced a whole lot of problems. Or more to the point, it was ActiveSync 4.0/4.1. For some reason I could not get it to play nice with my $5,000 Dell laptop running XP Pro (although it would work fine with my $600 refurbished eMachines PC running XP Home...go figure). Remember, an important part of a converged device for me is to be able to sync my 2,000 contact ACT database as well as all my notes and history items.

So, after a couple of months of screwing around with ActiveSync (even after getting my contacts on the Wizard by copying the Outlook .pst file over to my PC and syncing from there), I decided this "relationship" was over. I should also mention at this time that there were two other factors that weighed heavily on this decision.

First, after a recent change to my eyeglass prescription I found it was getting difficult to see the small print on the screen of the Wizard when it was mounted on my dashboard doing duty as SatNav (hence my purchase of the 2nd PDA2k). And second, I had the opportunity to play around with a friends' Treo 650.

This was tough. Here I was, a hardened, died-in-the-wool Windows user seriously considering the purchase of another Palm device. Well, after a couple of days of real-life trials with the Treo I was convinced. I had to get one. That was 4 months ago and the rest is history.

Oh, and by the way, I didn't give up on Windows (at least not yet anyway). I still use my PDA2k on a daily basis. Its primary duty is for SatNav with my Globalsat BT338 Bluetooth GPS with the awesome SiRf III chipset (I get a lock on 12 of 20 sats in my concrete basement!). And secondary use is for entertainment with music listening and movie watching topping the list.

As for my next device...well the jury is still out on that one. Unfortunately, up here in the Great White North (Toronto) we are still waiting for any kind of "high-speed" GSM. So, I may just wait until Rogers introduces something here in Toronto at least before looking for a new device that supports UMTS/HSDPA.

Cheers and happy transmitting!

[pheral]

Excellent article (i know, late reply, i'm new here so i'm only just reading this), great fun to read from the perspective of knowing nothing about many of these devices. For the sake of my wallet, i hope i'm not going to be as much chopping and changing!

And the media-nut in me has to have you change this: Quoting Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day, "Must go faster. Must go faster!"

Because you're quoting him in Jurassic Park, not Independence Day.

I shall now take my pedantic nature elsewhere... :P

[uwaku]

And the media-nut in me has to have you change this: Quoting Jeff Goldblum in Independence Day, "Must go faster. Must go faster!"

Because you're quoting him in Jurassic Park, not Independence Day.

I shall now take my pedantic nature elsewhere... :P

Since you're being pedantic, I guess I can.
Goldblum used the line in BOTH movies, when escaping first from the T-Rex and then from the alien ships.