Cingular to Nextel - Scared!

[rookcnu]

Just got a promotion. Which means that I will need to switch my phone carrier from Cingular to Nextel.

I have been using the Cingular 8125 and absolutely love it. Does Nextel offer a phone that does the things the 8125 does? I love the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS, e-mail, internet, being able to watch movies and listen to music, take picture, etc. I fly a lot as well, which is why I want these features. But the most important part is the sync with my Outlook calendar, contacts, tasks, etc.

Also, the phone would have to have the two way feature like a lot of the Motorolas have for Nextel since that is what everyone else in this Division uses.

I am really partial to the pocket pc phone and not the smartphone.

Any help would be appreciated!

[ADBrown]

Afraid not. Nextel offers no WM5 phones, and certainly no PPC phones like the 8125.

[courtmagician]

Aren't Nextel & Sprint the same company now? If so, there's the a few you can choose from (Treo 700w, the their PPC-6700). If not, then nevermind...

[rookcnu]

Okay - I didn't think about the Sprint relationship. However,... does the Treo 700w and their PPC-6700 have the two-way walkie talkie feature like the motorolas for Nextel. This will be an important feature.

Thanks!

[Janak Parekh]

Okay - I didn't think about the Sprint relationship. However,... does the Treo 700w and their PPC-6700 have the two-way walkie talkie feature like the motorolas for Nextel. This will be an important feature.
Nope. If you need Nextel service, you'll have to give up almost every "smart phone". There is one Windows Mobile Smartphone available for Nextel -- the i930 -- and that's it. That may be what you'll want to get, since it does support Outlook sync and some of the other features you described. The other alternative would be a Blackberry.

Now, push-to-talk might come to Sprint Pocket PC Phones sometime in the unforeseeable future. However, that still wouldn't be Nextel service and presumably will only be compatible with other Sprint users. This is all pure speculation, I have no idea. Right now there are no Pocket PCs on the market, period, with PTT.

--janak

[rookcnu]

Hmmmm,.... do you know anything about this Blackberry? I know this is a pocket pc forum, but....

I am really dreading this. I do not want to give up my Cingular 8125. Absolutely love it. And I am a big fan of the Windows Mobile 5 OS and the things coming down the pike.

Do you know if the Blackberry has wi-fi? Does it have SD or mini-SD slots? Can it sync with my outlook calendar, contacts and tasks? Can it play media like my 8125 (music and video)? How about terminal services client? I can remote to my pc from my phone. Will the Blackberry do that?

sniffles!!

Does this mean I am going to have to join some other forum with other Blackberry users? AARRGGHH!

[Janak Parekh]

I am really dreading this. I do not want to give up my Cingular 8125. Absolutely love it. And I am a big fan of the Windows Mobile 5 OS and the things coming down the pike.
It's simple: you cannot use your 8125 on Nextel. If you want to keep it, you'll need to keep your existing Cingular subscription, either in lieu of or in addition to your Nextel subscription.

Do you know if the Blackberry has wi-fi? Does it have SD or mini-SD slots?
No and no, certainly not the models that Nextel has. The new Blackberry Pearl has a memory slot, I believe, but it's only available as GSM -- and I wouldn't bet that a Nextel version would be built. Nextel's WM Smartphone does, though. I'd suggest you check out the models yourself (http://nextelonline.nextel.com/NASApp/onlinestore/en/Action/DisplayPhones?audience=INDIVIDUAL&id12=NEXTEL;Phones&language=EN).

Can it sync with my outlook calendar, contacts and tasks?
The first two, definitely. I don't remember about task sync.

Can it play media like my 8125 (music and video)?
No. Their WM Smartphone, the i930, has Windows Media Player, but not the Blackberry.

How about terminal services client?
Not built-in. I think the Blackberry supports certain types of installable Java programs designed for it, but since it doesn't have a touch screen, I'm not sure Remote Desktop could even be made practical.

Does this mean I am going to have to join some other forum with other Blackberry users? AARRGGHH!
If you need to ditch your Cingular service, then your choices are either a "dumb phone" or a Windows Mobile Smartphone or a Blackberry. In case you didn't know, Nextel is really about building rugged "on-the-street"-type devices, and the PTT fits into this. They're rarely into phone selection. In fact, the two Blackberries they sell are the only non-Motorola devices on Nextel's network (the rest are all built by a separate subdivision of Motorola that handles their rugged iDEN communicator products).

I'm sorry that your choices are so limited. :( But at least you now know, going into this situation, what options you have.

--janak

[rookcnu]

Boo hoo-

Thanks for the info, though. Looks like I will be wearing both items on my hip (which is not what I wanted to do). But I just cannot give up my 8125 and its features. There is too much to love. I guess I can suffer through this. Having two phones on my hip may make me walk differently with all that weight :wink: .

Oh well - at least I do not pay for phone or data minutes on either phone.

I really appreciate you taking the time to explain these details to me!

Cheers!