On Your Recommendation

[Chessound]

Hello friends,

I need some wise counsel in choosing a replacement ppc/phone. I understand that people occasionally post similar requests; I’ve taken the time to glean as much from those posts as I can. I do appreciate any who would take a fresh look here and pass along your advice.

My wife and I teach in a public high school. We recently joined Cingular’s phone service and we got a couple of Razrs as part of signing on. Last week, a student stole one of our phones from the classroom. There’s been no success in recovering it. I’ve decided that if I have to replace the phone, I might as well get a phone/PC unit. (Any excuse to get a new toy will do :wink: ).

I’ve reviewed the boards over the last week and have spent many hours researching the different choices available today. Even though I have been using a PDA for about 15 years, I feel overwhelmed for all the advancements in technology over the last couple of years. My current unit is the hp 3715.

HTC is new to me. It seems that there are several copies for each product in their line. Are the various models virtually the same? For example, is the TyTN, the same as Cingular’s 8525? Does HTC make the basic hardware for these other companies? Are there some brands that you would steer clear from?

I am targeting a Pocket PC with a phone (percentage wise, I would qualify my use of pda to phone as 75/25). I like having a larger display and on the right unit, I think VGA is a plus. The JasJar type unit seems a very interesting choice. Much of my pda usage goes toward reading books. I also journal a lot and have been proficient with stylus entry, most recently I’ve been getting used to fitaly. And I pull out the foldable IR keyboard if I’m going to spend extensive time writing. Do you find the slide or swivel qwerty boards very efficient (especially for larger hands)?

I’m willing to wait a reasonable amount of time if there is a unit that will become available in the near future. For example, the Cingular 8525, might become available in October. If this model proves to be over priced, I’m sure that the 8125 will drop in price once the upgraded device hits the market.

A compact unit is fine, but the larger sizes do not bother me. If I can fit it in a holster on my belt, I’m fine. I would like to avoid models that sport a small fixed qwerty entry on front of the device. I’d much rather dedicate that space to the screen display.

And finally, when you buy a new product online, where do you recommend making your purchase?

I thank you for your time, your comments, and for helping me build a bit more confidence on my next purchase.

~William

[Chessound]

Hello friends,

I need some wise counsel in choosing a replacement ppc/phone. I understand that people occasionally post similar requests; I’ve taken the time to glean as much from those posts as I can. I do appreciate any who would take a fresh look here and pass along your advice.

My wife and I teach in a public high school. We recently joined Cingular’s phone service and we got a couple of Razrs as part of signing on. Last week, a student stole one of our phones from the classroom. There’s been no success in recovering it. I’ve decided that if I have to replace the phone, I might as well get a phone/PC unit. (Any excuse to get a new toy will do :wink: ).

I’ve reviewed the boards over the last week and have spent many hours researching the different choices available today. Even though I have been using a PDA for about 15 years, I feel overwhelmed for all the advancements in technology over the last couple of years. My current unit is the hp 3715.

HTC is new to me. It seems that there are several copies for each product in their line. Are the various models virtually the same? For example, is the TyTN, the same as Cingular’s 8525? Does HTC make the basic hardware for these other companies? Are there some brands that you would steer clear from?

I am targeting a Pocket PC with a phone (percentage wise, I would qualify my use of pda to phone as 75/25). I like having a larger display and on the right unit, I think VGA is a plus. The JasJar type unit seems a very interesting choice. Much of my pda usage goes toward reading books. I also journal a lot and have been proficient with stylus entry, most recently I’ve been getting used to fitaly. And I pull out the foldable IR keyboard if I’m going to spend extensive time writing. Do you find the slide or swivel qwerty boards very efficient (especially for larger hands)?

I’m willing to wait a reasonable amount of time if there is a unit that will become available in the near future. For example, the Cingular 8525, might become available in October. If this model proves to be over priced, I’m sure that the 8125 will drop in price once the upgraded device hits the market.

A compact unit is fine, but the larger sizes do not bother me. If I can fit it in a holster on my belt, I’m fine. I would like to avoid models that sport a small fixed qwerty entry on front of the device. I’d much rather dedicate that space to the screen display.

And finally, when you buy a new product online, where do you recommend making your purchase?

I thank you for your time, your comments, and for helping me build a bit more confidence on my next purchase.

~William

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Originally Posted by Chessound

HTC is new to me. It seems that there are several copies for each product in their line. Are the various models virtually the same? For example, is the TyTN, the same as Cingular’s 8525? Does HTC make the basic hardware for these other companies?

I can't really make any recommendations for any devices, but I will comment on this. HTC makes about 90% in terms of volume of the Windows Mobile devices out there, including virtually all the iPaqs going back to the very first Compaq unit. So while they're new in the retail space, they've been making these devices for a long time.

As far as differences are concerned, there are a few lines with minor hardware changes, but for the most part they are identical - so yes HTC TyTN=Cingular 8525=Dopod 838 Pro, or for that matter HTC Universal=iMate Jasjar=O2 Exec=Dopod 900.

[BoxWave]

If you plan to buy online, eBay and Froogle are good. Works for me for buying just about anything.