01-03-2003, 03:49 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Two More WinCE PDA Phones We'll Probably Never See
The two phones below are yet more evidence of the tremendous interest in hybrid PDA/cell phone combinations. They're not the same (the one on the left is a Samsung XScale Pocket PC Phone with a TV Tuner, GPS, and cdma2000 1xEV-DO, while the one on the right is a WinCE/Linux StrongARM unit with a 4" display and cdma2000 1xRTT), but they have one thing in common: they're slated to be available this quarter in Korea, but there's no guarantee they'll appear anywhere else (read: they won't)...
... which leads to my mini-rant: if the CDMA (or even GSM) vendors really wanted to see data services take off, they should be much more rapid in bringing next-generation technology that actually makes it easy to use their services here. As of now, Verizon or Sprint don't even offer a Bluetooth phone with their 1xRTT networks, and then they wonder why people aren't adopting the service. :evil:
In any case, if you wish to drool further, more information on the Samsung and Sewon units is available.
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01-03-2003, 03:58 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,185
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Is Apple going to have to be the vendor that steps in and designs one of these phones that is something actually worth holding? What is with the terrible designs of these things? I have an larger than normal hand, so holding an XDA for a phone call wasn't too terrible for me, but I'd imagine it's not so hot for a smaller hand. How about some curves?
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01-03-2003, 04:04 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 193
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Technically...
Actually, that Samsung M400 sports 1xEV-DO, a much more advanced standard than the 1xRTT used by Verizon and Sprint. 1xEV-DO provides speeds of up up to 2.4 mbps (2,400 kbps), compared to the 144 kbps peak of 1xRTT.
Of course, 1xEV-DO requires a dedicated slice of radio spectrum, which Verizon just doesn't have to spare in many areas. They are running trails of it in San Diego and Washington, DC, but some recent public statements by Verizon executives indicate that they've put it on the back burner for now.
Sprint, meanwhile, is skipping 1xEV-DO and going straight to 1xEV-DV in late 2004, which will offer 3-4 mbps speeds, and doesn't require separate spectrum.
But fortunately for us, Samsung and Sprint are preparing to introduce the i700 in a few months, which is basically the 1xRTT version of the M400. The specs aren't as spectacular, but it's the same form factor, complete with swivel camera.
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01-03-2003, 04:08 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Re: Technically...
Rich,
Glad to see you've joined the community! 
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Originally Posted by rbrome
Actually, that Samsung M400 sports 1xEV-DO, a much more advanced standard than the 1xRTT used by Verizon and Sprint. 1xEV-DO provides speeds of up up to 2.4 mbps (2,400 kbps), compared to the 144 kbps peak of 1xRTT.
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Oops, thanks for the clarification... I've made a correction.  ops:
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Of course, 1xEV-DO requires a dedicated slice of radio spectrum, which Verizon just doesn't have to spare in many areas. They are running trails of it in San Diego and Washington, DC, but some recent public statements by Verizon executives indicate that they've put it on the back burner for now.
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That's what I've seen, and was part of my point: Verizon cited that lack of adoption of their 1xRTT network was a reason, i.e., 1xRTT is "sufficient" for now.
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Sprint, meanwhile, is skipping 1xEV-DO and going straight to 1xEV-DV in late 2004, which will offer 3-4 mbps speeds, and doesn't require separate spectrum.
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I assume "DV" means data + voice?
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But fortunately for us, Samsung and Sprint are preparing to introduce the i700 in a few months, which is basically the 1xRTT version of the M400. The specs aren't as spectacular, but it's the same form factor, complete with swivel camera.
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The question is when it will actually come out, of course. Sprint has fortunately become more aggressive in releasing phones, but the i700 could make a mess of their all-you-can-eat phone-only plan. Verizon, on the other hand, has stayed very, very conservative with their phone selection... and of course their debacle with the Motorola T720's is not going to help.
--janak
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01-03-2003, 04:23 AM
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5000+ Posts? I Should OWN This Site!
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 5,133
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Anyone know what size screen's on that Samsung? No doubt out of my price range, but it certainly looks slick!
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01-03-2003, 04:32 AM
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Philosopher
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 495
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i sense the phone companies want to bait consumers with the prospect of doing cool things with the current data plans but then limit the usability of the devices to maximize profits (which i doubt are materializing) for minimum bandwidth. the companies are doing this by offering phones that allow you to send crappy data like low res pictures, wap pages, and ring tones. some sprint thera users say they are getting unlimited wireless via their vision plans which i suspect is a glitch -- since they have separate rates for pda's.
hence, we have been hearing about cool phones like the i700 and those shown for some time now (> 6 months for the i700) but the closest thing we have is the t-mobile xda/o2/htc. i think sprint will drag their feet for sometime to milk people with crappy data for their dinky phones for all their worth and when they do offer the i700 it will probably cost as much as the thera ($500) and require the pda plan ($20 for 20mb/month) in addition to voice....
bottom line, its not in the phone companies best intere$t to offer these devices.
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01-03-2003, 04:38 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 338
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Re: Two More WinCE PDA Phones We'll Probably Never See
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
As of now, Verizon or Sprint don't even offer a Bluetooth phone with their 1xRTT networks, and then they wonder why people aren't adopting the service.
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Tell me about it... I go to the Verizon store trying to find something "up to date" (read=bluetooth and other goodies) and they still don't have them! Geesh... No wonder everyone says GSM should be the standard of the world... at least Ericsson and Nokia provide groundbreaking technology when it's still groundbreaking and not "old news."
Verizon: Get your act together... put pressure on you handset makers to get going with something that is modern
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01-03-2003, 04:59 AM
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Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 15,171
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Quote:
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Originally Posted by Cortex
i sense the phone companies want to bait consumers with the prospect of doing cool things with the current data plans but then limit the usability of the devices to maximize profits (which i doubt are materializing) for minimum bandwidth.
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Of course, that's shortsighted. If we actually used the service, we'd recommend it to others, who would recommend it to others, and the adoption would grow.
It's like saying "give them a crappy cell phone whose battery conks out in 10 minutes so they won't use their monthly allotment". 
--janak
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01-03-2003, 05:04 AM
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Pontificator
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 1,466
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Ah...Samsung. When first I heard they had licensed Pocket PC, I had high hopes they would become a serious player in the PPC market. The SONY of the Pocket PC world. But alas, it never came to be. Instead they seem to be merely dipping their toes in Microsoft's water.
Come on, Samsung.....design a real Pocket PC that can make SONY look bad! :fadein:
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01-03-2003, 05:37 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 332
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Re: Two More WinCE PDA Phones We'll Probably Never See
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Originally Posted by Bob Anderson
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Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
As of now, Verizon or Sprint don't even offer a Bluetooth phone with their 1xRTT networks, and then they wonder why people aren't adopting the service.
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Verizon: Get your act together... put pressure on you handset makers to get going with something that is modern |
Well here's the phone:
http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?id=228
Apparently the reason for the lack of BT on CDMA phone sis Qualcomm but I'm not too sure about that. I read somewhere that because Qualcomm have a monopoly on CDMA chips in the US we haven't got BT & CDMA because they don't.
Daniel
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