HELP! Need to upgrade phone to PDA... i700???

[LillylooHoo]

Hi! I've been researching my options since July. Currently on a 2yr contract with Verizon that ends 8/05. I get 1500 minutes per month for $100+tax=$120 usually. My billing cycle rolls over on the 16th so I want to decrease my minutes to the AC-1000 plan for $80/mo and I'm due to upgrade my phone for free or get $100 towards my upgrade. I've talked to VZ tech serv and CS at length and been into their store. What I REALLY WANTED TO DO was go with a different carrier (but that would cost $175 to break my contract) plus GSM service is not the best if i ended up travelling across country and having to drive. When you look at the maps for GSM coverage (or is that GMS?whatever...) there are soooooo many areas in the US that have NO coverage. I don't travel alot but if I did, I at least need phone service!!! Since I initially wanted a PDA (maybe an ipaq1935 ) with an HP dig camera attachment, then I wanted a cell phone that was Blue Tooth capable (for the PDA and my laptop). So then I looked for a phone that had BT (so digital) and analog and then a carrier that had digital and analog. That way I could get mobile windows2003 for the ipaq which I heard is alot nicer than the 2002 version, plus update the RAM, etc if needed.

Verizon doesn't offer anything with BT. Plus when you look at all the coverage maps, they have the best coverage in the US. So it seems that I should stay with them, plus I don't really have $175 to throw away! If I stay with Verizon, then it looks like my only option is the samsung i700. I visited my VZ store last week and they said that that model was going on sale at the first of the year (because it has windows 2002 on it) so it would be a couple hundred dollars off. I can add unlimited internet service to my account (in addition to my phone minutes but it doesn't use my phone minutes) for $45/month so that would put me up to $130/mo + tax .

Now that I've bored you with all of my history... here's my final question: should I go ahead and get the Samsung i700 with mobile windows 2002 when it goes on sale from $600 down to $400? or should I wait till the newest version comes out with mobile window 2003 and pay at least $600 (not sure what they are going to ask for it or when it will come out?)

I've never had a PDA but need one desperately. Any thoughts, comments, advice would be appreciated!

LillylooHoo
:roll:

[Jason Dunn]

It seems like a good deal for you to get the i700 now, and odds are good that they'll be offering a Windows Mobile 2003 upgrade early next year, in which case you'll be able to get that for around $50 I'd guess. So you'll eventually get the benefits of Windows Mobile 2003, save money in the long run, and get to use a PDA now instead of having to wait. :-) I'm assuming you've read Janak's detailed review of the i700?

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?action=expand,20748&start=0

If you haven't and you want to get this device, the review is a must-read. :)

[Janak Parekh]

Just to add to Jason's comments: the i700 isn't hugely crippled by the fact that it runs PPCPE2002. WM2003 is a bit faster from what I've heard, and the i700 is certainly no speed king, but it's entirely tolerable for me... and yes, Verizon coverage is tough to beat. :)

One major note about the i700, if you do a lot of backwoods traveling, is that it does not have analog. That said, Verizon's digital footprint is quite good from my practical experience.

Feel free to post comments in the aforementioned review of mine if you have more questions on the device and I'll try my best to answer them.

--janak

[LillylooHoo]

Thanks, guys!

appreciate your prompt responses. I know the i700 doesn't have analog, but only one did have trimode (kyrocera sp?). I was hung up on that for a long time but over that now, more concerned with being able to get the best bang for my buck, get coverage where ever I may go in the US without having to stay on all the main corridors. Didn't realize that I would be able to upgrade to MW2003. I'm not real computer literate, still learning alot. The VZ store employee didn't mention that was an option.

Seems like that's going to be the best option for me.

Going the other route, ie, changing carriers (throwing away $175 to end my contract so that i can get GSM and therefore get a BT capable phone) is still going to be VERY $$$ . $270 for the ipaq1935, $120 HP dig camera attachment, $175 to end VZ contract, $150? for BT enabled phone with new carrier, possible not so good coverage because it's GSM (OK in Indianapolis, but when you travel...) the $$$ is really adding up!

Thanks again and I'll read his review of the i700.

Merry Christmas!

LillylooHoo :)

[Jason Dunn]

Didn't realize that I would be able to upgrade to MW2003.

I just want to be clear that I think they'll be offering it, but I don't work for them and I can't make any promises. :wink:

[PCSurgeon]

I've used the i700 for about three months now. Before that, I used the old wireless Palm VII, then the iPaq 3600, 3850, 3900, and the HP5555. Here's the conclusion that I have come to.

Of all the units that I've used (extensively, mind you), the i700 has to be the sweetest. Here are the main reasons that I like it:

1. I do a lot of technical support, so I need a hands free phone where I am not the only one who is able to hear the person on the other end. The i700 is great for conferencing multiple people at one location.

2. The speaker is nice, loud, and clear. When HP designed the iPaq 5555, they had to make the speaker smaller in order to allow for the Bluetooth technology. This really sucked because I could no longer hear the thing if it wasn't right next to me, and this really affected my ability to hear directions when I used the 5555 as a GPS receiver. Now, I can use my i700 for an alarm clock. However, you folks who sleep like a log might want to stick with ol' Big Ben.

3. The sweetest thing about the i700 is its ability to do a wireless sync. Now, I don't have to sit the device into its cradle in order to sync. I can do a sync, receive my mail, update my contacts, and update my documents from the john at a truck stop. This, my friend is convenient! It syncs just as if you had sat it in the cradle! Now mind you, it's not as fast as USB sync, but it gets the job done.

4. I have a nice digital camera, so the one included with the i700 is nothing to get happy about. The pictures can only be a maximum of 640x480, and you need plenty of light in order to get a decent shot. However, if you find yourself lying in bed with Halle Barry, trust me, this camera will suffice!

5. If you keep the unit in it's case, people will look at you funny while using the phone because it looks like you're talking to your wallet. That takes some getting use to because of its size (my previous phone was a V60i), but you will over time.

6. Verizon's coverage is very good, although they are a little more expensive than everyone else. But hey, you get what you pay for.

7. As for the Pocket PC operating system, it pretty much like anything else Microsoft put out before Windows XP. Every once in a while, you may have to do a soft reset. And once a year, a hard reset may be required. But if you stick with good software, and don’t allow programs to constantly run in the background, you should not have that many problems at all. Learn how to end programs running in the background, as this is the secret to a smooth working unit. That was one feature that iPaq made easy, that all other handhelds seem to have missed the boat on (and I hate Compaq products!).

Well, I hope this helps someone out there. I didn’t mean to write War and Peace, but the i700 is the choice of champions. Hey, that’s my opinion!

Later. :D

[PCSurgeon]

Whoops! Got carried away with the submit button.

[LillylooHoo]

Thanks, PC Surgeon!

Appreciate your input. I'm waiting till first of the year because they are supposed to go on sale (substantially) according to my verizon store guy here in Indy. Hope he's right and I didn't wait for nothing.

Re: the digital camera and Halle Berry, well, think I'll pass on that since I'm female and perfectly happy with my hubby. But I'm sure it will be put to good use!

Happy New Year!

LillylooHoo :)

[PCSurgeon]

LOL! Oh man, that was a good one! I almost busted my pants! You're welcome dear. I know you'll like it. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!!