Lenovo PPC Phone: Competition for the MPx?

[Pat Logsdon]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.mobileburn.com/gallery.jsp?Id=672&source=HOMETOP' target='_blank'>http://www.mobileburn.com/gallery.j...&source=HOMETOP</a><br /><br /></div><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/logsdon_20040325_lenovo.jpg" /> <br /><br />"It really is quite compact, even if it does weigh about 175g. This still puts it on par with many current Pocket PC devices that contain no mobile phone functionality at all. When you consider that it is a full clamshell handset with a display that flips/rotates to look like a traditional Pocket PC device, it's really quite impressive.<br /><br />The overall response of the unit was just as you would expect from a 400Mhz PPC with 64MB ram. Quick. The keypad was also quite nice, in a Samsung kind of way. We didn't get a chance to download any of the photos we took with the ET560's internal VGA camera, so we can't really comment on the image quality, but the 262k color, 240x320 pixel display sure was nice."<br /><br />Mobileburn has posted a quick review of the new Lenovo ET560, with quite a few high-res pictures. All in all, it seems like a pretty solid device. There's no landscape mode, but the flip/twist functionality is quite nice! The keypad also looks a bit less...busy than the MPx, and the screen...262k color?! 8O <br /><br />Does this just make choosing your next PPC that much harder? :mrgreen:

[Kati Compton]

Well, my true preference between the two would be dependent on the final pricing. :lol:

Well, and on whether or not I can get one... ;)

[T-Will]

All I have to say is finally some real innovation is happening in the Pocket PC world...it's about time! :clap:

[PR.]

Stop showing me these!!! :(

I have to wait for a VGA screen on a HP iPaq, I don't want to throw all my accessories in the bin!

[possmann]

DA! :jawdrop:
anyone know anything about bluetooth (I had to ask...)? Price and dare I ask - will the damn thing be availble for the US market?

[thunderck]

Come-on at that size where is the Query keyboard? Still, I like what I see. :D

[Paragon]

I WAS very excited about this device.......right up till I saw how much real estate was wasted on a T9 key pad. :twisted:

But, kudos for innovation!

Dave

[quidproquo]

I agree with others here.... at least some innovation is beginning to happen! For the past 2 years or so...everyone tried to be like an iPAQ. We can only have so many of those...

Keep the innovative changes coming! :D

[amin]

Originally posted at Gizmodo.com (yesterday):
JOEL JOHNSON -- Mobileburn has some shots of Lenovo ET560 PocketPC/cellphone hybrid with one of those flippy screens all the kids seem to be getting excited about. With a 400MHz CPU and a VGA quality camera, we welcome the ET560 into the fold as another very nice, very much the same smartphone. When Mobileburn starts carrying phones with built-in flamethrowers, then we'll start getting worked up again.
I agree. It's all been done before. Maybe not exactly the same way, but... yawn... doesn't excite me.

[shawnc]

I like this W-A-Y better than the Motorola phone. More phone than PDA works better for me. SD slot, MP3 playback, Avantgo and ebook reader and I'm a happy camper :multi: .

[rjcc]

I like this W-A-Y better than the Motorola phone. More phone than PDA works better for me. SD slot, MP3 playback, Avantgo and ebook reader and I'm a happy camper :multi: .


Umm, no qwerty keyboard?

no wi-fi?

no bluetooth?


it doesn't have any of the things that make the motorola phone so good.

[Sslixtis]

I'm excited about a 262k color screen!

I like it!

[Ryan Joseph]

I don't know which device I like better. On the one hand, the MPx has way more features. But on the other, it's screen is small and the keyboard always has to be open to use the PDA functions.

I like this design which lets you fold the keypad away and hold it like a standard PPC. And it's a normal sized screen, too.

And I have serious doubts about it ever being available in the US. :cry:

If it were, however, I'd have a tough time deciding. Actually, the companies may have decided for me. I can't afford the MPx ($920+ !?!?), this won't be available for a long time (if ever), but the iPAQ 6000 will only be $600 and will be released this summer. I think that makes my decision a whole lot easier. :)

[shawnc]

no bluetooth?

it doesn't have any of the things that make the motorola phone so good.

Yeah, BT. That's a deal-breaker for me.

[rjcc]

no bluetooth?

it doesn't have any of the things that make the motorola phone so good.

Yeah, BT. That's a deal-breaker for me.

There were two other things on that list.

Have fun writing everything in, I want to be able to easily take notes and send instant messages and e-mails with a minimum of effort, making a keyboard almost a requirement.

[griph]

I WAS very excited about this device.......right up till I saw how much real estate was wasted on a T9 key pad. :twisted:

But, kudos for innovation!

Dave
And whilst on the site - take a look at the Sony Ericsson S700 - http://www.mobileburn.com/gallery.jsp?Id=670&source=HOMETOP
Not a pocket PC granted - but come on you guys - Sony have the design edge for great looking kit - visually this knocks the socks off the MPX and Lenovo - just wish someone would apply similar design consideration to PPCPE devices.

[dh]

To me, the Lenovo might be a good choice over PPCPE or MS Smartphone. At the moment, MS Smartphones have some nice hardware but weak watered down operating system. PPCPE has the OS but, with the possible exception of the new Moto, crappy hardware.

My first thought was that I wouldn't like this, but it is growing on me. I htink it's something I could use - not that there will ever be a CDMA Sprint version of course :cry:

[nobody]

I like this one better than Mpx, which is a bit ugly on the keyboard. Is Mpx keyboard overkill?

[Phoenix]

I like the MPx much better than this phone. I don't think the keyboard on the MPx is overkill, myself. I like having a keyboard available like that.

This is a cool device, but the MPx is the one for me. :D

[MrPlastic]

I've been looking at this thing since it appeared on one forum or another in January. I'm with most here, salivating over this PPC phone as well as the MPx. The folks at Lenovo/Legend really ought to tweak it in several ways, though, if they want to go head to head with the MPx. First, connectivity: this thing needs Bluetooth at the very least, WiFi would be nice, too. But with EV-DO and other 3G protocols coming to fruition, WiFi is not critical. Next, give it landscape support. I didn't know it wouldn't support it before now, and with the new MS system it really should. Since there's no 2-way hinge like the MPx, why not add the new Fastap system to the keypad? It looks way intuitive to use! Add those things at the bare minimum if this thing is to go head to head with the MPx- otherwise it's just not as full-featured.

That said, I think this might be THE form factor to dominate the marketplace for the next generation of PPC phones. I'd like to see PalmOne do something similar, given their expertise in integrating phone and PDA functionality, not to mention aesthetics. I have a feeling we'll see alot more of this.

Which brings me to my wishlist: give me this same form factor, with the twisting screen that can be used tablet-style. On the outer side, give me a smaller OLED screen for incoming phonecall info, mp3 info. Below that OLED, I'd want dedicated mp3 control buttons, a la the iPod. The end of the hinge of the clamshell would double as the lens of the built-in 4.0 megapixel camera/camcorder. I hear we'll reach that megapixel count possibly this year! To use the cam you would hold it with the side facing toward you, flipping the clamshell up on the left side, rotating the 2.8-3.2 inch high-def screen toward you to use as a viewfinder. Much like many upright-style camcorders out now. This cam would have a 10x optical zoom as well. Shutter would be activated by a button on the device's side. And manual controls could be customized via the touchscreen viewfinder... Ideally, the thing would have a hefty hard drive built in for all the pics you'd take with such a nice camera, as well as for your mp3 collection. I'm think 50 gigs. Why not? iPod can, why not a PPC phone? Why stop there? Give me GPS capabilities so I can find my way out of dodge. And since it can talk to a GPS satellite, why not offer XM or Sirius satellite radio abilities, too? Hey, I'm dreamin here, OK? But I honestly don't think it'll be much longer before all these things are available.

Anybody else want to talk about their dream machine? Lenovo and Moto are the best thing going if you ask me, but if they read these things, maybe we can influence their future designs.

PEACE Y'ALL 8)

[Stephen Beesley]

no bluetooth?

it doesn't have any of the things that make the motorola phone so good.

Yeah, BT. That's a deal-breaker for me.

There were two other things on that list.

Have fun writing everything in, I want to be able to easily take notes and send instant messages and e-mails with a minimum of effort, making a keyboard almost a requirement.

For me the keyboard is not a big deal - I do most of my text entry using Calligrapher and anyway with my large and rather uncooperative fingers :( a thumboard is not really much good to me.

I really like the fact that you can flip this over and use as a normal PPC (althought the lack of buttons in that mode would kill the gaming potential of that loverly screen).

Speaking of the screen, I would have thought that with WM2003 SE the Landscape support will be dealt with whatever the hardware. I would have loved VGA but I guess it is just too small for that.

Still if this becomes available in Europe then it might just be what I am looking for to solve my "one device or two" quandry.

[shawnc]

no bluetooth?

it doesn't have any of the things that make the motorola phone so good.

Yeah, BT. That's a deal-breaker for me.

There were two other things on that list.

Have fun writing everything in, I want to be able to easily take notes and send instant messages and e-mails with a minimum of effort, making a keyboard almost a requirement.

I felt the same way about the other two as BT. Why repeat myself? You seem to fail to grasp the concept of individual choice. For you, a keyboard is desired. Good for you. For me, it's not. This machine will do just fine.