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View Full Version : The popularity of ppc phones


Aerestis
04-13-2004, 05:22 AM
While standing in a shopping area today, I noticed a ppc phone. I looked over at it and thought "Hey, that looks really nice." I decided to get closer and have a better look at it, and maybe even play with it, because I love doing that.

Before I got to it, these two men did, apparently looking for phones. To make a long story short, they hated it. While I looked at it and checked it out, two people came over and asked me what I was looking at. I showed them and explained what it was. They hated it too.

Are ppc phones just not popular? I don't get it. I know a few guys who have handhelds, and enjoy them, but I've not seen anyone with a ppc phone yet.

I'm just interested to know if they are widely used at all, because if people were near the one I saw, they ignored it, and the people that didn't ignore it seemed to hate it. I liked it :)

Janak Parekh
04-13-2004, 06:04 AM
It's certainly a niche product. Most people who want phones want devices that are primarily phones. A Pocket PC Phone is a PDA first, and a phone second, and as such appeals to you and me. You'll find that the mass market finds devices like Smartphone 2002/2003 more appealing, as they have traditional keypads and form factors.

That said, I think the MPx will turn heads towards PPCPEs. :)

--janak

Aerestis
04-13-2004, 07:11 AM
It has definitely turned my head :) I hope it does with others, because I really think that once people saw what these devices could do and actually played with them, a lot more people would like them. I said ppc's were useless and sort of stupid for two years before I tried one, and then I loved it.

Do you think the idea of holding a thing the size of their hands to their faces is unappealing? I personally like having something bigger, it seems more substantial and fun.

Stephen Beesley
04-13-2004, 08:23 AM
Do you think the idea of holding a thing the size of their hands to their faces is unappealing? I personally like having something bigger, it seems more substantial and fun.

I have never quite understood the argument that a ppc phone edition (or even some phones) are "too big" when holding it up to you ear. I can understand that they might be too big in terms of what you want to carry around with you but as far as actual use for talking into to.... have people forgotten the size of most mobile phones only a few short years ago, or the size of you average cordless home phone?

My latest Mobile phone is a Sony-Ericsson t610 and it is about as small as I would want to use as phone. Because I carry my phone and my Pocket PC pretty much everywhere, having a small phone is good because it is competing for space with the PPC. Now if I had a phone edition - even if it was a little bigger than my current Jornada I would still be saving on carrying space.

wing
04-13-2004, 09:01 AM
For the longest time, i figured that having a ppc phone would be awesome...and then reality hit.

most of the time, when i am in a club or social atmosphere, hauling out my ppc phone would...

a) look awkward
b) be damgerous in case i dropped it into a vat of vodka
c) be overkill for...any...social sitch.

thus, i have come to the conclusion that i need two devices...one tiny phone, one slightly larger organizer for work.

it is akin to bringing your HUGE paper organizer to the bar...it just looks silly.

ps
case in point, my tiny cell phone was destroyed at the bar two nights ago...ack!

kosso
04-13-2004, 12:02 PM
Having seen the Motorola MPx, and held it in my hand and CeBIT...

what can I say.....??? These things are going to be so popular (for the people who carry pdas AND phones already)

God, I want one... now!...

See the Motorola MPx here :) (http://tagmad.com/blog/index.php?entry=view&id=91)

piperpilot
04-13-2004, 12:41 PM
I wasn't sold on the whole PPC Phone idea at first; I preferred to keep my phone and my PDA separate, but then I realized that I carry both of them with me anyway, so the idea of carrying around a single, converged device suddenly became a lot more appealing. One device fits in my purse better and lightens my load. As a result, I will definitely be purchasing a converged device--either the iPAQ 6300 series or the MPx when they come out.

KenClunk
04-13-2004, 10:12 PM
I say to forget about the PPC phone. Don't get me wrong the MPX looks like a crazy thing and it would be the one to go with if you go with any but to me I like to have my things seperate.

I'd imagine that the camera is decent but it's onlt 1.3 megapixels plus the flash is probably not that good. And it doesn't have all of the options that a normal digital camer does.

The phone service on PPC Pones, I'm sure is okay. But obviously it is GSM and we all know that GSM is no where near as good as CDMA currently.

The PPC part of the PPC phones has all the availablities as othe PPC's which is good However the screen is not as big (On an MPX). Yeah the keyboard is laid out the best I've have ever seen built in, but My fingers are defintially too big to handle that on a daily use. My overall thing about PPC/Phones is that they look bulky. I don't like talking on wide phone with the LCD next to my face getting smudges all over it. The screen is too small for a PDA and too big for a Phone.

Overall I'd be afraid of breaking it. The flip sreen being able to flip both ways is ahead of our time. None the less I can see my self flipping it open a little to fast and having the LCD fall and the screen scratch. It does fix the common problem of PPC Phones though, the cormfort.. Who wants to hold a sqaure next to there face?

That is defintially the most perfect PPC/Phone and truth be told if I had all the extra money... I might go for it. But as of right now I like to have my Camera, my Phone, and My PDA seperate. Even though i carry all of them with me as well. I don't want to sacrifivce performance of any one device just to have them together.

Ryan Joseph
04-14-2004, 02:36 AM
Okay, I just had to say something here. It doesn't sound like any of you have ever owned or even used a PPC Phone.

Several months ago, I was looking for a new cell phone. I couldn't decide what I wanted, but I knew it had to be small to fit into my pocket. My PPC always resides in my other pocket, so pocket real estate is in demand. :wink:

Then it hit me...why carry two devices when I can carry one? So I got a PPC Phone. And let me tell you, it was the best purchase I ever made. Holding the "square" against my face doesn't feel weird at all and being able to dial any number in my contacts by simply tapping on the number is very cool.

But the best part is GPRS wireless Internet. Full Internet wherever I go...way too cool. I can't tell you how many people have walked up to me while I'm surfing and asked what I'm doing. When I tell them, they just can't believe that I can get the 'Net and my email anywhere.

And I know you can Bluetooth a cell phone to a PPC and get the same thing. But, trust me, it's not the same. That's how I did it when I had my 2215 and a t68i. This is way easier. I just hit Internet Explorer and go!

I will never go back to seperate devices. I like this way too much. And my brother even got one when he saw mine. 8)

I'll probably upgrade to the iPAQ 6300 when it comes out simply for the built in WiFi and Bluetooth. But I'm very happy with my PPC Phone. (can you tell?) :mrgreen:

Aerestis
04-14-2004, 03:55 AM
Yeah I think carrying one device makes a lot of sense. I'm looking forward to seeing if the mpx does popularize ppc phones... I have a feeling I might get one, or something like it, a year or two after it comes out. I might be able to afford one then, but for now they are going to be pretty expensive I think.

I asked a friend today if he would prefer a ppc phone over a ppc, and he really really hated the idea of even having a phone. I need to find a person who has a cellphone and handheld, someone who clearly likes talking on the phone. Maybe I just need more social friends :D

Zack Mahdavi
04-14-2004, 04:09 AM
My latest Mobile phone is a Sony-Ericsson t610 and it is about as small as I would want to use as phone. Because I carry my phone and my Pocket PC pretty much everywhere, having a small phone is good because it is competing for space with the PPC. Now if I had a phone edition - even if it was a little bigger than my current Jornada I would still be saving on carrying space.

I completely agree. Nowadays, I carry a Sony Ericsson T610 in one pocket and my iPaq 4155 in another. I'd gladly take a slightly larger PDA that had phone capabilities if it meant that I'd only have to deal with one device. If a company came out with a Pocket PC Phone that was about the same size as a Treo 600 with the iPaq 4150's features, I'd snap it up in a beat..

BenQ, I'm waiting.. *nudge nudge* .. :)

Stephen Beesley
04-14-2004, 09:14 AM
What I do like about both the MPx and the ipaq 6300 is the inclusion of wifi as well as the phone function. Since getting a wifi card for my Jornada I am hooked. While surfing using GPRS would certainly be cool it is just too damn expensive at the moment. At least that is the case where I am at the moment. With data tarrifs of 2c/kilobyte you can see how quickly you could rack up a pretty huge bill :D

The one thing I do not like about the pics of the Ipaq is the bloody great antenna sticking out of it. I hate antennas on my Mobiles (they always seem to get caught on something) and I really do not want one on my PDA - even if it is a phone!

KenClunk
04-14-2004, 01:06 PM
But the best part is GPRS wireless Internet. Full Internet wherever I go...way too cool. I can't tell you how many people have walked up to me while I'm surfing and asked what I'm doing. When I tell them, they just can't believe that I can get the 'Net and my email anywhere.


Of corse that would be great but not for how much it costs.

My CDMA does not even have Bluetooth which sucks because I would like to be able to connect once in a while but the reality is I don't need it. I can get my email though my phone included in my plan or by syncing it for free. If I forget to sync my PDA for some reason I can get my movie time or directions from my Phone as well.

How many times are you really somewhere that the following truley apply:
1.There is no available Desktop PC
2.The content you read cannot be synced through avantgo.
3.Wifi or access through bluetooth is unavailable.

Or is it that:
1.It is cool technology and you love showing it off.
2.You don't even need the content on the go and would be able to sync news, stocks, weather,movies,and any other webpage through avantgo.
3.You use it even when a better faster desktop PC is within 5 feet or 5 minutes of you.
4.You have the extra cash to waste and figured that it would be better than burning money.

Yes it's cool...for a cheap price I might one day jump on. But currently it is too expensive. I get around 1.5MB of Data twice a day which is lets see, what did I learn in second grade 1.5 plus 1.5 equals oh yes that right 1.5 + 1.5= 3 that is 3MB of data a day. 3MB times the amount per kb of, what was it again?, oh yeah $000.00. Equals free. How much do you pay for that same thing?

Now let me get this right. You want me to pay more money so:
1.I get worse phone service (GSM is not as good as CDMA no matter here you live)
2.I can look like an idiot with a uncomfortable square on the side of my face.
3.I can look like a show off when I pull it out uneeded.
4.Even when I might be able to put it to good use everyone and there mother would ask what it is andd thus delaying being able to do get content quick which I guess is the whole point.
5.I can see what new post people have written about my comments on the way home because the 10 Min I would wait otherwise is just to unberable.

Ryan Joseph
04-14-2004, 01:41 PM
Um, I don't pay anything either. T-Mobile has free GPRS WAP. It's included in every voice plan they offer. They don't advertise the free WAP, but I found out about it on another site and called them up. I told the guy I wanted the free WAP added to my plan and he said, "Okay, that's done and there will be no aditional service charges."

I use GPRS daily because I'm constantly away from a computer. It's great for killing time when standing around doing nothing at work, between classes, etc.

I guess we're all entitled to our own opinions and that's what makes us such a great, diverse community. I love my PPC Phone, but if it's not for you, then that's cool, too. 8)

Stephen Beesley
04-14-2004, 02:11 PM
Um, I don't pay anything either. T-Mobile has free GPRS WAP. It's included in every voice plan they offer. They don't advertise the free WAP, but I found out about it on another site and called them up. I told the guy I wanted the free WAP added to my plan and he said, "Okay, that's done and there will be no aditional service charges."


Okay - for just about the first time in my life, I wish I was in the US and in a T-Mobile coverage area.....

KenClunk
04-14-2004, 04:36 PM
From what I have heard it's true... T-Mobile has free GPRS WAP but I don't believe that it will be around for long. When the service first came about there was no such thing.

Also after talking to a friend, who works for T-mobile, he has told me it is a promotional thing without an end date. For now yeah it's free but they can drop that "free" at anytime and start to charge you without you knowing until you get the bill.

You did not sign anything on the contract about that therefore they are not obligated to tell you when they change your plan. The guys at the other end of the telephone when you signed up for it make money off of everyone they get signed up. They will tell you anything, give you the most free stuff they're authorized to, and take their money. I have a feeling that you are only "free" for a certain amount of time or data just wait.

If it was completely free all the time T-mobile would be premoting everywhere. Why do you think when you first signed up there was nothing said to you about it?

Either way GSM service is touch an go, never working properly, and has false promises everywhere. There is a reason they give 600 or 700 anytime minutes for the same price as Verizon's 500 minute plan. 200 minutes will be dropped or lost or breaking up to where you can't talk.

No matter what you can not argue in anyway that the phone is comfortable, or looks fine when you talk on it. By the way how many smudges get on the screen? Just wondering...

Ryan Joseph
04-14-2004, 07:27 PM
I think you should just accept that everyone's different and we all have different preferences. I love PPC Phones and you don't. Can't we just leave it at that without you trying to take all of the joy out of my device? You don't have to be so negative and derogatory toward things you don't agree with, you know.

I would never suggest that PPC Phones are for everyone. They're just right for me and that's all I'm concerned with. I think it's very comfortable to hold, but you don't have to think that.

We're different. We all like different shapes, sizes, features, etc. That's what makes PPCs fun...there's something for everyone. :mrgreen:

Aerestis
04-14-2004, 09:24 PM
You should accept that some of us have online and offline businesses in which we deal with people frequently, and having access to online communications keeps customers really happy. If they have a problem, they get a response within an hour, or right away, and then they can be comfortable with the situation or at least understand what is up. I think that kind of service is common courtesy, especially if people are paying you a good amount of money for your services.

Since I don't have a device that is good for communications, I generally have to stick around my computer and phone when I am sure that my client won't need to get a hold of me.

I can imagine that some people might not need a ppc phone, but I can also imagine that many of us don't need a lot of things we own and use. The list could be huge... So I think ppc phones are perfectly fine, if someone earns them in some way or the other. We're all offenders when it comes to wasting money, whether it be cigarettes, expensive clothing, or alchohol. But some people just like those things, and there isn't too much wrong with it. If you don't like it, you're always best to just not to have it.

I think ppc phones are really cool :)

edit: And I like taking the smudges off of the screen. It's nice to take care of things that you like.

KenClunk
04-14-2004, 11:00 PM
Are ppc phones just not popular? I don't get it.

I understand that people will like what they like and that everyone is different. I was just letting you know why I don't like them. I was being argumentative.

Like I said:
Yes it's cool...for a cheap price I might one day jump on.

After the devices look and feel better. Again I was just making sure that you "get it" All of the reasons I listed are why they are not popular, to me anyways.

Aerestis
04-15-2004, 04:36 AM
NEVER ARGUE AGAIN! Just kidding. I can see where you are coming from.

PPCMD
04-15-2004, 06:04 PM
My I700 works just fine for me as a Phone and as my PDA. Its equal in performance and value. Its not too big for use and since I don't go out to clubs I don't have to worry about that issue.

I like the full size screen for pda use and the only drawback I have is the amount of time it takes to get the WMPE2003 update from VzW, the fact that processors and features lag behind on the phone editions but that is the price.

Its really an issue of what you want, what you need and what your willing to use. The screen is key and the performance is as good as my last stand alone phone.

thunderck
04-16-2004, 07:34 PM
The big thing for me is data!!! I don't know of any data enabled ppc that is not a phone.

Yes, Yes I know you can get wifi but you get no seamless roaming. (the wifi is GOOD 8) )

And yes I know you can get PCMCIA cards and a CF card from SprintPCS to get data coverage but you have to pay lots more for it. With the PPC phone you get billed 15-20 a month for unlimited data. W/O such a plan Verizon and SprintPCS charge 80$$$ for unlimited data. :evil:

T-mobile has a good data plan but it is nowhere in the ball park of 1x in speed, at lease around Pittsburgh where I live.

KenClunk
04-17-2004, 06:13 AM
Yes, Yes I know you can get wifi but you get no seamless roaming.

I don't know if you realize but you can use bluetooth to connect, on a need the data basis. Without a plan or anything. If you have bluetooth you just have the phone in your pocket and can surf "seamlees" as you put it.

ignar
04-18-2004, 08:10 AM
I'm also in the one device camp. I really prefer PocketPC to Palm, but currently use Treo 600 as my main PDA (Tried using both 4150 and Treo 600, but it didn't work out very well), and the only reason I chose Treo 600 is there is nothing in PocketPC phone side comparable to Treo 600 interms of integration and form factor.

I know there are a few people who just don't buy the idea of convergence unit, and well, I have to repeat what ryaninc said that we are all entitled to our own opinions. But, I suggest at least give PDAPhone a try since the convenience and added values can be a lot greater than you can imagine. I used to use iPaq 2215 with SE T616 before. While I could hook them up via BT, it was not like carrying a one device. However small and light T616 was, it still takes one pocket. It might not be a big problem if I carry a bag and wear suits everyday, but I often wear casuals and don't carry a bag. (Everyone is different, eh?) Also I had to worry about battery life of two units instead of one, and needed to carry charging solutions for two when I travelled. Personally I think PDA and mobile phones are a perfect match. They are both personal devices, and can share lot of things and actually make other units more functional. I'm eagerly waiting for the arrival of iPaq 6300, MPx, Benq, and LG-SC8000, and anyone who comes first will get my money. :)

blusparkles
04-18-2004, 08:39 PM
I'm eagerly waiting for the arrival of iPaq 6300, MPx, Benq, and LG-SC8000, and anyone who comes first will get my money. :)

Same! So many exciting new devices around the corner! I've never had a PDA/phone combo myself - the closest I've come is an MS Smartphone. Personally, I'm quite enamoured with the idea of a PDA/phone combo that has Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPRS - smartphones are cool, but I feel as if I need more power than what they offer. I've been using Pocket PCs for so long now that using a smartphone seems like a compromise.

If the rumoured specs of the iPAQ 6300 are true, then that may very well be my next device. Since I typically take my Pocket PC and smartphone everywhere I go, I'll actually be saving space by carrying just a Pocket PC Phone instead.

Aerestis
04-18-2004, 11:40 PM
I didn't realize that these devices are bigger. Or are they? They seem pretty cunky. I would carry a ppc around in my pocket if it was twice the size it is now though, so I don't really care.

ignar
04-18-2004, 11:44 PM
iPaq 6300 is tad bigger than 2215. MPx has folder style and obviously is smaller than most PocketPC's. Benq is reportedly comparable to Treo 600 size. I'm not sure about SC-8000, but it looks like about the size of 2215 as well.

wing
04-19-2004, 12:43 AM
is there a large ppc model that has bluetooth and is a cell phone?

you could just use the bluetooth headset, right?

i think my main prob is that most ppc phones are NOT available in Canada. Hmm.

JonnoB
04-19-2004, 12:47 AM
is there a large ppc model that has bluetooth and is a cell phone?

you could just use the bluetooth headset, right?

i think my main prob is that most ppc phones are NOT available in Canada. Hmm.

The i-Mate/XDA2/MDA2/etc (all the same hardware) has integrated BT and is also a phone. I would get one of these, but I am currently holding onto my 221x/SE T610 combo until the Moto MPx is available which has integrated everything (WiFi, BT, GSM/GPRS, portrait/landscape display, qwerty keyboard, camera, more)...

thunderck
04-19-2004, 01:09 PM
Yes, Yes I know you can get wifi but you get no seamless roaming.

I don't know if you realize but you can use bluetooth to connect, on a need the data basis. Without a plan or anything. If you have bluetooth you just have the phone in your pocket and can surf "seamlees" as you put it.


I know that is popular but I know SprintPCS has a Sony BT phone but was only available if you called in and it does not have a bundled data plan, like above mentioned. I don't know of any Verizon BT phone that has the all-in-one BT and data or I would do that in a heartbeat. As I said T-mobiles data is slow. That leaves us with ATT and were I live....no love for them. :cry:

thunderck
04-19-2004, 04:06 PM
Looking at phone scoop Verizon maybe releasing a BT phone Wednesday 21th 8) Hope it is true.

Look at it here (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=475)