bluetooth ppc combo?

[tourdewolf]

Hello everyone, I didn'nt have a lot of luck on the searches that came up on this so I will go ahead ask:
I am looking for suggestions on a good (the best?) Pocket PC - Bluetooth GSM phone combo. I am seriously considering letting go of my treo600 and going back to the PPC.
I have owned many different PPCs including ipaqs, toshibas, audiovox, casio and similarly I have owned many more palms including the former treo 270.
I thought sure the new t600 was going to be the best for me but (although still a fan of the simplicity of the palm os) I find it is too fragile feeling for everyday abuse and IMO the screen is too small, I do however love the having the keyboard. The only thing I ever disliked about the PPC was not having a well intergrated thumboard. (not trying to start another palm vs ppc debate)
At this point I am cosidering switching back to PPC as my main assistant and pairing it with a bluetooth phone, hopefully then I will have the convienience of a larger screen and the ruggedness of a more mainstream cell phone.
My question for the group here is of those of you who are two (or more) device geeks, what is your opinions on the best phone to pair with a ppc. I would like to sync my outlook calender with the phone and preferable sync data or calender between the phone and ppc.
I know this is like asking what is the best flavor of ice cream, but what I am looking for are ideas. As I survey the many different combinations it gets a little overwhelming trying to guess at what works well together.

Thanks in advance!
TD

[Sven Johannsen]

I'm not a fan of thumboards, but I think if you are you should really give the iPAQ 4355 a look. With it being integrated it really only adds to the length of the device. There are even some very nice cases available for it.

As far as the phone goes, it depends a lot on your provider offers, unless you want to spend the money for an unlocked phone. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of options in the US as far as BT phones go. Seems most of the providers have one, maybe two, models that support it. I like my T610 in combo with my 4155 (de-thumboarded 4355 :) ). I even lean towards using the BT and phone option when I run into a free Wifi hotspot. Yea, it's slower, but it sure is easier on my battery life.

[tourdewolf]

How do you like the 610? That one has been high on my list, seems reasonably priced.

I am planning to stay with tmobile if possible, free internet access is hard to beat.

[karan_c1990]

i have a 2210 and a nokia 3650

[ignar]

I'm actually in the same boat, tourdewolf. Used to use 2215 and 4150 (which I still have), but switched to Treo 600 four months ago for the convenience of the converged device. While Treo 600 is a pretty nice PDAPhone, I found my PDA needs are not fully met by Treo. I agree with you in that the screen is too small, but what bothers me more is the resolution of the screen. Also there is no Wifi, BT option currently, and though PalmOS is not bad and working for me, I feel more comfortable with PocketPC. So I'm considering switching back to PPC. There are a number of new PocketPC phones coming to market this year, so you may want to consider that option as well.

[ppcsurfr]

I have found the Sony Ericsson phones to be most reliable when Bluetooth is concerned.

Also, if you are looking for Pocket PC with BT capabilities, go for the ones with the WIDCOMM drivers. These are so much easier to set up and have more profiles visible to the user.

Mabuhay! ~ Carlo

[Ryan Joseph]

I think you're going to be dissapointed going from a converged device to dual devices. I have T-Mobile (and it's good to see someone else taking advantage of the free Internet) and I use it with my PPC Phone. Connecting is so easy when you don't have to worry about the phone being on, discoverable, within range, etc. I just hit connect and go. It's great.

I think you'd be best to look into a PPC Phone. I have the AnexTEK sp230 (http://www.anextek.com/sp230.htm) and it's great. It's currently the only PPC Phone with a removable number keypad (very nice). :D

And the new devices coming out are even better. The iPAQ h6300 series will have WiFi, Bluetooth and will supposedly ship with a thumb keyboard. 8O

I just think that once you've experienced the convienience of using a converged device to surf the Internet, going back to dual devices is a bad idea. But that's just me. :wink:

[Sven Johannsen]

How do you like the 610? That one has been high on my list, seems reasonably priced.

I am planning to stay with tmobile if possible, free internet access is hard to beat.

I like the T610. It is pretty small. Fits sideways in a shirt pocket (mine anyway). I've never owned a converged device, but this is probably as close as you'll get without actually getting a PPCPE or Smartphone. As I said I just leave the BT on all the time. If I need internet access I pull out the 4155, open BT manager and tap Connect via T610 and I'm on. Never have to touch the phone.

When I just need a phone though, it is just a phone. I can leave the 'bulky' 4155 at home if I want ( I know...sacrelige), like when I am going out in only my Scott eSpeedo.

[brightppc]

Another vote for the duo SE T610/HP 4150 !

I use them with T-Mobile (free GPRS internet) and it's great.
After trying different mobiles, I confirm IMHO that SE devices work well using BT (and PDAs).

Amazon has a great deal on the SE T610 btw.
You may want to check the T630 (better screen).

[zilla31]

interesting to find this thread - i'm a also a treo6 user thinking of switching to PPC and a bluetooth phone like the 610 or 630. but i'm a sprint customer... can one of you t-mobile people give me some info about the pricing? do you pay a "regular" t-mobile price for phone usage and some sort of additional fee for data access via the PPC?

i'm thinking of using an ipaq 1945 and the 610.

i found this deal on amazon for the 610 (crazy deal you get the 610 for $20, get a $100 rebate (so $80 cash plus a free phone if you switch to t-mobile):

http://yesmobile.site.yahoo.net/tmobile-specials.html

the 630 is nice but damn $379!

http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y02Y5876370Y3427127/qid=1083269244/sr=1-/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i2/103-1701469-1687831

[ignar]

interesting to find this thread - i'm a also a treo6 user thinking of switching to PPC and a bluetooth phone like the 610 or 630. but i'm a sprint customer... can one of you t-mobile people give me some info about the pricing? do you pay a "regular" t-mobile price for phone usage and some sort of additional fee for data access via the PPC?


Currently your T-Mobile voice plan comes with a free WAP access. So, you don't have to purchase any other add-on's other than voice minutes. There are some talks that T-Mobile is going to stop giving away free WAP though. If the rumor turns out to be true, you can add one of $20 unlimited data plan, $10 t-zone pro, or $5 t-zone plan. All three give you unlimited data access, but reportedly some ports are blocked in lower plans.

[brightppc]

T-Mo includes FREE and Unlimited GPRS (data) access with any voice plan.
They always try to sell you t-zones ($4.99) that is basically the "Home page" (kind of portal) for T-Mobile .... completely useless IMO.

You can browse on WAP sites on your cell and any sites on your PPC (except Secure sites (https), you will need to get the $19.99 unlimited internet plan to access those).

I got my T610 from Amazon. I just checked and it's $ -50 after rebates ($150 from Amazon and $100 from T-Mo (if you suscribe for a $39.99 plan or more)). I think you can get something off if you get a Jabra FreeSpeak Bluetooth headset too.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/stores/detail/-/wireless/B0000AGRYX/ref=w_hptd_blah1/102-1660199-3643326

Dude, I feel like I work for them now ! :mrgreen:

You can find more info on the phone and t-mo on this awesome forum:
http://www.howardforums.com/

Hope it helps.

[zilla31]

thanks guys i have now a dumb newbie question (consider i'm coming from the treo600 where i don't have to worry about this): theoretically how does this all work? if my t610 is in my pocket (but charged and "on") do i just whip out my 1945 PPC and check email? or is it a complicated series of press this, then that, then this on device #2, etc.?

THANKS!!!!

[brightppc]

Not sure what email provider you are using but you will have to set this up once on your PPC.
I, personally, use Yahoo so I check my emails via PIE and need to be connected to the internet.
As it was described before, "if I need internet access I pull out the 4155, open BT manager and tap Connect via T610 and I'm on. Never have to touch the phone" (if BT is turned on your cell of course).

That's all !

[zilla31]

sweet thanks a lot. with this deal on the T610 i may not be able to resist. there are some crap reviews of it though - do you guys think it's an OK phone? i just want my phone to talk on - everything else i'll do on my PPC.

[brightppc]

Some people complain about its reception. I guess it depends on where you live.
I live in NYC and I am very satisfied with it (much better than my Nokia 6610 for ex.)

The only things that could be improved is the screen (hard to read in direct sunlight) and a louder sound volume (rings especially).
Besides that, it's an awesome phone especially in terms of connectivity, features and..... price :wink:

[zilla31]

with t-mobile do i need to get anything "extra" to get data access? i'm just signing up for the 1000 a month anytime plan.

[brightppc]

No

[yanathin]

I have a T610 / 4150 duo, too. But wait a minute... what's this about unlimited GPRS service with any T-Mobile voice plan? I have the BasicPlus plan. I tried connecting to my phone before I had the Unlimited Internet ($19.99/month), and it didn't work. I even called T-Mobile and they said I need that Unlimited Internet thing to make any sites work at all. Sure enough, I signed up for it and it worked. Maybe it was just a coinsidence? Damn, I'm paying 20 more a month than I have to if they were lying to me! I want to make sure of something if I cancel this, though... I can go to basically any website and download files for free, even without the Unlimited Internet? They won't charge me per mb, either? Please let me know... Thanks!

[Ryan Joseph]

I didn't believe this when I first heard it, either. I read it on some website that I can't remember now. Everyone there said all you have to do is call T-Mobile and ask for the "Free WAP Plan."

So I figured, why not give it a try? The worst they could do is say no. :wink:

I told the guy that that's what I wanted and he said, "Okay, there will be no additional services charges with this. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

You can access almost the entire Internet with the free plan. You can't get onto secure servers (no banking) and you can't use the regular IM programs (although I have heard that there are some IM agents that do work...never tried, though).

Soooo...if you want to spend twenty bucks to do your banking on your PPC, then go ahead. It's not worth it for me.

To use the Free plan, I have my PPC dial wap.voicestream.com with the username and password blank. Works perfectly. :mrgreen:

[yanathin]

I just got off the phone with T-Mobile, and they told me that if I use wap.voicestream.com, then it will charge airtime fees and will basically eat up my minutes. The guy said there was no such thing as a free WAP plan, and any time you use WAP it will subtract from my minutes (which I don't have very many of to spare each month as it is). Is this guy lying to me or something, or does he just not know what he is talking about? Also, if I connect through wap.voicestream.com instead of internet2.voicestream.com, will the internet be slower? It's already pretty darn slow as it is...

[Ryan Joseph]

Well, that's news to me. I've been using the free plan for about 3 months now and there haven't been any extra charges on my bill or any additional use of minutes. And I use the Internet all the time!

I'd call back and talk to another rep. Keep calling until you get someone who knows what they're talking about. :roll:

[tourdewolf]

I can verify that as of last months bill it is still free, however
I have read rumors on other boards that it is about to go away!
I guess if that happens we will have to pony up the 4.95 or 9.95 or whatever the charge, of course if I have to pay 9.95 for wap I would rather pay 19.95 for everything. That really sux, imo with the speed of gprs it really should be free or included in the plan.

[yanathin]

Just called em again and they said that connecting through wap.voicestream.com is much slower than going through internet2.voicestream.com (9.6k vs 56k). And once again, they also said that it eats away my minutes if I go through WAP. Does anybody agree with them, or are they just lying once again? I didn't really want to switch because I honestly can't imagine a slower internet than what I have now through internet2.voicestream.com...

By the way, nice DDR arrow for an avatar, ryaninc. Brings back memories... haha. What they need to make is DDR for Pocket PC.

[Ryan Joseph]

Interesting. I don't think my connection is going that slow...seems pretty good to me. But I never had the $20 plan, so maybe it could be much faster...hmmm.

One thing's for sure...I absolutely love having the Internet anywhere. If T-Mobile did cancel the free plan, I think I'd go for one of the others because I've gotten so used to it now that I can't imagine not having it. :wink:

By the way, nice DDR arrow for an avatar, ryaninc. Brings back memories... haha. What they need to make is DDR for Pocket PC.

Memories? As in, "Ah, the good old days?" I have DDR Ultramix for XBox and I play it all the time! DDR for PPC would be interesting...it'd have to be played with hardware buttons, but it'd still be fun, I think. :mrgreen:

[yanathin]

Hmm, or you could put a small touch-screen pad at the bottom of the screen.. That could still work, but the screen would get a heavy beating, heheh.

Anyway, back to the topic. I dunno, Maybe my area has horrible coverage. Or, maybe there's something wrong with my 4150's bluetooth radio (see my other topic (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=241614&sid=6d0aad859ad46fd0f343973d3a660d63)).

[zilla31]

ok so will the free WAP plan let us send/recieve email no problem?

[brightppc]

Just called em again and they said that connecting through wap.voicestream.com is much slower than going through internet2.voicestream.com (9.6k vs 56k). And once again, they also said that it eats away my minutes if I go through WAP

Yanathin, the CR is confused but not completely wrong.
Here is how it works:

. Any T-Mobile voice plan comes with Free and Unlimited GPRS access.
You don't need any data plan (4.99, 9.99 or 19.99 to access a WAP page except for accessing secure pages (https) and using some ports.

wap.voicestream.com is used for free GPRS and the 4.99 plan (not sure for 9.99) vs. internet2.voicestream.com (used for the 19.99 DATA plan).
I can't compare both because I never tried internet2.voicestream.com.
My connection is usually around 30 Kbps in NYC.


For those who own a T610, try that:
Select t-zones in the menu or click on the button on the right side of the t610, you will reach the t-zones homepage. From there, select "more", "enter address", type any address you wish (ex. wap.oa.yahoo.com) and you are free to browse.

. Now, most of the phones, but I can say for sure for the t610, are set up to browse using GPRS by default (up to 56k)(Doesn't use Minutes). If there is no signal, your phone will use a CSD connection (like dialing up to an ISP) and the maximum speed is 9.6 Kbps and this connection will USE your minutes !

. Defaults Data accounts and WAP Profiles (in the T610) are NOT editable.
BUT you can create a new WAP Profile and choose your "home page" and differents options; like forcing the phone NOT to use CSD so you don't use your minutes.
My home page is Yahoo for example so I can check my email any time I want.

If someone needs some info about creating a new WAP Profile, let me know.

I have been browsing on my phone, my PDA and my laptop for now more than 5 months and haven't been charged for one cent.

Hope it helps.

I mentioned that before but you can find a lot of info in this forum:
www.howardforums.com

[zilla31]

helps very much thanks.

[brightppc]

No problem.

I personally use the default "t-zones" Data account but created a new WAP Profile so everytime I click the "internet button" on the right of my t610, I go directly to my "chosen" homepage. Note that selecting the "t-zones" in the menu will still direct you to T-mobile's t-zones.

Create a new WAP Profile:

Menu / Connectivity / WAP Options / WAP Profiles / Add profile.

My settings:

Account Type: GPRS Data (VERY IMPORTANT... GSM data will USE your minutes !!!)

Name: T-Mo WAP (or whatever you wish)
Connecting Using: t-zones
IP Address: 216.155.165.050

Advanced:
Homepage: whatever you want
Second Account: NONE ( IMPORTANT so you phone never uses a CSD connection which will use your minutes)
User ID: blank
Password: blank
Security: OFF
Show Pictures: ON

Have fun ! :D [/b]

[tourdewolf]

I had the 19.99 unlimited plan since its first availability and dropped it for the free version 3 months ago (using a treo 600), there is no speed difference. Only difference is port openings, all but a couple ports are closed, pop email, and web are fine. For those who have only a wap browser but have java check out http://www.reqwireless.com. Fast full brower running in J2ME.