Please help me to decide...

[wirelesscop]

Hey Everyone,

I am a little new to the PPC w/ Cellular thing. I do have a HP 2215 PPC which I am pretty familiar with. One of the main reasons I purchased the HP 2215 was so I could retrieve email and surf the web while mobile. Well, I don't think I have to explain how much of a pain in the neck it can be lugging the cables and cell phone attachments around to accomplish the internet / email connection only to be slave to a SLOOOOW connection. After long deliberation, I decided to look into purchasing a PPC that had cellular / broadband speeds bulit in. (Hopefully I am using the correct terminology.)

I THINK that I have narrowed it down to either SPRINT or VERIZON. I have Nextel for voice and to say that the data speeds they currently offer are slow...is being nice. T-Mobile is out as well. I tried them about a year ago. I used one of their connection cards. REALLY disapointing. Then there is Cingular / AT&T. I think that the only data plan they have that is of any interest to me is the $79.99 / month plan. BUT...I don't want to pay that much. Plus, I am not looking to get a connection card this time around.

So, the other day I visited both Sprint and Verizon. Verizon has the XV6600 which is really nice! It seemed to pull up EVERY URL that I typed into it. And it was FAST! The plan is pretty cheap too. Unlimited for $49.99.

Then I went to Sprint. I am not sure if the salespeople knew what they were talking about there... The ONLY PPC device I saw there was a Treo 650. I am sure that it's a wonderful device, BUT...I really want to stick to a Window's o/s. They claim that Sprint doesn't sell a PPC w/ a Window's o/c. Of course if you go onto the Sprintpcs.com site, there is a PPC6600. Not seeing what I really wanted there (PPC w/ Window's o/s), I played w/ the Treo 650. The ONLY website that pulled up was Yahoo! Whereas the Verizon unit pulled up EVERY site I plugged in.

Now for the important question to you all... What service provider is BEST? Looking at Verizon, all they offer is the internet connection for the $49.99 / month. Sprint offers their VISION packages for $15.00 / month. Granted, you have to purchase a voice plan of $35.00 / month. But so be it.

Here are some questions I will just throw out there...

Verizon has an ad on their website for: "XV 6600 WITH BROADBAND ACCESS." Here is the link:

https://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/splash/promotions/vx6600.jsp?cm_re=Home%20Page*Bottom%20Nav*For%20Business%20-%20XV6600%20with%20BroadbandAccess

I am a little confused... is the $49.99 / month plan considered BROADBAND SPEED and they are just saying that the you can pair the XV6600 with it?

Who's service is FASTER? Is SPRINT's "VISION" or is Verizon's data?

Is Vision capable of Broadband speeds? How fast is it?

How fast is Verizon's data? Is it the same speed as with their broadband connection cards?

WHAT is ED VO? I have been reading a lot of post where people refer to it. What exactly is it?

Looking at Sprint, the Vision comes with a lot of bells and whistles like... a choice of unlimited text messages in one package or unlimited picture mail in another. Again, Verizon only offers the connection and that's it. (At least as far as I know.)

So, I was hoping that you all might be able to offer some suggestions to help me decide what service to go with.

Lastly... Are there any other PPC's out there that I could buy and use on either Verizon or Sprint's networks that are unlocked? I think I read about people being able to buy devices that weren't sold by the carriers but were supported.

P.S. Are there any PPC devices out there that also let one use wi-fi, say to connect to a home wireless network? I wasn't sure if you could do this by just plugging a card in the SD slot.


I REALLY appreciate any replies and help that anyone can offer.


Thanks!

[ADBrown]

Verizon advertises 'broadband speed', but their new high-speed EVDO network is only available in about two dozen cities and major airports. Unless you're in one of those cities, Verizon's internet service is no faster than Sprint's. For most of their networks, they actually use the same technology, called 1xRTT.

If you want the best speed available built into a PocketPC, Sprint or Verizon are the major contenders. There are faster networks, but there isn't any PocketPC hardware with built-in support for these yet.

As mentioned before, Sprint and Verizon's standard data networks use the same tech at more or less the same speed. You'll probably see a maximum of 15 KBytes/second from either of them. Verizon's EVDO networks can go as fast as 50 KBytes/second, but they're very limited in scope.

EVDO is just the name for Verizon's next generation network. It offers faster data speeds, but it's still in the early spawning stage.

Verizon and Sprint will absolutely not activate devices not originally intended for their service. You can't unlock CDMA based radios, which are what both of them use. They only will allow you to activate their approved devices.

You CAN unlock GSM radios, which are used by Cingular and T-Mobile, but I don't think you'll find the speed you're looking for built-in that way. It's kind of a long story, but I can explain it if you like.

For any of the PocketPCs on Verizon or Sprint, you'd have to add an SD WiFi card, since the available models don't come with WiFi built in.

If you're not married to the idea of having the connection built into the PocketPC, you may want to consider looking at a Bluetooth phone on Cingular. It would eliminate the hassle of cables, since you could connect the PocketPC to the phone wirelessly via Bluetooth. You could still use your iPaq 2215. Cingular has the fastest potential speed of all the data networks, a theoretical maximum of a little less than 30 KBytes/second nationwide. And their unlimited data plan for phones is about $20.