Profile of a PDA/Smartphone shopper

[btrieve]

Hello,

I have spent the last few days researching the current PDA/Smartphone technologies. I have read reviews, browsed feature sets, etc. I would greatly appreciate some input on my situation. I will provide my 'user' profile with the hope that others are in a similar boat and have found a good device to meet their needs.

I currently use a Nokia 6600 (symbian OS) through T-Mobile. Aside from common features, I regularly use the putty ssh client built for this device.

I am looking for a PDA/smartphone that best conforms to my current types of usage.

My primary working environment is Mac OSX. Day to day activities require messaging, browsing and a versatile ssh client.

I am not a big fan of the Windows platform, however, I have had a chance to spend some hands on time with Dell Axim's and find Windows Mobile to be very clean and efficient.

The only downside to a PDA solution such as the Dell Axim is the lack of mobile voice support. I would prefer that a solution be all-in-one, including data/voice and the important utilities as listed above.

I'm aware of a majority of the products on the market from blackberry to treo, I'm just looking for some general input from similar users with similar requirements.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[gdimoff]

hello,

As i see you probably need some good windows mobile powered smartphone to suite your needs, but you should never underestimate the power of the new Dell Axim ;) with his 620mhz processor you can run even a 3d games ,but no calling functions ... :roll:

[Janak Parekh]

Welcome to the boards, btrieve. I hope your handle doesn't imply that you're still working on that database engine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Btrieve). ;)

I currently use a Nokia 6600 (symbian OS) through T-Mobile. Aside from common features, I regularly use the putty ssh client built for this device...I am looking for a PDA/smartphone that best conforms to my current types of usage.
If you're looking for a Pocket PC Phone, in general, the carrier of choice often dictates what phone you're going to get, unless you're planning on getting an unlocked phone from a third-party. On T-Mobile, there's nothing but Blackberries and Sidekicks at the moment. :( They are expected to release their version of HTC's Wizard, which would be a great ssh client with an integrated keyboard, sometime in January. There are also numerous PDA possibilities. However...

My primary working environment is Mac OSX. Day to day activities require messaging, browsing and a versatile ssh client.
None of these should be a problem, but WM5 sync support on OS X is nonexistent at the moment. Not only do the sync tools (Missing Sync, PocketMac) not support WM5 yet, I have been unable to get ActiveSync 4.1 working inside Virtual PC. :( There are WM2003SE devices if you need this right away, although I'd personally invest in the newest device possible.

I am not a big fan of the Windows platform, however, I have had a chance to spend some hands on time with Dell Axim's and find Windows Mobile to be very clean and efficient.
Windows Mobile is quite different than Windows (the desktop version). In fact, I prefer Windows Mobile to Palm OS nowadays, which has been to me the main strike against the Treo. Indeed, Palm is releasing a Windows Mobile Treo in January.

The only downside to a PDA solution such as the Dell Axim is the lack of mobile voice support. I would prefer that a solution be all-in-one, including data/voice and the important utilities as listed above.
Right -- there are some very compelling Pocket PC Phone solutions. There are also some neat Smartphone solutions, but they're less geared towards the ssh-using crowd.

--janak

[btrieve]

Welcome to the boards, btrieve. I hope your handle doesn't imply that you're still working on that database engine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Btrieve). ;)

I can safely and responsibly say, no, I am not working on that engine. Back in the day I used Pervasive products heavily, hence the handle.

If you're looking for a Pocket PC Phone, in general, the carrier of choice often dictates what phone you're going to get, unless you're planning on getting an unlocked phone from a third-party. On T-Mobile, there's nothing but Blackberries and Sidekicks at the moment. :( They are expected to release their version of HTC's Wizard, which would be a great ssh client with an integrated keyboard, sometime in January. There are also numerous PDA possibilities. However...

That's a great point, my primary issue with T-Mobile is the handheld options. I've been a T-Mobile subscriber for about 3 years, and have really never had any problems. I weighed the major competitors at the time, ATT, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint, Nextel -- on price/service coverage T-Mobile best fit my needs at the time.

Now that Cingular has eaten up ATT (as well as now supporting ALL 50 states, not just 49), I am seriously considering them as my next provider. It is really between Cingular and Verizon, and given Verizon's strong position on nationwide wireless broadband, I will likely go that route. T-Mobile's GPRS service has never been up to par, and I don't think I've ever seen anything beyond 56K performance.

None of these should be a problem, but WM5 sync support on OS X is nonexistent at the moment. Not only do the sync tools (Missing Sync, PocketMac) not support WM5 yet, I have been unable to get ActiveSync 4.1 working inside Virtual PC. :( There are WM2003SE devices if you need this right away, although I'd personally invest in the newest device possible.

So any syncronization between Windows Mobile 5 and Mac Apps such as iCal, Address Book or Mail is just not an option? This would be a major downfall :(

Windows Mobile is quite different than Windows (the desktop version). In fact, I prefer Windows Mobile to Palm OS nowadays, which has been to me the main strike against the Treo. Indeed, Palm is releasing a Windows Mobile Treo in January.

My short experience with an Axim Handheld running WM2003 was quite nice, the interface was sleek, the device was really quick, and the pointer worked extremely well within the UI.

Right -- there are some very compelling Pocket PC Phone solutions. There are also some neat Smartphone solutions, but they're less geared towards the ssh-using crowd.

--janak

Are there any specific devices you would suggest I check out? Every provider seems to have their own picking. At this point I believe it would be imperitive to have voice/data support in one device, which unfortunately means the Dell Axim line is a no go.

[Janak Parekh]

Now that Cingular has eaten up ATT (as well as now supporting ALL 50 states, not just 49), I am seriously considering them as my next provider. It is really between Cingular and Verizon, and given Verizon's strong position on nationwide wireless broadband, I will likely go that route. T-Mobile's GPRS service has never been up to par, and I don't think I've ever seen anything beyond 56K performance.
Well, the key is coverage. T-Mobile now has EDGE deployed throughout their network -- all it takes is a new device to get speed quite a bit faster than their old GPRS service. Both T-Mobile and Cingular are expected to release the HTC Wizard (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=781) -- a compact Pocket PC Phone -- sometime between now and mid-February. I don't know if it's been officially confirmed, but the cell phone boards are all talking about it.

So any syncronization between Windows Mobile 5 and Mac Apps such as iCal, Address Book or Mail is just not an option? This would be a major downfall :(
Not yet. :cry: They're "working on it" (http://lists.markspace.com/pipermail/missing-sync-winmobile-talk/2005-November/015804.html), but have not established a timetable for release. I've managed with Address Book to sync it to Exchange and do server sync, but that requires an Exchange server and/or hosted Exchange account. There are ways to sync iCal with Exchange Server too, either via Entourage or via direct hacks/solutions, but I haven't tried them yet. When Missing Sync is updated, it should support iCal and Address Book -- right now, the current version works fine for 2003 devices. Mail sync has never really been there, and it's less critical if you use IMAP, since you can just configure the Messaging client in Pocket PC separately.

Are there any specific devices you would suggest I check out? Every provider seems to have their own picking. At this point I believe it would be imperitive to have voice/data support in one device, which unfortunately means the Dell Axim line is a no go.
Start with picking the provider and a timeframe in which you need the device. If you want T-Mo or Cingular and can wait, the Wizard looks to be a great choice. Cingular does offer the SX66 and the hw6515 right now, but they're running 2003SE. Sprint already has the CDMA version of the Wizard (the Apache (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=808)). Verizon has the 2003SE-based i730 right now, and will be releasing the Apache and the Palm Treo by sometime in February. Phone Scoop searches (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/finder_results.php?m=s&plr=r&pl_5=y) are pretty useful for this -- that link is a list of every currently-available and outdated Pocket PC Phone, and a few upcoming devices. If you have additional requirements, that might help us give you some more concrete suggestions.

--janak