2 device combo vs smartphone/ppc phone

[rooks308]

Are there any advantages with going with a 2 device combo vs a converged device like the Treo or HTC phones?

I currently have a Motorolla Bluetooth phone that supports Edge, and for a brieft period of time I also owned a Siemens SX66 (HTC blue angel). I loved the phone, but hated the GPRS speed it suffred from. Would I be better off getting a bluetooth PDA or should I fork out the dough for a phone edition device? Would a bluetooth connection be faster for browsing the net (over EDGE connection) than GPRS straight from the device? My main gripe was when using GPRS I could not get streaming audio to work off of websites, unless of course I turned on Wi-FI, and then it worked fine. So would EDGE via BT fare any better than plain ol GPRS?

Also with all the new stuff coming out can anyone recommend anything similar in design(w/ keyboard) to the Blue angel models?

If I went straight PDA to go with my phone any suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

-Rooks308

[clbsvi]

My opinion only:
Go with two devices. Suggest a Windows Mobile 5 (WM5) device such as you may have and a separate cell phone. By the way, I think Bluetooth sucks like a deep space vacuum. I'm am advocating a switch to WiFi with the ability to dial the PPC output power up and down with a slider such as is found on the WM5 PPC screen brightness control. Another useful product would be a WiFi enabled cordless phone so that you could use it for a POTS 56k modem. Use of a cell phone as a modem requires BlueTooth and may incur substantial data services cellular service costs.

Good luck.

[SteveHoward999]

I say two devices is still the way to go. I have a lot of reasons ...

- Dedicated phones are better phones than converged devices
- Dedicated PDAs are better PDAs than converged devices
- Sometimes I want or need, or have to leave phone or PDA behind
- I like a large PDA with a big screen
- I like a small phone
- I like to change phone and PDA at different times ... maybe for service provider reasons or fashion or whatever
- I travel internationally - the converged devices that interest me are not usually quad-band phones which I need
- Battery life on my phone is huge compared to PDA ... With a converged device I don't want to be scared to use phone in case I flatten PDA battery or vice versa
- Two separate devices are usually cheaper than a converged device with equivalent functionality

[IpaqMan2]

Really, it’s a personal preference here. I use to really be big for using two devices until I went with a converged device. At least for me, I prefer only carrying one device now. Let me say this again...I LOVE carrying only one device. It's hard to explain.. if you really use your phone and your PDA and neither is used as a fashion statement, than a converged device is the way to go. Of course standalone PDAs and phones have some options that are better such as a bigger screen on PDAs, but besides this....everything and I mean everything I need and do is in one hand, and only need one device clipped to my belt. But like I said, it's personal preference. I will say if you have never "really” used a converged device, than you really don't know the convenience of one until you've used it for a few weeks, and everything negative I had said about them was just hot air until I really tried it my self. Once you do use one, more than likely you will say good bye to the separate PDA and Phone game.

[SteveHoward999]

Really, it’s a personal preference .... clipped to my belt


Ah yes - there's another point we disagree on ;-)

A belt clip is never going to work for me ... I tried an iPod on one once, and ripped it off as I sat in the car. I know I would do the same with anything else.

Then there's the fact that anything on a belt clip is such a target for theives in a crown.

Oh - and they look stupid. Of course that's my personal opinion ;-)

[IpaqMan2]

Ah yes - there's another point we disagree on ;-)

We?? Or do yo mean you? But I would agree... If you're have an ipod, a Phone, and a PPC clipped to your belt, than perhaps that would look pretty stupid. :D

Eitherway..if you are using a belt clip or not, just goes to prove my point, that with 2 devices, it's just more crap to carry around, to lose, to drop, to forget, to get stolen, to hide, and I guess the list could go on and on..but as it has been stated with all of us here already.. That's just my opinion. 0X

[rooks308]

Yeah, I have owned a converged device the Siemens SX66(HTC blue angel) and I loved the fact that I only had to carry around 1 device, I was simply put off by the GPRS only speeds. Which were fine for browsing and such actually, just they didn't work well for streaming audio off a radio website.... I guess I'll have to look at some of the new HTC models with keyboards and EDGE, I just wish they weren't so much more expensive (unlocked) than the SX66 is...

Also I have also had a pda clipped to my belt tear off in a car, so i know that feeling, however I remedied that problem quickly by simply remembering to take it off before i sat in the car. I do the same with my phone as well since it is really not that much larger and also would get snagged. So thats kinda a non-issue for me.

I do agree that the 2 devices work better independantly of each other, and that is a good point, I will have to read up on all the upcoming pda phones and check things like battery life vs my phones current battery life etc. etc...

[pocketpcadmirer]

Take my opinion. I have undergone through both. I used to have 2215 and se T610 combo. Boy I was happy.

Now: I have HTC magician(O2 mini)..great devise..snappy processor..just one complaint, which is valid if you use you devise as a pda and as a phone a LOT..every evening I get a battery low warning(and I charge it every night) and when I am in a mood to do some surfing, I cant do anything because of low battery(and worse..if I continue I would loose my programming stuff) :cry:

So I would suggest you to go with a two piece solution.

Sunny

[pocketpcadmirer]

and yeah..when you receive a call from someone important(in my case its my mom or GF :wink: )..you have nothing but to tell them rudely that u cant talk to them for more than 2 mins

Sunny