Should I get a PocketPC Phone or seperate cell phone?

[iansmith]

I have a (Classic, not Retro!) Jornada that has seen better times.

So I want to get a new Pocket PC but I want to use it with the internet and have GPS. I did not like the few Pocket PC + Phone + GPS offerings, so I need to decide...

1. Pocket PC with built in phone and bluetooth GPS.
2. Pocket PC with built in GPS and bluetooth phone.

Are there things a PPC/Phone combo can do that using an external cell can't? I am leaning to getting a built in GPS, but if having to use BT to connect to the phone makes things harder, I'll get a PPC phone instead.

I'm mostly interested in web surfing and having AIM or other clients running while I am out, including possibly some custom text messages for server status. Anyone have some experiences they can share about hao weasy or not it is to have some sort of always/on connection running?

Thanks!

[Nurhisham Hussein]

1. Pocket PC with built in phone and bluetooth GPS.
2. Pocket PC with built in GPS and bluetooth phone.


Personally, I'm in the separate device camp (PPC, BT phone, BT GPS), but if you're looking for convenience, why not PPC with built in phone and built in GPS? Fujitsu-Siemens will be launching its T-series in the next few months, which will include all three + 3G/UMTS.

[clbsvi]

Like the previous poster, "hishamh," I prefer that each device type be stand-alone; that is a separate cell phone + gps receiver + PDA, etc. In the US, I have had good luck with DeLorme products and Garmin devices. A good combined PDA w/ GPS may be the Garmin iQue device, though I have never used one personally. For me, the De Lorme "Earthmate" receiver coupled with your preferred software package is a good low cost bet; be sure that whatever receiver you select has the latest SiRf III series receiver chip enabled with WAD for best accuracy. I have a prejudice against Magellan hardware, but your best approach would be to read many review sources and then make up your own mind. Regarding cell phones: I just bought a new T-Mobile SDA which is an HTC product. I should have instead bought an MDA vs SDA, or gone for the latest Blackberry for net surfing. A word of caution re cellphones using Windows Mobile 5 or 5.1. The WM5 OS makes the whole phone grind as slow as molasses. This is also true of a 6-month old HP hx 2495 PPC using WM5. WM 5 for Smartphones has different capabilities than for PDA's, but both are still very sloooow!! I also hate BlueTooth but think this is just my own lack of skill or BT's overhyped concern with wireles "security" protocols. Widcomm's BT stack is better than Intel's.
Good luck and rely heavily on PPC Thought's many wise gurus for solid and reliable advice.

[Sven Johannsen]

I swing both ways. I used a seperate PPC and phone for many years, and there are still things that work better that way. There are places that don't like phones, especially with cameras, but will let a PDA in. Plain ol' PPCs tend to have bigger screens than any PPCPE. (some exceptions of course). You tend to get longer use and better performance out of the pair. Each unit has it's own battery and the processors on PPCPEs tend to be slower to help out the battery life on those units.

Recently I've been carrying a K-Jam. The convenience of the converged device does a lot for mitigating the smaller screen, and slower processor. You never have to worry about the two units being paired right and working right and being in proximity and on, etc. When the PPCPE needs to connect, it just does. I think the unit is a little bulky. It certainly is smaller than a PPC + phone combo, but with that I could leave one behind. There were times I just needed the phone before. Now it's one and the same. The K-Jam just doesn't slide into a shirt pocket like a T-610, or RAZR.

There are times I think the ideal combination would be a good sized PPC and a SmartPhone. Since the SP has nearly all the capabilities of the the PPC, and has that always on connection inherently, it could be carried continuously. Combining it with a PPC would allow the benefit of the larger screen and more powerful processor on those occasions it is needed, or wanted. So if you got an alert on your SP that there was a server issue, you could log in with your PPC through the SP, and have an easier time doing something about it.

[davea]

I'm in Sven's camp on this one. My Dell X50 was recently stollen and I have been "making do" with my T-Mobile SDA Smartphone. It's really nice to have almost everything in one compact package. Limited web browsing using eith T-Mobile EDGE or WiFi if available is super slick. SP WM5 has significant limitations compared to PPC WM5. If your usage can live with those limitations and reduced program availability, then just a SP could be your best bet. Unfortunately, you really don't understand these limitation until you live with the device for a period of time and try to find software that will do your job with that platform. For instance, I like Map/GPS solutions such at "GPS Tuner" that are not available in a SP varient. With my Bluetooth GPS (OnCourse BT-339), I can use it with my SDA or with a Dell X50, so I have much more flexability PLUS in the car or plane you can place the GPS by the window to get better satellite visibility. So, I do need to buy another PPC for those occasions when I need that software compatibility, extra horsepower or map display.

P.S. I noted that I joined PPC Thoughts one day after Sven. It's a small world !




There are times I think the ideal combination would be a good sized PPC and a SmartPhone. Since the SP has nearly all the capabilities of the the PPC, and has that always on connection inherently, it could be carried continuously. Combining it with a PPC would allow the benefit of the larger screen and more powerful processor on those occasions it is needed, or wanted. So if you got an alert on your SP that there was a server issue, you could log in with your PPC through the SP, and have an easier time doing something about it.