KWSupport

Unofficial survey of cell phone / PDA / Pocket PCs

I recently asked some of the SBS MVP's what products they use for cell phones or PDAs. I've listed their comments below. If you have are using something different, please post a response!

1) Cellphone  Sprint: Sanyo RL 4920. Just upgraded from Sany 8100 (didn’t use the camera). Pros: easy to use; great, great battery life!  Cons: Signal sensitivity not as good as the 8100.  Pocket PC:  HP iPAQ 5555   Pros:  Lots of built in features: Bluetooth and 802.11b, fingerprint reader. Cons: Battery Life stinks!  Wish I could trade it.  Only Expansion Slot is SD.  Never had any trouble with OL2003 and synching contacts with my 5555

2) Just got an Ipaq 6315. Now if I can figure out how to get my contacts to sync which I never could with the Ipaq 5555.

3) I got 3 Samsung SCH-a650's for lawyers and they're very happy with them.  We need tri-mode and no camera (not allowed in some courts), and those fit the bill.  Well recommended by Verizon repair techs, too.

PDA - Dell Axim X30.  I have very basic needs for a PDA - 80% Outlook contacts and calendar, 20% Avant Go and media player.  I picked the X30 because it's cheap and seemed to have a lot of bang for the buck.  Battery life is good.  Since getting mine, I've standardized on these for the office - we have 4 or 5 total.  One started having screen problems a day before the warranty expired and Dell replaced it, and the others have been fine

4) Smartphone -> Motorola MPx220. It’s a really small and cool phone, has more features that I could ask for. Cingular Wireless service is good here in Delaware and even better in Puerto Rico. I’m pretty happy with it. I finally wrote my “review” today:

http://msmvps.com/javier/archive/2005/02/05/35038.aspx. Of course as soon as I got it, I learned about the MPx (which has full QWERTY keyboard in a similar small package).

5) We have the iPpaq 6365 (Aussie version of the 6315).  Basically the phone section leaves a lot to be desired - it has poor quality and frequent dropouts.  We're waiting on a Rom upgrade from HP which is supposed to fix it.

6) Cell phone – Sanyo PM-8200 w/ Sprint PCS service.  I love Sanyo phones – they take a beating and just keep on going.

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/cellular-battery/sanyo-pm-8200-holster-swivel.html . As for PDA – don’t have one.  However, I’m thinking that I’m going to bite the bullet and upgrade to a PDA phone sometime in the next few months . . .    So far, the Audiovox PPC6601 is at the top of my list. Welcome to Audiovox:

http://www.audiovox.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=13872&langId=-1

7) I had the Sanyo 8100 and loved it but the big trouble I had was it slipping out of the plastic holder frequently. You might look at this one for the 8200 as well: http://www.factorydirectcellular.com/home/sanyo/sanyo-pm8200.htm

8) Using the I-Mate PDA2K EVDO that uses the CDMA Network and 3G Roaming Broadband. In a word: Brilliant! (only issue is that the Bluetooth is a little inconsistent, dropping out and not auto-reconnecting at times  - but that's Bluetooth.) Has an SD Slot for accessories like WiFi ( Built into the GSM, but given the 920 KBS of the CDMA Roaming Broadband, really not needed for other than War Driving ), GPRS and Memory Upgrades ( The combined Memory + WiFi Card has "Issues" )

http://www.imate.com/products.php?id=11

http://telstra.com.au/mobile/business/products/mobilebroadband.htm#flex_plans

I also use the Sierra AirCard for the laptop which totally frees me for the need to search out WiFi Hot-Spots.

9) I’m deciding if I want to take an i-Mate from the cellular company http://www.orange.co.il/corporate/imate/index.html, though I would prefer the model with the keyboard - or whether to buy the iPaq 6340 as it is named here. I have heard reports that the iPaq drops of the network all the time when calling.

10) iPaq HX4700 WLAN, 128/64MB, Pocket PC 2k3 - Built in bluetooth (don't use) and wireless (use all the time); Some kind of slot or card reader built in,  SD I think. Also have a Palm Tungsten C with wireless, built in thumboard. Works good to, but doesn't talk to exchange other than OMA. Also has some kind of slot for ?. The iPaq has a bigger screen, and is a bit thinner - I find it easier to carry. If we had more wireless hotspots in Canada I'd probably use the iPaq more. I find both of these gizmos confusing, but that's just me.

11) Sanyo 8200 flip phone.  Small, easy to use, nice features.  Got it at Costco 1 week ago ($49 after rebate). I really like the 8200 features: * Easy to take out the phone and snap quick pictures (with flash) of opportunities (wiring, connections, circuit numbers, serial numbers, the car odometer), * Ability to record quick audio notes and to record conversations to capture phone numbers or specifics., etc., * Talk to dial, great 2 way speaker phone to enable quick conference calls and hands free to type and talk at the same time.

I also like the ability to plug in a simple $9 USB cable and to use it as a modem for my laptop (RWW) in a pinch. (I was sitting in the middle of the desert, at a freeway rest stop, outside of Yuma Arizona, and connected to one of my customer's desktop s through RWW to fix a problem- what a beautiful thing!)

Because I'm not a fan of personal devices that do everything in one device (if that one device fails I'm without many 'devices') I have a Dell Axim Pocket PC with a wireless card that gives me everything I need and I don’t have to hold that huge thing to my ear to talk.  I also think that if I have a phone in my ear I can’t use it as a PDA/PPC very well.

12) Re: USB cable … had it for the 8100 and it still fits the RL4920, just had to download the updated phone drivers from FutureDial   I’m getting about 100k up and down (according to speedtest.charter.com). Future Dial supports some other carriers and many phones.   www.futuredial.com (also available