PDA's

[Pherr the Dorf]

Ok everyone needs to give me advice, I am finally upgrading my Nokia bare bones piece of junk that can't even take a picture. It can call people and it does ring... it also can fall onto the ground, break into 5 parts, be put back together like legos and still work... but I digress.
California is making me use bluetooth in my car soon so I will need to upgrade because obviously in sales... I use my phone a lot.

If I am going to do this I want one that does a lot.

I hate the iphone with a passion.

Tell me what you think/like/hate

[Fash]

I love all the Windows Mobile devices... Mine is a Verizon XV6700 (a UT Starcom phone, also branded Audiovox) but there are plenty of new ones as mines almost 2 years old (and still my favorite).

Windows Mobile allows the most customization of any of the current phone platforms. I can install 3rd party browsers and applications, games, etc. I can even open an SSH terminal to my web server. I can use it to share my cellular data connection with any Wi-Fi device.

It can at times be a lot like a computer, with rebooting being the quick fix, and needing a reformat every 3-4 months or so to stay fast. Other than the custom applications I like to put on it, I can restore my phone in about 1 minute, and have my contacts re-populated just by setting up my Outlook email account (since I've synced my personal contacts into my Outlook at work,) and there is a thriving community of hackers/modders who are constantly making them better. For example my phone came with Windows Mobile 5 and only 1 minor update was released, but the community was able to package up Windows Mobile 6 for it. WM6 runs and looks a lot better, so my phone has continually improved in quality while I've owned it.

Towards the end of the year, I am interested to see what Googles Android platform can deliver...

[Funkmasterr]

I am with you on the IPhone, which is why I was so irritated to see it ranked on consumer reports as their highest rated phone, really really irritated me.

I like my T Mobile Dash quite a bit, I have had no issues with it at all. It uses windows mobile which I actually like, it's simple to use but can do everything you need it to, and for windows mobile there are free apps to do damn near anything you want.

The bluetooth works very well, as does the wireless, the battery life is good (I have to charge it every other day and I use it more than average), sound quality of the speaker both for rings and voice calls is very good, reception has never been an issue.

Office mobile is cool, only thing that sucks is that lack of ability to edit, which you can download other free apps that will do that. Overall I would recommend it, I prefer it over Treo type phones, they are too bulky for me and touch screen is not something I care about.

Edit: Noel reminded me that I also found the blackberry UI clunkier and less intuitive than Windows Mobile, blackberry devices were pretty much out of the question for me after 5 minutes of use, but that is just personal preference.

[noel]

I love my new Blackberry 8830 World edition from Verizon (also offered by Sprint). It does all the basic PDA stuff contacts/email/MP3s/web browsing, and Verizon's data network is really swift. I can tether my Mac to the phone via Bluetooth and get 312KB down and 89KB up.

I've heard that the 8820 from AT&T which supports Wifi is really slow when actually using the Wifi.

I promise not to turn this thread into an iPhone thread, but what's wrong with it?

[Aslanna]

I promise not to turn this thread into an iPhone thread, but what's wrong with it?

Kinda wondering the same thing. This statement really makes no sense:

I am with you on the IPhone, which is why I was so irritated to see it ranked on consumer reports as their highest rated phone, really really irritated me.

Just because you don't like something that means it should be ranked low? What sort of logic is that?

[Boogahz]

My first recommendation is to figure out what you want to be able to do with the phone first. Then you might want to look at what is available with your current carrier. What I ran into recently was that the one function I wanted was only available on one version of the Motorola Q, and it was not the version available with the carriers I had been looking into. I didn't realize it, and the salesman was apparently clueless, until after purchasing it. Luckilly, I was able to return the phone within a couple weeks and cancel the service with no penalties.

[Funkmasterr]

I promise not to turn this thread into an iPhone thread, but what's wrong with it?

Kinda wondering the same thing. This statement really makes no sense:

I am with you on the IPhone, which is why I was so irritated to see it ranked on consumer reports as their highest rated phone, really really irritated me.

Just because you don't like something that means it should be ranked low? What sort of logic is that?

When did I say that? Saying that it bothers me that it's ranked high is not equivalent to me saying that it should not be ranked high. Do I need to spell everything out for you? I don't like Apple, I don't need a reason, I just Don't, and for that reason (along with the fact that plenty of other phones do everything the IPhone does, and the fact that AT&T's service sucks in my area) I don't like it and would never own one, even if I got it for free.

[Spang]

Touch by HTC™


(personal commentary intentionally left blank)

[Boogahz]

I messed with that phone a bit in a Sprint store, and I just could not get comfortable with the interface. It also felt like a big plastic brick.

[noel]

When did I say that? Saying that it bothers me that it's ranked high is not equivalent to me saying that it should not be ranked high. Do I need to spell everything out for you? I don't like Apple, I don't need a reason, I just Don't, and for that reason (along with the fact that plenty of other phones do everything the IPhone does, and the fact that AT&T's service sucks in my area) I don't like it and would never own one, even if I got it for free.

See the thing is, Pherr isn't an idiot. Most people who aren't idiots are able to give specific reasons why they don't like something. If it's a piece of hardware, it's typically that it lacks feature A or B, or they don't like some aspect of the overall design. If the reason is, he doesn't like Apple, I'm more than willing to bet he'll have something more than an irrational reason for hating them, he'll actually be able to give something specific as to why he doesn't like them.

Did Apple shit in your cornflakes or key your car? The way you hate them, they must have. Last I checked they were just a computer company not manufacturing bio weapons or slaughtering animals and babies... Can you ever post an articulate, non-emotional argument?

[Funkmasterr]

When did I say that? Saying that it bothers me that it's ranked high is not equivalent to me saying that it should not be ranked high. Do I need to spell everything out for you? I don't like Apple, I don't need a reason, I just Don't, and for that reason (along with the fact that plenty of other phones do everything the IPhone does, and the fact that AT&T's service sucks in my area) I don't like it and would never own one, even if I got it for free.

See the thing is, Pherr isn't an idiot. Most people who aren't idiots are able to give specific reasons why they don't like something. If it's a piece of hardware, it's typically that it lacks feature A or B, or they don't like some aspect of the overall design. If the reason is, he doesn't like Apple, I'm more than willing to bet he'll have something more than an irrational reason for hating them, he'll actually be able to give something specific as to why he doesn't like them.

Did Apple shit in your cornflakes or key your car? The way you hate them, they must have. Last I checked they were just a computer company though... Can you ever post an articulate, non-emotional argument?

Seriously dude, you're turning this into a slam against me as usual? Give it a fucking rest. I responded as such because Aslanna's comment towards me was not a harmless question posed to actually ignite discussion, he was being a fucking douche and trying to bait me as usual, and my response was composed as such.

I don't like Apple's UI's, I have never liked them on anything I have had the opportunity to play with. I like and am used to things with a pc/windows interface, it makes sense to me even if at some times people might argue it's more difficult to use. I am not the moron end user that has no clue or desire to do anything other than check their email/use ITunes so it doesn't appeal to me in that respect (which is where they get a lot of their business, imo - very few people that I know of that are as knowledgeable as yourself prefer anything Apple.) I also don't really like touch screen which is another big hit on the IPhone for me. There are other reasons, but you should get the drift.

Sorry I posted my opinion without writing an essay as to why I feel that way (this post was in no way, shape or form directed at your or aslanna, nor did it require a response from you anyhow, I was giving my opinion on the subject at hand). I won't bother in this forum anymore, because I like to actually post once in a while without getting pounced on right away, and this is the only forum your stench is still on.

[Pherr the Dorf]

My reasons for not liking the iphone are pretty simple actually, first of all I think it is a second rate phone, not a gadget, it is a first rate gadget but I don't like the sound quality so much, I have handled a few of them so I don't think it was just a bad connection thing. I am going to buy it as a phone first and if I am going to spend that much the least it can do is sound better than the piece of crap I have. Secondly as a PDA I need it to be running something other than Safari, work related stuff leaves me little choice but to use windows mobile 6.

That being said I am leaning toward the AT&T (current provider but a month to month contract so not a huge deal if I switch) Tilt.

[Aslanna]

Awww did funk get his widdle feelings hurt? Oh no hope he doesn't threaten to leave and never come back!

Perhaps people wouldn't "bait" you if you put some actual thought into your posts and composed them in a more intelligent manner. I realize now my mistake has been actually applying any sort of thinking skills when reading your posts. I realize now It's better to just take a pot, stick it over my head, and beat it with a rolling pin while shouting the national anthem. I'd come away a hell of a lot saner, and with more brain cells intact, than I would have if I had read your posts and expected them to exhibit any sort of rational thought and clarity.

[Funkmasterr]

Awww did funk get his widdle feelings hurt? Oh no hope he doesn't threaten to leave and never come back!

Perhaps people wouldn't "bait" you if you put some actual thought into your posts and composed them in a more intelligent manner. I realize now my mistake has been actually applying any sort of thinking skills when reading your posts. I realize now It's better to just take a pot, stick it over my head, and beat it with a rolling pin while shouting the national anthem. I'd come away a hell of a lot saner, and with more brain cells intact, than I would have if I had read your posts and expected them to exhibit any sort of rational thought and clarity.

The rest of the post you initially quoted was very clear, concise, on topic, and helpful. You quoted one sentence which somehow was not clear enough for you, which is irrelevant, because you have proven time and time again that you are the only person that doesn't understand what I'm trying to say. In no way would a rational person think that me saying it irritated me that it was rated so high immediately think that I was saying it shouldn't be rated so high. But whatever you say, dude. Nice that you and the other fucking worthless cockstain derailed the thread when I and others were trying to help - but it must be my fault.

[Aslanna]

The only thing that's clear in every one of your posts is what a moronic fuckface you really are. But I'm sure that's not your fault either. Bad parenting more than likely is to blame.

[noel]

My reasons for not liking the iphone are pretty simple actually, first of all I think it is a second rate phone, not a gadget, it is a first rate gadget but I don't like the sound quality so much, I have handled a few of them so I don't think it was just a bad connection thing. I am going to buy it as a phone first and if I am going to spend that much the least it can do is sound better than the piece of crap I have. Secondly as a PDA I need it to be running something other than Safari, work related stuff leaves me little choice but to use windows mobile 6.

That being said I am leaning toward the AT&T (current provider but a month to month contract so not a huge deal if I switch) Tilt.

I totally get all that. At this point, AT&T's Edge network (now that I have Verizon's high speed data network to compare it to) is the deal-breaker for me. Fortunately I'm good for a while with the Blackberry. Hopefully the iPhone will be where I want it when I need to think about getting my own phone.

The main reason I asked is that other than AT&T, I really see the iPhone as the most full-featured phone for individuals with non-business needs. Obviously once you're in that realm, you're looking at a Crackberry or a Windows Mobile device. FYI, not sure if it was clear before, but you can tether the crackberry to a PC as well as the Mac and Verizon supports you in setting it up etc. The crackberry probably isn't an option for you though if you need Pocket IE.


Funk, I derailed it or you did with your tantrum instead of just answering a question to begin with?

[Funkmasterr]

So I had issues with windows mobile 6 finally (my girlfriends phone, not mine). Two common issues are apparently;
the windows live program that is new with mobile 6 keeps creating items in the notification queue which build up and never go away, eventually causing the phone to get stuck in a startup loop when trying to turn it on (phone will start up if you let it loop for 5 or 6 hours.)

The second, and what happened to my girlfriends phone was it gets to the third boot screen (there is a t mobile screen, then windows mobile, then another t mobile screen) and just stays there, it never loads the desktop/home screen. I looked around online and tried everything I could find and made the mistake of thinking somoene at T Mobile's support would have any better ideas before just doing a hard reset on the phone. Sucked because she hadn't imported her address book to outlook yet and lost all her pictures on the phone

I always back my stuff up fairly often in case this happens (and because it always seems to for me with phones) so I'm not worried but she learned her lesson. I will make a point to reformat the phones every few months now. She uses the internet on it every day though to check the weather and stuff, and I don't think she ever cleared her tif's, so I wonder if there just wasn't any memory left to boot (I would think they would have a boot partition on the phone but who knows.)

[Pherr the Dorf]

Did you upgrade to 6.1? I do know that either way I am going to be looking forward to 7.0 coming out.

I fondled the tilt and I have to say it really is a pretty amazing phone, a lot more phone than most people need but I can actually utilize most of it and the action on the keypad is astounding.

Add to that I can get one on Amazon for 99 bucks right now(!) and I do think we have a winner.

[Fash]

Just keep in mind, there is no guarantee (and its not likely) they will provide an update to wm 7. The only way I was able to get 6 for mine was from the modding community (ppcgeeks / xda-devel)

[Drolgin Steingrinder]

Touch by HTC™


(personal commentary intentionally left blank)

I own this phone, and it's largely a disappointment. The processor is shitty, so shitty that I can't solidly play avi's*. The interface is clunky, the standard install has no handwriting recognition tool which means you're forced to use your stylus to poke at tiny little buttons on the screen. The volume of the ringtone is also way way WAY low - I had to import an mp3 ringtone that I'd given a crazy volume boost in soundforge, then set it to max. And the volume is still too low for me to hear it if I'm walking on a busy street and it's in my pocket.

*) Note that there are two different models, one with a slow processor and wifi and one with a faster processor but no wifi. Why they did it like this I have no clue...

[Pherr the Dorf]

Just keep in mind, there is no guarantee (and its not likely) they will provide an update to wm 7. The only way I was able to get 6 for mine was from the modding community (ppcgeeks / xda-devel)

I figure that won't be too much of a problem. 6.1 is pretty good for all the things I need (some people need even more out of their phone than I do). I have to say I find it amusing that about a decade ago I spent $3,200 on a Gateway computer that had the same specs as this phone.

Add to the equation we are talking $100 on Amazon after a 50 dollar rebate and you can't get this much phone for anything close to that.

[Animalor]

I just got an HTC Touch demo unit from Bell today. Setup was incredibly painless to get running with my exchange environment-Push/Pull e-mail.

No MicroSD in the unit sadly.

I have it for a few weeks. I'll report back on it.

[Funkmasterr]

Did you upgrade to 6.1? I do know that either way I am going to be looking forward to 7.0 coming out.

I fondled the tilt and I have to say it really is a pretty amazing phone, a lot more phone than most people need but I can actually utilize most of it and the action on the keypad is astounding.

Add to that I can get one on Amazon for 99 bucks right now(!) and I do think we have a winner.

I don't think so, a while back we just upgraded to Windows Mobile 6 I think when it came out, we haven't done anymore upgrades since thing (only because I haven't looked.)

When Windows Mobile 6 came out fash, I upgraded for free straight from the MS site, so I would think it will go similarly for 7.

[Animalor]

Man the battery life on the HTC Touch sucks. I charged it yesterday afternoon, played with it quite a bit last night and this morning it was down to approx 25-30% battery life.

Daily use I suspect that this is a phone that will need to be plugged in every night to charge.

Keep in mind that this impression is solely from the work integration viewpoint.

Windows Mobile 6 is fantastic however. I absolutely loved how easy it was to just hook this thing in with my existing Exchange infrastructure at work. Simply point it to my Outlook Mobile Access site and I was off to the races. Data transfer was extremely fast(Almost Blackberry Enterprise Server fast) and the Global Address Book lookups being so well integrated is damned handy.

I played around with associating pictures to contacts. Too bad the camera on this thing sucks balls outside of perfect lighting cause I was thoroughly impressed that I was able to add a picture to a contact and it automatically uploaded to my Outlook mailbox as a 2k jpg.

It's unfortunate that Windows Mobile doesn't lend itself better to navigation with fingers. Personally I hate having to take out a stylus to do basic functions but most stuff on Windows Mobile is designed to be used with a stylus. HTC compensates for that nicely with some addons to WM with big buttons to do most accessed features. Their TouchFlow thing is damned nice too.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YLbGtNKyneU&feature=related

Personally, I think I'd get a TyTN or a 6800 Model for the slideout keyboard but it's a really solid experience in my book.

[Syenye]

My husband has the Tilt, and he likes it. He never uses the tilt capability though, but when I use it, I do. There were some issues with using bluetooth headsets (degradation of quality to the point of being unusable), but he said those were fixed with the new firmware release. I'm a big fan of the HTC devices.

I have the Blackjack 2 in black. I have a few problems with it, namely:
-the back is shiny. i don't like that. the back of the red one is textured like faux leather grain but it's not shiny, so it's a toss up.
-they took away the rightside soft key.
-the wheel in the middle is pretty sensitive, and my hands are small. when i go to hit the "Call" button after i find the contact, i almost always end up hitting the wheel and calling someone else instead.
-my asterisk key works sporadically, which is only a problem because to unlock it, you have to hit *.

other than that, i like it. bluetooth headsets work fine.

[Siji]

I was so irritated to see it ranked on consumer reports as their highest rated phone

After subscribing to CR (both web & print) for a year, I've learned one thing.. unless you're shopping for a car they're absolutely worthless and quite often, way off base. The last CR book I purchased (for baby products) was without question the most useless bundle of paper that I've ever owned.

I have the Blackberry Curve and like it. Great phone quality, great speaker phone quality, synch with Outlook, Google maps, etc.. does what I need it to do. Would be nice to have a Symbian 60 (think that's it, been awhile) again as there's hundred of apps to run on it, or even a Windows based one as there aren't nearly as many Blackberry apps available.

[Animalor]

I was so irritated to see it ranked on consumer reports as their highest rated phone

After subscribing to CR (both web & print) for a year, I've learned one thing.. unless you're shopping for a car they're absolutely worthless and quite often, way off base. The last CR book I purchased (for baby products) was without question the most useless bundle of paper that I've ever owned.

I have the Blackberry Curve and like it. Great phone quality, great speaker phone quality, synch with Outlook, Google maps, etc.. does what I need it to do. Would be nice to have a Symbian 60 (think that's it, been awhile) again as there's hundred of apps to run on it, or even a Windows based one as there aren't nearly as many Blackberry apps available.

As a communications-only device, I would recommend a Blackberry wholeheartedly. They make an absolutely fantastic device. I'm really looking forward to implementing the 4.5 stuff in my office as there's a whole pile of win there(HTML e-mail support, Office Doc modification etc.etc.)

For an all-in-one solution however, I'm seriously liking what Windows Mobile 6 is doing. I also saw a couple of thing MS is planning on WM7 and there's some seriously cool stuff there.

http://microsoft.blognewschannel.com/ar ... -gestures/