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I want to get some sort of PDA, or maybe a sophisticated mobile phone but would like to know what you guys use.
The main things I want are to sync with my Outlook calendar, contacts and tasks, but I like gadets as well so I'll be open to "geeky" things :)

WillDuke's picture
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I have a blackberry. I've seen a lot of these things, and for straight up ease-of-use and reliability, the blackberry's great. I dropped mine one night and it landed in the dog's water bowl. I fished it out quick, let it dry, and it still works.

I haven't seen Apple's iPhone yet, but I'm hearing good things about it, especially if you like geeky gadgety things.

jhack's picture

The iPhone is way way cool, but it's a consumer device, not a business device. It won't work with many corporate mail systems, overseas roaming is second rate, you can't use a business account....

I use a windows mobile phone, the T-Mobile SDA. It runs outlook, syncs mail and calendar nicely, including reminders. Minor, but I really like that it automatically goes into silent mode when it sees I'm in a meeting on my calendar. It can display word, ppt and excel attachments. Browser is typical of small devices. I like it, but I know others have doubts. It is windows, and it's not a blackberry.

rwwh's picture
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I use a Treo. I used a simpler palm and separate phone before that. The iPhone is way cool, but it is a closed system. The Treo is open, and I am using half a dozen programs that I got separately from the 'net.

sholden's picture
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My Cingular 8125 is so last years Windows Mobile technology but for a 'smart phone' it will do the items you are looking for.

The upgrade to my unit is the 8525 and there is an upgrade to the 8525 coming out in early August I am told.

Steve

WillDuke's picture
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I've also heard Nokia has an amazing solution, though I don't recall the model number. The only complaint I've heard is that the battery time is pretty low.

Mark's picture
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I have a Palm Treo and Mike has a blackberry. We like ours for different reasons.

I never thought my office could boil down to my phone, but it has. I go NOWHERE without it. Mike's the same.

I love the idea of an Iphone...and then I read that you can't mass delete mails? WOW does that surprise me. Maybe version 2.

Mark

jclishe's picture

My advice for anyone considering purchasing a Windows Mobile phone right now is to wait until your carrier offers Windows Mobile version 6 devices. Verizon has one, the Samsung i760, that should be on store shelves within a month. Other carriers will have theirs out soon as well (some may already).

Jason

attmonk's picture

WOW, thanks for that guys. Time to go shopping I think.

agrandy's picture
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I have a T-Mobile Dash. I was skeptical when I bought the device but now LOVE it.

There are pros and cons with Windows Mobile vs. Palm vs. BB. Others can cover most of these details. The one thing I will add is that the Dash has the best/smallest form factor/footprint of any device on the market. Period. It's that good.

Two additional compliments: (1) the included belt clip case is high quality and (2) the screen resolution is VERY impressive.

Adam

JohnGMacAskill's picture
Training Badge

I use a Palm TX PDA for sinc-ing with outlook and I use GTD methodology with lists, etc.

But I still have a seperate phone, a Blackberry as it's push email is excellent. I like using the phone and the PDA seperate...it's just me :roll:

asteriskrntt1's picture

I use a Palm Treo. Like Will, I have dropped my phone in deep puddles, it dried out and worked fine. Again, I have dropped it more times than I would like to admit and it has endured.

It does everything, rarely freezes up. Gets any mail I want, synchs with outlook and like someone mentioned, there are lots of 3rd party and shareware programs for it.

*RNTT

TomW's picture
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I'm using the Motorola A1200 Ming. It's all of a week old, but I'm really liking it: email, web browsing, appointments, MP3, FM radio, photo/video camera, a cool touch-screen interface, and above all (for me, anyway) it's a flip phone.

Only downside, it's an EDGE connection, so downloads are a little slow.

maura's picture
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I have a Pocket PC from sprint, and I don't love it. For the most part I use it as a phone, text messager, and for occasional internet access.
Since my work is on Lotus Notes, it would take a special add on to be able to sync emails and calendar, so I don't use that. I use the calendar and task list as a standalone system for personal items, and it works fine, for the light use I make of it.

I find the device itself bulky, and it does not handle text messages well. I'm at about a 1000 text messages a month - about a quarter of the time I send or receive duplicate messages, and at least 3 times a week I cannot open a text message, and have to restart.

stewartlogan's picture

[quote="mahorstman"]I have a Palm Treo and Mike has a blackberry. We like ours for different reasons.

I never thought my office could boil down to my phone, but it has. I go NOWHERE without it. Mike's the same.

I love the idea of an Iphone...and then I read that you can't mass delete mails? WOW does that surprise me. Maybe version 2.

Mark[/quote]

Mark-

What are your thoughts on the iPhone now? I noticed you sporting one at the Chicago meet up?

cwatine's picture
Training Badge

I usually have a Qtek model. No alpha keyboard, just a tactile screen with a little pen. As it was very slow (more than 10 sec to access tasks and calendar) and bugging all the time I gave it back for repair.

They gave me a Blackberry to use during the time it is "at the garage".

Wow, Blackberry is much much greater : easy to use, fast, fantastic typing (I have the one with 2 letters per key), great ergonomy ... And they gave me an old model ... The only point is it sports a really awfull look ...

For someone, like me who relies so much on contacts (4000 entries) tasks (more than 100) and Calendar, it is the best I have tried. And the phone quality is top.

And ... The Iphone is not in France yet.

Mark's picture
Admin Role Badge

LOVE IT.

THe Edge network is a little slow, but the interface and the form function is so excpetional I don't mind. And so often I have wi-fi, so the edge network isn't an issue.

Best gadget I've ever had.

Mark

cwatine's picture
Training Badge

Okay it will me my next choice then.

I just went for a BB curve (great).

andylaird25's picture

Hi,

I use the o2 XDA II here in the U.K

The phone is great and the software is very good to:

Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC, Pocket Outlook, Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, Window Media Player, Microsoft® Reader, ActiveSync®

[u]One thing to note:[/u] please buy a external memory card as if you run out of power the phone resets to factory settings!

http://www.my-xda.com/xdaIISpecs.html

Kind regards

Andy

thaGUma's picture

BB build quality is pretty poor. Some of my collegues are on their third in two years. I (shame on me) stick to my 6310i despite complaints form others - battery life is infinate compared to BB and built like a bunker.
Sometimes a phone just needs to be a phone.
Chris

dhkramer's picture

Love my blackberry after years with Palm.

One handed operation is important to me. The Treo relies on the stylus, even with the full keyboard.

I'd buy an iPhone if it worked with my employer's carrier.

dbobke's picture

I use a Palm Treo 750 on the AT&T network. Overall, a stable device (face it - they all have their moments) and fully functional with our corporate e-mail system (Exchange). A Windows Mobile 6 upgrade is due out soon from Palm, so this device will use the HSDPA network from AT&T when it is released. BTW - the Palm devices are NOT dependent on the stylus for operation. You can touch the screen with a finger and overall one-handed operation is very easy.

A couple of notes on the iPhone - it is really a consumer device more than a business device. With the poor moves Apple has made (dropping the price right after initial release, no high-speed data access), I would wait until they release the next version. I just read in the WSJ today that Apple is planning an iPhone for the 3G network to be released in 2008. For those who already have one...that $600 investment depreciated pretty quickly, eh?

PierG's picture

I've a HCT smartphone: I want a phone how can act as a 'palm' and not viceversa.
PierG