Technology PDA/Phone question...

[Wichitan]

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Hey...

I am sure a vast majority who wanna buy a PDA might also be using a CELL PHONE. So, doesn't it more sense to buy something like a palm treo or any other brand which offers combined PDA and Phone use? Or is there a clear disadvantage/limitation?

Please educate...

 

[Iwy Em Hotep]

Hey...

I am sure a vast majority who wanna buy a PDA might also be using a CELL PHONE. So, doesn't it more sense to buy something like a palm treo or any other brand which offers combined PDA and Phone use? Or is there a clear disadvantage/limitation?

Please educate...

These are generally pretty expensive, both up front and plan-wise. Some places also won't let you use cell phones, so if your PDA looks like a cell phone....

 

[smc927]

I've thought the same thing quite a few times. The cost is definitely a negative.

Also, I have been through a few PDAs - sometimes getting a newer/better model and sometimes needing some quick cash! - so it was nice to have a separate phone. I also like that I can turn my phone off and still use my PDA (I suppose the PDA/phones have that option), I can lend my phone to a friend, and if I drop one in the toilet - well, I only lost one and not both!

I also like having a small phone and wouldn't be too keen on having a PDA against my head when I'm talking. I'm not big on the earphone attachment.

 

[Wichitan]

The cost is definitely a negative.

Also, I have been through a few PDAs - sometimes getting a newer/better model and sometimes needing some quick cash! - so it was nice to have a separate phone.

I also like having a small phone and wouldn't be too keen on having a PDA against my head when I'm talking. I'm not big on the earphone attachment.

smc,

ur thoughts are very practical.....yet i was trying to figure out a way not to walk arnd. the hospital with multiple gadgets on me! since my contract with ATT/Cingular ends pretty soon, i have been ccontemplating the combined PDA/Phone offer!

but yea....i checked with cingular and they offer two year contract with the treo .. and two years is too long a time to be stuck with a PDA in this day and age, when we hear abt newer, efficient models popping up in the market every 2 months!

tuf call....

 

[Stroganoff]

The Smartphones are definitely sexy, but I'm scared of putting all my eggs in one basket. If it gets dropped or stolen, that's a big investment, not to mention privacy risk if you don't have it super password protected.

I like to hold my phone up to my ear (no earpiece), and I don't want to smudge the huge screen up every time I have a call (not to mention the weight of holding a smartphone up to your ear).

Plus price and time for new models to come out. I like my PDAs big and my cell phones small at this point. I always have my cell phone, but that's not true for my PDA.

 

[kimplera]

Most plans out there are pushing users into 2 year contracts regardless of what phone you get. Also, most cell phone companies allow you to buy "insurance" for 5 bucks a month, a small price to pay for the possiblity that you break your phone/pda. The idea that "if I have two separate devices I can only break one at a time" is some strange logic. Perhaps if you have one combined device, you'll take better care of it. Price is another interesting point. If you only want to use the pda for epocrates, scheduling, contacts but don't care as much about email on demand, the monthly plan price is probably no different from any other phone. So, if you but a $100 phone (not unreasonable as the companies aren't giving as steep of a discount anymore) and a $300 PDA (middle of the line), you're probably over the price of a Treo 600 and not that far away from the Treo 650. As far as size, the treo is not really any bigger than the tungston.

 

[Retinamark]

I just bought an Audiovox PPC-6600 which is a 400Mhz Pocket PC & phone, plus with MidWest Wireless EvDO internet surfing at DSL type speeds.

I love it! Highly recommended

 

[Santiago]

hey RM.

Howz the battery life?
How much did you pay for the set?

Thanks..

 

[Retinamark]

Battery life is reasonable. I have the screen on full brightness, which uses more power, and always get through the day with no problem. On days where I use it a lot, I need to recharge it every night.

It cost me $480 with a 2yr contract with MidWest wireless.

(That seems a reasonably good price, but I didn't shop around much because I really had no choice but to get it with them though, because I've only been in the country a week & they were the only company with a decent PDA phone that would give me a phone contract without a social security no.)

 

[Sessamoid]

I've been pretty happy with my Treo. Good coverage with Sprint here, and data coverage pretty much everywhere I've been. It's much more durable than I expected. So far my Treo has survived:

1) drop to concrete from waist high
2) drop to concrete from waist high
3) fall with me from my bike going endover and landing directly on the Treo which was in my back jersey pocket. The plastic got cracked a bit there, but it still works just as it always has, and
4) countless drops onto carpet.

Of course, I got the phone insurance with Sprint, so I'm not overly worried about breaking it.

 

[Oallostavros]

The verizon guy at circuit city told me that "the treo is the only one certified for hospitals". He couldn't really elaborate for me but said that it was something he remembered learning about. Anyone know what he's talking about?

Also, anyone know for sure whether you can switch off the phone part of the treo while in the hospital so people aren't justified with their complaints about you using a phone in the hospital.

I was using a smartphone which had the ability to put the phone in "airplane mode" so that no radio waves were released. I would expect that this would be an option with the treo as well, but not sure.

Okay a few more questions for those who know:

If you get the high speed service on cingular (edge) would you be able to use the treo as a modem for your laptop?

Anyone found the treo 650 to be to slow (ie lag) due to not having enough RAM?

What about getting WiFi to work on the treo? I've heard that drivers are available but haven't heard of anyone giving their experiences with it.

What would be a reason for a med student with a 1Gb SD card to buy a pocket pc instead of a treo 650?

~Thanks all

I've been pretty happy with my Treo. Good coverage with Sprint here, and data coverage pretty much everywhere I've been. It's much more durable than I expected. So far my Treo has survived:

1) drop to concrete from waist high
2) drop to concrete from waist high
3) fall with me from my bike going endover and landing directly on the Treo which was in my back jersey pocket. The plastic got cracked a bit there, but it still works just as it always has, and
4) countless drops onto carpet.

Of course, I got the phone insurance with Sprint, so I'm not overly worried about breaking it.

 

[Retinamark]

The Audiovox PPC-6600 can also be put in airplane mode with all wireless functions turned off.

I haven't done it, but the guy in the shop said you can use it as a modem for a laptop. Not sure exactly how to do that though. Guess you could use the bluetooth function, but I'm not sure exactly.

I love the pocket PC's (first I had an Ipaq before changing to the Audiovox phone). They integrate really well with Word & Excel & all the functions are familiar.
They have a fantastic text recognition function, so you don't have to learn any funny palm languages.

 

[Sessamoid]

The verizon guy at circuit city told me that "the treo is the only one certified for hospitals". He couldn't really elaborate for me but said that it was something he remembered learning about. Anyone know what he's talking about?

He's talking out his ass. I see people using all sorts of cell phones and pdas in all the hospitals I've worked in. There's no such thing as a "certified" list of approved phones. Salesmen generally know somewhere between "****" and "squat" about actual use in the healthcare environment.

Also, anyone know for sure whether you can switch off the phone part of the treo while in the hospital so people aren't justified with their complaints about you using a phone in the hospital.

The cell radio on the Treo 650 is switched off simply by pressing and holding the "Hang Up" button for about 1.5 seconds. You reactivate the cell radio the same way. It couldn't be simpler.

If you get the high speed service on cingular (edge) would you be able to use the treo as a modem for your laptop?

I don't have the Cingular version, but I'd imagine so. That feature has been activated on the Sprint version recently.

Anyone found the treo 650 to be to slow (ie lag) due to not having enough RAM?

Not slow, but RAM will always limit to some extent how much stuff you can install on the device. It hasn't been a significant problem for me. I largely use just two applications for my medical reference (Epocrates and Pepid) and I've got plenty of space left over after those two are loaded.

What about getting WiFi to work on the treo? I've heard that drivers are available but haven't heard of anyone giving their experiences with it.

Check treocentral.com. I don't use wifi since I have unlimited data on my phone plan.

The treo comes with Documents to Go, which reads and saves Word and Excel documents in their native formats. I've had no problems with either format.

 

[southerndoc]

According to various websites, the Treo 650 CANNOT be used as a laptop modem with Cingular's EDGE network. Cingular has disabled this feature. Perhaps with an unlocked phone ($800 range) you can get this option.

Perhaps with due time they will release a firmware update allowing this. (Sprint initially didn't allow it.)