Technology Which PDA/Smartphone of these three?

[ScarletKnight]

Hello PDA users!!!

I've narrowed my search for a PDA/smartphones to these three. They all offer most of the features I am looking for in a PDA. Please share your opinion/experiences, if any, with these three.

Cingular 8525
Sprint PPC-6700
Palm T/X

THANKS!!!
SK

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[jonb12997]

heres my take on the whole smartphone vs. separate PDA thing. I like the idea of when I'm in the hospital not having to carry around my cell phone and my PDA separately. However, when i'm not in the hospital, I don't like the idea of having to carry around my PDA just so I can have my phone... however, i'm also a guy and don't carry a purse obviously, so if you (not just the OP, but anyone) carry a purse, this might not be an issue...

As far as those specific models, the Palm T/X is the one that my school is "requiring" us to get. A bunch of people in my class have them and I think they like them all right, but to each his own I suppose. Go to the store and play around with them and see how you like the functioning of them. Just IMHO.

 

[stbxTechie]

I've narrowed my search for a PDA/smartphones to these three. They all offer most of the features I am looking for in a PDA. Please share your opinion/experiences, if any, with these three.

Cingular 8525
Sprint PPC-6700
Palm T/X

I can't comment on the Palm, but I can give an enthusiastic thumbs up (with some caveats) to the PPC-6700 and Sprint's data service, and will say this much about the Cingular: it's based on a very similar HTC platform to the 6700, so it should be a pretty good phone

So, things I really like about the 6700:
* really nicely compact. Feels much smaller than my previous (non-smartphone) PDAs (both 3.5" screen Windows ones).
* the slide-out keyboard rocks (I preferred it, in try-before-buying, to the skinnier thumbpad at the bottom on Treos, etc, but YMMV)
* pretty fast for applications on my PDA; part of it is Windows Mobile 5 vs. 2003, I think, but it's got about the same speed processor as my older PDA, but much better performance browsing etc.
* Good battery life, lasts through a full workday even with "DirectPush" checking my eamils for me near-constantly.
* Sprint's EVDO network is *fast*, nearly as much so as my home DSL for some things, and even where it's not available the fallback 1xRTT is really quite responsive.
* Sprint doesn't advertise this, but it can be used "tethered" with a laptop, at unmetered, regular $15/month data rates. This rocks.

Caveats about the 6700:
* It's not super-sturdy compared to like a regular mobile phone, although this is true for virtually any PDA phone. I've had mine for about 18 months, and it's been replaced once already under their insurance plan.
* The amount of built-in storage memory is quite low (~40mb), although with miniSD cards as cheap as they are that's much less of an issue than it might be.
* It's a very so-so phone when not used with a headset. My wife's usual complaint when I call her is that she can hear more background noise than my voice.
* Sprint is not releasing software updates for it, and stopped at I think AKU2.2. If you're comfortable using "hacked" firmware, there are updates available up to AKU3.5, which is a BIG improvement (among other things, wireless connection sharing vs. "wireless modem" for tethering which is WAY nicer.)

 

[Twitch]

6800 is rumored to be coming to sprint next monday.
This will be upgradeable to EVDO rev A (faster internet connection).

Here is my own wishlist:

1) 4"-3.5" screen with atleast 640x480 rez
2) Windoze Mobile 6
3) EVDO rev A
4) GPS

Hey I can always dream right

I currently have a treo 700wx with 4gb SD ram in it.

 

[stbxTechie]

6800 is rumored to be coming to sprint next monday.

That would be nice! I may keep an eye for it; my two years with the 6700 will be up in December and will have some kind of rebate for a new one.

Hopefully the 6800 won't have something in it to keep you from tethering with the basic $15/month data plan.

This will be upgradeable to EVDO rev A (faster internet connection).

A faster processor and better browser would help more. Not that I'd complain about more bandwidth, but at least using it tethered the regular EVDO on the 6700 is really nicely fast.

Here is my own wishlist:
1) 4"-3.5" screen with atleast 640x480 rez

Higher resolution would be really, really nice, but I'm not sure about the larger screen. The 2.8" screen makes the 6700 MUCH more nicely portable than my old Casio or Axim PDAs (both 3.5") and ditto for the 6600s several friends got. I would be curious to see how much bigger of a screen one could put into the 6700 with just cutting down plastic at the border, without appreciably increasing the size of the phone.

I currently have a treo 700wx with 4gb SD ram in it.

How do you like it? They weren't out (the Vz exclusive 700w may have been) when I got my 6700, or I might have gotten one... although the 240x240 screen on a lot of the Treo-format Windows Mobile smartphones is a bit limiting. I'm not sure why MS couldn't support 320x320 like the PalmOS Treos.