vB Easy Archive - pda + phone vs. smartphone for my uses?

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pda + phone vs. smartphone for my uses?
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Posted by: hiwtkfan

Hi,
I'm a newbie to both the pda world and the cell phone world - never had either. However, I'll be needing both for my upcoming job. I won't be using the cellphone a lot as my job and home have landlines- more using it for safety while driving. PDA function will mostly be used to look things up on medical software, but I like the built in keypad on most smartphones (that aren't on many PDA's - i.e. I don't like typing with the stylus).

I'm trying to decide whether I buy a PDA and cellphone separately (both bottom of the line), or splurge for an all-in-one device. Cheaper options would be nice- I am open to buying on craigslist and would spend maybe up to $400 (but cheaper would be better) on a used but good condition one.

Things I need:
PDA- needs Pocket PC/Windows Mobile platform. Other than that, I don't care what brand/what else. Wifi/bluetooth would be nice but not necessary. I would LOVE a keypad built in (and that's what's pulling me to the smartphone option).
Cellphone- I don't really care, all the standard stuff.
Smartphone- needs pocket PC/Windows mobile platform. Also needs a keypad built in (i.e. not using the stylus to type things)

Questions (Please excuse my ignorance if I ask stupid questions):
1) Does Pocket PC Software work on Windows Mobile, or would I have to get a different version of the software?
2) If I get a smartphone, are there options to only get phone service plans (without data plans) on it?
3) With smartphones, can you turn on the PDA function without turning on the phone function? (I work in a hospital where it is taboo to have cellphones ringing)
4) If you were me, would you pick cell+PDA or smartphone?
5) Any suggestions for smartphones that would fit my purposes?

thanks in advance!

Posted by: jontymisra

Who is going to be your cellular provider? That might help make decisions that'll save you money

Posted by: hiwtkfan

I'm from Canada, so... whatever works. Probably Rogers or Fido because they have GSM (I am very close to the US so could pick up an unlocked cellphone there). I don't have a preference. Do you find that the providers vary a lot in price?

Posted by: jontymisra

For certain phones they do. There is a rumour going on that Rogers will be carrying the TyTN II, if you are not in a rush, I'd recommend that.
Otherwise, there's always the original HTC TyTN, The HTC S621.

Basically, there are going to be quite a few choices, but I'd pick a PDA phone rather that a PDA+Phone. It's the issue of convinience, one device as opposed to two. Or three if you need GPS later on.

Posted by: tamoghno

if you need a good balance between PDA & Phone , then go for nokia S60 (mainly ESeries or Nseries) . i think E61i mightbe good option for you.

the beauty of s60 is that , it is built for mobile phone , so it really simple to use. but it is a smartphone OS , so you get all the advantage of a smartphone .

i think windows is a bit complicated. it feels like using a computer. & some basic functions are as complicated as on acomputer .

Posted by: t-bone-t

I would go with Phone + PDA. I don't trust a device with phone calls that won't make it though the day without freezing up like my PDA did.

Posted by: jontymisra

Quote:

Originally Posted by tamoghno

if you need a good balance between PDA & Phone , then go for nokia S60 (mainly ESeries or Nseries) . i think E61i mightbe good option for you.

the beauty of s60 is that , it is built for mobile phone , so it really simple to use. but it is a smartphone OS , so you get all the advantage of a smartphone .

i think windows is a bit complicated. it feels like using a computer. & some basic functions are as complicated as on acomputer .

I recommend E61i as well. It's a perfect balance of PDA and Phone.

Posted by: droptopdown

i HAVE an e61i and i wouldn't recommend it, either as a phone or a pda.

i have had both a "smartphone" and a pda for over a year now. you have to ask "what's my mission?" the phone will not do nearly as good a job as a pda does on spreadsheets, docs, pdfs etc. being ABLE to open them is not the same as being able to work on them easily. also, the lack of keyboard is not that much of an issue, all the pda's have a keyboard to work with onscreen, and you aren't going to be happy typing out war and peace on either a screen keyboard or the keypad of a smartphone.

take me, for example. i run a engineering consulting business. i got a Ipaq, which i now have over 12gig of manuals on in pdf format, i also have spreadsheets for computing wiring sizes, costs, etc, plus all of my business purchase orders and invoices for the last 3 years. in a pinch, i can run my business off of the pda, although i am not happy with doing it that way. i keep the notebook in my car, and i have a broadband card so i don't have to search for a motel or coffee shop with wifi. while i have actually bought a keyboard for the pda, i have never actually used it.

when i got the e62, and again with the e61i, i looked at migrating some of the stuff over to the phone. it does a pretty lousy job on pdf's, it will open excel spreadsheets and word docs, but gods help you if they are very large, or if you actually have to do something with them. i have started surfing the web on short timespans with the e61i, although as much because i have been unable to get my Ipaq to link up via bluetooth through it (as i could on the e62) as it actually does a good job. i will say that gmail has a VERY nice app for checking mail through the unit.

i found the e62 to be a fairly good phone, not great but good. the e61i, IMHO, is a step backward into "it works". i could not recommend the e61i to anyone, for a couple of reasons, voice dialing doesn't, the bluetooth connection problem with the Ipaq, dropping bluetooth, and a host of others.

perhaps someday, i will be able to go to just one thing, but i would rather have 2 or 3 (if you count the notebook) that do the job well, rather than one that did it very poorly.

Posted by: jontymisra

My E90 I'd say is a perfect blend, let's me do literally whatever I want from organizing, editing, emailing, basically everything. Size is most definitely not an issue for me, but the screen real estate on the E90 makes the purchase justifiable.

Posted by: hiwtkfan

Thanks for the advice and recommendations, everyone (I'm particularly interested in the TyTN)! Maybe I'll clarify myself a little...

I do NEED a Windows Mobile platform as all the software that I plan on using is on Windows Mobile, and not another platform (that's probably my only firm requirement). And I won't be using the PDA for editing documents - more to look at documents on the go, as well as serving as my calendar/organizer. So I guess the nokia ones you mentioned earlier are out.

I guess that's true (re: lack of keyboard), but I am pretty organizer-dependent (I write my life in my planner) and would likely use the keyboard in that way. Plus if I wanted to add on email functionality later then that'd be handy.

As for balance between this and phone, I am looking to have a good PDA first, phone second. I am not going to be using the phone heavily; probably only a couple times a week. If I got a smartphone, I would probably buy one used and unlocked, get a cheap SIM card and go with a pay as you go plan. Does this change things??

Posted by: jontymisra

Quote:

Originally Posted by hiwtkfan

Thanks for the advice and recommendations, everyone (I'm particularly interested in the TyTN)! Maybe I'll clarify myself a little...

I do NEED a Windows Mobile platform as all the software that I plan on using is on Windows Mobile, and not another platform (that's probably my only firm requirement). And I won't be using the PDA for editing documents - more to look at documents on the go, as well as serving as my calendar/organizer. So I guess the nokia ones you mentioned earlier are out.

I guess that's true (re: lack of keyboard), but I am pretty organizer-dependent (I write my life in my planner) and would likely use the keyboard in that way. Plus if I wanted to add on email functionality later then that'd be handy.

As for balance between this and phone, I am looking to have a good PDA first, phone second. I am not going to be using the phone heavily; probably only a couple times a week. If I got a smartphone, I would probably buy one used and unlocked, get a cheap SIM card and go with a pay as you go plan. Does this change things??

WM does this extremely well.

Posted by: tamoghno

well , if you need PDA FIRST PHONE SECOND , then windows mobile is not bad. i've already told that they are made like a computer , which i hate . but if you actually need that , then you can surely go windows mobile.

i never used any WM mobile myself , but among the little i've seen , iPaqs are good.

Posted by: droptopdown

more like you would be happier with a dedicated Ipaq and a inexpensive phone. screen real estate is paramount with a handheld, and even the HTC units have smaller screens than an Ipaq. they make a couple of keyboard solutions for handhelds, i have one that folds up, but i was looking at one that rolled up. especially if you have a computer that you will be doing your planning on i would not think that you need it, but go the way i did, buy a keyboard for the Ipaq and then see how much you use it.

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