vB Easy Archive - P910 vs series60/80 and Windows SMARTPHONE

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P910 vs series60/80 and Windows SMARTPHONE
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Posted by: IanJames

I'm faced with replacing my 910i because of the network merger of FIDO & Rogers. I need something with 850 mhz now. The 910 has been quite good for me function-wise (except it refuses to work inside my house now), athough the size is slightly larger than I'd prefer. Has anyone had any real-world experience with other smartphones?
Main usage:
1) PHONE
2) DAYBOOK/Organizer (notes etc)
3) EMAIL (mostly reading, some sending)
4) real internet browsing (opera/html style)

Is there another contender? I'm having a HARD look at the new i-mate SP5 (and clones) operating on Windows Smartphone 5.0.

Thoughts? Revelations?

Posted by: MegaMan X

Perhaps the Treo 650, fits alot of stuff you're looking for

Posted by: bikedogrun

Quote:

Originally Posted by IanJames

I'm faced with replacing my 910i because of the network merger of FIDO & Rogers. I need something with 850 mhz now.
Main usage:
1) PHONE
2) DAYBOOK/Organizer (notes etc)
3) EMAIL (mostly reading, some sending)
4) real internet browsing (opera/html style)

Is there another contender? I'm having a HARD look at the new i-mate SP5 (and clones) operating on Windows Smartphone 5.0.

Hmm - I though that they supported both 850MHz & 1900MHz? But if you're not getting reasonable coverage with only 1900, then I guess it's shopping time!

I've used all 3 OSes (UIQ & S60 under Symbian as well as WinMobile & PalmOS) ... I also just sold my Nokia 6620 and moved up to a P910a.

While my Win Mobile experience has been briefer than my Symbian (or Palm) I'd definitely suggest you "just say no" on Windows. Sluggish, awkward, need to click on more menu items to get things done ... and the bugs & overall instability. Yes; Win Mobile is indeed better now, just imagine its earlier incarnations.

PalmOS is not bad. The Treo looks great, has a solid feature set and lots of available software. I have heard (not experienced personally) of some instability/memory leak problems with the early Treo 650s, perhaps someone else can comment on whether those are corrected now. Large form factor, small hands will not like it. Another factor (depending on how long you tend to keep phones and potential re-sale value ... while we know that Symbian & MSFT are here for keeps, there is constant speculation over Palm's longevity and tiny market size ... nearly non-existant outside of North America. Once they complete their switch over to first a Win Mobile phone & then Linux with the Palm GUI sitting on top ala UIQ & S60 on top of Symbian - does the Treo 600/650s become obsolete?

Nokia ... I absolutely loved my 6620. Their support is excellent (they had to give me a brand new replacement phone as their early firmware v2.14 was unstable & buggy to the max!) To their credit, they made it right and their support was great. The next one had firmware 3.14 which I had zero problems with. Easy to use, Series 60's UI is clean & well-thought through. So easy to use in one-handed mode. My main reason for switching to the P910a was that a few years back I once had a P800 and really did like the big touch screen and ability to take notes in meetings with the stylus. As Nokia (except the just released 9300 & new Series 80, not much S/W yet) don't really have keyboards, I found myself needing a keyboard for emails. So ... I went out and got the P910a.

Sony Ericsson P910a ... if you liked; REALLY liked your P910I - why not just sell it on eBay & buy a P910a? Buy.com has new, unbranded & unlocked P910as for approx $399. I love the form factor, radio RF is excellent, lots of S/W available, the keyboard (IMHO) is quite useable and the stylus (I kept losing them on the old P800) is very functional & I haven't lost one yet!

Posted by: IanJames

very interesting

i actually prefer smaller devices so the treo hasn't really 3en a consideration.
the windows mobile comments are interesting. The buzz on the SMARTPPHONE section of this site is that the i-mate SP5 is a home run. I must say thay I am somewhat used to the toucscreen but COULD live without it. anyone else?

Posted by: IanJames

wrote that on my P910i while waiting for take-out.
Sorry for the errors.

Posted by: omegajb

I started with a P910a about a year ago but my IT person changed how we could remotly access our email server and the only phone's that worked were Mocrosoft Smartphones, I tried the MPX220 (junk) and the SMT 5600 (love the phone, didn't like the RF)
After a few months of complaining I was able to have the IT person change the access rules so I could connect with any phone.
Since I had sold my P910a I thought I would go with a 6620 and then upgraded (if you couls call it that) to a 6682 and to call them a Smartphone is missleading. Yes you can send email and surf the web but I was less than inpressed.

It's a year later and I own another P910a, the camera stinks and it's only GPRS but unlike the other phones it's solid where I need it.

Posted by: mademan118

i was in the same boat as you are right now. I was debating on getting a p910a and a treo 650. I went/am going with the treo (when i get my upgrade on jan 1st). The reason why? The treo is more or so geared towards a business community. Me, going to school full-time, working full-time, and getting into the accounting field, i need a phone like this. The P910a is a very cool phone, and i have played with it on many occasions:

My complaints:
-I have big hands, and the fact that the keyboard is so tiny, i hated it. I kept pushing the wrong button or two buttons at once.

-no backlit keyboard

- i want to be able to do everything without a stylus.

-I dont like how you were limited to some only a few select options when you had the flip closed. I like the simple fact that i can do everything from the treo without having to flip anything open, and use a few hot-keys.

What i liked:
-The big screen. Although i do not like using the touch screen, the screen was huge.
- The Jog-Dial one the side of the phone is cool. I like how you can scroll through the phone with the jog dial on the side.
- The looks of the phone is pretty slick also.

Why i went with the treo:
- The screen: It is absolutely gorgous!!! 320x320 is amazing.
- THe fact that i could use the directional pad and hot keys instead of the stylus.
- Form factor. It fit in my hand alot nicer then the P910a, and i was able to crank out SMS's and e-mail a lot faster with the treo then with the P910a
- The third party applications they have for it. It just seemed like a wider base for me then the p910a

Biggest complaints from most treo owners:
- Resets: This is mainly do to improper installing of software or 3rd party apps. This is the biggest complaint i have seen on every board i have gone to.

However they have released some updates to help stop these errors

I have also played with the PP6700/Apache phone. Its WM5 and very nice, however for users like you and i, i didnt need all the features that it had to offer. I know that the treo compares to the 6700, it just wasnt my kind of phone. If you do want to go with WM5 and are on cingular, check out the HTC 2125. Its the new smart phone to cingular and is pretty bad ***. Its small and runs WM5. Or you can wait for the Treo 700w which is windows based, or even better, the treo 700p (yes they are sticking with palm also so its not going to die out). So i hope i helped you somewhat and your decision to go with a phone. Like i said, i was in the same boat you were, looking at all kinds of phones and what to get... but i settled for the treo 650... Also dont let the whole, well this phone is coming out soon, get you. If you always play the game like that you wont ever buy a phone because there is always going to be better out on the market within 3-6 months so your best bet is to just buy now so you have the phone that works with your needs, and then when your dream phone hits the market, buy it.

Posted by: omegajb

Unlike Mademan I like the stylus, I came from owning Pocket PC's for years and love the mix of keyboard and touch screen. I always hated Palm OS so the Treo was never an option for me.

Posted by: mademan118

I dont mind the stylus, the only i didnt like was how light it is.. The treo's is heavier and makes it easier for me to hold (i have big hands). I tried writing on the p910a and i just couldnt hold the damn stylus, where as on the treo it was simple. Why do you hate palm OS? Don't get me wrong, i love the looks of the P910a, i just wish everything was accesible from the flip closed screen and it came in UIQ 3.0... Also i like the screen on the treo better...