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PDA/Phone Hybrid

 
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Damo1176
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Joined: Jan 27, 2006
Posts: 6

PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 8:54 pm    Post subject: PDA/Phone Hybrid Reply with quote

Finally decided on a GPS receiver a BT77 which I have tested and it seems great but I need a PDA/Phone hybrid. I was oing tom stick with a PDA but it seems more sensible to blend phone and PDA.

Any thoughts on whats good and what isn't. Have looked at the O2 XDA's and the Orange phones but desperately seeking positive user experiences.
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mikealder
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Joined: Jan 14, 2005
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Damo, I have used the XDA devices for a while now for the same reasons you state, why carry around two devices?
It just doesn't make sense to me, I am more than happy with my XDAIIs (no longer avail I believe) and my XDA Exec, although the price to pay is that the devices are rather large as a phone, go to your local shop and try one, the Exec is less useful as a phone IMHO (I only use it for very limited calls, most of its use is internet based, the XDAIIs does most of the voice stuff for me)
OK so I have ended up still carying two devices - which rather defeats the original reason for choosing this combo route, but circumstances are down to the individual.
One device to consider is the mini-S, a mate has one at work and its a cracking bit of kit, small for a PDA/ large for a mobile phone but its great in use.
The only real downside to PDA based phones is the size and weight, but this is less than carrying two devices (or in my case three), and the direct connection to GPRS/ 3G (device dependent) is great, internet access on the move (at a price) is so much easier than connecting the phone to the PDA via bluetooth, best of luck with your purchase, but please check out the unit in your hand/ pocket BEFORE you purchase - Mike
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jonajuna
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Joined: Mar 14, 2006
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

im the new proud owner of a tmobile mda compact II, sure its got a slow cpu compared to "proper" PPC's but then they cant make calls and run out of power in a day, whereas the MDAC II keeps on going.

does all that any windows PPC can, has BT, GPRS and SD/MMC slot so memory isnt an issue.

two downsides in my view, lack of current WIFI SDIO support, but this is meant to be addressed in the first service patch (overdue Sad ) and lack of 3G, but on the plus side its tiny and still has a 320x240 screen, sure its a bit bigger than a phone, but not significantly more so that the nokia 6230 it has replaced for me.

you can get if for free with a £25ish pm contract complete with CP^ and BTGPS reciever, or if you have the satnav software and reciever already, for approx £15 pm.

i went for the FLEXT35 package (25% off for life) at £26 per month which gives £185 worth pm of voice minutes/text/MMS, with an additional 6MB data package on the side, all in £32 per month for a funky phone/PPC/sat nav and more calls than ill get through

Smile
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lbendlin
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

the best hybrid still is the iPAQ 6315 - quad band GSM, WiFi, very long battery life. The "slow" processor (168 MHz) is outperforming many a 400 MHz based machines.
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Skippy
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PostPosted: Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:17 pm    Post subject: Re: PDA/Phone Hybrid Reply with quote

Damo1176 wrote:
it seems more sensible to blend phone and PDA.


I have a T-Mobile MDA Compact II (HTC Charmer), lovely unit it is too. Proper 320x240 resolution screen for maximum compatibility with software available but in a small form factor only 10mm wider than my old C500 Smartphone.

I wanted a PDA but didn't want two gadgets to carry around and didn't want something so big as a traditional PDA either. It's a perfect compromise between a full sized PDA and a phone.

It runs windows mobile 2005 (ie, it doesn't trash it's memory if the battery runs flat), takes proper SD memory cards and has a nice bright screen.

I haven't used a PDA much before so can't really compare the speed to other devices. I find it quite useable, other people may think it's a bit sluggish. You might have to try one and see how you like it.

It plays movies quite happily at full screen / 25 fps using tcpmp which is pretty awesome. Skype won't run on it (CPU too slow). I saw TomTom running on one and it seemed to work fine, route calculation was quick enough.

Phone was free plus £18/month x 18 months (now £22.50/month) on the web 'n' walk tarrif - 40 Meg of GPRS and 100 voice minutes.

T-Mobile also do a £15/month tarrif with 100 minutes and 25 texts which sounds like good value too.

Orange are coming out with the M600 (HTC Prophet) real soon now which is basically the same phone with WiFi built-in.

Also consider the MDA Vario (HTC Wizard) which is almost the same form factor but with a slid out keyboard.

I looked at the HTC Universal (MDA Pro/M5000) but it was just too big and bulky. I wanted a phone more than a PDA.

I'm currently having fun trying out all the GPS programs you can get for the Smartphone. (See there was some GPS angle to this post!) Wink

Good luck!
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peterc10
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Joined: Aug 21, 2005
Posts: 1761
Location: Kent, England

PostPosted: Fri Mar 24, 2006 10:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with Ibendlin. I have the Ipaq 6340 (UK equivalent) and found it to be excellent. Never misses a beat with TT5. Nice smooth scrolling (as long as you have the POIs hidden).

Why I went for this was because I wanted a phone, a sat nav and a PDA with me most of the time. I did not want to leave any in the car (for obvious reasons) and I did not want to carry all three about in my pocket. The Ipaq is not the smallest of phones but it comes with a good holder that I just have clipped to my belt

Great for phoning contacts - just bring up the list imported from Outlook and tap on the phone number you want from the ones you have listed. Phone does the rest.

I use it with a Parrot CK3300 combined BT car phone kit and sat nav receiver and a Brodit mount. Great combination. I get phone calls and sat nav instructions and camera warnings through the car audio (which automatically mutes), so that means I can adjust the volume using the steering wheel controls. In addition the sat instructions mute when I am on the phone (but they still show on the screen).

Not the cheapest of combinations but I am glad I bought it all.
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EvilTwin
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Joined: Feb 20, 2005
Posts: 99
Location: England

PostPosted: Sat Mar 25, 2006 3:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

2 weeks ago i got the MDA Vario, also known as the XDA mini s, or the HTC Wizard.

Its a cracking phone/PDA combo, with its slide out Qwerty keypad, good battery life, and built in WiFi g.

The size is good too, big enough to be practical, yet small enough to go in a pocket with room for other stuff.

The only thing that lets it down is that it uses a mini SD card instead of a full SD

If you are really interested the website: xda-developers.com covers all the current crop of HTC made PDA/Phones and offers support tools for things like unlocking the phone.
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