HTC TynTN II pre-purchasing advice.

[Helphound]

I am seriously considering the purchase of the above PDA, I have never really got on with mobile phones, but computers no problem. It therefore seemed logical to opt for a device running Windows Mobile 6 Professional and the Office programs with which I am already familiar. I have used Outlook for many years which is far more user friendly and useful than the "equivalent" on a mobile.

This PDA would be carried regularly, but actual telephone use would not be great, so purchasing outright and opting for a Pay As You Go contract would seem sensible.

Advice on the following would be welcome please: -

Best UK supplier(s), not just price, but also for support and additional hardware/software.

Best UK Pay As You Go provider.

What countries are covered by the TomTom Navigator 6 software supplied as standard, and can say the Western European countries be added so that all navigation software is on one microSD card?

I would also need the speed camera warning software and to keep this updated, is this a seperate issue?

What is the maximum capacity for a microSD card, it would seem sensible to carry some less used data in this form but offline?

Finally, advice on car mountings/chargers/aerials that can be easily stowed away to avoid potential thieves breaking into the vehicle, although the PDA would normally be on my person.

Helphound

Sevenoaks UK

[mikealder]

Welcome to the forum, the phone you have chosen is a decent bit of kit, but it is getting a little older in terms of what is available (or about to be made available). The HTC Raphael might be a more modern device to consider if you can wait a month or so, better screen, better graphics etc.
As for TomTom Navigator 6, if you already own this - great, if you intend purchasing it then to be honest I wouldn't, the maps are too far out of date. To add detail to this, the latest map TTN6 can use is version 675 which was released over 12 months ago, road changes can typically take up to 18 months to become embodied within the map so what you are considering is a map that is 2,5 years out of date.
Whether TomTom decide to release newer maps and a newer version at some future point is debatable, it would be nice to think they will but I wouldn't go spending cash on an application that can only use out of date maps. The alternates to consider are Co-Pilot Live, I-Go and Route 66 - but read up on each before you decide.

Max Micro SD card is 32GB (if you can find one of that size) - the device you listed supports SDHC type cards, so capacity is not an issue.

As for a car holder look at Brodit, they supply a wide array of different holders, every one I have ever used has been a quality product, easy to fit and well worth the outlay. Consider the though of a £350+ phone in a £5 holder and it falls off the mount? spend a little more and it won't fall off the mount. A Brodit solution might cost in the region of £40, but this is around 10% of the purchase price of the device.
If you also use the Brodit "Move it" clip the remaining portion of the car holder is a small black plastic face that offers no clues as to the actual use. You take the phone with you and slide the holder off the clip and put it in the glove box, simple quick and very effective in use.

As for a service provider on PAYG the only one I wouldn't use is O2 as their PAYG service is restricted to WAP only, you have no access to the true capability of GPRS. Look at the costs associated with T-Mobile as this does work when set up for a PAYG account - Mike

[FrequentFlyer]

I agree with Mike. My Tytn/Vario 111 is...well, OK, but I don't actually find it the most 'user friendly ' phone that I've ever used, and it is still very 'flaky' in parts...too many soft resets for my liking. I shall see what the Raphael is like before deciding to change/upgrade.
By the way, FWIW, my TT6 runs just fine if you are happy that the maps are getting on a bit now. And I use a 'full' (films, music, loads of TT maps that I need etc.) 6Gb card.

[Helphound]

Hi Mike,

You have given me some very useful information to further my research into the best PDA. It would certainly seem to be worth waiting to see what the Raphael is like.

I do not already own the TomTom Navigator 6, so exploring the alternatives that you listed must make sense.

The card details, Brodit mounts and service providers have also been taken on board.

My thanks also to FrequentFlyer, you have both conviced me that further enjoyable digging is necessary to avoid wasting money and being too disappointed.

Helphound

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