Re: need advice for a new pocket PC
From: lancer (vincent_at_particle-systems.com)
Date: 03/25/04
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Date: Thu, 25 Mar 2004 16:44:48 -0000
<snip>
>
> Consider updating your anti-virus. There have been a number of threats and
> updates since your were current, it is now Version 6.0.639 / Virus
> Database: 408 - Release Date: 22/03/04, or was last time I updated.
>
done, thanks for pointing that out.
>
> Better is a subjective term, based on your own requirements. You've
> mentioned a lot about phone specs, not your needs which should be your
first
> consideration.
I'll tell you where I am at.
Up until a week ago, I'd only ever had a samsung N500 mobile phone, and
after my dad got off holiday with a shiny Sony Peg-TG50 handheld, he wanted
rid of his jornada 525. I took it off his hands and discovered that having a
PDA solves a lot of work problems for me, (notes etc, ) plus I can play
MP3's and e-books etc. so I like PDA's from the organisation side of things.
but I now have two bricks on my belt and thought going a combined Phone PDA
was the way to go.
I looked first seriously at a Jornada 928 because it's HP, same as my 525 so
I thought it might be a good idea to stick to what I know, however, as all
the PDA phones use Pocket PC 2002 or 2003 and run the same I don't suppose
that matters.
My needs are thus
I want a PDA phone
PDA for notes, contacts, media
Phone to call and SMS
GPRS, web browsing or e-mailing is not a consideration for me, although I
realise that the current crop of PDA Phones can all do that. GPS doesn't
interest me but I must admit to being intrigued by having a bluetooth
headset instead headphones on a wire to talk.
I know from a PDA standpoint that my needs are basic, so mainly the
PDA/Phone has to perform reasonably well as a phone first and foremost.
ie, reasonable reception, good functionality. My N500 had voice activated
dialing which was nice which is why the 928 sounds attractive, it has this
feature built in, whereas the XDA would have to get a 3rd party program to
do that.
also, the LCD panel on the top of the 928 is attractive because it means I
can use it as a phone without having to switch on the display and use
battery power. therefore it would last longer.
+ the fact the 928 uses a flash card like my camera is nice. in an emergency
I could always swipe the card for the camera when on holiday. therefore,
based on this the 928 seems to be ahead in the phone user stakes.
> If you need more battery life than one of the models offers
> you should omit that if it is important to you. If the XDA has poor
> reception you should omit that if it is important to you.
>
I only mentioned battery life and reception because of what I have read on
the newsgroups already.
Personally my current phone last about 60 hours switched on and according to
design specs, these things should last about 120-130 hours on standby which
is much better. my concern about th 928 is that some posters in old forum
posts said their 928's had poor battery life, others said there's was okay.
then some online reviews have criticised the XDA for low battery life. But
by the same token I have a read an article that says people don't realise
that some of these PDA phones search for the network at night to check
signal strength and therefore use battery power at night when they don't
need to. Perhaps this is what happened to those people that thought their
batteries were going.
I've also read that if you leave something like microsoft reader open when
you power off (into standby mode) the battery drains faster because it has
to maintain your document.
what I really need is a few people to comment on this because the 928 is
painfully thin on articles that I can form an opinion on. the XDA on the
other hand has a lot of short reviews but the only long review I've read so
far was on PDA gold.
> Now that you have no models left you have a choice- wait until something
> does meet your needs, reconsider your budget, reconsider your requirements
> by compromising.
I don't need a camera so although the upcoming samsung I700 looks sweet, I'd
be paying over the odds for a feature I'm not bothered about.
>Which of the failings is of least significance to you? Can
> you live with that failing? No-one else can tell you this- it is *your*
> needs that matter, after all *you* will be using the phone, not other
> posters.
at the end of the day I need something that works well as a phone, whether
it comes with voice activated dialing or not is moot because if it doesn't,
I could source a program for it.
On balance to me, the 928 looks like it's winning at the moment.
It has a better screen, the built in phone features (seperate LCD panel,
voice activated dialing) sound better, plus the CF card slot and cover over
the screen are nice to have too.
But, and this is a huge but, it's not made anymore + HP dropped it like a
hot rock after the compaq take over so I would be buying dead tech.
XDA on the other hand is popular, there are a lot of accessories and plenty
of support out there but I can't find enough critical reviews to know
whether or not these complaints about poor reception are complete fantasy or
the experience of a minority of people
the XDA II addresses the battery issue by being removable and replaceable
but is far above my budget so I must compromise on battery power and I'd be
willing to, if I could find a better answer regards XDA and signal
reception.
> Best of luck with your decision, you're not the first and won't be the
last
> facing this kind of question. But ultimately you need to look at your own
> requirements as the main priority- sometimes that may mean compromise,
other
> times it can mean you shouldn't buy yet.
>
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.639 / Virus Database: 408 - Release Date: 22/03/04
>
>
--- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.594 / Virus Database: 377 - Release Date: 24/02/2004
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