Posted by BarbaraL_CA on 1/10/08 9:10pm
Msg #230104

PDA or Smartphone, or cell phone?

In a couple of weeks I will make a decision to trade my phone in for a new one. I've never used a PDA, but I'm a techie junkie and am afraid I'll get addicted... do you?

What do you use and how does it benefit your business?

I'm looking to get something with mobile mail or email (are they the same thing?), bluetooth capability, calendar, camera, text (those are the basics). I got an ipod for Christmas so I don't really need music options (or do I? lol). If you use an O/S do you prefer the Windows or Palm, and why?

I've blocked text messaging on my current phone because I was getting telemarketing text messages. Anyone else have that problem? If I get unlimited text messaging then I ignore the telemarketing ones. I've never used text messaging but I can see where it could be of value once in a while. Do you use it for business, if so, in what way?

Recommendations anyone?

Reply by LKT/CA on 1/10/08 9:23pm
Msg #230114

I have the Treo 700wx from Sprint. Bought it around June 07' so it's probably considered a relic the way technology moves.

Has all the features you mentioned and my main uses are for texting and calender for appointments. Full keyboard is great. Calender keeps me very organized. I don't use the internet much so I can't give enough feedback on the operating system.

Reply by Michelle/AL on 1/10/08 9:28pm
Msg #230119

Barbara, I have the Samsung i730. Not sure if they still make it or not. My cell service is with VeriZon. I like my phone because I've dropped it numerous times on cement and it just keeps on working. I have never needed to use Word and Excel although it's loaded on the phone. I can easily access the internet although it does require a lot of battery juice to make it happen. I wish the ring volume could be louder than it is. The size of the phone is bulky and does not fit easily into jean pockets. Ut has a QWERTY keyboard but I usually use the touchscreen to text message and dial numbers. My phone doesn't have a camera because I didn't want one. I hope my comments will help you in your decision one way or another. Good luck and let me know what you decided on. It will be time for me to get a new phone at the end of this year and it takes me 3-6 months to make up my mind. (Man, I miss rotary dial phones. Fewer options and fewer decisions to make.)

Reply by John_NorCal on 1/10/08 10:39pm
Msg #230141

I have a Motorola Q. It's ultra slim, so you would probably appreciate carrying it in your purse. The keyboard is QWERTY, the camera function is acceptable and it has full email capabilities, so email is not a problem. Text messaging has never been an issue as far as business goes although there could be a place for it. I don't have a problem with telemarketing texts. The one thing I don't like is that Sprint, which is my carrier, does not allow pictures to be text messaged. So if I take a picture with my phone I have to send it to someones email address, not as a text message directly to their phone. The calendar function is great for keeping my schedule, that was my main motivation in buying my phone. My operating system is Windows which works just fine. Hope this helps.

Reply by Glenn Strickler on 1/10/08 10:59pm
Msg #230153

Well, I am probably not the right person to comment as I still use an old palm PDA. I just keep my contacts, appointments, phone numbers, some maps. I use my cell just for talking. Email can wait in my opinion until I get to a hotspot with my laptop. You can't download and print docs from a PDA or Blackberry, so I don't need to pay for any hand held email. Waste of money for me. If you held a gun to my head and made me choose, I would get an iphone as it stores all your contacts and you can access the real internet and go to Yahoo mail, Gmai, AOL, or whatever mail service you use, get maps and whatever without the extra cost of a blackberry account. And you can back it up to a PC or a MAC. (Yes it plays music too) I was testing my nephew's and decided not to get one as I am in a rural area and my old Motorola connects better to weak signals.

I have all the text and internet functions on my cell phone account turned off because of junk text and junk email. I like gagets as a hobby, but I find whether it was my corporate job before I retired or this, the fewer gagets I had, the more efficient I am. So I just have the basics. I save the gagets for my leisure time.

Whatever you decide to do, make sure you back up your data to your PC at least on a weekly basis. I got into a habit of backing it up daily during my corporate life. You would be surprised how much data they hold and the longer that you use a PDA the more info you won't have written down and could be a problem if your PDA / Phone crashes.

Have Fun

Reply by jac_il on 1/10/08 11:05pm
Msg #230157

Love my Treo. I believe it is a 750 it has the Palm OS system. I love it because I can open PDF files and view them on my phone on a decent sized screen.

Reply by Christine/NJ on 1/11/08 9:40am
Msg #230201

L-O-V-E my Treo.

Then again I work for Sprint so I get all of the perks. Hee hee. It is so much fun and easy to use. I don't think I could ever go back to just a regular cell phone again.

Happy Shopping!

Reply by Accesstoledo on 1/11/08 12:05pm
Msg #230232

What about getting a Laptop w/Blueray & an air card? Will this allow you to receive your emails and enable you to be in touch with your PDF files, while in the field?

Reply by BarbaraL_CA on 1/23/08 1:11am
Msg #231957

Re: PDA or Smartphone, or cell phone? UPDATE

for those who asked me to let them know what I got...

today was the day! I got the MotorolaQ9m smartphone

so far I love it - still configuring things, but I can get my email and view files like word or pdf etc., browse the internet, and listen to music too. Pretty powerful little gadget for a tech junkie like me!

It can also be used as a tethered modem for $15/mo more - didn't take advantage of that option yet, but it's nice to know.