I currently use a t68i and REX6000 PDA to serve all my mobile telephoney and PIM needs. I keep them in sync with each other via my PC using Outlook. Recently I've bust my rex and am looking for a replacement solution - either seperate PDA and phone, or smartphone. Since the rex is discontinued, I don't want to buy another one second-hand.
My main priorities are:
- light, since I want to take it with me at all times - e.g. t68i (85g) + rex (40g) - full PDA functionality (like rex) - sync with Outlook (like t68i and rex) - not too expensive - (I can upgrade on Orange if needed) - easy use of calling cards (like SE phones) I don't need a lot of the functionality found on current devices - backlight, camera, colour screen etc.
I've looked at PDA's to use with my phone. The lightest one I've seen is the basic palm Zire at 110g. It's still a bit bulky compared to what I'm used to - nearly 200g with my t68i.
I'm therefore looking at smartphones. Possibilities are Symbian phones, Tanager or Treo. However my impression is that these compromise on PDA functionality and favour more "consumer-friendly" functions. I can't seem to find detailed information about the PDA functionality of these phones - for example, I'd like to know exactly what fields are available for Contacts, To-do and Calender applications - is there anywhere I can find this information?
I've looked at the P800 is some detail (since it seems the most solid PDA and is SE) - the user guide, white paper, reviews and symbian forums don't have this information. However two limitations I have found: - tasks don't have a start date, so I can't set tasks which are only relevant at some point in the future (e.g. "cancel t-mobile contract") - can't synchronise categories (according to one review)
Any ideas where I can find the information I'm looking for or, even better, have experience of a solution that would suit me.
> I currently use a t68i and REX6000 PDA to serve all my mobile > telephoney and PIM needs.
I find my T610 does most things I would want from a smartphone. I have an iPAQ as well but very rarely use it.
Contacts: it syncs name, 5 phone numbers, email and company name. Calendar: it syncs title, location, one of 6 fixed categories, start, finish and comments. Tasks: it syncs title and reminder time.
Grant Mason wrote: > "Sohail Hussain" <smth...@hotmail.com> wrote in message > news:bcn0vs$ksb6j$1@ID-196056.news.dfncis.de >> I currently use a t68i and REX6000 PDA to serve all my mobile >> telephoney and PIM needs.
> I find my T610 does most things I would want from a smartphone. I > have an iPAQ as well but very rarely use it.
> Contacts: it syncs name, 5 phone numbers, email and company name. > Calendar: it syncs title, location, one of 6 fixed categories, start, > finish and comments. > Tasks: it syncs title and reminder time.
> I think that covers everything the REX can do?
Gosh no. The T610 is more like my T68i. The Rex can do much more. As well as what you've mentioned, I need:
All types: user-defined categories, notes/comment field Contacts: home/work address Calender: recurring appointments Tasks: start, as well as end, date.
It's these few, but essential, things that stop me relying on just my T68i, especially the address field.
> Gosh no. The T610 is more like my T68i. The Rex can do much more. As > well as what you've mentioned, I need:
I don't think you're going to get close to the size a weight of a T68/Rex with a two-box solution. It's either going to be the compromise of something like a Zire, or a one box solution (T610, SPV etc.) with maybe some lateral thinking....
> All types: user-defined categories, notes/comment field
Calendar and Tasks have notes/comments. Contacts could if you're creative with the Title or Company field.
> Contacts: home/work address
How about a password protected WAP URL with this info? Export Outlook contacts to a file, upload to web site.
Sohail Hussain wrote: > - light, since I want to take it with me at all times - e.g. t68i > (85g) + rex (40g)
Dunno specifics, but it's light enough to fit in my pocket.
> - full PDA functionality (like rex)
Yup
> - sync with Outlook (like t68i and rex)
Yup.
> - not too expensive - (I can upgrade on Orange if needed)
£125 @ Dabs, SIM free
> - easy use of calling cards (like SE phones)
I don't use them, but I think it can be done.
> I don't need a lot of the functionality found on current devices - > backlight, camera, colour screen etc.
Has a backlight.
> I'm therefore looking at smartphones. Possibilities are Symbian > phones, Tanager or Treo. However my impression is that these > compromise on PDA functionality and favour more "consumer-friendly" > functions. I can't seem to find detailed information about the PDA > functionality of these phones - for example, I'd like to know exactly > what fields are available for Contacts, To-do and Calender > applications - is there anywhere I can find this information?
>> Gosh no. The T610 is more like my T68i. The Rex can do much more. As >> well as what you've mentioned, I need:
> I don't think you're going to get close to the size a weight of a > T68/Rex with a two-box solution. It's either going to be the > compromise of something like a Zire, or a one box solution (T610, SPV > etc.) with maybe some lateral thinking....
Yes, I guess you're right. One box solution it is then - either I lug around a full-blown smartphone (P800?) or try some of the things you suggest.
>> All types: user-defined categories,
I use these for notes and contacts - I suppose I could use the name of notes and the title of contacts to kludge this.
>notes/comment field
> Calendar and Tasks have notes/comments. Contacts could if you're > creative with the Title or Company field.
Some of my comments are a paragrapth long - can the company field handle that?
>> Contacts: home/work address
> How about a password protected WAP URL with this info? Export Outlook > contacts to a file, upload to web site.
I want to be able to add addresses to the phone whilst out and about, not just read then. Nice idea though.
Sohail Hussain wrote: > BTW, a found a post an esato which suggests that the Siemans S55 can handle > addresses - can anyone confirm this?
The address book has fields for...
Last name, first name. Phone, office phone, mobile phone, fax, fax 2. E-mail, e-mail 2, URL. Group. Company, street, postcode, city, country. Birthday, reminder. Picture.
A problem is the address book is always listed in "Last name, First name" format unless you leave the last name empty and jam everything into first name.
There's no notes/comment field unless you use e.g. E-mail 2 or URL.
Calendar, appointments, and tasks are done very well, more control over dates/repeats than the T39 (I think the T68 calendar is the same as the T39 one except in colour...).
You can't create them on the T610 but I have a 'occurs every second Friday in the month' in Outlook and they're all there on my phone right through to 12/12/2003.
> I currently use a t68i and REX6000 PDA to serve all my mobile telephoney and > PIM needs. I keep them in sync with each other via my PC using Outlook. > Recently I've bust my rex and am looking for a replacement solution - either > seperate PDA and phone, or smartphone. Since the rex is discontinued, I > don't want to buy another one second-hand.
If the rex suited your needs, I don't see why you don't just get another one secondhand... If what you had does what you wanted, why change it?
I reckon the rex is a pretty nifty little thing, even now.
On Tue, 17 Jun 2003 13:19:06 +0100, "Sohail Hussain"
<smth...@hotmail.com> wrote: >I currently use a t68i and REX6000 PDA to serve all my mobile telephoney and >PIM needs. I keep them in sync with each other via my PC using Outlook.
It may be worth checking Rafe Blandford's Symbian smartphone site http://www.allaboutsymbian.com If the reviews don't tell you what you specifically need about each phone, you can ask users in the forums about what they can handle.
I haven't been willing to abandon my existing Psion PDA as the Symbian stuff seems to me pretty lightweight by comparison, however several people have said they moved over to one or another of the phones. There is also rather a lot of third party software for the phones, so even if they don't have everything you need, one of the third party products may fill the gap. I guess I'm just too used to having a PDA that can do almost anything straight out of the box.
In message <bcnant$lg15...@ID-196056.news.dfncis.de>, Sohail Hussain <smth...@hotmail.com> writes
>As well as what you've mentioned, I need:
>All types: user-defined categories, notes/comment field >Contacts: home/work address >Calender: recurring appointments >Tasks: start, as well as end, date.
>It's these few, but essential, things that stop me relying on just my >T68i, especially the address field.
Whilst I don't use any of the smartphones (my needs when out and about are more substantial, so I use an iPAQ 3970 and Nokia 6310i combination), if optimal Outlook compatibility is your thing, this suggests that the SPV may be the way ahead, as it runs a Microsoft OS.
All of those things in your list are in the Pocket PC - but I have a feeling there's some omissions in the SPV. Reaching to the back of my mind, I fear that SmartPhone 2002 doesn't support Tasks at all.
> I currently use a t68i and REX6000 PDA to serve all > my mobile telephoney and PIM needs. I keep them in > sync with each other via my PC using Outlook.
Sohail, Ohmygosh... I was beginning to think I was the only one... I use Rex6000 and T39m..... I would dread the day I break my Rex. (only a few of us Rexers left)
This being an Ericsson group, an older phone might be the perfect one for you: the R380. Cheap on ebay. Sync with Outlook. Most PDA functions though not much memory (same as rex though if you have the 2Mb version like me). The only reason I don't use it is because it does not have bluetooth.
As far as one device to do the two primary things of Phone and Organizer, the only other things I have seen so far that I was interested in are all kinda pricey and/or bulky: Palm clam-phones (Samsung SPH-i500, Kyocera 7135 or Treo's) The Symbian SonyEricsson P800 The Treo 600 Microsoft phones like the SPV (but I stay away from MS stuff mostly)
Eric wrote: > Sohail Hussain wrote: > > I currently use a t68i and REX6000 PDA to serve all > > my mobile telephoney and PIM needs. I keep them in > > sync with each other via my PC using Outlook.
> Sohail, Ohmygosh... I was beginning to think I was the only one... > I use Rex6000 and T39m..... > I would dread the day I break my Rex. (only a few of us Rexers left)
Hello Eric - nice to know that there's at least two of us :-) If you ever do break it, there are second-hand ones floating around - I got one off ebay.
> This being an Ericsson group, an older phone might be the perfect one > for you: the R380. Cheap on ebay. Sync with Outlook. Most PDA > functions though not much memory (same as rex though if you have the > 2Mb version like me). The only reason I don't use it is because it > does not have bluetooth.
It's interesting you should mention that. When the REX6000 first came out I did a detailed tradeoff between getting an R380 and using a REX with a T28. PRO's of using the R380 were: - one device - no need to buy batteries - backlight - not as fragile (retrospectively) CON's - heavier (164g) and bulkier solution - no categories
It was the latter point that tipped the scales in favour of the REX for me - all my contacts are organised into around 15 categories. The P800, which I suppose is the R380's successor, does support categories, but there are problems with it - see below.
> As far as one device to do the two primary things of Phone and > Organizer, the only other things I have seen so far that I was > interested in are all kinda pricey and/or bulky: > Palm clam-phones (Samsung SPH-i500, Kyocera 7135 or Treo's) > The Symbian SonyEricsson P800 > The Treo 600 > Microsoft phones like the SPV (but I stay away from MS stuff mostly)
After the replies to my original post (http://tinyurl.com/g11o if not on your news server - thanks for all of those BTW) , I did some detailed investigations of each of the solutions suggested, including trying each of them out (thanks mainly to a patient salesman in CPW). The main disadvantage was, as you mentioned, price and bulk. Here's what else I found about each of these platforms:
P800 - Heavy (148g) and expensive (£280ish on Orange upgrade), but not too bulky. Symbian7/UIQ OS still has teething problems- for example, synchronisation is flakey (http://my-symbian.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7856), although UI is very nice. Also supports calling cards which I use a lot.
Treo 180 - Same weight as P800, much cheaper (£100 sim-free off ebay), but even bulkier. Palm OS seems mature and probably will have no problems synchronsing.
SPV - Smaller and cheaper (£30 on orange upgrade, although SPVx/Tanager will be pricier) than the other two, but still quite heavy. Contacts and Calender seem OK, but tasks don't seem to have due date, forget about start date. Data entry will be a bit slow (using Tegic, as opposed to real/virtual keyboard). Also I, like you, would prefer Symbian/Palm over the fledgling MS Smartphone 2002 OS.
Grant and I discussed some creative use of non-smartphones to store the data, but the solutions were not flexible enough to store all my categories contacts, tasks, notes and calender entries.
In the end I bought, as mentioned earlier, another REX from ebay for £41. I may be prepared to carry a smartphone in the future once prices come down and their OS's mature - the prospect of one device is very tempting.
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