Might be heading to Smartphone - some questions.

[dh]

Hi guys,

After a couple of very happy years with a Zaurus C860, I'm thinking the time is right to move to a converged device. My contract with Sprint just ended so it's a good opportunity to shop around.

I'm thinking that Cinglular most meets my needs for a good family plan and I'm leaning towards Smartphone rather than PPC phone.

The Cingular 2125 seems to just about meet my requirements, but it does not seem to have WiFi. On the other hand, it seems that I can get an unlocked SP5 that has everything (albeit for more money).

So, here's the questions.....

1. There seem to be a number of different SP5s - SP5m, SP5i etc. Which would be the correct one to use on Cingular?

2. Back when I was a PPC user, I was a big fan of Pocket Informant. Am I right in thinking that these guys don't have a Smartphone version? Any chance of one? It looks as though the DeveloperOne application for Smartphone is available, but it doesn't seem to get very good reviews.

3. I'd like to get the Stowaway BT keyboard for when I need text entry (too old to be any good with T9). Is there a decent note taking program for Smartphone, like Phatnotes for example?

Cheers!
David

edit - Great, I noticed that there is Phatnotes for Smartphone. Things are begining to look rather good

[Kris Kumar]

1. You can go with either of the two i-mate models: SP5 (the black and silver) is my favourite, look stylish and buttons seems to be well spaced. SP5m will work great too. Check out Mike's review over here if you haven't.


3. There is two I can think of when it comes to notes. Phatnotes is there and then there is SmartphoneNotes. Search for them in our forums. I use John Cody's VNotes (voice based notes). Don't have to carry the keyboard. Also check to see if they are compatible with WM5.0 QVGA screen.

[Jerry Raia]

[dh]

Thanks guys. Things seem to be falling into place nicely. My Cingular service should be up and running tomorrow.

Of the two I-Mates, I think the black SP5 would be the one for me. I don't really have a need for the music features, and the black colour just looks rather cool.

I wish Cingular's version came with WiFi. I'm tempted to save a few bucks by getting this, but I think I'd get anoyed by the missing feature over time. Do the cellular carriers add anything special to the programs to make their own version work better on their networks?

Regarding the two notes apps, I guess I'll have to try them both and see which works best for me. Phatware claim their current version supports WM5 now.

I enjoyed reading Mike's SP5m review - it goes a way to making me think that one or other version of this phone is the way to go.

Cheers!
David

[Jerry Raia]

[Kris Kumar]

[Jerry Raia]

[Mike Temporale]

[dh]

Well, the deal is done. I went ahead and ordered an SP5.

I was in the local Cingular store today to pick up a Razr phone for my daughter and got to play with their demo 2215. I was really impressed with how easy it is to navigate through the menus. I actually prefer the styling of the 2215, it is somewhat curved where the SP5 looks to be a rectangular box. If the 2215 had WiFi included, I would have bought one on the spot.

It's going to be really interesting to see if the SP5 is going to be able to totally replace by Zaurus C860. Even though it's a couple of years old now, I still think the Z is the ultimate PDA hardware.

The phone should arrive by the middle of next week and I'm planing on installing the trials of Papyrus, ClearVue Suite and Phatnotes as soon as I can.

Cheers!
David

[Jerry Raia]