Author: Yogi Schulz

Every day new cell phones and Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s), that are more capable and more stylish, are appearing on the market. Is it time to trade-up? Do the new models offer advantages or just hype?

The Coolest Cell Phones

The Motorola RAZR V3c on Telus rates among the coolest cell phones because of its slim form, light weight, high-speed EV-DO (400+ kilobits per second) connection, 1.3 megapixel camera and MP3 music player. The high-speed connection is great for e-mailing pictures and downloading music. If you receive e-mail attachments, you’re better off with a PDA that offers a larger screen. To enhance that cool image, you can add the Oakley Design Bluetooth Sunglasses for a wireless connection between your ear and the cell phone on your belt or in your purse.

For a modest gain in weight, you can buy the Sony Ericsson K750i on Rogers. It offers the same features as the Motorola plus a 2.0 megapixel camera with a flash. The flash is almost essential if you want to produce good indoor pictures. The Sony is also a world phone. That means it will also work on the GSM networks in Europe and Asia where North American CDMA cell phones won’t work.

Many EV-DO cell phones come with a USB 2.0 cable that you can use to connect your laptop to the phone for high-speed Internet access. This cable saves the $250.00 cost of an EV-DO PC Card modem, like the Sierra Wireless AirCard 580, and the cost of a separate data plan for your laptop.

Aside from the low weight and cool looks, the biggest reasons for acquiring one of these new cell phones are the higher resolution screens and the faster music downloads.

The Latest PDA’s

The latest PDA is the UTStarcom Pocket PC 6700, the first Pocket PC with Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0. This PDA offers high-speed EV-DO Internet access for e-mail and web surfing. The connection speed is about six times faster than previous data services. It makes music downloads and streaming video realistically feasible for the first time.

The UTStarcom integrates a full sliding QWERTY keyboard that opens from the side. It’s just big enough for careful typing. If this approach to data entry is better than the Blackberry two-thumb method, is a matter of personal preference. When the keyboard is activated, the screen changes orientation automatically from portrait to landscape. This orientation is better for document and video viewing. The UTStarcom also includes a 1.3 megapixel digital camera with video, built-in WiFi capability, and Bluetooth support for accessories such as wireless headsets or hands-free car kits. Expect to see more Bluetooth ear pieces modeled on the one used by Lieutenant Uhura who served as the communications officer on the original Star Trek.

The UTStarcom automatically synchronizes with Microsoft Exchange 2003 e-mail servers. For storage, the UTStarcom features a built-in mini-SD slot for memory cards. For software, the UTStarcom comes with Mobile versions of Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

The latest Palm Treo, the 700w, is comparable to the UTStarcom in many ways. It offers the same Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 operating system (a first for Palm) and the same Microsoft Mobile Office software. The differences are a Blackberry-style keyboard and a slightly smaller screen without the ability to change orientation.

If you’re a Blackberry fan, you’ll like the improvements that the model 7130e offers. The narrower shape is more comfortable in your hand but has changed the keyboard layout. The 2 letters per key layout has not led to deterioration in typing productivity, as one might expect, due to the ability of the SureType software to recognize what the reasonable letter should be.

The 7130e delivers improved speed for almost every function because of the faster processor. This EV-DO speed improvement is particularly noticeable in the shorter times to establish telephone connections and to sync the Blackberry with the server.

Aside from the cool looks, the biggest reason for acquiring one of these new PDA’s is the easy ability to quickly receive, view and edit bulky attachments.

Conclusions

If you need to burnish your reputation as a cool dude, if you’re nearing the end of your cell phone contract or if long download times are raising your blood pressure, you’re ready to trade-up to the latest generation of cell phones and PDA’s.


References/Resources:

Motorola RAZR V3c

http://www.telusmobility.com/ab/pcs/handset_motorola_razr_v3c.shtml
http://www.telusmobility.com/ab/pcs/acc_motorola_razr_v3c.shtml

Top 10 cell phones

http://www.cnet.com/Top_10_cell_phones/4520-6022_1-102337-11.html

BlackBerry 7130eVerizon Wireless brings broadband speeds to mobile e-mail’s gold standard.

http://laptopmag.com/Review/BlackBerry-7130e.htm

Telus Mobility Business

http://www.telusmobility.com/on/business_solutions/index.shtml
http://www.telusmobility.com/content/business_solutions/pdas_converged_devices_comparison_chart.shtml

The Palm Treo 700w (aka Treo 670) – Exclusive first look!

http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/22/the-palm-treo-700w-aka-treo-670-exclusive-first-look/
http://www.palm.com/us/products/smartphones/treo700w/details.epl

Yogi Schulz
Corvelle Consulting
300, 400 – 5 Ave. S. W.
Calgary, Alberta
Canada T2P 0L6
Phone: (403) 249-5255
E-mail: YogiSchulz@corvelle.com
Web: Corvelle.com
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