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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
Buy a smartphone or keep this dumb one?
Rob Dicker, Photographer
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Lake Villa | IL | USA | Posted: 9:31 AM on 01.14.08 |
->> About 4 months ago I bought a Moto Krazr. Now I’m thinking that I should get a Smartphone. My ATT dealer said that he'd credit me the $100 that I paid for the Krazr and I've got some left over "mad money" that I could use to buy it.
Then there is the additional cost of a data package - about $30.00/month - I think my employer could pick some if not all of the cost.
When I'm not carrying my laptop, I've been using a Palm TX to check my e-mail while away from the office . The downside is that it can be a pain finding open Wi-Fi and if I choose the coffee-shop route, I end up drinking way too much caffeine.
Do any of you have smart phone recommendations? Can I use the Smartphone to transmit images? Can I hook up my laptop to one to Smartphone and use it as a cell-card?
Any brand/model suggestions? I think I want to stay away from the i-phone since it doesn't have a keyboard.
Rob Dicker |
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Jack Kurtz, Photographer
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Phoenix | AZ | United States | Posted: 9:46 AM on 01.14.08 |
| ->> I have a Treo 680 which I really like. It uses the Palm OS, which I prefer, rather than Mobile Windows, which I made it a point to avoid. You can add software to either (ftp) and it uses regular old SD cards, so you can transfer the photos to the card, put it in the phone and send. It can also communicate with the computer via bluetooth. The unlimited data only includes data to and from the phone, ATT's data plan does not include using it as a modem, that's extra. |
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Walt Middleton, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 9:52 AM on 01.14.08 |
->> I purchased the Sprint Touch about 3 months ago when it came out. I love the thing... It is basicaly an Iphone only better... it does everything that it does and a little more. Including my Email... the real reason I got it... Here are a few things I like about it...
I can write in Cursive and it transcribes it.
It notifies me of a new email.
It uses my business email easly and syncs all the info in it... Contacts, email, notes, word files, pictures, music, pretty much everything...
It fixes me breakfast... :-)
I'm pretty happy with it... I mean it is only a phone.
Good luck there seems to be a whole lot of contenders... |
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Bill Mitchell, Photographer
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Tempe | AZ | USA | Posted: 9:57 AM on 01.14.08 |
->> Rob, I am using a Sprint Mogul, which has the Windows Mobile OS. I really like it, using it more for email and internet access. I have not used it to transmit pictures, although it would be relatively easy to do by transferring pics to the micro SD card and using add-on ftp software. I also do not have the additional, expensive Sprint plan which allows me to use the phone as a modem.
I really like this phone and can't imagine ever going back to a dumb phone. |
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Chris Proctor, Photographer
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Crete | IL | USA | Posted: 11:29 AM on 01.14.08 |
->> Rob - I have a Samsung Blackjack through ATT. This is my third smartphone and by far the best. It's 3G and I have used it as a modem hooked to my laptop, it works OK and it wasn't as slow as I expected it to be. I only do this if it's my only option to get on the internet though.
The only thing I don't like about the Blackjack is Samusung used their own connector on the phone instead of a USB connector. So you have to have their charging cable, their USB cable and their headphones if you want to listen to MP3's on it. It also comes with two batteries. |
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Charles Gawlik, Photographer
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San Diego | CA | USA | Posted: 5:58 PM on 01.14.08 |
->> Rob,
I use the ATT 8525 and love it. I have been far too geeky with this phone as I am able to plug the phone into the computer and use it as a modem when wi-fi hotspots are unavailable. Plugging the phone into the computer allows me to charge the phone from the computer which means one less item to toss into the suitcase (charger). I also interface the phone with work and play e-mail accounts which sadly means I am always connected and people keep expecting me to be available for messaging/texting/phone-ing. The phone's keyboard is a nice size for quick texting but the phone also allows me to use a portable bluetooth keyboard as well for my fat finger typing. If I could install photoshop or photomechanic on the phone I would. And like Chris Proctor's BlackJack is also a 3G phone.
Charles |
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Gil Batzri, Photographer, Assistant
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Oakland | CA | USA | Posted: 6:52 PM on 01.14.08 |
->> I have a Blackberry 8830 Worldphone and an Att/Cingular SX66.
If you are looking for messaging the blackberry is the way to go. It has 3G data and does email/sms etc like no one's business, if your company has Blackberry Enterprise (which you probably don't) it will handle calandaring contacts any piece of that, it is like having a full groupware client in your pocket. The BB also has a GPS radio, so mapping and directions are built in. Awesome device (no touch screen is my only complaint) Battery life is good. and from what I understand you can bulk it out with media player and pop a nice big card in it.
As to the SX66, I use that for my personal phone. I have a data plan, It has bluetooth and a 4GB SD card that I have Tom Tom running on there (with an external BT receiver), I keep several GB of music/videos and ebooks on it. It supports stereo wired and BT (with a hack) headsets. It has GPRS data, which is slow, but you CAN file with it, not fun, but you can, same data as the revolutionary eyephone from apple (suffice to say those ads are not using cellular data).
The WM phone has ALOT more software available then the blackberry. I added a media player (almost any format of audio/video, not just Apple sanctified formats like an eyephone)
The battery life is not great, I can get thru the day with a extended battery. I can do email on it corporate, or personal. Nice big screen, reasonable phone. It crashes more often then the blackberry.
The advantage is you can get an SX66 for ~$100 off ebay. The SX66 also has the most available storage (128MB ram + 50MB built in flash) for additional software, and has close to the fastest processor they made for the smartphones (thus the battery life problems)
I am looking to replace it with an HTC Tilt phone that is the newest iteration of the converged device.
Additionally you can install the Phojo package on this guy and do it all, you just need to shoot to SD you are limited to 320x240 screen but if you can manage, one device is all you need..
I give the PocketPC/PDA Phones a thumbs up. But I am a wirehead.
Here is an SX66 review: http://www.howardforums.com/archive/topic/612194-1.html
Here is a Blackberry 8830 review, my carrier is sprint, not VZW: http://www.pdastreet.com/articles/2007/8/2007-8-1-Review-RIM-BlackBerry.htm...
Here is a review of the HTC Tilt:
http://www.mobiletechreview.com/phones/ATT-Tilt.htm |
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Gil Batzri, Photographer, Assistant
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Oakland | CA | USA | Posted: 6:56 PM on 01.14.08 |
->> Charles -
Google Pocket Phojo. Contact them and let them know you are an SS member, and they will hook you up.
Think Photoshop and Transmitting from one package.
Gil |
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Rob Dicker, Photographer
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Lake Villa | IL | USA | Posted: 7:06 AM on 01.15.08 |
| ->> Has anyone ever used the GPS feature built into some of the smartphones? |
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Jonathan Castner, Photographer
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Longmont | CO | USA | Posted: 10:30 AM on 01.15.08 |
->> Rob I've been using a T-Mobile Dash for about a year and it has replaced my bulky DayRunner and in many cases the laptop that I felt that I needed to take everywhere with me. It runs Mobile Office so I can read/edit Word documents, read PDF's and Excel spreadsheets. I have a slide show on it as an "always on me" portfolio and a few of my multimedia stories as well. It has saved me quite a few times just by being able to bring up Google Maps when I was lost and out of town. In short: I love it.
I was hesitant to get a smartphone but I use its non phone functions constantly. |
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Luke Trottier, Photographer
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Bath | ME | US | Posted: 11:23 AM on 01.15.08 |
| ->> Black Berry 8320 w/wifi here. I have used a handful of Palm and Pocket PC devices. The blackberry OS is by far the fastest and most stable and gives you true push email. The 8320 gives you wifi and multimedia functionality over the 8800 series but lacks the built in GPS. |
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Jerry Lai, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Chicago | IL | USA | Posted: 11:38 AM on 01.15.08 |
->> I second Gil's recommendation of the Blackberry 8830, but I am on the Sprint network, which supposedly faster than AT&T's EDGE (although I have no basis of comparison). It is fantastic. In my opinion, it is waaaaay better than iPhone. I keep pretty much everything in it: contacts, schedule, email, music, and a small portfolio. Email is easy to set up via the phone's setup wizard, and so is browsing the internet. You can tether the phone with a USB cable to your laptop and use it as a broadband modem if needed.
But as Rob was asking about, I think the best thing this has is the built in GPS. It is fantastic, and I use it ALL THE TIME. It does everything a dedicated GPS unit like a Garmin would do. You can use it to enter a start/end location and it will calculate driving directions, as well as pinpoint your exact location and track your own movement along a route. Actually, you don't even need to know your start location, you can just have the thing figure it out for you. You can also search for local businesses near your current location.
The only problem is if I lose this thing: I am screwed. |
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Colin Lenton, Photographer, Assistant
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Philadelphia | PA | United States | Posted: 11:57 AM on 01.15.08 |
->> Hey Rob,
I'll also throw in a vote for the Blackberry 8800, or 8300 series. I have the 8800 and find it to be fantastic. It is absolutely more stable than any of the other software platforms out there and the messaging/email is superb. With T-Mobile I can also use it as a wireless modem via bluetooth at no additional charge. I use the GPS often in tandem with Google Maps for Mobile. |
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Juliann Tallino, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Port Townsend/Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 5:10 PM on 01.15.08 |
->> is there anyway to get around paying both a data and a voice phone plan to use the phone as a modem? I don't want to text or get emails or surf the internet on my phone, I basically just want to use it as a phone, period. but I would love to be able to occasionally use the phone as a modem connected to my laptop, I don't even need to transmit so upload speed is not important. Paying $100 bucks or more a month for that just seems silly.
Currently I have AT&T but on a month to month basis, so I can switch carriers. |
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Mike Brice, Photographer
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Toledo | OH | USA | Posted: 5:47 PM on 01.15.08 |
->> I have the Blackberry 8830 World Edition, and it is an e-mail machine.
Traveling to Mexico last month and being able to send and receive e-mail, use it connected to my computer as a modem - and take phone calls (although expensive) allowed to me work while I was on vacation.
I have the Missing Synch and it allows it to synch just fine with my MAC. |
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Jerry Lai, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Chicago | IL | USA | Posted: 6:26 PM on 01.15.08 |
->> Juli, I think you can just get a phone plan and then access use the internet or use the phone as a modem "a-la-carte." You by amount of KB use. However, those charges will add up in a hurry... even if you're only using it to view webpages.
I don't know what the current Sprint plan is, but the deal I got is $40/month for unlimited data on top of my voice plan. |
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Gil Batzri, Photographer, Assistant
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Oakland | CA | USA | Posted: 8:56 PM on 01.15.08 |
->> You can do an ala cart data plan as Jerry mentioned, but if you use it AT ALL you will hit the cost of the all you can eat plan quickly.
I had the pay as you go for one month (and $60 of KBs)
As far as the onboard GPS it is great, but if you are using it for serious (not occasional) use like with tom tom or other wayfinding/nav software I HIGHLY recommend an out of phone GPS radio, it is quicker and you don't have to keep the phone somewhere with a clear sky view (which I find difficult to use in the car)
With the BB you have to keep it on the dash, with the outboard unit (I have a Holux GPSlim bluetooth, awesome!)I pair up the radio, then I can throw the GPS against the window/dash etc, where it has a clear view and the phone can be clipped to the dash running the nav software, where I can see it. Much better then the blackberry GPS, also the outbound unit seems to update much more quickly (but that could be the Tom Tom vs Google maps update rate).
My BB is a Sprint and for in town use the phone and data are much superior to AT&T (mind you this is EVDO (sprint) vs GPRS (ATT) data), when you get away from large populated areas the AT&T does better. I suspect 3G At&T data would hang just fine with Sprint 3G, so apples to oranges for data, but honestly there isn't a HUGE difference to me, but I almost never tether.
I also find the experience of the PocketPC Phone better for general use (touchscreen) then the Blackberry. The blackberry wins hands down on messaging apps no question, but I have my PocketPC much more tweaked and it has a lot more add on software then my BB does.
The "always on" nature of the blackberry data is a mark in its favor though.
Linkage:
Holux GPSlim 240 Review
http://www.pocketgpsworld.com/holux-gr240.php |
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Jason Hirschfeld, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Norfolk | VA | U.S. | Posted: 9:26 PM on 01.15.08 |
->> I ditto the 8830 BlackBerry although mine is with Verizon. While traveling extensively throughout the country, I've found that using VZW's EV-DO network is actually faster than Sprint's and AT&T's networks. It IS awesome for e-mail, scheduling, etc... The only downfall is, people on the other end of the conversation were complaining the actual "phone" part of the BlackBerry sucked. It's a little "tinny" sounding and it picks up every ambient sound so using the phone even in the car with the radio on just a little bit, makes it difficult for the person on the other end to hear you. Forget about using it in the airport! I keep a second clamshell phone for just talking.
My .02 |
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Felix Marquez, Student/Intern, Photographer
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Bethesda | MD | USA | Posted: 9:36 PM on 01.15.08 |
| ->> I also have The Touch by HTC under the Sprint family plan( 2 phones) for about $65.00/month it includes 550 anytime minutes, unlimited night/weekends that start at 7:00 p.m. Unlimited web, e-mail and 300 text mesages, under the Power Vision Package I get data tranfers, sprint TV, sprint radio and much more.... GPS and weather also work great. What I like best is that I can set up several e-mail boxes and their respective notifications all in one device. The Touch does almost everything that the i-phone does for about $200.00 less; and IMHO what sold me on it is the size of it... about the size of a card deck... it fits perfecthly in a shirt pocket... It is also very light...It has a virtual keyboard.... enought said I am very happy with it.... FM |
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