700wx V 8707v ???

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red

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Topic # 10049 1-Nov-2006 16:05

I am new to the pda phone market but it seems my new job will dictate that I need one very soon but only for a few funtions and hope some of you guys could give me impartial advice on which I should go for. I am looking at the moment at the new Blackberry on VF or the soon to be released palm 700wx on TNZ (which for some uneducated reason I am swinging to?)

My needs are:

email, a good email service that recieves my emails at both my office pc and my pda at the same time in compleate form.

Good personal organiser, that sync's with my office organiser too if possible?

Good note book with good memeory as I take alot of notes with little diagrams and pictures when working.

SMS is used ALOT in sending bulk messages so would be a consideration that it had good functionality with that.

Can either of these devices be used to surf the real web? not the wap based version, as I constantly need to check trademe and ebay?

Any help greatfully received.

[Moderator edit (MF): moved to Windows Mobile]

juha

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Reply # 50664 1-Nov-2006 18:02

Can't tell you anything about the 700wx, but have just finished reviewing the Blackberry 8707v for Computerworld so can provide some opinion on that.

I really liked the big screen on the 8707v and better yet, it comes with a good web browser that's fast to use thanks to the 3G network. Email works well in general, although on the IMAP side, the client doesn't support the NAMESPACE extension which will lead to problems with mail servers that put folders underneath INBOX (just about all of them do).

The desktop software for the 8707v synch with Outlook and overall, the device is easy to set up and use. There's no stylus/touch screen so if you want to draw stuff, it's not a good option. Lacks a camera too, and there's no memory extension capability.

It's a good roamer, with quad-band GSM and GPRS in countries where UMTS 3G is scarce. Getting and sending email on GPRS works pretty well, despite being a bit slow. You can use the 8707v with one hand, but the big keyboard makes it fairly easy to do fast two-thumb-typing if needed.

I'd say the 8707v is more aimed at corporate users who would be provisioned from the MIS dept (say) rather than individual, small business for instance.

Juha

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Reply # 50669 1-Nov-2006 18:25

If you like the Palm Treo 700wx on Telecom, you might like the Palm Treo 750v on Vodafone, just released today. Our Palm Treo 750v review is up now, and it's in essence the same as the Treo 700wx, so things being the same you just need to find out which operator you rather use.

The Internet Explorer Mobile is very good. The Treo is actually faster to render pages than any other Pocket PC I've used so far.

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red

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Reply # 50727 1-Nov-2006 23:57

I guess I should go do some research on the benefits of each operator, but am I right in thinking that would be like asking a Mercedes dealer what are the benefits of Mercedes over bmw, then expecting an honest answer?

freitasm, I have read that you are a multi user. Which provider would you recommend? VF with the 750 or wait a month for the 700 on TNZ?

I think I'm safe to rule out the Blackberry now that it has one important function missing for me.

freitasm

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Reply # 50728 2-Nov-2006 00:00

It really depends on your needs. If you see yourself travelling a lot and want to be in contact, Vodafone is probably the easiest way to go - but not for data. You will end up paying $30/MB at today's prices, when you can connect to Wi-Fi in the US at $1.5/hour.

If on the other hand you want some fast data in New Zealand and wider coverage. then Telecom New Zealand is your choice.

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red

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Reply # 50730 2-Nov-2006 00:18

the only work travelling I see myself doing in the next couople of years is to france for the world cup, but for that I won't be needing to be in contact so much, so not really an issue for me.

So data costs are less with TNZ?

I will be downloading lots of picture files along with sending alot too. Plus surfing alot so it seems telecom is the better choice for me I guess.

Thanks.

Now I just gotta go cold turkey for my new toy until they release the 700 it seems. I have been informed by my local telecom store that it should be out within a few weeks.

grant_k

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Reply # 50731 2-Nov-2006 00:47

red: So data costs are less with TNZ?

Tony Hughes has written an excellent document here:

http://www.tall.co.nz-a.googlepages.com/mobiledatacosts.pdf

which gives you all the pros and cons of Mobile Data in NZ.

In a word it is EXPENSIVE and it doesn't matter which operator you choose, the prices are pretty much identical. If you are going to be sending/receiving a lot of pictures, you will chew through the 1GB allocation in no time and then it gets bl**dy expensive!

So, take your time, do some research and try to find a device which also includes WiFi capability. I don't know if they have Cafe Net or Roam AD where you'll be living, or if you have any Telecom Hot Spots nearby (e.g. in Starbucks), but any of those are a much cheaper option than Telecom or Vodafone 3G mobile broadband. I would suggest using it ONLY when there is no other option available.

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Reply # 50732 2-Nov-2006 00:55

I don't think $49 for 1GB is expensive, when you have wired plans with only 200 MB in comparison and not cheap. I think 1 GB is a lot of data for business use and you'd need quite a lot of pictures to use this allowance.

Also this is a business expense. Only red can tell us if the benefits of mobile data are greater for this business than the $49 a month.

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red

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Reply # 53145 21-Nov-2006 19:45

Thanks for all the replys.

I have actually got my hands on a 650 for now just to try and get accustomed to using a pda phone. I am really impressed with some of the features and bar a few small flaws I've encountered (like freezing and rebooting when I try to email an excel doc' I recently edited) it's been a real exciting learning curve. Of course I'll have to get used to a whole new os when the 700 is finanlly released, but at least now I am comfortable knowing what can be done and what to expect.

download speeds are way ahead of what I expected and the ease of use regarding the calender and hotsync is great for me.

To be honest were it not for the fact that I don't get the best reception with the 650 and the freezing and auto rebooting (which I hope wont be the case with the new 700) I don't think I'd bother upgrading as the 650 package is currently more than enough for my simple uses.