Which bloody PDA? O2 XDAiis, PDA2k, Harrier, PDA2

Forums › Windows Phone and Windows Mobile › Which bloody PDA? O2 XDAiis, PDA2k, Harrier, PDA2

fireman

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Topic # 4269 25-Jun-2005 08:19

i am on the NZ Vodafone network looking to buy a PDA and have been looking at several PDAs including switching to Telecoms harrier service. I understand the Harrier is setup for 3G services but if i buy the O2xda iis for use under vodafone, will that phone be able to be used under 3G when Vodafone gets its A into G? Also is the O2xda iis the same as the harrier and PDA2k? (xda iis or PDA 2 or PDA2k or Harrier) All these phones seem basically identical. Am so bloody confused as to which one to get. Help!

freitasm

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Reply # 15986 25-Jun-2005 09:18

The Vodafone 3G (3GSM, or UMTS or WCDMA) is differnt from the Telecom NZ 3G (CDMA 1x EV-DO).

The PDA2k and the O2 XDAIIs will both work on Vofafone's network, but only on GPRS, not 3G. There's only one model so far that would work on Vodafone's new network, but it is not available until the end of 2005.

The Harrier is the same chassis as the PDA2k, with a different radio to connect to the CDMA 1x network, and no Wi-Fi built-in.

In terms of speed, CDMA 1x EV-DO averages at 500Kpbs, with peaks of 1Mbps (in my experience). Vodafone WCDMA peaks at 384Kbps, so I imagine average would be a little slower than this.

In other words, if you need a Pocket PC now, choose between the models on your preferred network, without waiting for another Pocket PC that may or may not reach New Zealand in time.

Mauricio Freitas (Geekzone Admin, Devil's Advocate, my blog, technology disclosure)

tonyhughes

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Reply # 16184 30-Jun-2005 21:30

Id be saying the Harrier for the better data speeds when out and about (and slightly cheaper data too i think).

On the other hand, vodas offering of the same thing has got wifi built in, which would be convenient if you want to use it often in a wifi environment(s)

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taniwha

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Reply # 16188 30-Jun-2005 21:43

you've only mentioned "smartphones"
have you considered getting a bluetooth PDA, and bluetooth cellphone,
makes for easier upgrades, more options - smaller phone for those times you want to leave the PDA elsewhere, upgrade one component at a time, etc. etc.
i've always found that converged devices, like the pda+cellphone devices to be compromises, not to mention expensive.

fireman

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Reply # 16191 30-Jun-2005 22:01

Thanks mate but i really just need the one item on my belt. Thanks for the advice tho.

fireman

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Wannabe Geek

Reply # 16193 30-Jun-2005 22:08

Thanks for the good advice. Am thinking i will go with the PDA2k on Vodafone. Am Out of range (borderline) for Telecoms 3G anyway and yeah i do kind of need the PDA now. Cheers

tonyhughes

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Reply # 16199 1-Jul-2005 08:22

taniwha: not to mention expensive.

$249 for a Falcon is a pretty good deal (even though its getting on, it still provides great functionality.)

taniwha

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Reply # 16207 1-Jul-2005 09:53

what are you missing out on with a "getting-on" smartphone?

i've recently acquired a kyocera 7135, which is a 3 year old smartphone.
it's missing bluetooth, wifi, - has a low res screen. it's rather bulky.
and it won't run the latest palm os applications.
BUT... it does do fast data (if i connected it) and plays MP3s (if i had a headset) and displays photos from a SD card (low res screen) email and sms (no ssl) , and a pretty good browser (if i connect it)

tonyhughes

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Reply # 16228 1-Jul-2005 13:45

If you are just after the information retrieval and organisation side of things, then a not-quite-the-state-of-the-art unit would be more than appropriate.

They are still great machines.

I would actually prefer a falcon to my harrier for the fact that a falcon is smaller (i dont need the slide out keyboard either).

CDMA i-Mate jam would be nice....

letarn

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Reply # 16256 2-Jul-2005 16:18

I had PDA-2K which was stolen..... replaced by XDAIIi

I would go PDA-2..... has WiFi, better camera, better processor.
Plus I found the keyboard to be useless, just more bulk, and more weight

WiFi Hotspots are popping up everywhere, very convenient.

I would get a wireless router for home if you plan on using it a bit, allows you to do lots of cool stuff

If you can get XDAIIi (only just released in Aus) then go for that, I think the O2 products are much better finished off, plus more onboard software.

fireman

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Reply # 16267 3-Jul-2005 12:10

Doesnt PDA2K have Wifi?

freitasm

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Reply # 16268 3-Jul-2005 12:49

The PDA2k has a keyboard and wi-fi. The PDA2 was recently announced and looks like an updated O2 XDA or i-mate Pocket PC and also comes with wi-fi but no keyboard.

Mauricio Freitas (Geekzone Admin, Devil's Advocate, my blog, technology disclosure)