[shecky]

time to get a bit more organized and integrated. with my upcoming powerbook purchase I am looking to upgrade my mobile life all around. I currently use a Motorola Star-TAC cell, and a Handspring Visor Edge PDA - and i use them badly, becuase carrying a Palm and a phone is a pain - so i am looking to maximize the utility of such devices and try to get something that integrates better. Since i can not be the only person looking to do this i figured i would start a discussion. I am in the Northeast USA.

NEEDS:

-digital cellphone
-calendar (not neccesarily iCal or Palm compatible)
-iSync compatible
-address book (not neccesarilly Mac address book compatible)
-notes/to do list
-small enough to carry 24/7
-ONE device
-able to use a belt-clip/holster type case

NOTE: tho i would prefer Palm based/iCal based, so long as i can sync everything to my laptop somehow i have no real preference

WANTS:

-color screen
-Bluetooth
-small/light
-HTML/WAP web browsing
-connectivity to get my laptop online (via BT i would imagine)
-real POP3 email
-SMS

NOT NEED OR WANT BUT WOULD BE COOL:

-camera
-games
-polyphonic ringtones
-something unique



OK, what do you all suggest/reccomend?

[webb3201]

Are you sure you want a single device? I prefer a PDA and a cell as I want both during the week but only a small phone on the weekend. Also, it is easier to work on SMS messages on the Tungsten while the phone is in my pocket connected via BT. I recommend:




Powerbook
Palm Tungsten T
Sony T68i


They all work with iSync, iCal , and address book.

If you are set on one device, eliminate the Tungsten from the list and you should have all you need depending on the carriers in the area.

[shecky]

single device is almost the most important, as i ALWAYS have my phone on me, and i want to always have my PDA on me as well (now i do not - 2 devices) and i refuse to do a batman tool-belt type thing.

[k2director]

I'm a big fan of all-in-one phone/pdas, even though there are sometimes hitches with their integration or compatibility.

I used the Samsung I300 Palm phone for more than a year, but am now on to the P800 from Sony. It's Bluetooth, has a Palm-like pen OS, camera, full web browser, email app, note pad, etc.

Here's the problem I personally have with splitting the devices (ala Tungsten/T68):

1) You now need to carry 2 devices to get the functionality you described. If all you do is go to an office and sit there, and then go home, then 2 devices will probably work. But if you tend to be on the go more, I find that having to keep track of two items is a pain (and they take up more room collectively than a all-in-one device). For instance, if you forget one or the other, you can be out of luck: ie, you were on a quick phone call and wrote an important phone number or directions or some other key info in the PDA, but when you hopped in your car to run an errand, you only brought your phone, and suddenly need the info in the PDA. etc.. Those kind of annoying gotchas happened all the time when I had two gadgets. They never happen since moving everything into one.

2) Even if you can wirelessly sync a Palm and your BT phone, it's still an extra step. I bet you won't take this step as often as you might expect when things are busy....


I like the P800 because everything's in one place. Emails, notes, voice memos, web pages, to dos, calendar entries, MP3s, AddressBook, etc. etc. It's just SOOOO convenient to have it all in one pocket, with only one device to worry about.

Of course, the P800 isn't perfectly supported by iSync yet--you can now sync contacts from AddressBook (as of today), but not iCal items. But iCal support is expected with the release of 10.3....

My vote is for something like the P800 or a Palm phone like the Samsung I330, or I500. The only thing annoying about those Palm phones for me is lack of Bluetooth. They support IR syncing, but no recent Powerbook has featured an IR port! So Bluetooth is your only option is you want to avoid sync cables/cradles, which I hate.

[shecky]

i agree with what you said - the only 2 devices i want are my 'device' and my powerbook. i am going back to school at 31 so i need to be able to manage my time insanely well, hence my original post.

BT is something i would like a LOT but i can live without. the P800 looks pretty sweet actually, i now have Verizon service so my only option from them is the Kyocera 7100 series, which i am not in love with - i have played with it and its just not there yet - but the Verizon service here in New England is astonishingly good; so good in fact that i no longer have a home phone, just my cell. I would be willing to change carriers tho - everyone else has much better phones.

[synner]

Originally posted by k2director:
...Of course, the P800 isn't perfectly supported by iSync yet--you can now sync contacts from AddressBook (as of today), but not iCal items. But iCal support is expected with the release of 10.3....

Have you actually managed to get your contacts to sync? I can't get mine to.

[xMetal]

you might be interested in the brandnew Samsung i500.

Palm, phone, all in a tiny clamshell package. Not sure if it has bluetooth, I can't find a real specific listing of it's specs.

there's some pics at this site

i500

[wulf]

Originally posted by synner:
Have you actually managed to get your contacts to sync? I can't get mine to.

See this thread

Basically, you probably need to open port 3004 on your firewall...

[macrophyllum]

Originally posted by shecky:
i refuse to do a batman tool-belt type thing.

Sh*t that made me laugh!

I want something with it all integrated too...