Time for a Smart Phone?

[mikekn]

My current PDA (a Sony Clie NX80) came out in 2003 and is showing its age. Actually this is the second one of this model I've owned. The first one still works except for HotSyncing. The second one works except for the camera. Anyway...

The main thing lacking from it is access to the Internet (technically it has wifi, but it is very old and difficult to use), so time to look into something new.

Features I want but don't currently have:
- Internet access - wireless preferred, but I'd go with wifi only to save money if I can get all the other features I want
- Camera - the camera on my cell phone sucks and I rarely have our digital camera with me when I want to take a picture.

Features I have and need to keep (can be through additional apps)
- Calendar, Address book, Note pad - all synced with desktop application.
- MP3 player - especially for audio books and music on road trips.
- Read and write Word and Excel files (or OpenOffice files)
- Read PDF files.
- Load (and sync) files.
- Database program (mostly just able to load my data exported from LibraryThing and BoardGameGeek) Currently using SmartListToGo
- Ability to store web pages off line (unless I have full wireless access, in which case I don't need them off-line) Currently using Plucker.

I've lived with 2 GB of storage for a while now, but would prefer a lot more (2 for audio books, 2 for data and docs, lots and lots for music)

I've got Verizon right now for my cell phone service, which none of the big three smart phones use (iPhone, Palm Pre, G1). I'm not opposed to getting a smart phone with the lowest voice plan and unlimited data and just use it for data (looks like both the iPhone and Palm Pre can do this for $70/month) Tonight I'm paying bills which will serve to remind me that I don't have much money to spend on a new monthly bill.

Anyone out there with more experience then I care to comment or suggest?

Comments

[iheronimus.livejournal.com]

I had the original iPhone for nearly 2 years, and have had the new 3Gs since it came out. Big improvement - wicked fast, and arguably the best web browsing experience of any smart phone. There are Apps to do everything you want to do, and then some - identifying exactly which to get may be a challenge though - there are just too many Apps to choose from. 3MP camera with video, GPS, compass, slim form factor. Excellent display. The keyboard may take getting used to - it's finger operated - a stylus isn't very useful. It isn't cheap though, and I recommend the 32GB version...

[mikekn]

The iPhone is pretty high on my list right now, and discovering the $70/mo plan makes it more acceptable.

The only thing I haven't been able to figure out with it is the doc and database stuff. Know of any apps I should look at?

[bertana.livejournal.com]

Okay, keep in mind that I know neither Jack nor Shit when it comse to phones, but -- does the Blackberry or Blackberry Touch count as a smart phone? Because those are carried by Verizon. Do they just not offer enough of the same awesomeness that the three you listed offer?

Disclaimer: I ask because I'm curious, not because I actually want to encourage you to keep your account and continue feeding the unwholesome beast that is Verizon.

[mikekn]

They do count. The main thing I learn about the Blackberry phones that Verizon supports is that they have no wifi. Beyond that I've no clue yet.

Oddball answer

[metageek.livejournal.com]

You might want to consider the two-device solution: a non-phone handheld for computer-like functionality, and a semi-smart phone for PIM and tethering. I use the Nokia N810 and N75.

Re: Oddball answer

[mikekn]

I've got no problem with a two-device solution - that is sort of what I have now (minus the net access). So long as I can fit them both into my jacket pockets :)

I assume you have to pay extra to be able to use your phone for tethering. Is so?

Re: Oddball answer

[metageek.livejournal.com]

Legally yes, technically no. AT&T doesn't detect tethering, and their unlimited data plan is, I think, $30/mo (on top of your voice plan, that is).

Re: Oddball answer

[rjsilverthorn.livejournal.com]

A friend of mine does this with Verizon and there is a tethering fee in the $10-$15 a month range.

[stratagos.livejournal.com]

I'm pretty happy with my Blackberry Bold - something to keep in mind when you're looking at smartphones that they ding you for a data plan ($30+ a month) *plus* they often want to charge you for "tethering", if you use it as a cellular modem so you can get internet on a computer.

I was also happy with my Windows Mobile smartphone, but the slider functionality over the keyboard ended up being a Bad Thing, since half the system problems I had past the warranty can be traced to the connections internally getting jacked up from that.

Are you looking for a touch screen, a stylus, a trackball, or does it not matter?

I found this site pretty decent for narrowing the search:
http://www.phonescoop.com/

[mikekn]

Input doesn't matter much, though I've never been a fan of trackballs. If I can do all that I want on the smart phone I won't need to tether anything (I'm fine only using my laptop when I can get a net connection).

Thanks for the link - I like their comparison features.

[ubiq31.livejournal.com]

Seconding the iPhone suggestion. Get the 3G if you can, over the 3GS...it's $100-$200 cheaper (they're going for $99 now). Compass isn't very necessary in a phone and while some apps may make use of the compass, it's not like it's really a huge improvement over straight GPS (which the 3G has). If having a better camera is important for you, go with the 3GS.

I owned the original iPhone and have had the 3G since around the beginning of the year (when I gave my old iPhone to klynn330). She has found the 1st gen invaluable and I knew she needed it when she'd call and ask for assistance getting someplace...I could see where she was through Google Maps and then switch to street view, having looked up the address. "You should see a blue sign on the right with the name of the place..." That did it.

Now? I don't really think I could trust another phone, really, to fit what the iPhone does. It's not just that it does what other smartphones can do, but it does it with Apple's minimum of fuss and then heaps on more and more that other phones just haven't caught up to doing. Want an app? App Store. Tens of thousands of apps, searchable right from the phone. Looking to buy music? An audiobook? TV shows? Same thing. Right from the phone, right over the air.

If you do get an iPhone, be aware that it syncs best on a Mac...but if you have a PC, it'll do fine there, too. By default, it assumes you want to do contact management through something like Outlook, which isn't ideal...but you can set it up to use GMail for contact and calendar syncing, which is awesome. I'd be looking to do that even if I had a Mac anyway, as GMail and GCal are the best things ever in those regards ;)

[sskipstress.livejournal.com]

I have a Mac and sync my calendar with GCal. I sync my contacts with the Mac's address book, though, because that's where I copied my paper address book years ago and I haven't needed anything more.

[ubiq31.livejournal.com]

Excellent...I remember when I first started, there was an option to sync to the Mac's calendar app...but nothing straightforward from there to GCal, at the time.

Good to hear it's changed :) I love Apple but I don't own a Mac right now. Hopefully it'll change, and I'd need to know that that can be done :) (I don't enjoy using Windows at all.)

[rjsilverthorn.livejournal.com]

Interesting article on the total cost of the $199 iPhone.

http://consumerist.com/tag/iphone/?i=5014850&t=the-new-199-iphone-is-160-more-expensive-than-the-399-iphone-it-replaced-what

[ubiq31.livejournal.com]

"Sun Jun 15 2008" A little dated ;)

Yes, the 1st gen phones had a $20 unlimited data plan, but even as the article says, they felt the extra cost was worth it. Indeed, with the continued massive growth of their user base, you can't keep offering unlimited data plans without expanding the network, and I'd wager the popularity of the iPhone has required a lot of network work to support the expansion in number of users...first going from 1st gen to 2nd gen and now with the 3GS. (They sold, what, a million handsets in their first weekend?)

With 40% of all smartphone web use and over 90% of wifi traffic in airports coming from iPhones, I think the obvious quick adoption rate has hit AT&T pretty hard. I bet most "unlimited" data plans haven't seen the kind of use iPhones are putting the network through...

[rjsilverthorn.livejournal.com]

hmm, that was not the article I thought it was. What I get for posting from work.

[ubiq31.livejournal.com]

The $30 data plan seems high...but I was paying $20/mo. for years for the Sidekick's unlimited data plan. $20 was nice while I could get away with it but $30 still is very much worth it.

As a phone, it's pricey. As a smartphone, it's not bad, price-wise... As more than a smartphone, it's pretty reasonable.

[mikekn]

While the compass isn't of much interest, the faster processor that the 3GS has is. (And 32 gig is such a nice sounding size, though I'm saddened that they don't have a way to get more)

I haven't had a Mac in years, so I'll have to deal with whatever options are available for the PC. I've been using the Palm calendar for so long that that will be the biggest change for me :) (Not a fan of gmail - I don't like how it organizes everything by subject and couldn't find a way to turn that off).

The phone portion of what I get is the least important to me - I just don't use a phone (cell or otherwise) that often.

So the most important questions for me are how hard is it to load files onto? (Say PDFs of all the SCA official documents) What if I want to load a 0.5 gig MP3 or a 3 gig video file? What is available for syncing documents and databases? Stuff like that.

I love all the features I've seen on them, but I don't want to lose the features I've come to depend on.

[ubiq31.livejournal.com]

Here's a reason: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cH6r2tIaRXU :) (Even if you won't use that particular app...the possibilities are there...)

Really, though, you want to consider Evernote if you get the iPhone (which I think they have for the Blackberry, too, but that came after Evernote for the iPhone, ironically enough). I have all of the SCA documents I need - handbooks, forms, laws, etc. - loaded into Evernote.

It's a neat application...you can make notes in Evernote (text notes, voice notes, picture notes) or you can email documents to your account at Evernote or load documents up through the client app on your desktop (Mac or Windows) or you can use the website as a client, too.

Basically, they index your document (and run OCR on any pictures you upload) so you can search through any of the clients. Need to see the docs relating to minors in the SCA? Easy...search for "minor" and it'll list them all :)

My favorite thing is the photo integration, though. You can take photos from the app or access photos you've taken separately with the camera (or any other image you've loaded into Evernote through one of the other methods). I no longer worry about missing anything on the whiteboard in meetings...I just snap a pic of the whiteboard. Snap another pic of my handwritten notes, too, and it'll index those. No real worry about bad handwriting...I'm sure it could be bad enough to not be indexed...but I've yet to see that ;)

It's a free app; it has a subscription option if you wind up needing to upload lots of photos or hundred or thousands of text notes...but most people won't need that functionality. For digitally-comfortable officers in a group like the SCA, though, it's really, really useful. Email newcomers handbooks at demos straight from the phone, etc...

As for databases, what kinds of databases? You want to have an arbitrary database on the phone or have one accessible over the net? For MP3s and video files, you can go through iTunes or if you just want to load it on there for retrieval elsewhere, it's usable as a harddrive, too.

I'm like you, I don't use the phone as a phone often at all...but it really is more of a mini tablet computer.

Won't try and convert you to GMail, but I didn't like the lack of organization initially until I realized that between filters, tags/categories and stars, you get all of the benefits of folders without the limitations.

[mikekn]

Very cool (the video and EverNote)!

I've got two types of databases I use - custom lists (like a cd collection) and imported data (like my book list imported from LibraryThing). I downloaded iTunes and have been poking around a bit. My current database app isn't available, but several similar ones seem to be. BoardGameGeek has it's own app too (but nothing for LibraryThing yet).

All GMail would have to add is the ability to show my inbox as list of individual messages instead of as "conversations" - I just don't like that style.

[ubiq31.livejournal.com]

GMail on the iPhone doesn't do conversation threads...individual messages are individual messages (probably because the app is actually Mail.app for the iPhone).

You can also use POP/IMAP through GMail for, really, using whatever client you'd like on the desktop.

Me, I can't go away from GMail now...the spam filtering is insanely good. The amount of spam I actually get is maybe 1-3 a month, tops.

I bet BoardGameGeek gets something in the app store...or make some noise about it and it'll show up ;)

I wonder if there's a GreaseMonkey script for unthreading GMail...I'd be interested to see that. I come from text-based mail programs, so I miss the unthreaded view...

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I just deleted my own need list. AT&T gave us similar
cost-per-month to our prior verizon bill,
but for that money we now have unlimited
data and text, which were "goodies" rather than
dealbreakers.
I love the ease of use and very shallow learning curve
on the iPhone, it really sold itself.
If you are still in contract with verizon,
perhaps a Gphone or similar unlocked sim
phone will do all the "other" stuff until
you are free to move over?
you can jump ship?

[metageek.livejournal.com]

No, because Verizon doesn't use GSM.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

I meant to use it simply as a PDA non-phone for the time being.
baavgai used his on wifi for some time, and still got quite a lot of utility just treating it like a pretty PDA.

[metageek.livejournal.com]

Got it. Sounds like an expensive solution, though; the extra cost of an unlocked phone is usually more than the early termination fee. I think.

[mikekn]

I'll probably end up doing something like that if I get a smart phone and not some sort of non-phone net device. We've not only got a contract with Verizon (not sure when it ends), but also 3 lines and combo deals for our FIOS net, phone and TV.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

for reference, we had 4 phones on a family plan, no data, no text, 700 minutes.
We now have 4 phones, unlimited text on all 4 ( extra 30 bucks a month ) and unlimited data on only 2, the smart phones.
Bundled, it's within 20 bucks of our old Verizon bill.
We have no other Verizon interactions, which may or may not affect things.
After less than a week with this thing I feel very lucky to live in such a time. Text is a miracle of science.

[sskipstress.livejournal.com]

Since I don't think it meets all of your requirements (no camera, storage on memory cards) I doubt you'll be interested, but I have a Palm TX I'm not using. Pay shipping (or let me deliver at Pennsic) and it's yours :)

[mikekn]

Actually I like storage on memory cards - that means I can expand it or have a music card and a data card. Thank you for the offer - and it is very tempting, but I think I'm going to bite the bullet and go all the way with an iPhone (at least that is how I'm currently leaning).

[sskipstress.livejournal.com]

That's the direction I went, and I am very happy with that decision :)