fancy phone advice?

[thescot]

I have a MOTO something or other. It's a killer for reception; mine works when other folks wish theirs did. I use Verizon, which helps.

I had a cheaper model before, and it didn't receive as well. Dont' go cheap; buy the best. If you need it for business, a Blackberry might work the best.

But I would strongly consider the advice about getting too connected. I know people who serve their bell phone/PDAs, and they are harsh task masters.

Sometime it's best to stop and smell the roses.

[Kid Cossack]

Oh I won't end up too connected, I'm sure! The main advantages I see to having a "wonder phone" are a) pictures of job sites, b) accessing Babelfish from time to time to make sure the crews understand me, c) being able to track down people who call me (via yellowpages.com and the Harris County Appraisal District). I don't think I'll be listening to music (that's what the car is for) or, umm, whatever else it is people do with their "phones."

[KiltedCodeWarrior]

Get a basic phone with the standard features you want. A cell phone screen is a very sorry excuse for a viewing screen when trying to view a website of any kind, PDA/Cellphone enabled or not. Just not enough real estate to be effective. Good coverage in the areas you use, decent price, and regular upgrades are what I look for. And being in IT, I can have my choice of services and phones. This is just what works for me. As Dee said, there is such a thing as being too connected. Remember years ago (maybe even 10?), when people had just a home phone number and they were there or they weren't? Are you really happier most of the time being always available?

[neo71665]

I have a moto SLVR and love it. I can check email, use it as my Ipod, pics are pretty good, and picks up well.

[Raphael]

I swear by my Blackberry Pearl. I won't leave home/office without it. The Pearl connect me to friends all around the world.

[Dirk Skene]

I'm 44 and have been in telecom for 22 years; the last 9 1/2 years in wireless.

DO NOT BUY one of those things!!!! No one (sorry Bradley) needs to be that connected. Have a phone to use as a phone and for the rest of it just TURN IT OFF.

Arghhhhhhhhhh!

Ignore this man .... sorry starbkjrus .... dude I really like you .. but ...

[staticsan]

How much of a PDA do you want it to be?

I have a Sony Ericsson K610i. As a mobile phone (aka cell phone) it's very capable, with a wide range of GSM/GPRS data support. It has a fairly decent camera and lots of memory. The user interface is well developed and includes lots of little applets, like a calendar which supports appointments, note-taking, and such. But it's not a PDA.

It also has a fairly complete Bluetooth stack. This means I can be using Bluetooth from my laptop to connect to the phone's GPRS connection, and take a call with the Bluetooth headset. :-) But now I'm just showing off...

Wade.

[LoftGuy]

Hi,

What starbkjrus and KiltedCodeWarrior said.

Bob

[Tattoo Bradley]

HAHA. Sorry Starbjkrus! But, I disagree whole heartedly!

Kid Cossack.
I do absolutely swear by my Blackberry. Hands down the best multi device EVER EVERRRRRRRRRRRR. But seriously!
I have the 8703e. I like this model because it has a full QWERTY keyboard. But, I have seen the Pearl (like Raphael's) and can say it's very very nice as well. I also shun the Treo! I should point out that I had the Treo 600, and loathed it and myself during that time. However, I have a good friend with a 650 and my boss carries a 700 (the windows version, not the Palm OS.) And they both are very pleased with them. If you have any specific questions on either device, feel free to PM me... I'll do my best to help out. It's an important decision, as the end result can be great satisfaction or endless torture.

[caig]

Two days I bought an XDA Orbit from O2, having previously had just a very simple mobile phone. I have not used the XDA much yet, but it connects very quickly to the web, and emails are loaded quickly, too. It has impressed me so far, and keeps me connected wherever I am.