Doesn't have to be like 2008-new, but it should be fairly recent. I need the following:

QWERTY keyboard
Wi-Fi
touch screen
Great web browser
Decent media player
Expandable memory support or at least 8gigs of memory
stylus preferred

I'm currently using a Sony Ericsson P1i and it's great but I'd like something with larger buttons and perhaps a larger screen. I'm really eyeing the HTC Touch Pro but there's no word on an AT&T launch date or cost yet. Give me some of yer suggestions.

[Edited on September 23, 2008 at 11:57 PM. Reason : smartphone]

9/23/2008 11:57:27 PM

iphone

9/24/2008 12:09:39 AM

i got a treo 800w and have all that stuff and am happy with it

http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=539142

tmobile g1 phone might be nice - just heard they are capping 3g data at 1gb but i doubt i'd ever go over that. but just fyi, in case you may.

the touch pro won't be a good buy until it can be kitchened - which is looking like a few months after release. the treo 800w still can't be kitchened and it's been out for a bit. the default software on the touch pro is too good for its hardware and it stalls and lags trying to do stuff, from what i read in the reviews.

everything you listed is fine on any windows mobile phone like the 800w - just get opera mobile for your browser and that requirement is met. as far as a media player, what are you looking to play? i don't have a real need so i never looked into it, but yeah, windows media player for mobile phones pretty much sucks.

and an 8gb microsd set me back like $20 so that's there too.

9/24/2008 12:21:24 AM

nothing besides android and iphone have good browsers.

9/24/2008 12:22:58 AM

http://video.google.com/videosearch?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=att%20tilt&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=iv#

Why is Windows Mobile so slow and clunky?

9/24/2008 1:49:59 AM

because it's windows mobile.

i thought all smartphones were like that, and lived with it on my treo 650/treo 750/cing 8525... until i tried an iphone.

9/24/2008 1:51:03 AM

^ the amazing part is that the iPhone isn't using a much faster processor (if at all).

The iPhone is still too slow for me though. Hopefully something materializes SOON from the PA-Semi acquisition.

On a related note, does anyone know of a to-do list for Windows Mobile that shows all tasks on one screen, but each task can have a due date, and as the date approaches, the task changes color and/or moves up in priority?

9/24/2008 1:57:25 AM

Quote :

"nothing besides android and iphone have good browsers."

Noone knows about Androids browser capabilities yet. And I'm not holding my breath after

a) Heading that Android is a bit of a bear to develop for

and

b) the lackluster performance and usability of Chrome.

Also FYI, on Windows Mobile phones you can use Opera, which delivers a pretty damn good experience, and IE6 Mobile will be out this year ( http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-10039152-56.html?tag=mncol;txt ) at some point, and will bring the FULL IE6 engine, including the elusive full Flash support.

9/24/2008 2:04:15 AM

I always have trouble with opera, whether I build it with my rom or I download the cabs separately on the mogul. It won't accept more than one character from my keypad without losing focus of the text box. Opera Mini is fast, but the way it accepts you input is a little obnoxious.

9/24/2008 7:41:01 AM

I always had problems with Opera on my WM6 phone, which forced me back into using IE.




You should get an iPhone.

9/24/2008 8:23:32 AM

I'd give my left one for someone to do an Iphone hack so I could use my bluetooth folding keyboard with it. That's a dealbreaker for me.

But otherwise, it's all kinds of kickass.

9/24/2008 8:49:53 AM

Quote :

"the amazing part is that the iPhone isn't using a much faster processor (if at all)."

not true at all. the iphone is one of THE fastest ppc phones out there at somewhere near 600mhz, while most HTC devices are using the same xscale intel thats 195-265mhz.

Quote :

"Noone knows about Androids browser capabilities yet. And I'm not holding my breath after a) Heading that Android is a bit of a bear to develop for"

there have been numerous posts of videos of android's browser in use. android's browser is written around the same webtool kit as the iphone and can only be written for with java. I haven't dug too much into the code but it looks like it uses java and GWT(java to javascript transparent to the developer) to make things light enough to run quickly on the phone. it's also a completely open source project now, so expect SDK's and an ide plugin for eclipse.






http://code.google.com/android/

[Edited on September 24, 2008 at 9:42 AM. Reason : .]

9/24/2008 9:37:17 AM

i'm sure the iphone itself is great but that on screen keyboard is a turnoff for me - i've tried using it and been annoyed

and so is the service provider and their forced data plan rates

9/24/2008 9:40:49 AM

^it does take a day or two to get used to it. also the autocorrect works really well. i pretty much just type super fast random crap and it reads my mind and types what i mean.

9/24/2008 10:27:11 AM

yeah, i use non-english words in my sentences all the time though lol - half the time it's foreign languages and half the time it's just acronyms or names

9/24/2008 10:39:22 AM

the i phone uses a 600mhz processor under clocked... just like their computers use bad ass graphics cards... underclocked..

the sony xperia has a (not much) slower processor but its clocked higher
its also not out yet...

i'm probably getting an iphone in the near future

9/24/2008 10:47:46 AM

the iphone can run Quake. recognize!

9/24/2008 11:09:47 AM

^^ that doesn't make sense on so many levels.

9/24/2008 12:22:41 PM

what doesn't make sense about it...

its all true...

apple markets bad ass specs then throttles things down so they don't over heat in their poorly designed but pretty packaging.

9/24/2008 2:54:34 PM

oh i jut noticed the topic,

smarthphone's can only be as smarth as the person using them



but on a more serious note, i've heard skyfire is actually supposed to be a good browser too - http://www.skyfire.com/

they just announced their public beta today and launched v0.8 of their browser - might be worth trying

9/24/2008 3:14:33 PM

any thoughts/projections on the blackberry storm?

9/24/2008 3:21:26 PM

Treo 800w


I looked around a lot and it wasnt even close if you are using this for business applications.

9/24/2008 3:42:42 PM

yeah i've seen all those opera problems on the tilt and mogul but it works perfectly on the 800w for me

9/24/2008 3:48:49 PM

Quote :

"the i phone uses a 600mhz processor under clocked... just like their computers use bad ass graphics cards... underclocked... the sony xperia has a (not much) slower processor but its clocked higher its also not out yet..."

Quote :

"apple markets bad ass specs then throttles things down so they don't over heat in their poorly designed but pretty packaging."

This is completely not true. Apple does not market "bad ass specs". In terms of hardware they've always been on the low end. Yes they have a great interface and an amazing user experience but none of thier products really have "cutting edge" specs. The ipod line was not revolutionary in terms of specs. Creative had thier jukebox out way before the ipod came out. A "video type" mp3 player was out years before the ipod video (archos) with better specs, and smartphones have had better specs than the iphone for years (expandable, higher res. screens). The thing that makes the iphone great is it's interface, and OS.

Plus thier computers don't have "bad ass specs". You can't even buy an Apple Laptop or Desktop with the latest hardware in it, unlike Dell or any of the other major computer companies. Apple sells computers with hardware that is usually a generation or two old. I mean thier Mac Pros have ATI 2600's in them, and thier Mac Book Pros have 8600's in them. Those are both 2 generations behind in graphics. Obviously people aren't buying these computers for gaming so it's not a huge deal, but Apple does not offer "bad ass specs".

Quote :

"not true at all. the iphone is one of THE fastest ppc phones out there at somewhere near 600mhz, while most HTC devices are using the same xscale intel thats 195-265mhz. "

This isn't true either. Although the iphone does have one of the faster processors, most HTC smartphones, and smartphones in general have 400mhz cpus, not "195-265". The HTC 6700 and 6800 both have 416mhz cpus. My pantech duo also has a 416mhz processor.

According to wikipedia the iphones cpu has been downclocked to 412mhz. So when moron said the iPhone's cpu isn't much faster he was right. In fact the iPhone has a slower cpu than most smartphones.

^^^^yeah skyfire is the fastest mobile browser out there. It does all the rendering through a server so it's really fast. Only a little slower that my desktop, and much faster than the iphone. The betas been out for a few months.

[Edited on September 24, 2008 at 4:11 PM. Reason : ..]

9/24/2008 4:05:03 PM

well the few times i've compared them they've had better specs but under clocked...

my asus vs a mac book pro a year ago both had identical specs but the mac book's graphics card was underclocked for heat concerns... (8600gt)

and the iphone vs xperia the iphone wins on physical processor rating but the sony wins on actual clock speed.

i know honestly that only dorks like myself and the tech talk community would notice this but its frustrating.

[Edited on September 24, 2008 at 4:15 PM. Reason : .]

9/24/2008 4:11:27 PM

^you can't just take a random pc laptop and compare it to an Apple computer. I'm simply saying you can get PC laptops/desktops with much newer and faster specs than Apple offers. Laptops have had mobile 8800's in them for a while, and even sli options. You can get desktops with insane graphics cards and sli/cross fire configurations. I'm just saying Apple isn't about offering new hardware. They don't need to be. They have thier operating system and user experience to offer people.

The iphone is clocked at 412, and the X1 is clocked at 528mhz. What is frustrating about it?

[Edited on September 24, 2008 at 4:16 PM. Reason : ..]

9/24/2008 4:15:10 PM

yeah i messed up saying marketing i know... they do build a nice product but it loses spec wise to a lot of things..


there is no cute apple commercial with some indy song playing talking about specs on anything i'm aware of that.

9/24/2008 4:17:46 PM

^I just bought an ipod touch. I love it. Apple has great products for what they are. But that doesn't mean i'd try to play games or do any Cad work on a Mac. Sure i'd love to have better specs on an iphone/touch because my old pda has both a memory stick, and flash card reader, and both of those would be very useful for looking at photos on my touch, but what i sacrificed in specs, Apple made up for in usability. Plus people are making mad money off of the app. store.
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/09/app-store-is-a.html

9/24/2008 4:26:01 PM

Yeah I've already considered the iphone but I want an actual keyboard not a touch one.

9/24/2008 5:54:02 PM

i was part of the "i have to have a physical keyboard" crowd

i then got an iphone

i've had it for a little under a week now, and i can safely say i don't miss the physical keyboard on my treo. it takes some getting used to, but by day two, you should be able to type surprisingly well with two thumbs. it just gets better from there - the adaptive correction is amazing, it learns how you type and what you're most likely trying to type. even after this short period of time, it seems to read my mind...

the biggest hurdle is convincing yourself to trust the autocorrect... once you do that, you're golden.

9/24/2008 6:07:31 PM

iphone

/thread

9/24/2008 6:10:01 PM

I have an 8830 and a iphone

My view.

Iphone is much better for the consumer experience. If you want to browse the web, listen to music, send a few emails a day, and watch some videos go for it. Its awesome at what it does. I haven tat least figured out how to make the iphone buzz when i get an email.

Blackberry is much better for business emails. I can type alot faster on it even with the iphones autocorrect. Web browsing sucks balls on it though, media is functional but dont expect much more than that. If you need to send out 20-40 emails a day with more than "Lets do lunch K" and they are devoid of technical content then your okay for the iphone.

9/24/2008 8:36:28 PM

yah i wouldn't call myself a business user of my treo800w but i'm not a leisure smartphone user either - i need it to do things properly and to be able to text and type a lot to keep in touch throughout the day

9/24/2008 10:24:01 PM

my iPhone has replaced my work laptop.

While everyone else sits at meetings with their laptops tap-tap-tapping away answering emails, I have this little guy in my pocket that only buzzes when I get something I actually need to read, and I can respond without the tap-tap-tap annoyance to whoever is presenting/talking.

I type ~35wpm on it, which isn't fast, but it's just fine for the 4-5 emails I have to respond to a day while I'm away from my desk. The one thing that SUCKS (for me), is when someone calls me a the office, our exchange server pushes the voicemail into our email as a WMA file. Which of course I can't open on the iPhone, making it worthless until I get to a computer.

9/24/2008 11:09:07 PM

write a filter/program that transcodes the wma to mp3/wav on the fly?

9/24/2008 11:38:44 PM

Quote :

"elusive full Flash support. "

my htc mogul with the Skyfire browser does Flash just fine

9/25/2008 2:48:35 AM

iphone

9/25/2008 2:36:21 PM

Have any of you guys used WM WiFi Router?

Apparently, if you buy an HTC Tilt, AT&T puts this sw on your phone for free. You can use an unlimited data plan to turn your phone into a Wireless Hotspot and then tether your laptop, etc to it. Sales rep claims that he cancelled his roadrunner service because of it. I'm starting to consider the Tilt as well, at least holding out until the Touch Pro comes out, which the rep claims will be coming to AT&T before the end of the year.

[Edited on September 28, 2008 at 8:41 PM. Reason : ]

9/28/2008 8:40:34 PM

i never used it because wifi would drain my battery like crazy.

if i was going to have it plugged into the wall, i'd rather just plug it into the usb port and use internet connection sharing, which comes with it anyways and let's me do the same thing, just that it's wired to the PC instead of WiFi

9/28/2008 8:52:52 PM

^^ i use it - i'm still on .91 though - one of the last free versions before it went commercial

i was unaware that at&t was giving it away though - as long as you have unlimited data it's good for when multiple ppl need to get online but 9/10 i use pdanet to just tether via usb

9/28/2008 9:19:10 PM

yeah, no way in hell i'd want multiple people using my phone for internet access

as fast as it rev. a is, i don't think so...

9/28/2008 9:26:49 PM

^ the main time i use it is when i go to a client's site that either restricts their internet access, block websites or all but lock consultants out - it's a lifesaver when some coworkers and myself need to get online to do work/check email/etc

the only other time i've found it really useful is on road trips

i do recommend plugging it into the wall while running wmwifirouter - the drain on the battery is slightly more than the charge via usb - you can monitor the exact mA drain/charge with no2chem's power cpl replacement if you want though

9/28/2008 9:43:07 PM