Are pda/smartphones all that their cracked up to be?

I signed up with Sprint Sero and I've been thinking about getting the Mogul. It's supposed to be the truth with all these features but it's a big phone.

With the Sero plan, the internet, text and all that other stuff is free....

So should I get it? Or is it overkill for a regular Foot Soilder like me? Think I should just get the a920 and get it over with?

I'm not sure how much your plan costs, or what the Mogul is, but I myself have the Blackjack from Cingular and I pay $49.99 for my PDA plan. It doesn't include texts though which kinda sucks, so I have to pay an additional $10 on top of that for 1500 texts. But to answer your question, if you would plan on using mobile E-Mail and web browsing a lot, then yeah it is definately worth it. You can look up any webpage you want right from your phone, get scores, listen to music, etc...All depends on what you want from your phone though. The best thing about the Blackjack and other smartphones is the keyboard though. I text a shitload and I could not see myself pressing a bunch of numbers trying to send a text, it would take all day. So if you text or go on AIM with your phone a lot then I would also highly recommend a smart phone.

All depends on how much of a busy person you are.

Think about what you need. Do you need to browse internet on the go? Do you need to text on the go?

Heck yeah, I don't think I could ever go back to a regular phone. Bought my Cingular 8125 when they first came out about 18 months ago, and I'm loving it. My next one will either be another HTC model (probably the 8525 but hopefully a better one), an iPhone (but only if they've opened it up to 3rd party development by then), or something like an OpenMoko (if they can actually pull it off).

Yes they are. It's basically like having a baby computer in your hands.
I have a Treo 700wx and I'm obessed

I might try one out some time D

I'd be sold on a PDA if the plans didn't cost upwards of $50 or $60 per month! Seems a little steep for me. If I traveled 4-5 days per week, then yeah, maybe. But until then, I don't think I can warrant shelling out that money every month for casual use.

[quotea842837d7d="jeagle82"]I'd be sold on a PDA if the plans didn't cost upwards of $50 or $60 per month! Seems a little steep for me. If I traveled 4-5 days per week, then yeah, maybe. But until then, I don't think I can warrant shelling out that money every month for casual use.[/quotea842837d7d]
You don't have to have a data plan. I don't, I pay for a regular voice plan with my 8125. PDA phones are infinitely useful offline (just like ordinary PDA's), but when I do need to get online with it, I have two options WiFi (free from any free hotspot) or MediaNet with a small pay-as-you-go charge. PDA's aren't suited to just random surfing, when I'm online I'm usually looking for a movie listing, weather report, checking for an important e-mail, etc. So I almost never incur data charges to amount to anything. 99% of my online access is done through WiFi at no charge at all.

The iPhone is the only smartphone I know that requires a dataplan to activate it, but it's very reasonably priced at $59.95 for both voice and data, which happens to be the same I pay for my voice plan.

There's also the Sprint SERO plan as the OP mentioned (search SlickDeals). I have that plan with unlimited internet with my Moto Q. It's perfect. I can even sync the Outlook calendar on my phone with my Google Calendar! It's great!

[quoteb4d300ec57="dmorris68"]PDA phones are infinitely useful offline (just like ordinary PDA's), but when I do need to get online with it, I have two options WiFi (free from any free hotspot) or MediaNet with a small pay-as-you-go charge. PDA's aren't suited to just random surfing, when I'm online I'm usually looking for a movie listing, weather report, checking for an important e-mail, etc. So I almost never incur data charges to amount to anything. 99% of my online access is done through WiFi at no charge at all.[/quoteb4d300ec57]

Most APs are encrypted, so it's YMMV, isn't it?

[quote64ff99aaf1="jeagle82"]I'd be sold on a PDA if the plans didn't cost upwards of $50 or $60 per month! Seems a little steep for me. If I traveled 4-5 days per week, then yeah, maybe. But until then, I don't think I can warrant shelling out that money every month for casual use.[/quote64ff99aaf1]
What about $30 a month?

Sprint SERO costs that much

[quote483e2ab25b="Tholek"][quote483e2ab25b="dmorris68"]PDA phones are infinitely useful offline (just like ordinary PDA's), but when I do need to get online with it, I have two options WiFi (free from any free hotspot) or MediaNet with a small pay-as-you-go charge. PDA's aren't suited to just random surfing, when I'm online I'm usually looking for a movie listing, weather report, checking for an important e-mail, etc. So I almost never incur data charges to amount to anything. 99% of my online access is done through WiFi at no charge at all.[/quote483e2ab25b]

Most APs are encrypted, so it's YMMV, isn't it?[/quote483e2ab25b]
I wouldn't say most. Public hotspots are almost never encrypted, and they're popping up in everything from malls to McDonalds to Krystals around here, not to mention the usual bookstores, coffee shops, etc. My downtown area has blanket wifi provided by my ISP that is free for ISP customers, or pay-as-you-go for non-customers. Plus just about everywhere I go, there are numerous private but unsecured business and personal hotspots that I'm not ashamed to admit I've "borrowed" from time to time. It's not like I'm downloading torrents or kiddie porn (okay, well, maybe kitty porn, but it's for my cat. Honest.), just a quick hit to look up something usually. Like I said, PDA's aren't suitable for lengthy browsing sessions, regardless of the cost or lack thereof.



(the kitty porn thing was a weak attempt at humor -- I don't own a cat and never will. I'm a dog man myself, but the play on words didn't work quite as well. P)[/size483e2ab25b]

What's a Krystals?

[quote650162b010="tylerc"]What's a Krystals?[/quote650162b010]
LOL, kinda like a White Castle. 24hrs, mini-burgers, and the place where all the drunks and potheads are eating at 3am. lol

http//www.krystal.com

[quote0b4e25a7a7="dmorris68"][quote0b4e25a7a7="jeagle82"]I'd be sold on a PDA if the plans didn't cost upwards of $50 or $60 per month! Seems a little steep for me. If I traveled 4-5 days per week, then yeah, maybe. But until then, I don't think I can warrant shelling out that money every month for casual use.[/quote0b4e25a7a7]
You don't have to have a data plan. I don't, I pay for a regular voice plan with my 8125. PDA phones are infinitely useful offline (just like ordinary PDA's), but when I do need to get online with it, I have two options WiFi (free from any free hotspot) or MediaNet with a small pay-as-you-go charge. PDA's aren't suited to just random surfing, when I'm online I'm usually looking for a movie listing, weather report, checking for an important e-mail, etc. So I almost never incur data charges to amount to anything. 99% of my online access is done through WiFi at no charge at all.

Oh really? So most PDAs allow you to go online at any WiFi hotspot at no additional charge? Well, that's kinda cool.

How much do you usually spend doing pay as you go for checking e-mail and looking up movie times every so often? Wouldn't those charges add up?

The iPhone is the only smartphone I know that requires a dataplan to activate it, but it's very reasonably priced at $59.95 for both voice and data, which happens to be the same I pay for my voice plan.[/quote0b4e25a7a7]

[quote02b2f62ece="dmorris68"]I wouldn't say most. Public hotspots are almost never encrypted, and they're popping up in everything from malls to McDonalds to Krystals around here, not to mention the usual bookstores, coffee shops, etc. My downtown area has blanket wifi provided by my ISP that is free for ISP customers, or pay-as-you-go for non-customers. Plus just about everywhere I go, there are numerous private but unsecured business and personal hotspots that I'm not ashamed to admit I've "borrowed" from time to time. It's not like I'm downloading torrents or kiddie porn (okay, well, maybe kitty porn, but it's for my cat. Honest.), just a quick hit to look up something usually. Like I said, PDA's aren't suitable for lengthy browsing sessions, regardless of the cost or lack thereof.[/quote02b2f62ece]

Not everyone has free AP access from their ISP, though. Also, toting my laptop around the city I see more and more are encrypted in general. In fact, I think McDonald's uses Wayport, which requires logins to use. (I think you get one with a Value Meal or something like that if you ask for it) Likewise, Starbucks uses T-Mobile which charges. Those along with Verizon's APs (Free to their DSL customers) make up the lions share of APs where I live. College campuses are also encrypting these days. Sometimes you really have to travel a bit to get a free AP.

This was what I was discussing with h3X awhile back in regards to SIRIUS' wi-fi portable receiver. With so much encryption these days, it kills the usefulness of the device.

Coast to coast I guess it's YMMV, but the mileage around here isn't as good as it used to be. ;)

Well...Since this is a cell phone topic, and my brother owns a cell phone store, I'll input my thoughts.

I must say, PDA's are simply amazing. Back in December I got my first PDA, a treo 650. I loved it because of it's great OS and simple interface. However, the keyboard was a bit cramped. So in may I moved up to an 8525 ( Similar to Dmorris' phone but with faster processor and a few other minor upgrades).
Anyway, I feel that after moving up to a PDA rather than a regular phone, I am MUCH more organized, and I also save time typing things into the phone because of the keyboard....

For you, I would say get the SERO plan which is basically a cheap $30 plan for "Friends of sprint employees". It's very easily obtainable...Just check out the topic on slickdeals. It includes a great amount of minutes, and unlimited internet/text. Coughing up the money for the PDA itself is well worth it. Once you get the SERO plan you don't have to worry about that "expensive" monthly bill...

Hope I've helped. If you have more questions drop me a PM, or Aim me.

-Samad

[quotee3401e34d3="Tholek"]Not everyone has free AP access from their ISP, though. Also, toting my laptop around the city I see more and more are encrypted in general. In fact, I think McDonald's uses Wayport, which requires logins to use. (I think you get one with a Value Meal or something like that if you ask for it) Likewise, Starbucks uses T-Mobile which charges. Those along with Verizon's APs (Free to their DSL customers) make up the lions share of APs where I live. College campuses are also encrypting these days. Sometimes you really have to travel a bit to get a free AP.

This was what I was discussing with h3X awhile back in regards to SIRIUS' wi-fi portable receiver. With so much encryption these days, it kills the usefulness of the device.

Coast to coast I guess it's YMMV, but the mileage around here isn't as good as it used to be. ;)[/quotee3401e34d3]
WEP encrypted or secured (via login) hotspots are not a problem for modern WiFi enabled PDA's like mine. The 8125 does WEP 128 and EAP (but not yet WPA out of the box), and you can login to McDonald's or anybody else's secured service just like with a PC.

Some recent examples that come to mind[liste3401e34d3][lie3401e34d3]The largest mall around here offers 30 minutes of free WiFi per day, then you pay for it. When you connect you agree to a TOS and that's it, no login required. It tracks your usage by MAC address. That's plenty of time for quick hits like I do when I'm shopping there, and I've used my 8125 there several times.
[lie3401e34d3]When my first granddaughter was born, and later had surgery, at Erlanger Children's Hospital in Chattanooga, they offered free WiFi throughout the hospital. I used both my PDA and my laptop there on different occasions to get online.
[lie3401e34d3]Coolidge Park, also in Chattanooga, is a large public park we frequent that provides blanket free WiFi across the park.
[lie3401e34d3]My youngest daughter has regular doctors appointments that can last well over an hour with me sitting in the waiting room, so I often take my Ubuntu laptop, otherwise I use my 8125. There are at least three unsecured, high-bandwidth access points that I can reach from the waiting room. )
[lie3401e34d3]The restaurants around here like McD's and Krystal's offer free WiFi, which I wouldn't be using if I wasn't there eating in the first place anyway. So if I have to ask for a login it's no big deal.
[lie3401e34d3]I can "war drive" across town here with NetStumbler or WiFi Radar and find literally dozens and dozens of unsecured WAP's -- almost total coverage. I don't take advantage of that to do anything surreptitious, but I'll sometimes use it to check an e-mail or something.[/listue3401e34d3]
The point I'm making is that there are still plenty of WiFi opportunities in most places if you look around, that can make a PDA/smartphone useful online, without a dataplan. At least that's my experience within the 50 mile radius or so from home that I frequent regularly.

[quotee3401e34d3="jeagle82"]How much do you usually spend doing pay as you go for checking e-mail and looking up movie times every so often? Wouldn't those charges add up? [/quotee3401e34d3]
I think the pay as you go MediaNet charges me like $0.10 per 100K of transfer, plus airtime minutes. Airtime isn't an issue for me because I have far more minutes than I'll ever use -- currently over 7000 minutes in my rollover bank, not counting my 850 allowance per month -- and I don't live on the phone. I don't think I've ever paid more than $5-$6 in one month for MediaNet charges. Certainly less than $10.

Now MediaNet is not full-blown wide-open internet access, it's Cingular/AT&T's mobile WAP portal thing that reformats pages on the fly so some won't work. Still, it works in a pinch for my purposes, on the rare occasion when I can't find a hotspot.

Perhaps I have rotten luck. ?

I'm not saying I [i3c2965780f]can't[/i3c2965780f] find a totally free unencrypted hotspot, it's just that they are less common now. (At least near me) It used to be that anywhere I would boot up I'd have at least 2-3 unencrypted APs to use. Now it's hit and miss that there's any.

[quote3c2965780f="dmorris68"]WEP encrypted or secured (via login) hotspots are not a problem for modern WiFi enabled PDA's like mine. The 8125 does WEP 128 and EAP (but not yet WPA out of the box), and you can login to McDonald's or anybody else's secured service just like with a PC.[/quote3c2965780f]

I never meant to insinuate they weren't capable of logging in, just commenting on the availability of free hotspots.

Oh, and don't expect to browse the net when ordering from the dollar menu. (Tried that, very embarassing) D

[quotea70b2883e7="dmorris68"]Now MediaNet is not full-blown wide-open internet access, it's Cingular/AT&T's mobile WAP portal thing that reformats pages on the fly so some won't work. Still, it works in a pinch for my purposes, on the rare occasion when I can't find a hotspot.[/quotea70b2883e7]

Have you ever been to the website www.getjar.com? It's free applications for cellphones and PDAs that have a lot of cool stuff. One app that you can get for any PDA and even most cell phones is an Internet Browser called Opera Browser. It will actually allow you to go to ANY website possible on your cell phone or PDA, and will format it for you. You can see pictures, videos, click links, ads, whatever. You can even come on here and post a reply on a topic. Pretty cool stuff.

)

Oh, and i'm not spamming or anything, since it IS free. I'm not affiliated with this site at all. I just have been there before, downloaded some of their apps and games and thought it was a super cool site.

[quote5b07706510="jeagle82"]Oh, and i'm not spamming or anything, since it IS free. I'm not affiliated with this site at all. I just have been there before, downloaded some of their apps and games and thought it was a super cool site.[/quote5b07706510]
Not at all +karma

Do you have any personal experience with the opera browser/ how is it?

Yes... I actually have the Opera Browser installed on my Samsung slider phone right now. Don't use it THAT much, cuz I don't want to get charged a ton of money by Cingular... plus, I'm in front of a computer pretty much every day! )

But, the Opera Browser is incredible. I've tried pretty much every type of site out there and it works flawlessly. I even used to watch YouTube videos when I was bored in meetings and stuff.. Really awesome!

Thanks for the Karma!

Opera is fine, it's been out forever and it's usually much better than Pocket IE. You can get it for your desktop too, Sweeney, although I prefer Firefox.

[quotece61ac7b63="dmorris68"]Opera is fine, it's been out forever and it's usually much better than Pocket IE. You can get it for your desktop too, Sweeney, although I prefer Firefox.[/quotece61ac7b63]
Which browser do you use on your phone?
I tried using MiniMO but I didn't like the interface =\

[quotef63cec7438="samz465"][quotef63cec7438="dmorris68"]Opera is fine, it's been out forever and it's usually much better than Pocket IE. You can get it for your desktop too, Sweeney, although I prefer Firefox.[/quotef63cec7438]
Which browser do you use on your phone?
I tried using MiniMO but I didn't like the interface =\[/quotef63cec7438]
I've used Opera Mini and Mobile, but currently only have PocketIE on the 8125 -- I haven't reinstalled all my apps since the last factory reset I did.

BTW I misspoke earlier about MediaNet. If you go through the MediaNet portal, you are limited in what you can do. However if you use the MediaNet dial-up connection, using Edge, then you can get to most anything, just like a regular ISP connection. It still costs though, as I mentioned, but for brief ventures onto the net when you're between hotspots, it's still a helluva lot cheaper than a data plan. It does proxy the MediaNet connection though, so I wouldn't try any freebie site activity. ;)

[quote00ea3c6db5="dmorris68"]Opera is fine, it's been out forever and it's usually much better than Pocket IE. You can get it for your desktop too, Sweeney, although I prefer Firefox.[/quote00ea3c6db5]
Yeah I have firefox on the desktop, please I'm not that far behind wink

But for a palm phone/pocket pc which is better mini or mobile?

[quote25784c2d0d="Sweeney2066"][quote25784c2d0d="dmorris68"]Opera is fine, it's been out forever and it's usually much better than Pocket IE. You can get it for your desktop too, Sweeney, although I prefer Firefox.[/quote25784c2d0d]
Yeah I have firefox on the desktop, please I'm not that far behind wink

But for a palm phone/pocket pc which is better mini or mobile?[/quote25784c2d0d]
Mobile is far better if your device has the resources to run it. Mini is too limited, and is intended for very small footprint devices like regular cellphones.

Okay so the Mogul came today and it's pretty damn sweet.

http//www.phonescoop.com/articles/htc_6800/

It's very small for a pocketpc and I like it alot, I have the SERO plan but the Mogul uses Power Vision. Also, it can do alot but I doubt this thing will live if it gets dropped, the Customer Service rep advised me to spend the extra 7 bucks on the replacement plan. I might have to consider that option. I have big hands and at times, I drop things, these high tech gadgets are thru if dropped, they look real fragile.

About the phone, I like it alot, I won't put all that stuff on it, might throw on some music but won't change browser and all that other stuff.

Yeah, HTC makes some great PDA phones. The Mogul is basically Sprint's version of the 8525. And speaking of durability, that's one ding I dislike about the 8525 over the older 8125 I have -- the 8525 has a cheesier, flimsier-feeling construction compared to the 8125, which seems to correspond with your observations on the Mogul. The 8125 is built like a tank by comparison, I think.

With overclocking to 260Mhz, my 8125 runs everything pretty well still, so I'm no hurry to upgrade. When I do, hopefully the next-gen HTC model will be out, or (I'm dreaming here) iPhone 2G with SDK/3rd party app support.

[quote770c4aac13="topbillin1"]Okay so the Mogul came today and it's pretty damn sweet.

http//www.phonescoop.com/articles/htc_6800/

It's very small for a pocketpc and I like it alot, I have the SERO plan but the Mogul uses Power Vision. Also, it can do alot but I doubt this thing will live if it gets dropped, the Customer Service rep advised me to spend the extra 7 bucks on the replacement plan. I might have to consider that option. I have big hands and at times, I drop things, these high tech gadgets are thru if dropped, they look real fragile.

About the phone, I like it alot, I won't put all that stuff on it, might throw on some music but won't change browser and all that other stuff.[/quote770c4aac13]

Power Vision is included in the SERO monthly price wink
also I would add the 7 dollar replacement plan - its worth it

[quote5b149a7d0a="dmorris68"]Yeah, HTC makes some great PDA phones. The Mogul is basically Sprint's version of the 8525. And speaking of durability, that's one ding I dislike about the 8525 over the older 8125 I have -- the 8525 has a cheesier, flimsier-feeling construction compared to the 8125, which seems to correspond with your observations on the Mogul. The 8125 is built like a tank by comparison, I think.

With overclocking to 260Mhz, my 8125 runs everything pretty well still, so I'm no hurry to upgrade. When I do, hopefully the next-gen HTC model will be out, or (I'm dreaming here) iPhone 2G with SDK/3rd party app support.[/quote5b149a7d0a]

Obviously somone is jelous of the 8525 =P .

Jk of course.

Is it touchscreen?

Looks hot =]

[quotec83b71a8a6="Sweeney2066"]Is it touchscreen?

Looks hot =][/quotec83b71a8a6]
If you're talking about his Mogul, yes. All Windows Mobile full version (but not Smartphone edition) devices are touchscreens.

[quote4168fb448e="samz465"][quote4168fb448e="dmorris68"]Yeah, HTC makes some great PDA phones. The Mogul is basically Sprint's version of the 8525. And speaking of durability, that's one ding I dislike about the 8525 over the older 8125 I have -- the 8525 has a cheesier, flimsier-feeling construction compared to the 8125, which seems to correspond with your observations on the Mogul. The 8125 is built like a tank by comparison, I think.

With overclocking to 260Mhz, my 8125 runs everything pretty well still, so I'm no hurry to upgrade. When I do, hopefully the next-gen HTC model will be out, or (I'm dreaming here) iPhone 2G with SDK/3rd party app support.[/quote4168fb448e]

Obviously somone is jelous of the 8525 =P .

Jk of course.[/quote4168fb448e]
I'm a tiny bit jealous of the 400Mhz CPU, but that's about it. ;)

I haven't liked the feel and construction of the 8525 since day one though, and it's a common complaint I found from former 8125 owners when I was researching reviews. I'm just hoping that they don't continue the "cheese" trend with the next generation, because I love HTC PDA phones.

Damn phone is hard to use, phone was off and it was on... this will take time.

[quotea183b35c83="topbillin1"]Damn phone is hard to use, phone was off and it was on... this will take time.[/quotea183b35c83]
Ah so you got it?

That's because the screen itself is off to preserve battery, however the phone is on.