PDA phones...

BoomAM

BoomAM

BoomAM

Soldato
Joined
5 Jul 2003
Posts
16,206
Location
Atlanta, USA
Hi.
Im looking for the following:
A sim-free(unlocked/unbranded) PDA phone with the following specs/points:

-Windows Mobile.
-Wifi.
-Bluetooth.
-Memory Card slot.
-2MP or above camera.
-GPS.
-320x240 or above screen.
-Small(ish).
-Good battery life.
-Either easy to txt on through the touchscreen or a slide out keyboard.

And if possible, if its not against the rules, recomendations on places to buy from that either do 'Purchase Orders' (preferably) or Bank Transfers.

Im getting a PDA from work for free, thought i might as well kill two birds with one stone and get a PDA phone instead. :) :p

The Orange M700 with its 'hidden' GPS looks like it fits the bill nicely, if it wasnt for the lack of keyboard. :(

Thanks in advance all. :)
 
I'll be the first to suggest the O2 XDA Orbit. Got mine this morning and I'm very happy with it, I chose this over the n95. Only thing it lacks is a keyboard from what I can see on your list of requirements but I would still get it. It looks very nice, and is a lot better then the xda mini s which was my previous phone :)
 
Chrisp7 said:
Out of interest why not Symbian?;)
Click to expand...
Because the N95 has rubbish battery life for the amount of usage i'd get it (just before you suggest it ;)).
Plus, theres not many, if any, Symbian devices that'll do what i want (ie; pda phone).
 
e36Adz said:
I'll be the first to suggest the O2 XDA Orbit. Got mine this morning and I'm very happy with it, I chose this over the n95. Only thing it lacks is a keyboard from what I can see on your list of requirements but I would still get it. It looks very nice, and is a lot better then the xda mini s which was my previous phone :)
Click to expand...
Can you buy them sim-free/unbranded?
 
I got mine from o2 and there was very little branding + its sim free. They just put their colour screen/start up pic on the phone. It's bound to be availiable sim free too but it'll be very expensive! It's goes by a different name with other companies though, think its a HTC 3300...
 
Well to be honest your list is prity much what everyone wants from a phone but no phones covers all those things. The closest thing on the market would be the HTC Tytn/Orange M3100/Tmobile Vairo II/vodaphone V1640. But it misses GPS but can use a bluetooth one.

One thing to add though, Good battery life and PDA phones do not belong in the same sentence. Expect to charge every day if your a heavy user of WIFI, Buetooth, Camera, long phone calls etc. Especially WIFI, it drinks the juice. The battery lasts 3-4 days on my Tytn but i would concider myself to be a very light user. On the odd day of heavy useage it needs charging over night or i risk it dieing the next day.


Edit: The number for the Vodaphone version may be wrong.
 
Whats txting on a touch screen like?
Because im wondering if i can get the M700 sim-free?

##EDIT##
The XDA Orbit looks perfect, but like the M700, its not got a keyboard. :(.
 
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Decided to ignore the lack of keyboard. A normal PDA wouldnt have one.
Which one out of the HTC P3300 or the P3600 would be most recomended?
From what i can gather, the P3600 is just the XDA Orbit/OrangeM700 unbranded, with GPS SifstarIII on Com9.
 
If you text a lot I think you will really miss physical buttons, did you consider the SPV C650, it seems to match all your needs apart from GPS. Personally I think GPS is a bit of a gimmick and mapping software is all you need.

Everything is a play off, if you want a smaller phone capable phone then the battery life will suffer, if you want a pda the battery life will be better but it will be bulky. It just depends what you will use it for.
 
Im thinking of 'forgetting' the txting function tbh.

I have a normal phone for my txting, and the PDA phone would literally be recieving calls only.

I like the P3600 because its pretty nippy, and smaller, than the P3300, but the 'roll ball' control on the P3300 looks interesting for controling the device.
Any suggestions? (iirc, the P3300 is basically an XDA Orbit and the P3600 a M700).

:).
 
if lack of keyboard is holding you back, get a copy of tengo for free from www.free.tengo.net. it is a great program and alsmost as quick as a keyboard.

If you like it, there is a version you can pay for, that allows for finger typing due to a second, much larger keyboard option
 
Im ignoring the keyboard.
The P3300 or P3600 look ideal for my uses.

Does anyone have any opinions on them?
Im swaying towards the P3600 because its smaller and cooler looking atm. :p
 
As far as I'm aware the P3300 and P3600 are pretty identical.

The P3300 has an integrated GPS module while the P3600 does not. The P3300 also does not have 3G, so no fast internet and no front facing camera to make video calls.
 
GuruJockStrap said:
As far as I'm aware the P3300 and P3600 are pretty identical.

The P3300 has an integrated GPS module while the P3600 does not. The P3300 also does not have 3G, so no fast internet and no front facing camera to make video calls.
Click to expand...
The P3600 is 200Mhz faster, and does have a GPS module, its just not advertised.

##EDIT##
HTC Software update for it:
http://www.europe.htc.com/support/software/htcp3600.html
 
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I'd get the P3600 then.

Faster processor (OS will feel smoother and Tom Tom routes calculated quicker), GPS, 3G connectivity (sat map download on demand with MS Live Search for example will be far quicker) plus all the other gubbins and features found in the P3300.

Its a no brainer for me!
 
GuruJockStrap said:
Its a no brainer for me!
Click to expand...
Thats what i was thinking.
Its just odd that the GPS isnt advertised yet? :confused:
And theres only £20 difference between the 3300 and the 3600.

What MapSoftware would i need to have it so the maps are stored on a memory card?
Does the GoogleMaps thing do that, or does it need a data connection?
 
Googlemaps cant be stored locally - I have looked about for this in the past, you can only access this via the internet.
 
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