PDA Phones
GPRS vs. CDMA Wireless and Pocket PC vs. Palm OS
PDA PhonesGPRS vs. CDMA Wireless and Pocket PC vs. Palm OS |
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Some of the coolest gadgets bring a phone and a PDA in one package. The first generation of these was a bit bulky but now they're slimming down quite a bit and keeping with the trend. There are some for the Palm PDA and compete nicely with the Bluetooth options for Pocket PCs.
The concept isn't new. If you carry a mobile phone and an organizer, you've probably wished someone would find a way to combine them both into one small device. Now imagine if you also had to carry around a pager or an email device. Do this for a while and you'll understand the benefit of putting all three into one package.
But successfully combining these devices involves much more than simply fitting them all into a single unit. Sure, you might get a good phone, but probably at the expense of a decent organizer. That's because the individual needs of these devices are in constant conflict with each other. A good mobile phone needs to be small, but organizers and web browsers need to have reasonably-sized screens to get the job done. And a numeric keypad is great for dialing numbers, but challenging for text entry.
The battle for wireless standards keeps moving strong and Pocket PC and Palm OS platforms providing options for both with the Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T cellular clients. Overseas clients are usually GSM . GPRS, but there are some CDMA clients in Korea and Japan. Europe is exclusively GSM / GPRS.
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Year-end is awards time and this year, Treo communicators came away with all kinds of accolades including PC Magazine's award for technical excellence at the 2002 Fall Comdex exhibition, winning over competitors including the Apple iPod and the T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition. Handspring Treo operates on GSM
and Palm OS... The Handspring Treo offers global GSM / GPRS cellular
network access along with the Palm OS and Blazer browser software built
in, making it a favorite among international business travelers. This
design combines Blackberry and Palm features with a cell phone. Handspring Treo for CDMA2000 on Sprint Nationwide Network Now available for CDMA, this Treo is the best way to take advantage of the nationwide CDMA2000 / 1xRTT data network for Sprint, and launched August 2002. CDMA is known as the fastest growing standard, and both Verizon Wireless and Sprint have CDMA networks. The Treo 300 communicator was named "best PDA Phone" by Cnet and "best technology" in ZDNet's holiday gift guide, and was included in USA Today's "Tech's Best" roundup, Fortune Magazine's "Best of 2002", CNN's "Hot Gifts" and "The Tops in Tech" by Newsday. And most recently, Computer Reseller News named the Treo communicator Best Overall Product of 2002.
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Pocket PC Phone Edition launches with this GSM / GPRS capable handset. The voice-enabled PDA, or smartphone , features Microsoft software applications and is designed to run on T-Mobile's GSM/GPRS (global system for mobile communications/general packet radio service) nationwide voice and data communications network. The converged device enables wireless Internet connections as well as access to corporate networks, e-mail and personal information management from more than 8,000 cities across North America. Microsoft's push into the converged device, or smartphone, market is "They want to be the brains behind all mobile devices, not just for phones or for PDAs, so they are covering the gamut," Burden said. Standard Features Built-in Paging - Caller ID - Conference Calling - Call Waiting and Call Hold - Emergency Calls - Access to Directory Assistance - Pocket Outlook – Sync with Microsoft Outlook using included ActiveSync software Pocket Internet Explorer for full color HTML or WAP browsing High-speed GPRS wireless Internet access - Pocket Word and Excel, similar to the popular desktop application you know so well - Links to your Address Book (Contacts) & your Phone Book (SIM) - Windows Media™ Player for the Pocket PC for listening to MP3 files - Speakerphone, Microphone and Voice Recorder - Fully Integrated Phone with Call Waiting, Caller ID, Call Forwarding, & Conference Calling - SMS (Short Message Service) - |
Got a great PDA Phone and wondering what you can do with it? Try some cool gaming...
Go Nuts - The Go Game Phenomenon - new rage on the West Coast for corporate teambuilding.
Multiplayer - the Only Mobile Game - more details about mobile multiplayer gaming.
Check out FreewarePalm.com where you'll find all kinds of great games, productivity applications and more—and it won't cost you a dime. (Be forewarned, you'll have to dodge a pop-up ad or two!)
Is your phone Bluetooth-enabled?
Bluetooth - More about the standard, and what it stands for.
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