Barry's article is dissapointing at best. If he is given the benefit of the doubt then he is just a misinformed and lazy writer who spent 2 min thinking up an idea for a story and then just writing it. At worst he is pourposly misleading the readers of THG for his own reasons. In either case isnt there editors who have to look at this crap and approve it? Its a sad, sad day when I cant trust THG.
I have a Morotola V710. It has alot of utilities but they are very lacking in functionality. PDA's offer alot more options in terms of usability and visibility. The V710 lacks a notepad for making a shopping list or a parts list. The contact lists is also very lacking with no space for addresses or even an email address.
As for your comment about only having one testicle? You may have both nuts but are lacking the grey matter needed to operate a more complex device such as a PDA. You may also be lacking in other departments as well and I should go into detail because of your lack of grey matter...but this isn't the time or the place for that. You'll have to pull back your waistband and figure that one out for yourself.
Cheers BAkku
my joke is quite offending (didnt realize it when i was typing my reply), i apologize for that. my point is if i want a cellphone, i only need a cellphone. i think it's quite true that someone mentioned it in this thread, PDAs are having this "weird feature" allowing you to use it as a cellphone. all i want for a cellphone are portability, long battery life, and good call quality. for example, when i step out for lunch, i can leave my PDA in the office and just bring my cellphone with me. it seems pretty stupid to me that if i'll have to carry a brick with me all the time, that just makes no sense. of course everyone has different opinions on this, i am just telling my point of view.
btw, the one testicle man is just a joke, if i offended you (kinda implies maybe you only has one testicle? joking joking), i apologize for that.
cheers.
othercents
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- Apr 11, 2006
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Ok someone really didn't do their homework when making this review.
Regular Phones (w/ crap like camera and bluetooth):
Moto Razr V3
Moto V557
Smart Phones:
Cingular 2125
PDA Phones:
Blackberry
HP iPAQ hw6510
If you are looking for a phone then your regular phone is great. You can even take pictures if you want or get the free phone and put-up with so so reception. Smart Phones are actually phones with decent PDA fuctionality, but without the large keyboard or oversized screen. I think some of the Blackberry phones can be considered Smart Phones. PDA phones are just large PDAs with phone capabilities. Some of these phones don't get the same reception as a Regular phone, but you get way more PDA type fuctionality.
If you are looking for PDA functionality then take a look at the PDA phones and the Smart Phones. Some of the people I know only want to view their calendar and tasks on their phone, but not make changes. A Smart Phone is perfect for that, but if you are a remote user where you want to send recieve emails and make calendar entries then you will need a PDA phone and my recommendation is a Blackberry.
Other
Regular Phones (w/ crap like camera and bluetooth):
Moto Razr V3
Moto V557
Smart Phones:
Cingular 2125
PDA Phones:
Blackberry
HP iPAQ hw6510
If you are looking for a phone then your regular phone is great. You can even take pictures if you want or get the free phone and put-up with so so reception. Smart Phones are actually phones with decent PDA fuctionality, but without the large keyboard or oversized screen. I think some of the Blackberry phones can be considered Smart Phones. PDA phones are just large PDAs with phone capabilities. Some of these phones don't get the same reception as a Regular phone, but you get way more PDA type fuctionality.
If you are looking for PDA functionality then take a look at the PDA phones and the Smart Phones. Some of the people I know only want to view their calendar and tasks on their phone, but not make changes. A Smart Phone is perfect for that, but if you are a remote user where you want to send recieve emails and make calendar entries then you will need a PDA phone and my recommendation is a Blackberry.
Other
These "Who designed this crap" articles are absolutely horrible. They're totally uninformative rants that don't even try to show both sides of the issue. I can't believe this is on the front page of Tom's Hardware. Not only is the content horrible, but the grammar is on a 5th grade level. This guy should NOT be writing for Tom's.
OK... sure, grab two high-priced and 'feature-rich', but otherwise normal cell phones, call them smart phones, and start trashing them for not being comparable to PDAs? Seriously, I would say that it is just this article, but this kind of stuff is starting to be common with THG. For example, this article was hilarious:
http
/www.tomshardware.com/2006/04/17/thecus_brings_sata_to_external_storage/
Throughout the entire article they were mentioning how "Thecus could come out with one with network functionality". Um... hello? They already did! And no, it wasn't even implemented the way you said it would be. Did you even check Thecus's site before posting? No... apparently not.
Likewise, the author of this article didn't even seem to know what a real smart phone is. For that matter, the previous poster didn't really know either, and said this:
"Smart Phones are actually phones with decent PDA fuctionality, but without the large keyboard or oversized screen."
No, also not true. The ones with smaller screnes and standard phone keyboards are just crippled smart phones. Sure the Cingular 2125 is a decent phone and all, but I wouldn't compare it to a SOLID smart phone, that actually has a good screen and keyboard, but is not strictly a PDA phone.
If you want a good smart phone... well, a couple people here have already mentioned the Motorola MPx220. That's great. Personally, however, I prefer the T-Mobile MDA, I-Mate K-Jam, etc etc. It is a phone that is sold by several different vendors, but here is a URL for it:
http/www.clubimate.com/t-DETAILS_KJAM.aspx
Likewise, the Nokia's 9xxx series is great too. The trick is making a good phone and HIDING the keyboard, while still providing a large screen, and a lot of great smart phones do that, while also providing things like memory slots and all.
Please THG, start doing basic research, like checking manufacturer sites, before writing these articles? Had the author checked out Motorola's site, they would have seen what a real smart phone was. Had the author of that other article gone to Thecus's site, they would have seen what their networked 2HD device was. This is just embarrassing.
http
/www.tomshardware.com/2006/04/17/thecus_brings_sata_to_external_storage/Throughout the entire article they were mentioning how "Thecus could come out with one with network functionality". Um... hello? They already did! And no, it wasn't even implemented the way you said it would be. Did you even check Thecus's site before posting? No... apparently not.
Likewise, the author of this article didn't even seem to know what a real smart phone is. For that matter, the previous poster didn't really know either, and said this:
"Smart Phones are actually phones with decent PDA fuctionality, but without the large keyboard or oversized screen."
No, also not true. The ones with smaller screnes and standard phone keyboards are just crippled smart phones. Sure the Cingular 2125 is a decent phone and all, but I wouldn't compare it to a SOLID smart phone, that actually has a good screen and keyboard, but is not strictly a PDA phone.
If you want a good smart phone... well, a couple people here have already mentioned the Motorola MPx220. That's great. Personally, however, I prefer the T-Mobile MDA, I-Mate K-Jam, etc etc. It is a phone that is sold by several different vendors, but here is a URL for it:
http
/www.clubimate.com/t-DETAILS_KJAM.aspxLikewise, the Nokia's 9xxx series is great too. The trick is making a good phone and HIDING the keyboard, while still providing a large screen, and a lot of great smart phones do that, while also providing things like memory slots and all.
Please THG, start doing basic research, like checking manufacturer sites, before writing these articles? Had the author checked out Motorola's site, they would have seen what a real smart phone was. Had the author of that other article gone to Thecus's site, they would have seen what their networked 2HD device was. This is just embarrassing.
Mobius
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- Jul 8, 2002
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Hmmmm. Those ugly things you reviewed ARE indeed crap. What sort of excuse for a keyboard do you call those things? BLEECH.
No - the device I want is the Palm LifeDrive with built in Phone. That's the only thing it lacks, and I can't for the life of me, figure out why the LifeDrive unit doesn't include a phone - it's just amzingly, pathetically dumb.
Those lame-ass "thumb boards" are designed to give you RSI and frustrate the crap out of you.
Palm Graffiti II is excellent, and works well, but you need a half-VGA screen (like the Lifedrive) to make surfing the web acceptable.
So, once the lifedrive gets a phone attached, and a virtual (projected) keyboard, and a battery that'll operate for 12 hours, then the day of smart phones will finally be here.
Until then, what you'll be looking at is a heap of shit with a crap keyboard, a crap screen, fusk-all storage, piss-all memory, ah heck-all applications, fucked connectivity and the thing they'll do best is burns through money, while annoying and frustrating their owners.
No - the device I want is the Palm LifeDrive with built in Phone. That's the only thing it lacks, and I can't for the life of me, figure out why the LifeDrive unit doesn't include a phone - it's just amzingly, pathetically dumb.
Those lame-ass "thumb boards" are designed to give you RSI and frustrate the crap out of you.
Palm Graffiti II is excellent, and works well, but you need a half-VGA screen (like the Lifedrive) to make surfing the web acceptable.
So, once the lifedrive gets a phone attached, and a virtual (projected) keyboard, and a battery that'll operate for 12 hours, then the day of smart phones will finally be here.
Until then, what you'll be looking at is a heap of shit with a crap keyboard, a crap screen, fusk-all storage, piss-all memory, ah heck-all applications, fucked connectivity and the thing they'll do best is burns through money, while annoying and frustrating their owners.
The solution to the dillemma is to just get a Bluetooth compatable PDA and a little bluetooth phone as a transmitter "brick" that you keep in your pocket. Works with any computer or PDA - and some, like the LifeDrive or an IPaq, are stunning for viewing web images. I like the Blackberrys, but my Zire 72 has a screen that the Blackberry would sell its ram to Bil Gates for. The Life Drive is even better - just shockingly clear and the web browser Palm ships is nice(though there are others - you can even get a stripped-down version of FireFox if you want.
But all of that aside - the reviewer really REALLY needs to check out some of the better Nokia phones. Their interface is far superior to Motorolla's crud.
Also, T-Mobile is the *only* provider anymore than actually gives you a real internet connection for cheap. So you can say, go to a site like this and do what I'm doing right now. The others have two tiers - business access(usually $70-$100 a month) or their "free" internet - which is basically cripple-ware and their own sub-net of common reformatted sites.
T-Mobile does Edge(256K down, 56K up) and is only $20 a month more. It has no features - it's just a blank port to the net, which is perfect for those of us with PDAs and laptops.
A $150(used, mint condition) Zire 72s with a free edge-compatable bluetooth phone(hardly any bigger than a box of Tic-Tacs) from T-Mobile is a superb deal. One sits in my pocket, forgotten. The other I carry around and use exactly like a Blackberry.
But all of that aside - the reviewer really REALLY needs to check out some of the better Nokia phones. Their interface is far superior to Motorolla's crud.
Also, T-Mobile is the *only* provider anymore than actually gives you a real internet connection for cheap. So you can say, go to a site like this and do what I'm doing right now. The others have two tiers - business access(usually $70-$100 a month) or their "free" internet - which is basically cripple-ware and their own sub-net of common reformatted sites.
T-Mobile does Edge(256K down, 56K up) and is only $20 a month more. It has no features - it's just a blank port to the net, which is perfect for those of us with PDAs and laptops.
A $150(used, mint condition) Zire 72s with a free edge-compatable bluetooth phone(hardly any bigger than a box of Tic-Tacs) from T-Mobile is a superb deal. One sits in my pocket, forgotten. The other I carry around and use exactly like a Blackberry.
This article pushed me to register on this forum just to post this message and to unsubscribe from everything TH.
What the hell is this article about? YOU ARE COMPARING A PIECE OF CRAP MOTO TO A FREAKING BLACKBERRY!!! Saying its like comparing apples to oranges doesnt quite cut it.
A razr, a smartphone, that almost made me laugh. A V557!!! How old is that sh**?? Maybe you can compare a nokia series 60 phone to a blackberry. Maybe you can compare a windows mobile SMARTPHONE (like the HTC 2125) to a blackberry. But you are better off comparing devices that fight for the same market. How about comparing a windows mobile 5 pda phone like HTC 8125 to a blackberry. THAT would make sense because both phones serve a similar market.
Now compairng the slim, "hip" RAZR to a rock solid bussiness centric device... WTF!! This article is garbage...
What the hell is this article about? YOU ARE COMPARING A PIECE OF CRAP MOTO TO A FREAKING BLACKBERRY!!! Saying its like comparing apples to oranges doesnt quite cut it.
A razr, a smartphone, that almost made me laugh. A V557!!! How old is that sh**?? Maybe you can compare a nokia series 60 phone to a blackberry. Maybe you can compare a windows mobile SMARTPHONE (like the HTC 2125) to a blackberry. But you are better off comparing devices that fight for the same market. How about comparing a windows mobile 5 pda phone like HTC 8125 to a blackberry. THAT would make sense because both phones serve a similar market.
Now compairng the slim, "hip" RAZR to a rock solid bussiness centric device... WTF!! This article is garbage...
Dose it really suprise anyone that Barry hasnt popped in even once to defend this piece of excrement article he wrote? I would though like to see someone from THG let us know when this biased pig is gonna get fired. We all know you cant be so stupid as to write this articel this skwed and biased on accident. I have trusted THG for many many years. To continue to have this trust though THG cant allow articles like this to be ewven a link to a small article near thier domain much less be put on the front page. Get rid of Barry. Please.
That's the thing though, it isn't just Barry and it isn't right to lay all the blame at his feet. THG has had a general decline for some time. The article that I had mentioned previously had two different authors, and other articles have had other authors. THG is starting to focus on just pushing a lot out the doors, and not on pushing out quality content. So don't just blame the author, all of THG is doing it.
That's the thing though, it isn't just Barry and it isn't right to lay all the blame at his feet. THG has had a general decline for some time. The article that I had mentioned previously had two different authors, and other articles have had other authors. THG is starting to focus on just pushing a lot out the doors, and not on pushing out quality content. So don't just blame the author, all of THG is doing it.
I guess then I have been blinded by my many years of trust for this site. Sad. So now that I no longer have THG as a site to trust anymore (Been my home page for the last 6 years) Got a suggestion on a new place that I can trust for reviews and the like?
No one has mentioned one crucial advantage to the phones - you look like a tool talking on your PDA's
I don't really think Tom's expects anyone to base decisions off this guys articles - they're obviously just opinionated and often quite humorous rants and should be taken as entertainment. I enjoy them even if I don't agree with them (as in this case...lol @ smartphone choices!) Have a sense of humour people, as if its worth getting in a lather over this!
Cheers for making me laugh though.
I don't really think Tom's expects anyone to base decisions off this guys articles - they're obviously just opinionated and often quite humorous rants and should be taken as entertainment. I enjoy them even if I don't agree with them (as in this case...lol @ smartphone choices!) Have a sense of humour people, as if its worth getting in a lather over this!
Cheers for making me laugh though.
ches111
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- Feb 4, 2006
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Problem is Fred,
People often come to THG not for the humor. They are not known for humor nor should they be, given this article.
The "crap" rants have been ill conceived and ill written. The one about the social workers, spent pages to say the size of the notebooks was wrong and the social workers have to print two pages instead of one which causes them more work (I hope i summed that up well). Boy that is a whole lot to be upset about and man the tech that was mentioned in that article was cool "oh wait" there really was no tech in that article? Is this a tech website?
As said many times before me on this thread, they are not smartphones.
May as well compare a brick and a bat.
Had this article actually contained even two minutes research you would have probably picked one maybe two vendors and compared their offerings. One cool thing! If you go to most vendors sites and search for phones they have a category that states "these are smartphones and PDA phones".
For instance in the GSM world you have mainly two vendors (US) to choose from Cingluar (formerly Cingular and AT&T) and TMobile. Cingular has/had a few Smart phone offerings, the SMT-5600 from Audiovox, the MPX series from Motorola (not the razr), and their own 2125 (I think this is basically an Imate). And in their PDA department they have an even larger assortment. You may choose from the HP6515 (GPS enabled and w/wo camera), the 8125, the treo 650 (with a little research also could figure on the 700w releasing soon), and even a Nokia. TMobile has basically two offerings in these categories mainly the SDA and MDA.
In the CDMA world (EVDO enabled) you find probably one of the best converged devices I have seen yet the 6700 series which is carried by both Sprint and Verizon. It is a PPC PDA phone running the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS (persistant data even on battery failure). It has a slide out qwerty keyboard (quite useable) and it also suports WIFI, BT, RTT (basically your home modem on steriods), and EVDO connectivity. It can be used as a wired/wireless tether to your laptop to give you anywhere broadband speeds (EVDO available) on your laptop or using the same option with RTT you get a respectable 128k. I like this device because I own it.
These are real smart phones with their multi-use capabilities. They can be used for MP3 playback, Video Playback, contacts, apointments, data tanks, cameras, portabile ebook reader, electronic bible, calculator (all varieties), ...... and so much more this is really the top of the iceberg.
THG... do some research... and if you want to be funny you might want to tell us that it was meant to be humor, because so far it may be a little difficult to tell.
People often come to THG not for the humor. They are not known for humor nor should they be, given this article.
The "crap" rants have been ill conceived and ill written. The one about the social workers, spent pages to say the size of the notebooks was wrong and the social workers have to print two pages instead of one which causes them more work (I hope i summed that up well). Boy that is a whole lot to be upset about and man the tech that was mentioned in that article was cool "oh wait" there really was no tech in that article? Is this a tech website?
As said many times before me on this thread, they are not smartphones.
May as well compare a brick and a bat.
Had this article actually contained even two minutes research you would have probably picked one maybe two vendors and compared their offerings. One cool thing! If you go to most vendors sites and search for phones they have a category that states "these are smartphones and PDA phones".
For instance in the GSM world you have mainly two vendors (US) to choose from Cingluar (formerly Cingular and AT&T) and TMobile. Cingular has/had a few Smart phone offerings, the SMT-5600 from Audiovox, the MPX series from Motorola (not the razr), and their own 2125 (I think this is basically an Imate). And in their PDA department they have an even larger assortment. You may choose from the HP6515 (GPS enabled and w/wo camera), the 8125, the treo 650 (with a little research also could figure on the 700w releasing soon), and even a Nokia. TMobile has basically two offerings in these categories mainly the SDA and MDA.
In the CDMA world (EVDO enabled) you find probably one of the best converged devices I have seen yet the 6700 series which is carried by both Sprint and Verizon. It is a PPC PDA phone running the Windows Mobile 5.0 OS (persistant data even on battery failure). It has a slide out qwerty keyboard (quite useable) and it also suports WIFI, BT, RTT (basically your home modem on steriods), and EVDO connectivity. It can be used as a wired/wireless tether to your laptop to give you anywhere broadband speeds (EVDO available) on your laptop or using the same option with RTT you get a respectable 128k. I like this device because I own it.
These are real smart phones with their multi-use capabilities. They can be used for MP3 playback, Video Playback, contacts, apointments, data tanks, cameras, portabile ebook reader, electronic bible, calculator (all varieties), ...... and so much more this is really the top of the iceberg.
THG... do some research... and if you want to be funny you might want to tell us that it was meant to be humor, because so far it may be a little difficult to tell.
aproyouknow
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- May 18, 2006
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I would like to state first and foremost that I love the idea of the Smart Phone. I think the major problem is that on the business side most corporations fail to understand the whole point of the Smart Phone. Here are the facts most corporations do not listen to customers. This means that the same issues and mistake keep occurring.
I think that in the very near future the Smart Phone will be your portable communication and entertainment solution, it will be your Video Ipod, it will stream video and music, and it will be a portable storage device. It will be a palm sized Laptop. It will become very powerful. This will happen in about 3 to 5 years from now. We have a bunch of very important innovations that will allow all of this to occur. Cheaper larger flash hard drives will be installed in the Smart Phones. They will be 3G with very powerful internal microprocessors. We also have a break thru in battery technology that is on the horizon. They are going to become very slim. Also a larger part of the population will be connecting to the internet via the Smart Phone. The price of remaining connected to the internet via these devices will drop. Children who are always connected will begin to purchase more Side Kick and Treo etc type of devices because they will have games that children can play and simultaneously interact will children online. This is the worst time in the world for Smart Phones because we are in the very early stages of what will be a device that has most of the little personal communication and personal entertainment bases covered, but we have 3 to 5 years to wait before the are truly remarkable devices. We have all of the things that we need but we cannot keep the price down at this time and companies just don’t get it yet.
The PDA is dead because it has a major part of the users needs covered, but it does not have what we need now! The PDA’s time has come and gone. We needed it; we used it, now it is time to move on to devices that address the need of the 2006 user.
I think that in the very near future the Smart Phone will be your portable communication and entertainment solution, it will be your Video Ipod, it will stream video and music, and it will be a portable storage device. It will be a palm sized Laptop. It will become very powerful. This will happen in about 3 to 5 years from now. We have a bunch of very important innovations that will allow all of this to occur. Cheaper larger flash hard drives will be installed in the Smart Phones. They will be 3G with very powerful internal microprocessors. We also have a break thru in battery technology that is on the horizon. They are going to become very slim. Also a larger part of the population will be connecting to the internet via the Smart Phone. The price of remaining connected to the internet via these devices will drop. Children who are always connected will begin to purchase more Side Kick and Treo etc type of devices because they will have games that children can play and simultaneously interact will children online. This is the worst time in the world for Smart Phones because we are in the very early stages of what will be a device that has most of the little personal communication and personal entertainment bases covered, but we have 3 to 5 years to wait before the are truly remarkable devices. We have all of the things that we need but we cannot keep the price down at this time and companies just don’t get it yet.
The PDA is dead because it has a major part of the users needs covered, but it does not have what we need now! The PDA’s time has come and gone. We needed it; we used it, now it is time to move on to devices that address the need of the 2006 user.
llama_thumper
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guys, move to europe, the phones are better and cheaper, and you never get charged for incoming calls except if you're abroad (which might change though, hopefully) 
.
some links to mobiles offered in austria:
http/drei.at/OfferMobiles.wa
or the UK:
http/www.mobile360.co.uk
especially the nokia E and N series phones.
.some links to mobiles offered in austria:
http
/drei.at/OfferMobiles.waor the UK:
http
/www.mobile360.co.ukespecially the nokia E and N series phones.
You have no idea what you are talking about. In fact t-mo is probably the only carrier that limits it's non paying customers to where they can go on the internet on their phone.
http
/www.howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=518666Cingular does not block any ports whether you have a data plan or not and I have not heard anything that says verizon or sprint blocks anything either.
With regards to the article; I usually like them but this one lacked research and was way off base!
This is the first time I've ever been disappointed in a tomshardware article
Hmmm makes you wonder how much Blackberry could have paid for this article... I guess it was only a matter of time
Matt.
You know what, i registered only to say that too.
This "article" could also be named "I hope nobody sees the 'hidden' blackberry commercial"
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