FOAK: PDA as a browser and phone.

SWMBO lost her phone on the way home from the pub on Saturday night.

I've ordered up a replacement SIM, but need to decide on the best course
of action for a replacement phone to replace her Nokia 6210.

My options seem to be:

1. Give her my spare 6210
2. Get her old 402 with Purple Ronny cover out of the cupboard.
3. Really punish her by giving her an old Motorola
4. Give her my current 6310i and get a new phone.

Now, as I've recently gone wireless at home, I've been thinking how I
could read my mail, surf and read UKRM wirelessly without resorting to a
laptop.

I've considered a larger wireless PDA like the Dell X5, and I notice
that that's currently available at a bit of a discount with a "free"
options bundle, one option of which is a GSM card. The GSM card seems to
be predominantly for GPRS, but it looks like it makes the device work as
a phone too.

So any thoughts on using something like the Dell X5 as a browser, e-mail
and newsreader and also as a mobile phone?

I'd look like a twat talking into it, wouldn't I? And the screen would
be too small, wouldn't it? And the web & usenet software would be
rubbish...

I guess it would allow me to get mp3s into my hi-fi by wi-fi...

 

I've got a XDAII and that works ok, if that's any help.

No more of a twat than talking into a brick like 3 phone and you're
never going to get PC performance out of a PDA.[1]

[1] I'm not a PDA geek and am only going on experience as I know it.

 

Gyp secured a place in history by writing:

I'm pretty sure that it doesn't. Actually, I'm certain that it doesn't.

 

I think you are actually talking about the X50 not the X5.

The X50 has a VGA screen(480x640) but can be switched to landscape mode to
give a better view. 'Normal we pages are normally designed for 1024x768
now so you would still have a fair bit of scrolling around. Mobile
specific sites work quite well though. I have yet to find a decent
newsreader fro my X5.

Not seen the GSM bundle so can't comment on that but AFAIK, the X50
doesn't have a mike socket so you would need to talk into it. If they put
a mic socket on you could have had some form of Handsfree(Unless of course
it will connect via Bluetooth to a normal bluetooth phone headset.)

I stream MP3 from a server to the X5 over wifi. I use pocket music on teh
handheld. Handy when sat it the garden.

 

You'll be looking at the X50 or X50v(VGA model) then. I've just ordered
the X50v with the GSM adaptor.

You won't really since you can only use it through the wired headset.
Apparently you can't use a bluetooth headset with it although you can
dial from your contact list.

Apprently it's pretty good (in PDA terms) do a Google and you'll find
some reviews which are generally positive apart from battery life.

Yes, but you could buy a cheap PC to do the same job.

 

<Pedant mode on>

My first PC was a 25MHz PS2, the Axim X50v is 624MHz so I think it will
outperform *that* PC.

<Pedant mode off>

 

It does, just a not very well integrated phone. Apparently it can be
improved by aftermarket software.

 

That's the puppy.

So it would be rubbish.

The suggestion is that it could be used as a phone, though it's not
overly explicit on the Dell web pages. I have a bluetooth headset, but
don't want to use it outside of the car. Looking like a twat I'm used
to, but looking like a complete twat...

Hmmm...

 

It's OK, I've given her the Motorola D170. Dry.

 

It's a wired headset to the GSM adaptor, not to the PDA but you can
dial from the PDA. Apparently, you can't use a bluetooth headset, which
could be a bind.

I ordered mine for the data capabilities so the the phone functionality
is a bonus...or a curse. We shall see when it arrives.

 

When I was at uni my project team produced a chip that ran at 20MHz but
it outperformed a P3 900[1][2]. A simple MHz comparison alone can't
tell you which is faster.

[1] For the application we chose the program performed the same either
running on the CPU or our chip, so taking into account the time needed
to throw the data over to the chip on a PCI board it (amongst other
things) was agreed it ran faster.
[2] True, it only encoded and encrypted audio instead of running
windows/etc.

 

I have an ipaq 4150 (only a 240x320 screen), here's what I think of it:

Web browsing - mobile versions of sites are fine, anything else is a
pain and I just wait until I'm at a proper pc.
Email - this is quite handy. I like being able to take my inbox with
me for reading/replying while away. Haven't looked at mobile email yet.
Newsgroups: haven't bothered looking for a newsreader. With no
dedicated keyboard I do find text entry a bit of a bind if it's more
than a few sentences. A roll-up keyboard might be nice, but then it
isn't a "pocket" pc anymore.

WiFi is useful. I can use the thing as a skype mobile, I can watch
things from my pc or stream music to anywhere around the house.
There's pocket versions of terminal services and VNC available.

If you want to fork out there's services to help - one to reformat web
content to a mobile screen for example.

If you do decide to go for it I'd recommend a Dell over an ipaq as Dell
appear to release feature updates more frequently (i.e. at all) than
HP. If I had to choose again I think I'd go with an Axim.

 

Christofire wrote:

<snip>


<thread hijack>

Skype. I've been looking at that. In general, how well does it work?

 

Nokia 9500.
Does it all except I cant make the aftermarket news client work yet.
--
ColonelTupperware,
spouting bollocks on Usenet since 1997
Usenet FAQ at
http://www.its.caltech.edu/its/services/internetapps/news/news2.shtml
UPCE FAQ at http://upce.org.uk/ UKRM FAQ at http://www.ukrm.net/faq/

 

It's generally very good. Call quality is crystal for the most part,
but can pause and suffer a little delay now and then.

 

Cool, ta.

 

Higgins@work secured a place in history by writing:

Check out AvantGo when you get it. I synch my Axim wirelessly whist I make
coffee in the morning, and it picks up a stack of stuff from AvantGo,
including, pretty much, the entire Guardian for the day. Very useful in
boring meetings.

 

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 22:38:06 +0000, Gyp wrote:

Personally, I think the display would be too small to be useable at home.

If you're desperate to avoid a laptop your options are limited.

There are some rather nice, light-weight laptops which would do the job
very well. You might also consider a tablet PC: either a "full-size" one
- typically a 12.1" display - or the sort of thing I'm considering: the
Sony Vaio U50/70/71.

What is it you don't like about a normal laptop?

 

Noted, thanks.

 

I'd love a really good wireless laptop.

Thing is, I think I could just about get away with buying a "phone" with
a big screen to sort of replace the one she lost^h^h^h^hhad stolen at
the weekend.

But if I brought another computer into the house she'd cut my bollocks
off.