Over the past few weeks it seems that quite a few people have been asking me about new devices. They are in the replacement category and are either fed up with their current device or their contract was up. So I decided to put together a short review of a few devices. While all of these devices have been given a thorough scrubbing, maybe I just stick to what you can do with these devices vs. talk about speeds and feeds. Mind you that this is also not a bake off, just my observations about a few classes of devices.
In the States, it’s rather amusing to note that perhaps the carrier with the best signal is Verizon, but in terms of device selection, it’s rather slim pickings. GSM providers like Cingular and T-Mobile have the trendier devices, but they still a bit slower to release new handsets compared to Europe and Asia. Lots of Pros and Cons why companies like Nokia & SonyEricsson and Cingular and T-Mobile have behaved in this way, but that is a separate discussion.
Tall, Grande or Venti?
One of the more fundamental questions I try to ask is about size. Handsets come in all shapes and sizes, it’s much akin to clothing selection. A lot of women want a dainty phone to fit in their purses, particularly the one that is shiny and fits just a bit more than a tube of lipstick, some credit cards, a photo ID, cash and some breath mints. But like a trendy pair of shoes, what you gain in style may cost you in comfort, such as small buttons, impossible to read screens and possibly missing a few other keen features like bluetooth or a decent camera. For guys it’s all about fitting in a pants or shirt pocket. But on the opposite spectrum, the handset is more like a Swiss Army knife that has to pack as much as you can per square inch.
Clams, Candybars and Sliders
What does seafood, candy or hamburgers have to do with phone? You have to ask yourself, what type of handset user are you? Flip phones or “clams†are great for compact size and rogue key presses while in your pocket or purse. They have generally gotten quite thin, but generally wider. It seems that sacrificing depth causes compromise in width.
But would you really want a phone that is even easier to lose? Clam-style handsets potentially suffer from the fact that a lot still have aerials (stubby antenna) in their design. Candybars or non-flips handsets are quite good, with lot of features, large displays, and tend of have a lot of accessories to change face plates, etc. However, if you don’t know how or keep forgetting to use the Keylock function, I’m sure quite a few have experienced the rogue call from a friend or loved one, only to hear muted conversation or faint background noise. Generally candybars are create for the QWERTY keyboard and large screen form factor for email junkies and decent at surfing the Internet. If you’re rather accident prone, candybars also can increase the chance to damage the screen.
They tend to be larger and thicker, but comparing the Motorola RAZR to a Nokia 6680 shows very small difference in height, width and depth. Finally, the latest style of phone is the slider. Like clams, they generally are compact when they need to be, and expand to reveal keypads or QWERTY keyboards. A few even sport a stylus for touchscreen capabilities. The spring-activated sliding action is quite good and constant repetitive opening and closing seem to fair well. However, over time, just like any moving parts, the mechanism gets loose and the threshold to flip is open or closed gets progressively looser (easier). Perhaps an indicator to get a new handset is when you feel that it’s getting “too flimsy†to open and close the slider. They also tend to be favorites among those who like to fidget and are restless.
Pockets, Palms, Symbians, Java, and other strange BREWs
No we’re not talking about a witches potion, these are the different flavors of Operating System or software to run things on your phone. A few years ago, when phones were just getting more complicated, the software was rather primitive and customization and personalization were a fleeting thought. Today, nearly everything from when you turn on the device to what picture displays or ringer sounds when someone contacts you can be *fully* customized. You true personality and interests can show, by the ringers you choose, the wallpaper and face plate or color you handset has. But on the inside, it starts to matter more and more about the Operating System to drive the applications and services, not just making phone calls that will continue the happy experience vs. cursing at yet another device (The blinking 12:00 on your VCR!).
Microsoft PocketPC
The Microsoft PocketPC Platform has definitely evolved and matured, like it’s big brother Windows XP. Humble and rather crude beginnings have been shed for rather svelte interfaces and true functionality. Email is just as good if not more pleasant than a RIM Blackberry and ActiveSync generally does a good job with PC to handheld synchronization. One main drawback however, is that any PocketPC platform seems to suffer from the same penchant for a fast and powerful processor with lots of memory that Windows does on the PC side. This also makes battery life a rather tethered problem rather than trying to be a bit for liberating from power cords. Unless you have the PocketPC Phone version, another problem is that the platform for the handset tends to be more bulky than others as a result of large processors, memory and a heavier battery. A general annoyance about most PocketPCs is that they lack a Task Manager. The Moto Q, which very popular and attractive looking in some of my field tests, has rather poor battery life with normal use of phone, texting, email, and Internet access. I have also noticed that if you run the email client, web browse and try and talk, two things happen. The first is the high potential to forget to close your data connection. This causes battery life to evaporate in a hurry. The second is the ability to truly close applications and release vital memory. This can lead to the handset frozen or even the ability to send and receive phone calls – something essential regardless of all the bells and whistles that must function with all these smartphones. One of the few devices where I have found a Task Manager is the HP iPaq. Once I start to notice rather slow performance, I can see what’s running and close any unnecessary programs. In some instances, though, I have still had to soft reset (switching on/off) the device. In rare instances I have even had to hard reset (pull out the battery) the device. Not exactly what I have had to do with past mobiles.
Palm
Generally this platform has been rather niche. From my first PalmPilot to the latest Treo 700, they have generally been built on small programs that are quick and run well given the device constraints. But as they migrated into the smartphone category, making phone calls proved to be rather difficult as this feature suffered from poor voice quality. Other problems are the level of complexity in a Palm device which potentially led to more and more soft and hard resets. Generally some of the other complaints from users have been the small keys, large stubby aerial, and on average the heavy and bulky form factor. All in all, a solid device that somehow needs to shed some weight and decrease in thickness. Synchronization has been very strong from the inception, with their cradle design and HotSync technology. Palm Desktop and other tools to integrate with email programs such as Outlook and reading Microsoft and Adobe documents have also made it a favorite amongst cubicle-less, road warrior workers.
Symbian
As Nokia owns the majority of interest in this platform, all Nokia phones utilize this. There are also some other handsets like SonyEricsson, Samsung, and others who also use it for some of its phones. From a developers perspective Symbian tends to be much more difficult to build applications due to their version of C++. But applications tend to be quite solid and fairly responsive when using Symbian. They suffer in some respects as they are a somewhat proprietary platform, particularly with PC synchronization, but there *are* lots of tools and software out there than make it a popular OS. Perhaps one of the most intuitive interfaces to use on Nokia devices, they are quick easy to pick up and start using.
Java
Few phones on the market today are using the Java OS, but most all use a JVM (Java Virtual Machine) and carry a MIDP (Mobile Information Device Profile) and a CLDC (Connected Limited Device Connection) which allow everything from games, applications and other tools to run on a phone. It is more portable than Symbian, and there are over 2M Java developers, many who can program for J2ME. Nearly all mid-range to high end handsets will have Java built in, which allows hours of entertainment in the palm of your hand.
BREW
Qualcomm came out with their own plaform BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless). Much like Java, it also comes as an OS as well as a language for developing applications. Less popular as you need a device that runs BREW, it is yet another flavor of platforms on a device. Most new devices that operate BREW can also run Java apps.
Blackberry
While this has mostly been a work-enterprise email tool, they have slowly been moving to a more consumer device. There have been some recent changes in the RIM Blackberry Developer Program where they are beginning to target entertainment applications. All those knowledge workers and Executives need something to do when not checking email! Another marker that RIM wants to expand into the consumer space is the Blackberry Pearl (8100). The smaller package which resembles more of a phone, than a PDA should do quite well.
Final Verdict
Is there a perfect device? The actual answer is no. It really depends on what you want to do, want to spend and style. Just like clothes, shoes and cars, there is something for everyone. All shapes and sizes, costs, functionality and more. Just make sure you go to a store and get a feel of how the device feels. Make sure you really will use the functions like a camera, MP3 player, bluetooth, keyboard, and more, as these features quickly increase the price of the device you want to spend. It’s rather sad, but I even carry two devices. One for work and one for everything else. While it does cost more and you have to manage two devices, sometimes it’s a necessary evil.
Happy Hunting!
