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| Thread ID: 64756 | 2005-12-26 21:59:00 | Mobile email cellphone vs PDA? | BillIrwin (8493) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 415868 | 2005-12-26 21:59:00 | Hi I need advice on the best route to cost effective mobile email access (027, xtra). I only need it 4 - 5 days a month so don't really want the Harrier/mobile broadband solution. My current cellphone (Samsung N181) is due for an upgrade. I can read emails fine on it but sending is not practical with fat fingers and piddly phone keys. So I'm looking for a Telecom phone that may be better suited to email and will also work as a modem for my laptop. Since the local 'experts' down at Noel L's don't seem to have my best interests at heart I'm hoping some of you here have some thoughts on the matter. many thanks, Bill |
BillIrwin (8493) | ||
| 415869 | 2005-12-26 23:49:00 | Harrier would be ideal. Can these phones be on the plan that you want? | Prescott (11) | ||
| 415870 | 2005-12-27 00:04:00 | Hi, on checking Telecom's site it seems the Harrier is no longer available, has been replaced by the Apache. It looks very nice but a bit over $1000... might have to upscale my planned spending! | BillIrwin (8493) | ||
| 415871 | 2005-12-27 00:39:00 | Why Telecom? I have a Sony Ericsson K700 on Vodafone's network and it's works perfectly as a Bluetooth modem for email and the internet etc. It really depends on how much you want to spend. My solution is a pretty good mid priced option but obviously if super fast data speeds are essential you will need a 3G phone or datacard. :) | maccrazy (6741) | ||
| 415872 | 2005-12-27 00:55:00 | If emailinmg freq on small devices then u have to think clearly if the small devices are ok .. and like you say fat fingers. Its not a text msg, its an email or letter sent electronically. I say if you need it for these purposes get a PDA with external foldable keyboard or a ultra portable laptop that these days can be had for under 1kg. If you want it under $1g then no comment. You'll prob want a tiny full-keypad for ur work thou, I would guess a standard cellphone keypad is too much hassle ... like press the 2 key three times to display the letter C for example. If you want a cellular modem then the decision is the PC Cards which Noel Leeming like u said stocks them or you can get a USB data cable for many cellphones these days. They will hookup to ur laptop for online .. ie.. wireless cellular broadband but check the prices. You can even connect to ur PC if yuou like via USB but sorta defeats the purpose when u have easy access to ADSL or dialup at economical prices :D |
Nomad (952) | ||
| 415873 | 2005-12-27 01:16:00 | thanks for the input. Yeah I'm tending to a light notebook hooked to a cellphone. I what bothers me about spending $1100 on a PDA/phone is that it is neither one or other - sort of a clunky phone merged with a lobotomised PC. May as well fork out a bit more and be able to do a lot more (except slip it is my jeans pocket!). Sometimes these tech decisions make my head hurt. Maybe I'll just leave the answer phone on and sort my messages/ emails when I get back! Bill |
BillIrwin (8493) | ||
| 415874 | 2005-12-27 22:08:00 | Go down to your local Telecom or Vodafone store and ask, they will know what they have and recommend. I think godfather (another member on this forum) does the same as what you are wanting to do (emails) on his phone. he knows quite abit about them. | Prescott (11) | ||
| 415875 | 2005-12-27 22:42:00 | I looked at the full set of choices and went with the Palm Treo, which is available in both Vodafone and Telecom versions. They are quite good phones, and work well for email. The PDA is a bonus more than a necessity. I no longer take my laptop away for short periods. I only download the first 5kb of each email, only download attachments if its essential as mobile data is expensive. |
godfather (25) | ||
| 415876 | 2005-12-28 04:19:00 | ok I now have a new Treo 650 charging up, trying very hard not to play with it until fully charged! It looks like it will be the answer. Godfather, do you have yours on a data plan as well as voice? From what i gather you can send/recieve email through the phone without having a data plan but at 35c a pop or thereabouts? |
BillIrwin (8493) | ||
| 415877 | 2005-12-28 04:30:00 | I use "casual data rates" on Vodafone, it costs me about $5 - $10 on average per month. If I was to use it more (such as downloading attachments) then I would have a smallish data plan. But thats Vodafone, I can only assume Telecom have similar charges. Just don't go surfing the web on it unless you have made arrangements with your bank manager. My casual rates are 10c for 10 kB of data, and I only download 5 kB of each email. But with overheads, thats probably about 20 cents per text email received or sent. Looks like Telecom is $8 per MB, or 8c per 10kB so occasional use will not break the bank. I find its actually quite useable for email, the small keypad is not a hard to use as you think. |
godfather (25) | ||
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