The Story So Far
In the first part of this three-part story, I discussed the circumstances for the search for my new smartphone. But it was not an easy search, and quite a few different devices were investigated before making the difficult decision.
The Investigation
As I mentioned before, I had considered some different options on how to deal with my phone situation:
The options I was considering were:
- BlackBerry device
- Windows Mobile device
- Palm/Garnet OS device
- really cheap cellphone on the AT&T network, then upgrade to the iPhone 3G
- let the Treo 650 die, then acquire the iPhone 3G
Given the timeframe, and an additional wrinkle of getting a properly functioning mobile phone in time for the upcoming Hawaiian excursion, option #5 posed a problem because I would definitely be in a predicament if I needed the Treo 650 and it died precipitously. I would rather select the new phone on my own terms, not in a panic situation (similar to what had happened to the Treo 650′s predecessor).
Also, the iPhone 3G availability issue was never far from my mind, given the tremendous hype surrounding the impending launch date. Already, there were thousands of people standing in lines worldwide waiting for the smartphone, so my chances of getting an iPhone 3G were extremely slim (and no, I don’t consider eBay a viable option!). And this is despite the announcement of the iPhone availability tool… So, while getting a cheap cellphone through AT&T is do-able, the ability to upgrade to an iPhone 3G was highly unlikely for at least a few months. And that would mean that the “cheap” aspect of the cheap cellphone may not be as cheap as I’d like it to be. And that would make it a more permanent solution than merely a temporary situation. Thus, option #4 is not really an option at this point.
So here’s the amended list of choices:
- BlackBerry device
- Windows Mobile device
- Palm/Garnet OS device
- really cheap cellphone on the AT&T network, then upgrade to the iPhone 3G
- let the Treo 650 die, then acquire the iPhone 3G
The Internet Scan
The three remaining platforms are represented in my list of options, but their coverage by the different wireless carriers varied. I needed to get more details on the phones and carriers. It’d be quite boring for me to go over each individual smartphone implementation, since a lot of them are very similar (almost clones) in each category, so what I was looking for via online searching is specific patterns of functionality and the associated usability patterns.
Windows Mobile Devices
Windows Mobile phones have both their fans and critics. But selecting a Windows Mobile phone is not as easy or straightforward as it initially sounds: at the time, there were different versions of Windows Mobile (5 or 6 and their variants and point versions) on different models, with varying opinions of stability and feature tweaks. Since I did not have a software set accumulated over the years, I would be starting from scratch with a Windows Mobile smartphone, with one notable exception: since at least one Java VM is available for Windows Mobile 6 platforms, I may be able to run some of my Java apps on such a phone.
And based on the typical base features seen in Windows Mobile devices (and, for that matter, the old PocketPC devices), do I really need them? After all, I had discarded, deactivated, or repurposed almost all of my Windows desktops and notebooks; nowadays, I use Macs, Solaris workstations, and an occasional Ubuntu host. I do not have any need for directly editing a Word document, since I would either be importing it into a more usable format, or exporting to it from another format; and statistically, the vast majority of my document exports have been to PDF, not Word nor Excel nor PowerPoint (or even Visio). As for handling E-mails, the other options I’m considering handle E-mails just as well, if not better… and since I no longer maintain Exchange Servers, the need for Exchange kludges is long gone.
But before I completely rule out Windows Mobile devices, let’s reserve judgment until I get to examine them later physically (so I thought)…
BlackBerry Devices
While other smartphones tend to support in equal measures the online and offline modes of usage, BlackBerry devices are greatly dependent upon online access to conduct the majority of their data communications functionality… well, that’s an oversimplication.
But not too far from the truth– um, the truth is a bit more complicated, however. The reason that BlackBerry devices have been the darlings of corporate deployments is due in no small part to the BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES). The BES is a centralization server that allows companies to monitor and manage traffic to and from the BlackBerry devices allotted to them, either in an internal deployment scheme or via hosted services. The BES for a given company in turn routes its traffic through RIM’s NOC, which passes traffic to and from the various cell carriers, which in turn pass the signal to the end users on their devices. Sounds great, but what happens if something in this chain of activity dies? Well, that’s happened on quite a few occasions, which has led to nationwide BlackBerry outages. I’d classify such an outage as Not Good. And if that wasn’t enough, the disturbing news about the ease by which hackers are able to intercept and manipulate data streams to and from BlackBerry devices, including controlling and tampering with the internal database, makes the BlackBerry seem significantly less attractive.
Software-wise, it seems like the usual suspects. Some E-mail, some messaging, some calendaring, some shared contact lists, some location services like trilateration or GPS seek…
But no touchscreen?!? Hmm… This also bears closer scrutiny. For a space-limited device such as a smartphone, unless the user controls are comparable to a sub-notebook’s keys, the display screen should provide the additional functionality of an input component, thereby improving direct user interaction with the device. So… that trackball had better be perfect…
Cost-wise, it seems that the major carriers are all charging extra, which is presumably to allow each BlackBerry to connect to their respective gateway services en route to RIM’s NOC. There must be a way to bypass the gateway if I don’t want to mess with RIM’s managed services, right? But, if I skip those, what exactly am I getting?
Garnet OS Devices
Devices running the mobile platform Formerly Known As Palm OS… While there have been plenty of Palm OS devices created in the past, very few Garnet OS (Palm OS 5.4.x) smartphones have survived to the present day. At the time of my smartphone search, there were only three “current” models:
- Treo 680 (GSM version)
- Treo 755p (CDMA version)
- Centro (CDMA and GSM versions available)
Okay, time to hit the pavement and see the devices in person…
The Physical Investigations
I had expected that the physical investigations would not reveal as much to me as I’d like, so my options would still be somewhat wider than I’d like. Oh, how wrong I was!
Here’s the revised list of options I’m investigating:
- BlackBerry device
- 8800 series (8800, 8820, 8830)
- Curve 8300 series (8310, 8330)
- Pearl 8100 series (8110, 8120, 8130)
- Windows Mobile device
- BlackJack II
- HTC Mogul
- HTC Touch
- HTC TyTN II (AT&T’s Tilt)
- Moto Q 9c, 9h, 9m
- Pantech Duo
- Samsung ACE
- Treo 700wx
- Treo 750
- Palm/Garnet OS device
- Treo 680 (GSM version)
- Treo 755p (CDMA version)
- Centro (CDMA and GSM versions available)
Windows Mobile Smartphones…
When handling the various Windows Mobile phones, what struck me as peculiar was the Jornada effect. For those of you who remember my days at creating IT asset management software suites in Big ERP/IRP Age, you may recall the time that I’d spent on experimenting with PocketPC PDAs. Everything in the PocketPC class at that time looked and acted the same. It was mind-boggling why any manufacturer would ship products that were soooo similar to their competitors’, varying only by price… especially if said manufacturer did NOT sell the least expensive PocketPC devices. With no differentiation in features on the devices themselves, the cell carriers have to provide some sort of value-added services that provide some sort of benefit.
An odd thing I noticed was the responsiveness issues I was experiencing with the Windows Mobile devices I played with. Navigating on the screen using touch was more problematic than, say, using navigation keys or a trackpad. On a couple of occasions, I had to wait for the demo units to reboot before continuing to test them.
Also, while some of the phones were somewhat thin (which is a good quality), as a whole, they didn’t strike me as something I’d want to acquire and own… except for two of the units:
- Treo 700wx
- Treo 750
So, rather than getting a Windows Mobile smartphone, it would be more appropriate to get a less expensive Windows Mobile PDA for those occasions where an Office document needs to be accessed… except that a Mac or PC notebook would do just as well, and even my Treo 650 had some access capabilities for Office documents, so I would expect a Palm replacement for the Treo 650 to be just as capable, if not more.
BlackBerry Pearl…
Yuck.
It has a slimmed candy bar shape reminiscent of the oodles of cellphones out there, but instead of support the Tegic T9 technology for texting, RIM has their own 2-letter interpolation tech on the Pearl. But it always seemed to guess wrong whenever I was playing with texting and IM’ing. Also, for a BlackBerry, I did expect a larger screen, but obviously that runs counter to what the Pearl is about.
BlackBerry 8800, 8820, and 8830…
The appearance of the 8800 series is a cross between the recent Treos and some of the Windows Mobile smartphones, like the Samsung ACE. It functions like the other BlackBerry devices, which is to say, ho-hum for me. It works, which is good. But for something of its size, I’d expect a decent touchscreen (which it lacks). The trackpad is nice, however.
BlackBerry Curve…
Better.
The appearance and heft is better to me than the 8800 series and the Pearl. I like the improved, rounded contour of these models, which makes slipping in and of pockets a bit better for me; yeah, it’s a cosmetic effect.
But the plan charges for adding BlackBerry service gave me pause. Is it really worth the extra money to support features which are an integral part of the device itself? And is it worth pursuing the possibility of using a BlackBerry without the service?
Probably not.
Treo 680 and 755p…
If you imagine cutting off the Treo 650′s external antenna nub, flattening it a little bit, but stretching it out longer to account for an internal antenna and some additional innards, you’d be looking at the Treo 680 or the 755p. Both of these Treos use the Garnet OS instead of Windows Mobile, and when you play with these smartphones, you can clearly tell the difference. Since the quick keys have changed position significantly, I kept having difficulty whenever trying to access those four main functions and their alternate settings. I suspect with a bit of acclamatization, I would eventually get used to the new positions and settings.
But: argh! The same problem I have with the Treo 700wx and 750 are clearly still present with the 680 and 755p: one-typing and one-handed navigation is still awkward and hurts if attempted for a prolonged period of time.
Guess What’s Next?
The third (and last) part of this story reveals the Centro investigation and the final verdict, and the conclusion of this massive journey into the Heart of the IT-Mobile Darkness.
N.B.
You may notice a constant shifting back and forth between present tense to past tense variations. That’s intentional. Sorry for any confusion when you’re reading the posts in this story!
About the Treo 800w: Some of you may recall when this smartphone was unveiled (7/13/2008). Like the iPhone 3G, it just wasn’t available at the time of my investigations. Timing is everything.
8/21/2008 Update: There is a recent press release from Palm that the Centro has reached the 2,000,000th unit sales mark since its 2007 launch.
More Reading
- Is Apple Competing Against Itself?
- Palm Centro Review (PalmInfoCenter)
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