Auto Spies Paid AdvertisementAt the beginning of 2003 I was driving up route 128 in the breakdown lane at about 70 mph, with my Dunkin' Donuts coffee, trying to tune in that static filled sports radio channel that never comes in right, while I was trying to read my clients new contact information off an email in my Compaq iPaq, and dial that number on my cell phone when it hit me… “Have the mobile device gods put all these features in one unit yet?” My search then began. |
It’s now a year later and I am still searching. I have a phone that can play MP3’s, take pictures, email (cryptic but it works), sync with my Outlook to one folder, play games, play the Sports Center theme for my ring tone, etc. I also have a PDA that is Microsoft Windows based, has a mini version of Office, can play MP3’s, I can even run a light version of the Citrix ICA client to securely login and manage servers from the Vineyard. But I still can’t find that one device. I don’t think I’m being too fussy I just want all the functionality that is available today in one device. My requirements are:
4 hours of talk time – I don’t think that’s asking much considering one conference call can go for two hours
Weight of 5 ounces or less – I’d like to have it with me without walking at an angle
Bluetooth enabled – Headsets, syncing software, most German cars and now the American cars all come with optional Bluetooth enabled hands free systems to integrate with any Bluetooth capable devices
A Built in speaker phone – All the convenience of Nextel without all the poor reception
A Windows OS – Palm OS is great, that’s why all PC’s run it right?
WiFi compatible – There is a Starbucks on just about every city street corner, which means there’s Internet bandwidth at almost every street corner. A no brainer.
'Real time' access to web or email – Syncing email is so 1999
QWERTY key pad – I’m 6’5", it should be illegal for me to use a phone key pad to send an email.
Dial from MS Outlook contacts list – I know this seems obvious however I have come across devices that have a Windows based OS with MS Outlook however you can’t dial a contact directly from your Contacts. Some developer should be fired for that one.
Oh, and it would be nice if it was a bit smaller then my laptop. The ideal would be a flip phone or “clam shell” design.
About three months ago I was told by several major manufacturers and telecommunications companies that this device is less then six months away. I was also told this last week. The three closest so far are below.
The Motorola MPx200: A great phone centric option. Syncs with Outlook without the few hundred contact limitation of most of its competition (I have about 5000 contacts in mine). It comes with a base of 32MB of RAM and can take an SD/IO slot card of up to 1GB. It’s only 4.2 ounces, has about 4 hours of talk time, and is of the typical “drop, kick and punt” construction we’ve all come to know and love from Motorola. The downside is it’s not WiFi or Bluetooth compatible and it doesn’t have the QWERTY keyboard. As a phone first, PDA second this is probably the best option out there.
The Hitachi G1000: A great PDA centric option. All the features of a standard CE device such as an iPaq, plus a QWERTY keyboard, a speaker phone, 32Mb of RAM (upgradeable), but only has 2.5 hours talk time and is pretty bulky not to mention the almost 9 oz. weight. Imagine carrying a can of soda on your hip all day. This is a great phone option for someone who’s more concerned about their PDA and doesn’t rack up a lot of minutes talking.
The Treo 600: This device is probably the closest to being “the device to have” except for few minor but critical details. It’s 5.8 ounces and surprisingly sleek in design. It has a 5 hour talk time rating, 32MB of RAM (of which 24 is available), and QWERTY keyboard. It will soon have WiFi and Bluetooth adapters however it is fairly easy for the cards to fall out of the loose fitting SD slot. Although some users are big fans of the PalmOS that this devices uses this is a major setback for me.
So my waiting continues. I am not a big advocate of waiting for the perfect technology, no matter what you buy today a better one will come along tomorrow but when it comes to combining two essential business tools of 2004 you have to be a bit selective. I hope to write an article entitled “The Real Deal Phone/PDA Combo is Finally Here!” in the next few weeks but I wouldn’t hold your breath.
Myles M. Keough
CEO and Principal Consultant
Spade Technology, Inc.
www.SpadeTechnology.com