Which PDA phone/smartphone to buy

[cgillet]

I'm looking for a mobile device that I can talk on the phone, read e-mail, organize contacts, plan schedule and fit in my pocket. For the purposes of discussion money is no object. Does anyone have success or horror stories to tell about any prospective item.

Thanks
CG

[jadison]

Howdy cgillet,

Since you said money is no object (which I'm glad you did), I would highly recommend the Treo 600. You can find out more about this PDA/Cellphone made by PalmOne here.

Here's some pics:




Here are the specs

It is IMO the most distinguishable convergence pda/phone on the market. And, PalmOne has just released a camera-less version for use under the Sprint networks. A Treo 600 can be had for as low as $330 ($600-270 rebates) with a contract. This device fits all of your requirements and does each one well, and also includes many other features not mentioned in your list which you might like.

If I had the money, I'd get one today.

[cgillet]

I've been reading a bit about smart phones and pda phones and this is certainly a good candidate but I've also been looking at the hitachi g1000 and the samsung i500.

[27]

The Treo is okay but I don't like the antenna or keypad.

I personally prefer the XDA II

[jadison]

Here's a review on the G1000: here - personally the G1000 is way too big for my tastes. I can imagine holding that up to my hear and seeing a crowd of faces staring at me (not to mention all that crud you're going to get on that big screen).

From what I read on the i500 (review located here) it's a Sprint-only phone. I personally don't like being limited to only one network if I want a particular smartphone.

The Treo is compatible with virtually every single major network out there (most of the major cell phone carriers support and even supply the Treo 600). In response to 27's dislike of the antenna, AFAIK there won't be one in the new Treo 610 being released real soon. It also depends on if you're more comfortable working with a Microsoft OS or a Palm OS (you ever use PalmOS?). Personally, I like PalmOS better on a smartphone due to its versatility, ease of use, quick and painless, secure, and compact (moreso than Microsoft's OS for cell phones) functionality. I've been a desktop Windows user for over a decade, but for mobile devices I still prefer PalmOS hands down.