cashout

I am looking for a phone I can use to demo push email to my clients with. But since I will be replacing my current one I want something I will feel like using whilst not breaking the bank.

Since you lot change phones/gfs/cars as often as you change underwear (Unlike me who buys a phone every 5 years), I figure I'd ask for your input.

Here are the requirements:

1. Windows mobile 5.0
2. Preferably with actual keyboard but not a deal breaker
3. Not a brick
4. Preferably <$1000. I like the Kjam but it is only <$1000 with a two year contract.... (I have always been on a month to month arrangement)
5. 3G
6. Bluethoot (which phone does not have it nowadays right?)


What do you guys think?

Frisky

I have a work supplied O2 Atom and I gave up trying to use it as a phone, works ok as a wireless email device but that is about it. Not a good phone at all. Colleagues have the iMate KJAM and not having good experiences with that either.

Check out this site for a good list of smartphones available here, Dopod do a 3G one that seems to meet alll your criteria including the price! ...

http://www.kalkonline.com.au/index.php?cPath=24

Austblue

I have the earlier o2 mini and it gets the job done as a phone for me. If I were to upgrade it'd be to the new stealth as it has a D9 keypad so you don't have to use your grubby fingers to call/sms on the run.

Can you elaborate, frisky?

Vuey

2 of my works mates got the latest 02 phones ... both died in the arse within a forthnight ... they are both waiting on replacement phones !

but from what i saw , they were pretty hectik .

Frisky

I just find it really hard to work the phone, not helped by the fact that the O2 Atom does not have any soft keys, so although you get two options at the bottom of the screen (one being Contacts) you HAVE to use the stylus to access it because there is no physical button to do it. The experience is not helped by a company enforced pin code on the device, so I have to enter that before I can do anything!

The battery life is also shocking, I have charge it every day and there is no way to actually turn it off, you can turn the screen off with a button and using software you can turn off the phone part, wifi or bluetooth but you can never power the device off. So the battery dies even without use. And it takes ages to charge it too.

I have switched back to using my Sony Ericsson K750i phone which is small, easy to use as a phone and only needs charging about once a week and is quick to charge.

It is a nice idea to have an all in one device like this but current battery technology is letting it down badly. Also I would prefer to see the functions seperated more, in a WM5 device the phone part is just another piece of software that is not well integrated to the hardware. I think Nokia had the right idea with the Communicator, it had all the normal phone part and then open it up to do the PDA stuff if you need to.

Austblue

[QUOTE=Frisky,Jan 12 2007, 03:12 PM] I just find it really hard to work the phone, not helped by the fact that the O2 Atom does not have any soft keys, so although you get two options at the bottom of the screen (one being Contacts) you HAVE to use the stylus to access it because there is no physical button to do it.

AusS2000

Here's my next phone:


http://www.apple.com/iphone/

I expect all the fashionsistas will have them.

wilch

I have an O2 Atom Exec.
Been using it for a few months now. It doesn't have any of the problems of the original O2 Atom that you can read about all over the internet.

Another friend of mine at work purchased his at the same time. He's also been trouble free.

Since, another colleague of mine has gone out and also bought an O2 Atom Exec, and another has sold his Imate Kjam in order to purchase an O2 Atom Exec.

Mine runs perfectly. I have it setup to replicate my w&b automotive mails when I arrive home and it can connect to the wireless router.

For work I have it replicating my Lotus Notes calender.

In the car I use it as a GPS, with the TomTom 6 software.

On the bus it's my mp3 player.

Also when I randomly want to check bom.gov.au and I'm at home (and no PC's are on) I'll connect it to the router and open up internet explorer.

So far so good.


My work colleague who recently purchased his bought his on ebay for $750 new. (I bought mine for $950 a few months ago from a store).

wilch

Ooh, the Atom Exec isn't 3G though...

So it might not be what you're looking for.

cashout

Thanks for the replies guys.
I will look at the kjam closely as I don't want to be stuck with a phone I can't use with one hand.

Wilch, the atom exec is not out of the running as 3G is not a deal breaker either (I should have said that before).