first smartphone - Verizon's choices

[Guest ctur]

I'm shopping around to upgrade my regular VZW phone to a smartphone. Googling together an understanding of what's out there is more confusing than I expected. I've just finally figured out the concept that there's three different systems: Smartphone OS, Pocket PC, and PalmOS. I'm interested in the Smartphone OS because I want to use it one-handed.

Verizon's site isn't very helpful:

http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/c...ption=priceSort

Because it doesn't actually say which phones run the Smartphone OS (or the Pocket PC OS, or the Palm OS, for that matter).

So I went to Microsoft's site:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/dev...e/americas.mspx

Is this really true that there's only one Verizon phone that runs the Smartphone OS? (The i600), or is this site outdated?

[Guest Tunney]

Is this really true that there's only one Verizon phone that runs the Smartphone OS? (The i600), or is this site outdated?

The website is sadly correct. The only CDMA (the cellular technology that Verizon use) Smartphone available is the i600 and it's very out-dated. However, I've heard that Samsung are planning to release one or more 3G handsets that will be compatible with Verizon in the future.

If you're willing to swap to Cingular then your options are a lot brigher and you'll be able to choose from the Audiovox SMT 5600 and Motorola MPx220.

Smartphone OS, Pocket PC, and PalmOS.

There's also Symbian (mainly popular in Europe & Japan) and Linux (mainly popular in Asia). I don't know of any Symbian/Linux handets that would be compatible with Verizon though.

Edited May 17, 2005 by Tunney

[Guest ctur]

I've still got a long stretch to go on my Verizon contract, but even if I didn't, I don't think I'd switch. Cingular and other carriers just don't have coverage everywhere I like to travel.

I don't see what the big deal would be about getting a phone on the 3G network would be. Maybe you can download ringtones in a microsecond instead of a millisecond? There's obvoius benefits for PCMCIA card users, but for the light webbrowsing I might do on my phone on the train, I don't see the point.

So the Verizon options are

Samsung i600..........(Smartphone)

Samsung i700..........(PocketPC)

Audiovox VX6600.....(PocketPC) (This one's like holding a laptop up to my face to talk.)

Treo 600/650...........(PalmOS)

Most places still draw a heavy price tag for the relatively old i600, but maybe I'll get a used one and keep it until I hit my upgrade cycle when I can get Verizon's discount on something new.

[Guest scottb]

The Samsung i730 is rumored to be close (in the next couple of months). It will be PPC. You mentioned your concern for using the device on-handed. FYI. You can use a Treo with one hand--I do it all the time. You can do pretty much anything on a Treo without a stylus. I switch back and forth between my Treo 600 and my Samsung i600, mainly because I prefer the Windows Mobile OS to the Palm OS.

[Guest ctur]

The Samsung i730 is rumored to be close (in the next couple of months).

I decided to go with a used i600. I was looking at the new Tre0 650 (well, new to Verizon), but I like the Samsung because it'll be easier to upgrade to an i730, which supposedly should be able to use Verizon's 3G EV-DO network. Hopefully I'm close enough to the city to use it. I don't know why Verizon's Treo 650 won't connect to the 3G, but they have a history of being behind on hardware features especially on the Palm side of things.

[Guest scottb]

The i600 should be fine as long as you don't want to use Wireless Sync for push email. Otherwise, it is a pretty good device.

I wonder if the Palm OS restricts it from EV-DO in some way? if not, it does seem silly to release the Treo 650 as a new device that does not support EV-DO.

[Guest ctur]

Well, I got my i600 on Wednesday, and I liked up until today. Then I dropped it on the sidewalk this morning, and now three buttons don't work anymore.

[Guest ctur]

That's weird. It's working again. I powercycled it and nothing happened. Then I shut it down and took out the battery for a sec, and when I turned it back on it still didn't work. Then I took the battery out while it was on, and when I turned on again, the buttons started working.