I'm trying to choose a smart phone surprise surprise!
(I'm buying unlocked as I managed to get my mobile carrier to give me money instead of a subsidised handset!).
Currently I use a SE K700i and Palm Tungsten T3. I have decided that life is too short to keep the PIM functions on these two both in sync. So I want a smartphone that will do all the things that I collectively do with the above pair of devices, although I want it to be in the form-factor of an ordinary phone.
Current usage:
- Phone calls
- Text messaging
- IMAP E-Mail
- Online PIM Sync (SyncML!)
- Word Processing
- Spreadsheets
- PDF/Web reading
- IR remote control
- Watching videos
- Camera would be nice
I've tried Steve Litchfield's smartphone grid. Even with varying several options, the E61i consistently comes out as the top phone for me and the E90 being the runner up. However, the E61i is too wide for me, and the E90 is too expensive and too large.
So far, as per the subject line, I've narrowed my choices down to the E70 and the P1i (which I can buy for about the same price now). I like the E70, but I'm not sure it has enough RAM and the number moving parts worries me (I'm of the Psion generation where the Series 3 hinge was infamous, and all the mobile phone joysticks I've used eventually broke). The P1i is very tempting because it has more RAM and no moving parts, although reviews I've read about the lack of navigation options (i.e. no d-pad) and issues with UIQ3 are giving me cause for doubt too.
So I'd be interested to hear what people think of the two phones or if you know of anything else that fits the bill.
Thanks for reading.
digitalranger wrote:
Current usage:
- Phone calls
- Text messaging
- IMAP E-Mail
- Online PIM Sync (SyncML!)
- Word Processing
- Spreadsheets
- PDF/Web reading
- IR remote control
- Watching videos
- Camera would be nice
The E70 can do all the above except the remote control bit - Psiloc are supposed to be releasing an app for this "soon" (since last year I think).
So far, as per the subject line, I've narrowed my choices down to the E70 and the P1i (which I can buy for about the same price now). I like the E70, but I'm not sure it has enough RAM and the number moving parts worries me (I'm of the Psion generation where the Series 3 hinge was infamous, and all the mobile phone joysticks I've used eventually broke).
The hinge for the foldout keyboard seems fairly sturdy, but the joystick is definitely a weak point - especially if you're into games - I've had to take mine in for repair (under warranty).
The P1i is very tempting because it has more RAM and no moving parts, although reviews I've read about the lack of navigation options (i.e. no d-pad) and issues with UIQ3 are giving me cause for doubt too.
If you're looking to replace a PDA with your phone then presumably you are a "power" user and are used to running lots of apps at the same time - or maybe you're not since you're coming from a Palm 😊, but then again you used to be a Psion user and probably appreciate its excellent multitasking capabilities. The E70 is severely hampered by its lack of RAM, if eg you're doing heavy web browsing then don't expect to be able to run any other programs - especially if you're using the history and the minimap. And some programs like Mapking can only run reliably straight after a reset, ie when the memory nicely defragmented. In short, the lack of RAM really cramps its style. Like you say, in comparison, the P1i seems to have oodles of RAM, however UIQ3 does have relatively less apps available for it than S60v3. So you can have your cake but it might not taste as nice 😊 Nokia, as is their wont, messed up the E61i, it should have come with increased RAM. If it did then I probably would've been tempted to swap my E70 with the E61i, even though I detest its ungainly width 😊
Thanks for the detailed reply 😊
There's a point I'd forgot about for UIQ3 - software range - I just hope the application space increases over time, but I guess it's a gamble on how popular it becomes.
I have a E70 and it's ok, the keyboard is awesome, but the lack of RAM really hampers using the webbrowser at all ( it works ok if you leave images turned off ).
I live in North America and have the E70-2 and i'm STILL waiting for the v3 firmware which i believe has some fixes for the wifi in it, a lot of wifi points in airports and coffee shops cause the phone to just reboot itself as soon as you connect :\ all in all i'd say the E70 is abandoned by nokia already so you might be better served by looking towards one of the newer phones ( something like the e61i if you require the qwerty.. even though it's hidiously fat ). For me I've just accepted the fact that qwerty makes phones too fat and I'm currently eyeing the E51.
There is a guy in the office here with the E90, it's slick and looks to do a lot of things, I think I prefer the keyboard on the E70 though, just easier to hold and use. It's too bad nokia seems to have abandoned the formfactor 😞 there haven't been any spyshots or mentions of a follow on device.
digitalranger wrote:I'm trying to choose a smart phone surprise surprise!
(I'm buying unlocked as I managed to get my mobile carrier to give me money instead of a subsidised handset!).Currently I use a SE K700i and Palm Tungsten T3. I have decided that life is too short to keep the PIM functions on these two both in sync. So I want a smartphone that will do all the things that I collectively do with the above pair of devices, although I want it to be in the form-factor of an ordinary phone.
Current usage:
- Phone calls
- Text messaging
- IMAP E-Mail
- Online PIM Sync (SyncML!)
- Word Processing
- Spreadsheets
- PDF/Web reading
- IR remote control
- Watching videos
- Camera would be nice
I've tried Steve Litchfield's smartphone grid. Even with varying several options, the E61i consistently comes out as the top phone for me and the E90 being the runner up. However, the E61i is too wide for me, and the E90 is too expensive and too large.
So far, as per the subject line, I've narrowed my choices down to the E70 and the P1i (which I can buy for about the same price now). I like the E70, but I'm not sure it has enough RAM and the number moving parts worries me (I'm of the Psion generation where the Series 3 hinge was infamous, and all the mobile phone joysticks I've used eventually broke). The P1i is very tempting because it has more RAM and no moving parts, although reviews I've read about the lack of navigation options (i.e. no d-pad) and issues with UIQ3 are giving me cause for doubt too.
So I'd be interested to hear what people think of the two phones or if you know of anything else that fits the bill.
Thanks for reading.
Thanks for the reply, something else to bare in mind!
The phone restarts only after Ad-hoc connection over WLAN and it happens also on v3.0633 firmware. The only thing I've felt like being improved is RAM management. Another bad thing which I hate on E70 is the joystick which is not so precise like at the beginning. My suggestion is to go for the P1i.
ratza wrote:The phone restarts only after Ad-hoc connection over WLAN and it happens also on v3.0633 firmware. The only thing I've felt like being improved is RAM management. Another bad thing which I hate on E70 is the joystick which is not so precise like at the beginning. My suggestion is to go for the P1i.
Funnily enough, it was you (in another E70 thread) who was the one that pointed me at the P1i in the first place 😊
digitalranger wrote:Funnily enough, it was you (in another E70 thread) who was the one that pointed me at the P1i in the first place 😊
Eh? What other thread? Well I guess P1i is the closest to Palm experience (touchscreen). I don't think you need a D-pad in UIQ.
I suppose another question to ask myself:
P1i Vs Treo 680 ?
ratza wrote:The phone restarts only after Ad-hoc connection over WLAN and it happens also on v3.0633 firmware. The only thing I've felt like being improved is RAM management. Another bad thing which I hate on E70 is the joystick which is not so precise like at the beginning. My suggestion is to go for the P1i.
My Joystick has gone all wonkey too, i've taken the phone apart a couple times to see if i could fix it up, it is better for a day or so then goes crappy again 😞