Is that a computer in your pocket? 6 mobile devices tested



Is that a computer in your pocket? 6 mobile devices tested Choosing a portable computing device is getting trickier with the proliferation of PDAs, mobile phones, tablets, notebooks, and more. We take a variety of devices for a spin and weigh up the pros and cons.

  Portable devices
  Main issues

  Fujitsu Stylistic ST5010
  HP iPAQ H5550
  Motorola A925
  Handspring Treo 600
  RIM Blackberry 7730
  Toshiba Portégé R100

 Specifications
 How we tested
 Editor's choice
 About RMIT
Just when mobile phones were getting so ridiculously small that users were in danger of losing them -- even when the appropriate shirt pocket was known, they have suddenly become a little larger again. No, we haven't returned to the brick! This size increase comes from incorporating a PDA in the same housing. So now you only need one electronic gadget instead of two. There is also the additional advantage of being able to disguise the cost of your new PDA. The 3G mobile carrier 3 can offer you a Motorola A925 "free" -- if it comes with a AU$55-per-month plan over 24 months.

Yes, it's time to look at mobile devices again. PDA phones and slim-line notebooks are on the menu this month.

PDA Phones
So which PDA/phone is the best? If you ask David Berlind from ZDNet US, he will tell you it's the one attached to the right network. Make sure your carrier has got you covered wherever you roam. Indeed, even if you don't roam, as such, if your workplace is away from the big city lights, certain networks will be of no use to you. Obviously, the greatest device in the world looks pretty hopeless when it drops out at a critical time. On the other hand, if you are used to a Wireless LAN or WAN device, then any standard mobile network is going to seem good in terms of coverage.

Getting back to the machine itself, some have a QWERTY keyboard and others use up part of the touch-screen with a virtual keyboard -- you have to consider what is most practical for you and your staff. Are 3375 colours enough, or do you really need 65,536? Is your IT department more comfortable with a particular operating system?

If your company needs a fleet of PDA phones, standardise! Your IT people won't thank you if they have deal with the idiosyncrasies and security risks inherent in a heterogeneous collection of new devices.

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Talkback 6 comments

    One of the main problems I see ...Anonymous -- 31/10/04

    One of the main problems I see with all the phone/pda's is that they seem to forget about phone functionality and concentrate on the PDA side of things. For example handsfree dialling/answering. Most of the end user I talk to want the phone features first and the PDA features second.

    In your review of the Treo 600 ...Anonymous -- 30/12/04

    In your review of the Treo 600, you were concerned about the possibility of hitting two keys at once. Well, I've worked with the Treo software engineers in California (in partnership with my company, Openwave systems), and they have sophisticated algorithms to account for the multi-key-hit problem. In other words, your reviewer hasn't used the unit for any actual work to give it a decent review.

    The design spec was to make it as small as possible with a full keyboard so as to not frighten people who weren't familiar with Graffiti or other handwriting-recognition programs. Well, IMHO they succeeded admirably.

    The price for this notebook is ...Anonymous -- 02/01/05

    The price for this notebook is Aud$$3,960.00......... on the toshiba website..

    The a925 and a920 (same intern ...Anonymous -- 02/02/05

    The a925 and a920 (same internals, different firmware) have the GPS enabled. The (A) in AGPS needs info from the operator (an AGPS server that kickstarts the positioning with additional data), and does not work without the operator enabling it. But the GPS should work anytime, anywhere. Except for the fact that this unit needs up to 5 min to get the initial fix. See www.nhgps.com or http://per.nitro.dk/ for programs that use the GPS units of motorola phones.

    Where in Australia is the Tosh ...Anonymous -- 11/06/05

    Where in Australia is the Toshiba R100 selling for $1999?

    The Trackwheel IS an Enter Key Dummy! Anonymous -- 26/12/07

    Whoever wrote this review is clueless about how to use a Blackberry - didn't even bother to read the manual. The trackwheel is the enter key. All you do is use the trackwheel to navigate to what you want to click, then press the trackwheel in to "enter" !

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