Danger's Hiptop handheld still on hold until at least September, according to CNET's "Industry Sources." Also in September, NTT DoCoMo will start selling a Pocket PC device, supposedly with 64MB RAM and a CF II socket.

4:53:45 PM | Comments:

infoSync: Two-piece 3G from NTT DoCoMo

The FOMA SH2101V is comprised of a [Clamshell PDA] base unit with a built-in camera that enables packet data transfer and 64 Kbps real-time videoconferencing - and a Bluetooth handset, used for voice communication. The handset can also be used, via the PDA, as a simple voice phone or for checking e-mail (even when the PDA is folded away), or as a remote control when playing downloaded music on the PDA.

This is an interesting take on the "convergence device", available now for under $400.

11:14:15 AM | Comments:

More MDA Reviews

SJMerc's Jon Fortt: Hybrid of handheld and cell phone needs work

Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good. One of the most glaring problems has to do with making or receiving phone calls. There are three ways to do this: hold it up to your ear, use the supplied headset, or use speakerphone. Holding it up feels awkward. The supplied headset didn't fit me well, and the device wouldn't work with other headsets. The speakerphone feature, while useful, is not intuitive, and it doesn't help for private conversations.

CNET's Joni Blecher: T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition

A built-in lithium-polymer battery powers the Phone Edition. In our tests, we managed about 30 minutes short of its rated 4 hours of talk time and met only about one-third of the promised 100 hours of standby time.

WSJ's Walter Mossberg: First-Edition Pocket PC Phone Has Flaws in Both Functions

Serious e-mail users will grow tired quickly of pecking out messages using the onscreen keyboard, or of trying to compose them using handwriting recognition. And amazingly, unlike the Treo, this device ships without any way to automatically download Internet e-mail at regular intervals. [...] The T-Mobile Pocket PC is much larger and heavier than the Treo, but its phone battery life, while better than Treo's, is just fair at four hours of talk time.

ZDNet's Josh Taylor: Microsoft Pocket PC Phone: Real close, but no cigar

I got so spoiled having those PDA functions on my phone that I started trying to take notes while I was yakking and driving--clearly not a great idea. (I do hope my car insurance company isn't reading this.)

ZDNet's David Coursey: MS Pocket PC Phone: Personal tech gets too personal

The problem with T-Mobile's new Pocket PC Phone Edition device is it's too easy to smudge makeup onto the screen while holding the phone to your ear. That, according to a woman friend who also finds the telephone a bit wide for her delicate hands. Or maybe the problem is that the supplied earbud/microphone is too big--that's what my colleague Josh Taylor thinks, anyway. Or maybe it's the semi-cheesy leather-like case that comes with it--even the Microsoft product manager responsible for the software doesn't use it.

10:29:41 AM | Comments:

ZDNet: VoiceStream debuts dud of a phone based on Microsoft's OS

David Berlind bashes the MDA in detail, closing with:

If you're in the market for a converged device, I wish I could recommend PocketPC Phone Edition, but I can't. The Microsoft/VoiceStream offering is not ready for prime time. While the software problems can easily be overcome through updates, the device's industrial design--especially the inflexibility of the batteries, the lack of built-in Bluetooth, and the inability shut it off--are reasons enough to hold off on this purchase. This product category is at the beginning of its lifecycle. In the next six to twelve months, we will see more capable PocketPC-based phones show up on the market that will bring this type of converged device into the mainstream.

12:53:16 AM | Comments: