Mobile Computing: Smart Phones and Hybrids

By James A. Martin, PCWorld Oct 21, 2004 1:00 AM

Getting Smart About Smart Phones

When it comes to smart phones, it's easy to feel, well, dumb. Most models come crammed with so many features and options, you need a 100-page manual to figure them out. Come to think of it, my Sony Ericsson T616 smart phone, with voice, data, and digital camera features, does indeed come with a 100-page manual.

This week I'll help you get smart about smart phones as well as PDA/mobile phone devices, typically called "combination" or "hybrid" devices. And I'll explain some commonly used acronyms you'll likely encounter when shopping for a data-capable phone, so you can find the device that's right for you.

Smart Phones vs. Hybrids

As I mentioned, there are two categories of mobile phones that handle voice calls as well as e-mail, Internet browsing, and more: smart phones and hybrids.

Smart phones are mobile phones that include applications for checking and receiving e-mail, text messages, and multimedia messaging. Often, smart phones also include a built-in digital camera; phone book and calendar applications that can synchronize with Microsoft Outlook on your PC; the ability to download ring tones, games, themes, and images; and so on.

Unlike hybrids, smart phones typically look and feel like mobile phones, because that's their primary function. As a result, they're easier to use as phones than most hybrids. And because they're often smaller, they're much more portable.

The downside is that they may not sync as well as a hybrid device does. For example, only the phone numbers, and not the addresses, in my Microsoft Outlook contacts transferred to my Sony Ericsson T616's Phone book application. A few phones based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Smartphone operating system supposedly sync much better with Outlook, however.

Though there are lots of smart phones to choose from, I've been partial to the T616 and its more recent sibling, the Sony Ericsson T637 (both available from AT&T Wireless and Cingular). Both are good-looking, candy-bar style phones with lots of features. Ultimately, though, I chose the older T616 over the T637 simply because I felt the older model's keypad buttons were easier to use. Check out both phones, and others, at Phone Scoop, a handy Web site for getting the 411 on mobile phones.

By comparison, a hybrid is a PDA that also offers mobile phone services and other features, like a digital camera. Generally speaking, they're larger than smart phones; and some critics complain they aren't as easy to use. The big advantage is that all your PDA contact data is stored on your phone for easy access. In essence, you have everything in one device.

One of the more popular hybrids is PalmOne's Treo 600, a Palm OS 5-based PDA/cell phone/digital camera combo. The Treo 600 is available from AT&T Wireless, Cingular, T-Mobile, and Sprint. It's earned high marks for its good battery life, attractive design, and many extras.

The bottom line: If you live and die by your PDA and you need a cell phone only on occasion, go with a hybrid. But if you talk on the cell phone a lot and don't mind carrying your PDA around at times, a smart phone is probably a better bet.

What the Heck is GSM/GPRS?

Once you've decided on the style of phone, be prepared to face some scary acronyms when you go shopping. To make an informed decision, you'll need to know what they mean. Here are some of the more common ones that have to do with the various digital cell phone network technologies.

CDMA: Code-Division Multiple Access systems have been in operation since 1995. CDMA is the most popular cell phone technology in the U.S., primarily offered by Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless. The CDMA technology competes with GSM networks.

CDMA is a 2G (second generation) network technology. The first generation of cell phones were analog; the first digital cellular networks are referred to as 2G. Many digital cell phones today operate on 2G networks.[QUERY: So should we refer to CDMA phones as "mobile" or "cell"? Are these 2G networks cellular? -ksk]

CDMA2000: The 3G (third generation) evolution of the CDMA technology promises data throughput speeds as fast as a DSL or cable modem. CDMA2000 is being rolled out in incremental phases: 1xRTT, a 2.5G network technology, is offered by Sprint PCS as "PCS Vision" and Verizon as "Express Network"; 1xEV-DO is a 3G technology that Verizon is testing in some cities.

GSM: The Global System for Mobile Communications has long been the mobile phone standard in Europe and many other world regions. It's just beginning to get a foothold in the United States. AT&T Wireless, T-Mobile, and Cingular are in the process of converting their various digital networks to GSM. [Note: We recently learned that T-Mobile has been operating a GSM network since the company began. --Editor]

GSM phones store your account information, services, and other data on small plastic Subscriber Identity Module cards. A SIM card encrypts voice and data transmissions for extra security, can store phone book information, and can be removed from one GSM phone and placed in another, allowing the new phone to operate immediately using the subscriber's phone number and other data.

GPRS: General Packet Radio Service is a faster version of GSM, operating at speeds not unlike a home dial-up modem. GPRS is a 2.5G network technology, and many phones that use this technology, such as the Sony Ericsson T616 and T637, are referred to as GSM/GPRS phones.

TDMA: Time-Division Multiple Access has been around for years. Carriers such as AT&T Wireless are slowly phasing these networks out in favor of GSM or other digital network technologies. Why? Because GSM networks can support far more revenue-generating services such as multimedia messaging than standard TDMA networks. And wireless carriers are hungrily looking for additional streams of revenue.

The bottom line is that while it's good to know these acronyms, don't get too hung up on them. My advice is to figure out which style of phone you need (smart phone or hybrid), which carrier offering your desired phone has the best service and plans in your area, and then take the plunge.