E-Mail and Messaging
Photograph: Rick RiznerE-mail and instant messaging have changed the way many people use their phones. If your job requires you to be constantly connected, a PDA phone with a full keyboard and e-mail and IM software is a must. The best tools for these uses: Palm's Treo handhelds and Research In Motion's BlackBerry devices.
Photograph: Rick RiznerAmong Treos, your choices include the Windows Mobile-based 700w ($500 from Verizon Wireless) and the chart-topping 650 (we tested Sprint's $500 unit). As both phones and PDAs, Treos work very well. Palm deftly integrates its call-management software, on-screen dialpad, and numeric keypad, which makes sending and receiving calls a snap. The 700w and the 650 also provide easy-to-use keyboard and control buttons, a good-size screen, and support for Microsoft Exchange, IMAP, and POP3 e-mail protocols.
Though the Treos do well with e-mail, BlackBerry units do even better. We tested Cingular's $350 8700c (number four on our PDA hybrid chart) and Verizon Wireless's $350 7130e (which failed to make our print standard-phones chart). Both carry a large screen that makes reading messages easy on the eyes, and both offer the "push e-mail" service--forwarding messages to your handheld--that BlackBerry devices are known for. They aggregate up to ten e-mail accounts and are compatible with IMAP, Lotus Notes, Microsoft Exchange, and POP3. Typing messages on the 8700c is quicker and easier than it is on the 7130e because of the 8700c's QWERTY keyboard. The 7130e supports RIM's SureType word-recognition technology, which suggests words based on the letters you type, possibly saving you from having to type the entire word. As phones, however, the wide BlackBerry devices can be a bit uncomfortable to hold.
Another option is a device that runs on either the Danger or the Symbian platform. Danger's operating system is available only on T-Mobile's $350 Sidekick II, which failed to make our PDA hybrid chart. The Sidekick is fun to use, especially for instant messaging, but too few programs are available for it.
For an alternative OS with a better selection of apps, consider a Symbian-based device such as our number five PDA hybrid phone, the Nokia 9300 ($299 from Cingular). Closed, it looks like a thick, candy-bar-style unit. It opens horizontally like a laptop; inside are a screen and a slippery QWERTY keyboard. The five-point joystick is convenient for navigating menus and programs, and you get some useful apps, including a spreadsheet, a word processor, and a presentation tool.
Photograph: Rick RiznerA pricey PDA hybrid phone is not your only option for a messaging device. LG's F9200 ($150 from Cingular) lets you send and receive e-mail via AOL, Hotmail, and Yahoo accounts, and send instant messages via AIM, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, or Cingular Wireless. The candy-bar-style model didn't make our print standard-phones chart, but many users will appreciate its QWERTY keyboard, which they can slide underneath the handset.
Ad Choices