Other Gadgets (general gadgets)

[Alex_de_Large]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
Do you live in a cave? DirecTV invented on-demand pay per view.
Well, OK, I don't know if they actually invented it, but were one of the first pioneers of it. They have some pretty good freeview stuff as well. I think there are about 30 channels of pay-per-view with assorted movies repeated every half to one hour, so if you miss it at 8 you can catch it at 9. Most of the new releases are pay once, watch all day. The DVR function allows you to record it whenever and watch it whenever. Peridically they give you a voucher for a free movie.

Most of the movies are in Dolby Digital. Unfortunately there are only a few HD channels available, but that's going to change later this year (we'll see). And Football. Football in HD is going to rock!

Nice. I think this just about settles it...

[baltassoc]

Sony to launch its new Playstation in March 2005

Article also has a photo of the new handheld Playstation Gameboy fighter.

[bill killer]

Gadget people, I call on you for help.

I am going to have to replace my cellphone, as it has started boycotting some numbers (such as 1) - apparently in protest against having been dropped too many times.

Anyone have one that s/he particularly likes/dislikes? In particular, is it worth spending the extra $$ for a Treo?

I currently have a seriously traumatized Nokia and a Palm Vx, which so far has held up better than the phone (though the touch-screen grows less sensitive by the day). Deadly Viper Assassin life is hard on personal electronics. On a related point, which assassin are you? http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=183 )

Re carriers - I'm on AT&T, but feel zero allegiance to them and have no long-term contract. I used to be on Sprint and consequently loathe them; if their customer service sucks less these days, though, I could be persuaded to give them a second chance.



Thanks in advance.

[pony_trekker]

I have Verizon and it's good. Do you really need a Treo/Palm thingie?

Do not get LG phones unless you really don't need to make or receive calls. I would stic to basic motorola phones.

You can always buy a used phone on Ebay that is compatible with your service and configure it yourself.

[Alex_de_Large]

Originally posted by bill killer
Gadget people, I call on you for help.

I am going to have to replace my cellphone, as it has started boycotting some numbers (such as 1) - apparently in protest against having been dropped too many times.

Anyone have one that s/he particularly likes/dislikes? In particular, is it worth spending the extra $$ for a Treo?

I currently have a seriously traumatized Nokia and a Palm Vx, which so far has held up better than the phone (though the touch-screen grows less sensitive by the day). Deadly Viper Assassin life is hard on personal electronics. On a related point, which assassin are you? http://www.greatestjournal.com/quiz.bml?Q=183 )

Re carriers - I'm on AT&T, but feel zero allegiance to them and have no long-term contract. I used to be on Sprint and consequently loathe them; if their customer service sucks less these days, though, I could be persuaded to give them a second chance.



Thanks in advance.

One more question: where are you? I ask only because it makes a difference with regard to coverage.

[bill killer]

Well, I figured that if I'm looking at replacing both my PDA and my phone, it made sense to consider the Treo. I haven't priced it - does it cost more than buying both separately?

What is an LG phone?

Originally posted by pony_trekker
I have Verizon and it's good. Do you really need a Treo/Palm thingie?

Do not get LG phones unless you really don't need to make or receive calls. I would stic to basic motorola phones.

You can always buy a used phone on Ebay that is compatible with your service and configure it yourself.

[bill killer]

SF Bay Area.

Originally posted by Alex_de_Large
One more question: where are you? I ask only because it makes a difference with regard to coverage.

[NotFromHere]

Originally posted by bill killer
Well, I figured that if I'm looking at replacing both my PDA and my phone, it made sense to consider the Treo. I haven't priced it - does it cost more than buying both separately?

What is an LG phone?

LG is the brand name. Husband bought a Samsung even though the guy at Verizon was seriously sold on the LG. He called me on it and the voice quality is quite bad. Very breathy (you sound like an obscene caller) and you sound like you're in a cave. The Samsung had better voice quality (and a color screen) but the color screen really sucks the juice out of the battery. His standby time is about a day and a half.

I have a Motorola flip (like Tony Soprano used to have) and the voice quality is even better than the Samsung - and I have AT&T. Coverage varies quite a bit depending on your area. Here, Verizon has way better coverage, but in SoCal and Washington the AT&T has way better coverage.

[tmdiva]

Originally posted by bill killer
I currently have a seriously traumatized Nokia and a Palm Vx . . . . I'm on AT&T

Okay, except for the Bay Area thingie, you are my SP. Oh, and I guess my Nokia and Vx are still plugging along okay. But I am seriously considering getting the Treo when it's time for me to upgrade both, probably in 6-12 months. I use my Palm a lot and my phone less, but I like the idea of reducing my gadget quotient.

If you end up getting a non-PDA phone, a friend really really really likes her Samsung camera flip-phone. It seems really solidly made, and the pictures show up beautifully on the color screen.

And for non-phone PDAs, my husband just got a new Palm (not the nicest one, but it has a color screen and some nifty features), and I have serious gadget envy.

tm

[Alex_de_Large]

Originally posted by bill killer
SF Bay Area.

OK, then I recommend Cingular or Verizon. The former uses CDMA (a standard developed by Qualcomm, and used in very few places other than the US) Cingular uses GSM (the cell phone standard in most of the world). Both offer pretty comparable coverage in the Bay Area. I am partial to Cingular's GSM network (I have been a Cingular subscriber here in Philadelphia for several years now) and have used it in the Bay Area on several occasions, without incident, in San Francisco and up into Marin.

If you are a gadget head, I recommend going with Cingular/GSM, as there are much cooler phones and you can change handsets on a whim simply by taking the little chip (called a SIM card) out of one and putting it in the other. Also, GSM phones tend to have better power mananegement, so the batteries tend to last longer when compared to comparable CDMA phones.

If you are going to be traveling to remote and/or rural areas, go with CDMS/Verizon, as their handsets still have analog (a very old technology), which will be the only networks you will find in many rural areas. GSM is in some rural areas (and getting better every day) but rural coverage si still better with an analog-capable phone (there are currently no GSM phones that can transmit on analog).

As far as comparing the various handset manufacturers, I have owned nokia, motorola, and siemens. All have advantages and disadvantages. I have deliberately stayed away from samsung, lg and SonyEricsson, as those manufacturers generally have poor RF (radio frequency) handling (i.e. they have relatively poor reception, when compared to other manufacturers' handsets). In my opinion, Nokia has the best UI and software and the best battery life. Siemens has interesting designs and great features, with middling RF. Motorola phones, in my experience, are bulletproof, and motorola is known in the industry as having the best RF.

The new treo 600 is a great handset, though it is too big for my tastes (I carry my phone in my front pocket). It's got middle-of-the-road RF, but it's got a TON of features (though it lacks bluetooth). If you really want/need a convergence device, it's the best one made to date.

If I were to recommend one handset, I would point you toward to the Motorola v600, which works on Cingular's GSM network. Full disclosure, I use this handset, and I love it. It's small, it's got an excellent color screen and a nice camera; it's got a calendar and address book; and, as a terrific bonus, it has bluetooth. It's also got the best RF of any handset I have ever used. Also, it is a quad band GSM phone, so you can use is in any market, anywhere in the world, where GSM is in use.

Verizon is getting a very similar handset called the v710. I've never used it, but the stats are very similar to the v600.

I know this post is long, but I hope it helps. Feel free to pm me if you have any other questions.

[bill killer]

Originally posted by Alex_de_Large
[Lots of excellent information]

Wow. That is extremely helpful. I will try to digest it and then see what questions I have. Thanks a mil.

[NotFromHere]

Originally posted by Alex_de_Large
Long winded but highly informative post

GSM rollout for AT&T has been painfully slow. Don't know about Cingular - maybe after the merger there will be better coverage. As it stands, GSM coverage is still spotty here, I have not yet made the migration. My buddies in the business are, for the most part, not happy with the speed of the rollout - it is getting better, but is not good. Yet. FYI.

[Alex_de_Large]

Originally posted by NotFromHere
GSM rollout for AT&T has been painfully slow. Don't know about Cingular - maybe after the merger there will be better coverage. As it stands, GSM coverage is still spotty here, I have not yet made the migration. My buddies in the business are, for the most part, not happy with the speed of the rollout - it is getting better, but is not good. Yet. FYI.

ATT stopped all network improvements with the announcement of the merger. Once the merger goes through, I suspect that the resulting coverage will be much better. Cingular will be able to take advantage of the 850 mhz licenses that ATT owns, which will allow for far better building penetration.

In Philadelphia the control channel (where the phone sits on standby) is on 850 mhz, and I have full bars even deep inside the tallest office buildings. It's not bad at all.

[Alex_de_Large]

As an aside, I suggest the HowardForums if you are looking for a great resource for wirless-related topics. They have boards for all of the major handset manufacturers, as well as most of the carriers in North America (some in Europe as well).

[Mmmm, Burger (C.J.)]

Originally posted by Alex_de_Large
ATT stopped all network improvements with the announcement of the merger.

Have they really? Wouldn't the merger agreement contain some "continue/maintain current business" clause (or whatever the corporates call it)? As an antitrust lawyer, I'd be troubled by conduct otherwise.

As for AT&T, I'm on them and reupped (actually moved to the GSM service) in exchange for a new Sony-Ericsson T637. Happy with it so far, but I'm getting used to the interface. My biggest complaint (and it's one others have made about it) is that it seems like all the buttons are rigged to create a connection to mMode, AT&T's data/web plan, which is itself not bad but subjects one to sizable data charges if one isn't careful.

the 637 is a candy-bar style if you prefer that to a flip. That means you sacrifice the "beam me up" capabilities that alex possesses. Alas.