From a Zire to a Treo?

[stevewed]

I'm considering moving from a Zire 72S to a Treo because I would like to have the PDA/Phone in one. I'm worried about a number of things, esp. screen size. I watch movies and shows on the Zire and read many books and PDFed pages (hooray for RepliGo) and am worried screen size will be a problem. All the Treos that I have seen seem to have much smaller screens. I've thought of getting a TX because I'd like to have a bigger screen and the WiFi/Bluetooth sounds as if I'd have much use browsing around and emailing and whatnot. So, do I keep the Zire and the cell phone, get a Treo, or keep the cell phone and get a TX? Anyone here toying with making a switch? Thanks

[maceyr]

If you want a bigger screen go for the TX with cell. Although I own a Treo 650 and love it, there are times when the resets make me wished that it didn't have a phone and then I normally put the SIM in my backup cell.

You may save some money doing the two device thing. Depends on you though.

[larrysfernandez]

You seem to intend to use the PDA for "viewing intensive" applications, e.g., ebook/PDF reading, movies, etc. In that case, I'd agree with maceyr: get a T|X instead of a Treo. As a bonus, you'll get wi-fi :)

[stevewed]

Thank for the TX thoughts. I have been thinking about that since I posted.

Having looked at the TX online and read many reviews, I think that might be the one for me. An extra bit of depth on the ebooks and watching movies on a sideways-widescreen seem like really nice options.

Now I will have to get a cell phone that works with BT, I suppose, if I go this route.

I have an LG VX4500 which is no help whatsoever. My "New Every Two" with Verizon kicks in this January, so I guess I have a few months to find the right phone and not get stuck with a BT-less phone again.

Since I've never had the BT-able phone to offer the PDA/Cell Phone connectivity, is there something I should look for or just get a BT phone and go from there? Syncing up contacts is one thing, but I understand that a TX with a BlueTooth-able phone will allow me to run Blazer and e-mail as well? If that's the case, then I guess the move to the TX does make the most sense. I guess many people already do this?

[Dick Tracy]

Verizon restricts BT to voice functionality and offers tethering via a cable for an additional monthly fee. Recommend thorough internet search on this topic to determine what workarounds some have found as I haven't kept on top of this in the past couple of months.

[maceyr]

Also check whether the phone is supported with the phonelink drivers (http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/phonelink.html) or Mobile High Speed (http://www.novamedia.de/e_pages/e_produkte_palm_mhs.html).

Hmm. Looks like there aren't any drivers for the TX. That's not good.

[stevewed]

Well, I could go TX but I would need a different cell phone and carrier to take advantage of the BT-surfability of the TX? (Also, gotta admit that the small memory on the Zire would be nice to swap for the TX's 120ish mb memory.)

[Ezikial Anta]

"Verizon restricts BT to voice functionality and offers tethering via a cable for an additional monthly fee. Recommend thorough internet search on this topic to determine what workarounds some have found as I haven't kept on top of this in the past couple of months."


Why would he waste his time doing this is he has the free WiFi and bigger screen on the TX?

I don't get why you would want to run blazer on the TX using the phones bluetooth when there are thousands, possibly even millions of WiFi spots that you could use that would be faster, and not to mention the larger touchscreen? I know the "Stuck in a jam" type deal, but, why wouldnt you just use the built in phones browser if you were really that stuck instead of trying to tether them together to use all the time, it makes no sense to me.

[mrp123]

there are thousands, possibly even millions of WiFi spots that you could use

Please tell us where and what one needs to do to access them.

[Ezikial Anta]

Where? Well, I live near a few large cities, New Haven, Hartford, Boston, New York, and there are thousands, probably even millions of connections all over the city. All you really need is WiFi to access it... some places need a WEP key, or WPA, some like starbucks might make you pay, but you can find free access...