[geeks] a cell phone that doesn't suck

[James Fogg]

> I can *almost* see having a PDA in the phone, except that
> most of the PDA software on phones is crappy, to the point
> where there is almost no point.

All I want from a PDA is email. My tiny Samsung phone with full QWERTY
keyboard and Verizon's software does it easily and for free (or $5 or
$10 month depending on which software you choose). You do hit your plan
minutes though.

> Also, why do they make it so hard to do something as simple
> as load and save phone number lists?

VZ offers this as a free online service, you just use a few minutes of
airtime per month. It backs up every time you add or change an item.

> *ALL* of the crippling of phones and other devices is wrong, period.

The carriers now dictate to the manufacturers what they want. Push for
de-crippling and they'll force the makers to not add features.

> On more peeve before I quit (notices it is 0330): why on
> Earth doesn't every phone out there do the simple act of
> showing you what your time usage is?  Is it really that damned hard?

All mine over the last 10 years have done this. And now VZ has a free,
no air-time number to call and a machine reads you your up-to-the-day
plan usage, even data usage.

> > When you need to be able to call people and hear them and have them
> > hear you, why worry about whether it costs $1.25 to send a
> picture you
> > will never send in the first place? (My logic, at least)

Modern phones use tiny memory cards. The very few pics I take I move to
the memstick and copy to my PC.

I hate to shill for anyone, but I find Verizon kicks so much more ass
than the others. The plans are a bit more expensive, but the network
works and the hardcore features you need are there and served better by
VZ. They even have a service that uses the phone's GPS to provide TomTom
style navication with voice and real-time driving maps. VZ has spent
some time figuring out some nice network-based software features. The
navigator useage isn't free, but if I'm lost I'll gladly pay $3.00 for a
days useage of a pocket navigator.

http://vznavigator.vzw.com