iPhone/Smartphone stuff

Warren Luebkeman warren at resara.com
Mon Aug 4 16:42:13 EDT 2008


The requirements are really just a cool phone, with lots of features (Email, GPS, SSH, VNC/rdp client, etc) and good Internet browsing.  We were looking at some Windows Mobile based phones (Sprint Mogul, AT&T Tilt, etc) but Windows mobile seems pretty cloodgy, like 3.1 for your phone.  From what I have heard about the Blackberry, its Internet browser is not so great.

I guess I would like to know what people think is the best "IT" guys phone, vs. flashy consumer product.  Also, texting is a concern for me.  Do any iPhone users have any problems with the onscreen keyboard?

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ben Scott" <dragonhawk at gmail.com>
To: "Greater NH Linux User Group" <gnhlug-discuss at mail.gnhlug.org>
Sent: Monday, August 4, 2008 3:09:44 PM (GMT-0500) America/New_York
Subject: Re: iPhone/Smartphone stuff

On Mon, Aug 4, 2008 at 12:32 PM, Warren Luebkeman <warren at resara.com> wrote:
> I am also curious to know if you have any recommendations
> on other smartphones worth considering, and why.

  What are your requirements?  Just a phone that plays MP3's?  Casual
web browsing?  Wireless sync of mail, contacts, and calendar to MSFT
Exchange, plus compatibility with existing business applications?
Something else?  The answer will be hugely different depending on what
you need.

> What do people think about their cell phone coverage area?

  Mobile phone coverage is a hugely personal thing.  I can't emphasize
this enough.  Your neighbor may have great coverage while you have
nothing.  Or vice versa.  And nobody really cares what their neighbor
has for coverage; all anyone cares about is if they have coverage.

  What I recommend doing is obtaining a phone for testing.  Bring it
to all the areas you usually frequently.  If you've got coverage
there, you'll be happy most of the time.  You can still factor in
overall coverage reports to your decision, but the biggest factor
should be coverage where you routinely are.

  And ignore carrier coverage maps; they routinely lie.

>  We have Sprint now and it seems to be alright, but AT&T
> seems to have better coverage, as well as Verizon, especially
> for roaming.

  Avoid anything Nextel (iDEN) like the plague.  It's a dead-end
technology.  Sprint is the only US iDEN carrier, and they're trying to
get rid of it.

  Both Sprint and VZW are CDMA networks.  In theory, their phones
should be compatible with each other's towers.  In practice, they
don't always have roaming agreements everywhere.

  VZW prolly has the best coverage inside North America.  Leave the
continent and you're in rough shape.

  AT&T is a GSM carrier.  Outside of the US, it's basically GSM
everywhere (with a few notable exceptions (such as Japan, where they
have their own standard incompatible with everybody)).  So if world
travel is something you do a lot of, AT&T is probably the best choice.

  As Bill McGonigle can attest, get far enough away from major
population centers, and you'll have crap for coverage no matter who
you have.  Most carriers regard the northern half of NH as a foreign
country.  Actually, worse; if it was another country, GSM would
probably work.  I hear Iridium is still in operation.... ;-)

-- Ben
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-- 
Warren Luebkeman
Founder, COO
Resara LLC
888.357.9195
www.resara.com



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