PDA phone compatible gps/wx/etc RFI

etsisk

etsisk

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We're in the process of changing cell phone companies, and I'll be switching to a PDA-type phone. So, of course, I'm wondering about some of the PDA compatible/cell phone compatible weather/gps/efis goodies out there.

I have NO idea. :dunno:

Is there any place that has a list of what's out there? Preferably with reviews? Does anyone have any experience with these things that you'd care to share?

I'm mostly trying to decide between the Treo type phones and the Motorola Q.

HELP!!!!! :)
 
The Q is a Blackberry. If you're used to working without a touchscreen, go for it. If you want a touchscreen, the Treo is what you're looking for. The 700w has a lower res screen than the 700p, but it's difficult to find an aviation gps outfit for Palm OS.

The phones will only get better though.
 
Rich, I'm switching to Verizon, which is supposed to have a better aircard/broadband coverage for my laptop (I'm tired of being tethered to coffeeshops (which, I admit, is not the worst problem to have!).

I'm mostly interested, aviation wise, in weather and gps (um, duh - don't know what else it even out there).

I'm also wanting regular PDA functions - calendar, address book, email, etc, with a bit of webbrowsing.
 
TOm,

Beware on Verizon. They advertise "unlimited data", but in actuality if you use more than 3 GB per month the automatically assume you're doing "prohibited" things with it (like VoIP, streaming, video files, etc) and they terminate your account. The cancellation has been done to a number of people, including some heavy email users.
 
wsuffa said:
TOm, Beware on Verizon. They advertise "unlimited data", but in actuality if you use more than 3 GB per month the automatically assume you're doing "prohibited" things with it (like VoIP, streaming, video files, etc) and they terminate your account. The cancellation has been done to a number of people, including some heavy email users.
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Bill, Thanks for the warning - I had not heard anything about any of that. I don't think it will be a problem for me, but I really don't have a good handle on what that size of usage actually means in real-world terms, so I could be wrong. I don't get hundreds of emails a day (I'm happy to say) and a fair amount of it would be done here at home, anyway. But I'll explore that concern with them, though.

Thanks.
 
etsisk said:
Rich, I'm switching to Verizon, which is supposed to have a better aircard/broadband coverage for my laptop (I'm tired of being tethered to coffeeshops (which, I admit, is not the worst problem to have!).
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So are you going to get a PCMCIA aircard separately for your laptop? If not, you'd want to look for a device that can "tether" to your laptop, either through Bluetooth or a USB cable.

I'm mostly interested, aviation wise, in weather and gps (um, duh - don't know what else it even out there).
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I'm not sure of the state of aviation programs for Windows Mobile, but there's lots of it for the Palm. For weather, you could probably access sites like ADDS with the built-in Web browsers in either Windows or Palm phones. For GPS, you could get a Bluetooth GPS module, which I have seen working on Palms.

I'm also wanting regular PDA functions - calendar, address book, email, etc, with a bit of webbrowsing.
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Your big choice will be if you like Mobile Windows or Palm. Tends to be a religious thing. :) The 700p has gotten very good reviews. Palm's website says it runs v5.4.9 of the Palm OS, which is the latest.


-Rich
 
Stay away from verizon, their broadband isnt a whit better than tmobile or cingular, i just dropped them because of the constant battle over billing problems and trying to get credits from them.

They charge me for data downloads in june and july, totalling almost 100 dollars, wouldnt remove when I complained, when I refused to pay them allthought I paid the rest of the bill for those months, they cut me off, would only reconnect after I paid the disputed charges, then also wanted to charge for reconnect, I told them to put their service or lack or service where the sun didnt shine. then they called and threatened to sue me for the unpaid charges and the deficiency on my contract. I switched to Tmobile end of july, actually better coverage, fewer dropped calls, and better internet service, for just a little more than half of what I was paying Verizon.

I have found the WingX software from www.hiltonsoftware.com to be about the best, does it all, works great with my GPS addon
 
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Tom ,i dont know about GPS functions but I'm with Verizon and have the VX6700 phone, it runs on Microsoft Mobile and has a nice screen (could be bigger ) and a Qwerty keyboard. i like mine ,i check Wx at USairnet with it every time i fly(nice to have when you get ready to come Home).
Dave G.
 
You don't even need a fancy-pants PDA phone for weather. Many phones that can run Java apps (most of 'em these days I'd think) can run Pilot My-Cast for weather. That works way better than trying to do things designed for a big screen on your cell phone's nano-screen.
 
wsuffa said:
TOm,

Beware on Verizon. They advertise "unlimited data", but in actuality if you use more than 3 GB per month the automatically assume you're doing "prohibited" things with it (like VoIP, streaming, video files, etc) and they terminate your account. The cancellation has been done to a number of people, including some heavy email users.
Click to expand...

I haven't had any problems with Verizon. I'm a pretty heavy user myself and run under 200 MB a month. Someone turning 3GB would have to use 5.5 MB/hr 18 hrs a day, 30 days a month. Using a Treo for that kind of constant work would drain the battery, and be hard pressed to do since most PDAs do one task at a time. Now what DOES start using bandwidth is tethering (since you're simply using the phone as a modem, and your windows machine can throw whatever data it wants out there...), and it's expressly verboten in your PDA Unlimited Data plan, unless you pay the 15$/mo extra for the privilege. If they notice large amounts of transfer and no tethering add-on, they'll poke their head out and tell you to get the tethering or be disconnected. It is all in the contract, and the other companies are doing the same thing. Verizon charges 45/mo (or 40, depending if you bundle) for the data plan, and 15 for tethering. Sprint is the other way around, 15 for the Vision Unlimited and 40 or 45 for tethering.

In any case, if you're not going to be using your phone for constant massive downloads, I wouldn't worry about Verizon cutting you off. I stream audio through mine and even tether (Shh..), and I never get near 3GB at the end of the month.
 
wbarnhill said:
I haven't had any problems with Verizon. I'm a pretty heavy user myself and run under 200 MB a month. Someone turning 3GB would have to use 5.5 MB/hr 18 hrs a day, 30 days a month. Using a Treo for that kind of constant work would drain the battery, and be hard pressed to do since most PDAs do one task at a time. Now what DOES start using bandwidth is tethering (since you're simply using the phone as a modem, and your windows machine can throw whatever data it wants out there...), and it's expressly verboten in your PDA Unlimited Data plan, unless you pay the 15$/mo extra for the privilege. If they notice large amounts of transfer and no tethering add-on, they'll poke their head out and tell you to get the tethering or be disconnected. It is all in the contract, and the other companies are doing the same thing. Verizon charges 45/mo (or 40, depending if you bundle) for the data plan, and 15 for tethering. Sprint is the other way around, 15 for the Vision Unlimited and 40 or 45 for tethering.

In any case, if you're not going to be using your phone for constant massive downloads, I wouldn't worry about Verizon cutting you off. I stream audio through mine and even tether (Shh..), and I never get near 3GB at the end of the month.
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o I ran a two-day experiment. I installed a bandwidth monitor (it is in this week's links) on my Windows notebook and forced myself to use that machine exclusively for two days. The monitor reports bandwidth usage on a per-day basis, so I divided five gigabytes by 30 days and came up with a target of 166 megabytes per day. And my two-day average was... 187 megabytes.

I told you I get a lot of e-mail.

So if I were to use my "unlimited" Verizon account for more than the few days per month I presently do, the company would no doubt cancel my account.
http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20060928.html
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I desperately want to dump my Cingular HTC 8125. The EDGE data access is erratic. I'm convinced they throttle the connection after the first minute you that dare to actually send and recieve data. Mainly I HATE trying to use THE PHONE AS A PHONE. Although I'm sure it's fine for those citizens of the planet with 15/20 vision and four arms. Mine has been making random calls letting people I talked with listen in a my conversations while I burn up minutes. It does have a keyboard lock which you can select if if you have the three of aforementioned arms.

Apparently all the others suck just as much. That's really sad.

I'm at the point where I'd I'd willingly pay $600 for a phone/PDA and data plan that worked and had a usable UI. I guess I have nowhere to spend my money.
 
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I installed a bandwidth monitor (it is in this week's links) on my Windows notebook and forced myself to use that machine exclusively for two days.
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There's the issue. Of course the notebook will use the entire bandwidth available to it, due to the ability to multitask mainly. The phone essentially becomes a modem, which is what the tethering charge is for. If you pay the tethering charge and Verizon still cuts you off, then the complaint could be valid. If you're bypassing what they tell you your limits are in the contract, you can't complain that they're being "unfair". You agreed to it.

If you use it that much, the 15$ extra can't be that bad for a cellular modem which you can get pretty darn good speeds on in urban areas.

Edit: It sounds like he was using a PCMCIA card instead of his phone for his connection. I will agree that in that case you can probably go over the 5 gigs if you use it as your primary source of internet access. For a phone user, I just don't see it happening.
 
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wbarnhill said:
There's the issue. Of course the notebook will use the entire bandwidth available to it, due to the ability to multitask mainly. The phone essentially becomes a modem, which is what the tethering charge is for. If you pay the tethering charge and Verizon still cuts you off, then the complaint could be valid. If you're bypassing what they tell you your limits are in the contract, you can't complain that they're being "unfair". You agreed to it.

If you use it that much, the 15$ extra can't be that bad for a cellular modem which you can get pretty darn good speeds on in urban areas.

Edit: It sounds like he was using a PCMCIA card instead of his phone for his connection. I will agree that in that case you can probably go over the 5 gigs if you use it as your primary source of internet access. For a phone user, I just don't see it happening.
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Please note that Verizon's policy applies to any of their rates labeled "unlimited use", regardless of whether you have tethering or a PCMCIA card. Uploading and downloading of files are expressly prohibited, as is VoIP.
 
My comments are based on coverage only-
Driving from NJ to NE- I always had a signal on the Verizon phone, even in rural areas. Company got me a Cingular based blackberry- I loose signal outside of Lincoln, NE and marginal signal in South NJ. I've heard similar comments from the sales reps.
 
Ok, so the question is, windows mobile, palm or pocket pc?

I seem to be hearing that the Palm software isn't going to support much in the way of external programs (aviation or otherwise, but mostly aviation) or gps stuff. What about the other two? (pocketpc v. windows mobile)

Damn, getting a phone used to be so much easier. Heck, you wanted to be cutting edge, you got a princess phone. :rolleyes:
 
Cap'n Jack said:
My comments are based on coverage only-
Driving from NJ to NE- I always had a signal on the Verizon phone, even in rural areas. Company got me a Cingular based blackberry- I loose signal outside of Lincoln, NE and marginal signal in South NJ. I've heard similar comments from the sales reps.
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Try to hold a call between NJ and NE on the Verizon. You'll do just as well with Cingular.

The problem is that Verizon was made up of at least four different companies, some of which themselves were made up of several others. They haven't ever bothered to integrate the networks completely, so they won't hand off. Your phone will show signal the whole time but you'll drop a lot of calls.

I was with Verizon for 8 years (back into the PrimeCo days) and I've been on Cingular since February. I find that the coverage is comparable between the two. Verizon has a few more rural spots covered but also drops more calls. (FWIW, I've also had Sprint and Nextel at various times.)

One of the biggest differences I see is in Montana. Verizon will show signal on the phone but you'll be unable to make or hold a call starting from about 15 minutes west of Billings until you get to the Belgrade/Bozeman area, and then again after Missoula heading west. Cingular keeps actual usable signal until past Missoula, then it cuts out completely. Remember that just because there are bars on the phone does not mean it's a useable signal. (Just ask any Sprint customer. :D)

With the extent of my ground travels, I have probably tested the networks better than anyone here. :yes:
 
mikea said:
I desperately want to dump my Cingular HTC 8125. The EDGE data access is erratic. I'm convinced they throttle the connection after the first minute you that dare to actually send and recieve data.
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Mike,

I have no problems at all using EDGE through my Sony Ericsson W600i. In the Chicago area I can get good speed, generally around 300kbps sustained. I think it's your phone that's causing the problem. Not that that will be a surprise to you. :dunno:
 
wbarnhill said:
Verizon charges 45/mo (or 40, depending if you bundle) for the data plan, and 15 for tethering.
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Holy cow. I pay $20/mo for unlimited data and tethering with Cingular.

I used to love Verizon, they have excellent customer service (well, by today's standards anyway) but they kept putting more and more restrictions in and trying to milk their loyal customers for every last dollar they could. I got fed up and left after they refused to change their ridiculous Bluetooth policy and decided that I could no longer change rate plans at will without extending my contract by a year. Looks like they haven't improved. :no:
 
I have Verizon for one, and only one, reason: They (and Sprint) are the only ones that provide analog service in non-digital areas. Sprint wanted a two year contract to go with their lousy customer service - so Verizon it was. You'd be surprised at how many rural airports have nothing but analog service available.

T-Mobile has about the most flexible terms, and it works in Europe, to boot. But it also has the smallest coverage of any of the US providers.

As for Verizon and its territories, a large part of that is legacy from the evolution of cellular. In the earlier cellular days, many of the rural cell areas were covered either by small companies that contracted their services over to the large network players, or by partnerships between small companies and the large players. This was the sole result of the FCC's preference program that gave lottery preferences to small and "underprivileged" groups. There were some additional technical limitations that came with those rules.

While the new/PCS/digital rules are different, some of the old contracts are still in place. The old Bell Atlantic and NyNex groups had a fair number of those "partnerships" in the northeast.
 
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