Considering that my current mobile phone simply isn’t going to work (see “I hate Windows Mobile“), I’m exploring other options, but there aren’t too many that appeal to me.
First, there’s the Nokia E61i. Though I haven’t actually touched one and I don’t know anyone who owns one, on paper, this seems like the best option. It is also the most expensive and, almost the most uncertain. It’s a Series 60 3rd Edition phone running Symbian OS. If it’s a 3 revisions and 5 years newer version of the original Series 60 phone that I used I’ll be quite happy becaus I really liked that phone. It supports an external memory card, has a 1.3MP camera, and a native IMAP_IDLE client. It comes loaded with lots of software and, while stuck at EDGE speeds, also has WIFI and a VOIP client built in. It’s feature rich, has a ton of software built in, is easily extendable, and has lots of available 3rd party apps. The problem is, this phone isn’t actively being sold by any U.S. carriers. So I have to pay $409 for an unlocked version.
Another option is the BlackBerry Pearl. This is the cheapest option and also the one I am most certain about since so many people have this phone these days. This is available to me through T-Mobile for $149. It doesn’t have an external memory card, cannot tether to a laptop for data access, has no WIFI access, or a VOIP client. It does have Push email, but only it’s own standard and doesn’t support IMAP_IDLE. Therefore, my best option would be to forward email to the BlackBerry email address that comes with it, which would cause me to lose the ability to delete email on the server and such. All in all, I lose a lot of auxiliary features that I’m used to today with this phone, but I do get the core messaging features that I’m seeking for a much lower price.
There’s also the Sidekick 3 available for $200. I don’t know a lot about this phone except that the interface is proprietary and it’s not really made to be a PDA. However, it does have a camera, an external memory card, and, I believe, can be teathered to a laptop. I’m unsure, however, of the Push Email features it posses, if any.
Finally, I could always just wait for the GPhone, which, if market analysts and geeky hopefuls are right, should be out real soon now. But, I have no idea what the device will do or if it’ll even have close to the wireless connectivity I’d hope for. It is a fun option to consider though.
Discuss!