I returned my Cingular 8125. The intermittently sticking camera button rendered the device unusable. I was thrilled with it, and I really wanted the 8125 to work so I could use it. The company that I bought it from through an Ebay auction, Dyscern, has a return policy so I mailed the 8125 back yesterday. I also sent my old hx4705 to PDASmart.com to see if they can diagnose and repair it.
Having had my taste of a Pocket PC phone, however, I'm hungry for more. However, as I survey the field, I'm having a hard time making up my mind. I talked my dad into the 8125 as a graduation present, even though I haven't completed my degree yet, I have three more weeks of one class and one DANTES exam left. I asked my dad what sort of limit I should adhere to and the figure he gave me should be enough to get a new model rather than a $219 "Buy it now" deal on Ebay. However; I'm having a hard time deciding if I should look for a Pocket PC phone, wait to see if my hx4705 can be fixed, or just wait until next year and see what comes out. I saw a post on Pocket PC Thoughts stating that SonyEricsson apparently contracted HTC to make hardware for a Windows Mobile phone. I haven't used any of SE's smartphones, but the two SE phones I've had did impress me so if SE could combine the best part of their phones with Windows Mobile, I could see waiting until next year.
I have many conflicting preferences and the pool of available devices does not match them. My hx4705 had a 4" 640x480 VGA screen, and frankly the smaller 2.8" 320x240 screen on most Pocket PC phones is hard to adjust to. The slide-out hardware keyboard is nice. I like a lot of the utilities and customizations that HP adds to their iPaq line and HTC did not include similar features in the 8125. However, HP does not have slide-out hardware keyboards in their Pocket PC phones. They have the thumb board, which might be acceptable but the screens on those devices are 240x240.
Of course, the iPhone does fall within the price range my dad mentioned, but the data plan is separate. I'm not sure that the iPhone is worth using without a data plan.
And so, my options appear to be three or four:
- Get a Pocket PC phone such as the Cingular 8525, making appropriate sacrifices in preference for features.
- Get a regular Pocket PC and just continue using a cell phone.
- If hx4705 can be fixed, continue using that until next year and see what devices are available then.
- Live without a Pocket PC.
While I'm waiting for PDASmart.com to receive my hx4705 and contact me, I might spend some time reading reviews. I will also return this blog to normal programming.
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