Sometimes, what you really want is a just a fucking phone
My old mobile phone is starting to have problems with the power connector, after 3+ years of hard use. I can't replace it with the same model, because it lacks e911, a mandatory feature for my carrier, Verizon. Besides, I want to get bluetooth so I can do hands free without screwing around with wires while I'm driving.
So here's my wish list ...
required
- tri-mode: AMPS, CDMA 1900/800 (I need AMPS, the old analog service, so I can use the phone off the beaten track.)
- NO camera (Some companies don't allow cameras in their buildings. Connectivity is, by definition, sucky if the phone is stuck at a receptionist's desk. Besides, I have a bunch of cameras already. Further, Verizon requires the use of "picture messaging". WTF? Most decent phones have USB. Why would I want to pay extra to send the picture to myself over their network?)
- blue tooth and voice commands (So I can comply with the new "hands free" law when driving. It's a good idea anyway on windy mountain roads.)
nice to have
- 1xRTT or EV-DO modem capability
- GSM would be sweet, but I'm not travelling to Europe much these days, so it doesn't come up much. (It's not a feature of any phone that Verizon supports. And most GSM phones don't do AMPS, so it's an impass.)
- PDA functionality with POP3 & sync to MS Outlook calendar
Verizon doesn't offer a phone that meets even the required list. Almost every phone has a camera. All the really high end, whiz bang phones drop the AMPS capability. Why can't I get EV-DO and AMPS on the same handset? Is there some law against this? Or have people lost sight of the fact that they are selling phones.
The two high-end phone without a camera are Blackberrys, but no AMPS. The two low-end phones without a camera lack bluetooth.
So, I may settle for an LG VX5300 with a blob of opaque epoxy on the lens of the camera that I really don't need and don't want. It does have data capabilites, but weak ones. I've already got an EV-DO card for my lap top, so I can live with that.
I got the VX5300. Despite Bluetooth and USB connectivity, it does not come with any software to sync the phone book, calendar, etc. This is strange. Mot had a package several years ago for my old phone.
There are some third party alternatives: Susteen DataPilot, MobileAction Handset Manager, FutureDial, bitpim (sourceforge project). There are so many handsets that these programs tend to be buggy and incomplete. Despite some pretty scathing reviews at Amazon, I got DataPilot -- the only one that claims VX5300 support. We'll see. An alternative is bitpim, which doesn't support the phone yet, but which can be fooled by telling it the phone is a similar model.
There are rumors that Qualcomm (which made the chipset for the phone) has hotsync SW, somewhere.
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My old mobile phone is starting to have problems with the power connector, after 3+ years of hard use. I can't replace it with the same model, because it lacks e911, a mandatory feature for my carrier, Verizon. Besides, I want to get bluetooth so I can do hands free without screwing around with wires while I'm driving.
So here's my wish list ...
required
nice to have
- 1xRTT or EV-DO modem capability
- GSM would be sweet, but I'm not travelling to Europe much these days, so it doesn't come up much. (It's not a feature of any phone that Verizon supports. And most GSM phones don't do AMPS, so it's an impass.)
- PDA functionality with POP3 & sync to MS Outlook calendar
Verizon doesn't offer a phone that meets even the required list. Almost every phone has a camera. All the really high end, whiz bang phones drop the AMPS capability. Why can't I get EV-DO and AMPS on the same handset? Is there some law against this? Or have people lost sight of the fact that they are selling phones.The two high-end phone without a camera are Blackberrys, but no AMPS. The two low-end phones without a camera lack bluetooth.
So, I may settle for an LG VX5300 with a blob of opaque epoxy on the lens of the camera that I really don't need and don't want. It does have data capabilites, but weak ones. I've already got an EV-DO card for my lap top, so I can live with that.
- mark 10-14-2006 9:30 am
I got the VX5300. Despite Bluetooth and USB connectivity, it does not come with any software to sync the phone book, calendar, etc. This is strange. Mot had a package several years ago for my old phone.
There are some third party alternatives: Susteen DataPilot, MobileAction Handset Manager, FutureDial, bitpim (sourceforge project). There are so many handsets that these programs tend to be buggy and incomplete. Despite some pretty scathing reviews at Amazon, I got DataPilot -- the only one that claims VX5300 support. We'll see. An alternative is bitpim, which doesn't support the phone yet, but which can be fooled by telling it the phone is a similar model.
There are rumors that Qualcomm (which made the chipset for the phone) has hotsync SW, somewhere.
- mark 10-24-2006 2:43 am