Saturday, June 23, 2007

Top 5 PDA-phones

update PDA-phones make life easier by combining the mobile organisational features of a personal digital assistant with the connectivity of a mobile phone.

Although it varies from model to model, input is generally through a QWERTY keypad or a touchscreen and stylus combo, either of which allows you to effortlessly write or type messages. Business users are usually attracted to push e-mail capabilities of PDA-phones, where new inbox messages are transferred directly to the mobile device. To set up push e-mail, a Microsoft Exchange or BlackBerry Enterprise Server is usually required, although personal and other third-party solutions are available through network carriers.

The latest PDA-phones hitting the market also support high-speed downloads through an advance in 3G technology called HSDPA (high-speed download packet access). While PDA-phones can't compete with the processing power of a desktop PC, a high-speed connection combined with a zippy processor can keep workers productive when they're on the road -- editing Office documents, catching up on e-mail, taking on-site photos and sending them back to the office, watching a movie, etc. With the growing addition of leisure applications, PDA-phones often double as MP3 players, movie viewers and even remote controls.

For more information on mobile e-mail, see our guides on choosing the right BlackBerry for you and setting up push e-mail on a Windows Mobile 5.0 device. Below we've picked five of the best PDA-phones, as rated by CNET.com.au editors and readers, to make your purchasing decision easier.

Palm Treo 750 Palm Treo 750

A bevy of OS enhancements and access to Telstra's Next G mobile broadband network easily make the Treo 750 the best Windows Mobile device we've ever used.

Dopod 838 Pro Dopod 838 Pro

An extremely well-equipped Pocket PC PDA-phone, Dopod has made sure that the 3G-enabled 838 Pro balances features with power so it doesn't leave you hanging when you need to access applications like Skype.

Samsung BlackJack Samsung BlackJack

Samsung's BlackJack is a utilitarian PDA-phone which has some consumer-friendly features that aim to balance its workhorse disposition.

BlackBerry 8700 BlackBerry 8700

The BlackBerry 8700 series is ideal for mobile professionals who require always-on e-mail access, but it's not so good for non-business users.

Nokia E61 Nokia E61

What do you call something that looks like a BlackBerry, acts like a BlackBerry and yet offers a lot more than most BlackBerry devices? Nokia calls it the E61.

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