Tmeek
Jackson, MS
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DW is an online college instructor, and has a requirement to check various password-protected forums during her office hours. This has served to limit her as far as travelling, as she's needed to be near a computer or wifi with her laptop. We do have a PC connection card, which has helped somewhat, but it still can be a real pain to drag around a laptop.
So, for her birthday, I'm-a gonna get her a smart phone so she can be more mobile. Question is - which one?
My understanding is that the iphone interfaces fine with the college's system, and blackberry does as well so long as "opera mini" is installed.
I am completely clueless when it comes to this stuff - isn't one browser as good as another?
And what about ease of use - is iphone superior to blackberry, treo, etc?
Any input will be helpful! Thanks!
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jorbill2or
Oregon
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For just plain email the blackberry is IMO best!!!!It's not a great "web" surfer. The Iphone ( I have one ) uses the safari apple browser ( No all browsers are not the same as some web sites work well with some and not others). and the "internet" connectivity is the best of all smartphones esp if your going to be in a 3g area.The iphone is not avail for sale until the new model comes out july 11th You said forums and my i phone is great for forum use. a Windows mobile phone is also a possibility. What carrier do you use ?? Its ATT only for the i Phone. What do others of your DW coworkers use ?? It would be best to find out and stay in the same range as them the it dept may have made it easy for one and hard to imposable for other phones.
Bill
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joshjack
Alabama
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The web browser that comes will all smartphones, except for the iPhone, is barely usable and will have serious problems displaying forums. Opera Mini is one solution but I found it only marginally better. The iPhone comes with Safari which works and displays pages nearly the same as a normal web browser.
With Blackberry's you have to use the blackberry website to manage your email accounts. On the iPhone you can add and remove email accounts on the phone. Almost all carriers in the US offer Blackberry's, only AT&T has the iPhone.
You CAN buy an iPhone right now if your local store has any in stock. Many places do not. You can also buy on ebay. (I might sell you one...). The next iPhone comes out July 11 with 3G internet connection speeds, and GPS. All iPhones have WiFi.
My experience with Palm devices has been that they are pretty buggy.
One factor to keep in mind is that the iPhone does not have a real keyboard but you get a huge screen instead. Other phones offer full keyboards but the screen is half the size.
J
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Tmeek
Jackson, MS
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Thanks guys - her coworkers are telling her that the current model iphone works pretty well with the college's site - others have said that blackberry with opera mini does as well. But it's sounding like the iphone is an overall better solution...
jorbill2or - we use AT&T already, and have a data plan in place for our air card - looks like the iphone will be an easy fit.
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bananadanna
Cambridge, MA
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Tmeek wrote:Thanks guys - her coworkers are telling her that the current model iphone works pretty well with the college's site - others have said that blackberry with opera mini does as well. But it's sounding like the iphone is an overall better solution...
jorbill2or - we use AT&T already, and have a data plan in place for our air card - looks like the iphone will be an easy fit.
In the best of all worlds you'd be able to tether the iPhone to your laptop to eliminate the extra data account. AFAIK that is feasible but won't be offered with the iPhone2.
By the time your iPhone contract is up you'll probably be able to do that or you'll have a choice of other tetherable smart phones with much improved browsers.
Dan
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joshjack
Alabama
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bananadanna wrote:
In the best of all worlds you'd be able to tether the iPhone to your laptop to eliminate the extra data account. AFAIK that is feasible but won't be offered with the iPhone2.
By the time your iPhone contract is up you'll probably be able to do that or you'll have a choice of other tetherable smart phones with much improved browsers.
I'm a big-time Apple fan - especially the iPhone - but this is so true. While even my free flip-phone (by motorala) tethers over bluetooth the iPhone has to be hacked to do it. While I agree that there is a diminished need for tethering since you can get to the "real internet" as well as check email, etc. there are certain things I prefer to do on my laptop. Hopefully we'll see official support for this soon, especially with 3G support.
J
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Tmeek
Jackson, MS
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Bananadanna - you mean I may not be able to add a device to my existing data account like I can add a phone to my existing minutes?
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joshjack
Alabama
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Tmeek wrote:Bananadanna - you mean I may not be able to add a device to my existing data account like I can add a phone to my existing minutes?
You can add the iPhone very easily. What he was saying is that in an ideal world you could cancel you data plan and just connect your new iPhone to your laptop when you want to connect the laptop to the internet. Unfortunately Apple has not added that option yet.
J
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cryptobrian
maryland
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Joined: 04/28/2008
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How about an ultra-mobile?
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/winfamily/umpc/default.mspx
More portable than a laptop and I would think compared to a "phone", immensely more usable and enjoyable if any significant time needs to be spent reading/responding to messages, doing live chats, etc.
I guess is depends on your wife's actual needs.
Brian
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BurbMan
Long Island, NY
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Joined: 09/20/2001
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Agree, the Blackberry hands down for email, but iPhone is the best for browsing because of the screen size if nothing else. I have Opera Mini on my Blackberry 8830 and it's OK, but I wouldn't want to have to rely on it.
Another option, although you don't mention it, is an ultra-light laptop or "palmtop" computer that DW could carry in her purse or bag. That with the aircard would make better work of the forums. Reading the forums during office hours is one thing, but if she has to post responses then she's goping to miss the keyboard.
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