best vzw phones?

[bheb]

Hi, Which verizon phones have strong reception or signal strength or whatever it's called? Looking for nothing fancy, but needs to be able to work in rural areas. Have been told by reps that I need something w/ an external antenna, but those are nearly impossible to find. And I don't know if the 1 or 2 that are available are any good. So looking for any advice folks have. Thanks!

[bheb]

Also, can someone explain how the plans work as far as smartphone/pda vs. blackberry? I think I read that one type of device requires a data plan w/ voice, & the other does not? If I did end up w/ a smartphone, for instance, I might use the data features very little, & would refer a pay-as-you-go option instead of paying for features I might not be able to use in my area.

Thanks again!
-b

[BG1811]

I have a Palm "smartphone" and I have a pay as you go data plan. I don't do any data so it doesn't cost me anything. I thought about going to a Blackberry, but, I found out you have to have data plan that cost extra each month. I can't remember how much, but, about $30-$40. The blackberry data plans are listed on the verizon web site.

[treonaut]

As far as VZW smartphones/pda's go, the Treo 755p has the best signal strength (I tested them all at the local store, and compared to my Treo 650). My co-workers complain all the time about their poor signal strength (with various providers, but a lot about VZW), and I'm the only person whose phone consistently has more bars than the others (other than someone with Sprint, and I wouldn't recommend that provider unless you're never going to be traveling in a rural area or off the beaten path).

Go here for vzw phone reviews, as well as categories of phone reviews. They mention signal strength of phones.

MobileTechReview.com phone reviews: LG,Nokia,Samsung, Sony Ericsson and more

If you're really concerned about signal strength and have your hands on a phone to test, instructions for obtaining signal strength db meter readings (live!) are posted here:

http://www.wpsantennas.com/pdf/testm...dTestModes.pdf

Good luck! I am always concerned with phone signal strength and am currently searching (and have found) technologies to boost signal strength and obtain phone signal strength ratings.

[treotosh]

hey guy above me! you a treonaut to And yes the 755 does have the best signal strength out of the hole Verizon wireless army.

[treonaut]

yup, I'm a treo fan! I have a Treo 650 w/ VZW. It does just about everything I need including VPN to work, SMS, e-mail integration with MS Exchange,, ssh terminal services, and Mocha Remote client. I wish I could find a mobile browser that properly supports javascript (buttons) and also had ev-do, but witout the proper mobile browser, I don't web surf as much as I probably would. I haven't found any mobile browser that properly handles javascript buttons (including Windows Mobile and Blackberry) so Treo Palm's not alone.

I've had problems with Palm OS upgrades, and synchronization. Between the two, my phone gets a hard reset and I just now figured out that wiping out the desktop Palm client and directories,and then re-installing is about the only way to get my contacts list back (from an export/import) plus then re-install some third party packages (so their password matches the synch name).

I also had problems with SMS locking up and not receiving messages until a soft phone reset. However, I recently updated my phone with the VZW Palm update and haven't experienced or noticed that problem since..

Wish Palm would put a better camera (more megapixels, at least 2.0) in newer models. I was an 'early adopter' of Treo 650, have tested the 700w/wx models, and looked at the 755p (which has a newer o/s). I heard a Treo 800w's in the works (for Sprint first), and would move to it if its signal strength was as strong as the Palm OS Treo's.

I really like the Treo;s larger screen/font, qwerty keyboard without having to open/slide the phone face as others do, and it is really a sturdy construction.

My employer won't support Palm OS, so some day I might have to bail for Windows Mobile.....

[treonaut]

for the person asking about smartphone/pda v. blackberry.... I evaluated both series for my employer awhile ago including integration with MS Exchange/OWA e-mail service.

Blackberry has hidden costs such as if you want to integrate it with business systems or business e-mail server, you must license Blackberry Enterprise Server software and pay an annual fee PER PHONE, and then maybe support fees, too. There is another way around it if you are an individual, and the company will allow you to install a thick client software on your PC from Blackberry that pushes e-mail to your phone, but most companies don't like this because of the potential security threats. I like blackberry world phone and now the curve, but traditionally only the well-funded companies can afford all the aforementioned $$$$$.

Verizon recently allows you to get personal e-mail (yahoo, etc.) using their server against Blackberry phones - but no mention of integration to business e-mail servers like MS Exchange (probably because of all the security set-up per account required, etc.). Blackberry world phone 8830 can work internationally and on US VZW network because it's supposed to be 'dual mode automatic switching' between GSM and CDMA... most other phones require you to tinker around with the settings when traveling abroad. Nice feature - for some folks - that most VZW CDMA-only phones can't support.

Blackberry uses its proprietary OS (and development tools) - but is clearly in the past targeting businesses with $$$, but now with all the competition is trying to be more public consumer friendly - because I think they're losing market share. My employer couldn't justify the $$$$ to support Blackberry, and nowadays most companies won't do it especially when Microsoft provides OWA/MS Exchange integration pretty much out of the box without most all the baggage that Blackberry has thrown in.

As for smartphone/PDA - The operating system is of most cnocern - usually Palm, Windows or Symbian o/s. Symbian to me is a very small niche, so I keep away from those phones. Windows is much like desktop windows display but it is slow (I hpe they never produce windows mobile Vista!!!!), and most of the phones I've looked at get lousy signal strength (coincidentally?) when having windows Mobile o/s. Also, newer Windows Mobile 6 removed the terminal services client, for those of you who want to VPN to work and manager servers - go find an alternative now! The nice thing about Windows is if your work uses MS Exchange/Outlook Web Access (OWA), it's pretty much sold itself for ease of integration and support from the same vendor.

I have a Palm Treo 650 w/ Palm OS (older version) and supposedly back then its apps were faster and more user-friendly/streamlined - not all that graphical gizmo display standards overhead that Windows Mobile has. Palm also makes a Treo that runs either Windows Mobile (5, not 6 for VZW), or something like v2.5 Palm OS. There's the new Treo 755P (Palm OS) that folks really like - if your company will let you integrate the phone to their company e-mail server. The Treo Palm OS phones seem to always beat out ALL of the competitor phones for signal strength (don't get the Treo 700w/wx as for some reason its signal strength really stinks). Palm is rumored to be working on another Treo 800w model for Sprint, and is rumored they will produce phones with LINUX o/s, not Palm O/S near the end of the calendar year! So that means the Palm OS might go by the wayside over time - whether whoever bought out the OS itself keeps up is uncertain.

Used to be a ton more application programs for Treo Palm OS than windows Mobile, but I think that's changing now. Blackberry apps are a bit more scarce, but still available with some variety - but usually more business-related (still some fun apps, though). I think the $ for Palm apps is less than windows or Blackberry. For example, it took quite a bit of work (including using Blackberry factory reps' assistance) to find a VPN client for Blackberry! The Palm is like Apple - looking for that fun-loving, imaginative bunch. Windows and Blackberry seem to be more expensive (?) and targeting business users, even if they don't say it.

Unfortunately, it looks like Windows Mobile o/s and Linux o/s may be dictate the phones of the future - so that will mean Blackberry will still have their diehard business customers (but not much more unless they change their working model and target market like Microsoft does). Palm OS phones might go bye-bye in favor of Linux. Whatever Smartphone/PDA manufacturers do, you'll be safer in the long run going with Windows Mobile or the future Linux os phones. Although I love the Treo and have a soft spot for Blackberry (they just work well, few problems), I too will have to decide when the right phone at the right price and o/s appears - to make the switch away from Palm OS.

I posted somewhere else on Wireless Advisor that if someone would provide a regular texting phone that integrated to MS Exchange E-mail (alongside personal POP mail), they would probably deal a really big blow to Microsoft, Palm and Blackberry. I would buy that phone in a heartbeat (well, maybe not that quick) because all the smartphone/pda's (except the Motorola Q which isn't a touchscreen phone) are clearly more expensive. For example,I don't know why Samsung thinks they can charge more than Palm for their smartphones, but they do...

[treotosh]

Are you Syncing your OS palm treo with windows or mac OSX?

[treonaut]

I've tried both Windows XP & Windows Vista. Windows Vista's the worst, doesn't recognize the device cable connection 95% of the time. Windows XP synch works more frequently, but with a couple of VZW Treo 650 updates the past couple of years, there is usually a software load error that causes repeated reboots to the phone each time a synch is reattempted. Restoring from a backup instructed during the update process never works. The biggest problem was third party vendor software packages that required a match between the synch device name and the issued password. Many times the software update wouldn't progress far enough to load the original or even the interim synch device name and the third party software would stay in 'demo' version.

Finally got the the point of deinstalling/cleaning off pc disk of the Treo client, reinstalled it, and then on initial synch to phone allowed entering of the original synch device name assignment.

Arg!

[treonaut]

BTW, I've seen various web posting about 'bad synch cables' causing failures/non-recognition of Treo device. I don't believe that's my problem because the power charger adapter functions fine and Windows XP will either recognize the device and synch, or state it's not a known device - so there is some connection. What I have found is that sometimes to get the Palm synch to work, I have to start up the Palm desktop client and then synch - and then the Treo's recognized properly.

[treotosh]

hey do you know if they make a palm desktop for OSX (for a 750) ???

[Mobile Mike]

Originally Posted by treotosh

hey do you know if they make a palm desktop for OSX (for a 750) ???

Google it...

[treotosh]

i have Mike, the only sync is called the missing sync, and it's 59.99

[romero]

These are some currently intersted.

1. LG VX8600 <-(I'm leaning towards this one because of its looks, ratings, and hackability as of now)
2. LG VX9900
3. Motorola KRZR K1M
4. Samsung a990.