When it comes to sheer number of models and features, nobody can beat Dopod, now HTC (Dopod was acquired by HTC) but when it comes to the user experience, I'm not sure if any of their multitude can beat the Treo. Jeff Hawkins' dedication the the user experience has created winners with the earlier Palms and Treos and the Treo 750V continues to lead in thi aspect.

The 8xx series and other series appear to be better balanced but Dopod 900 is definitely biased towards the pda rather than the phone. Even then, as a pda, I find it slightly flawed. It's too big and heavy. I like to read ebooks on the go but I find myself feeling tired after holding it for a while, partly due to the weight and partly due to the width.

Thus, when the new Dopod U1000 (HTC X7500 / Advantage in some areas) was released, I was not the slightest bit interested. If I felt uncomfortable using the 900 as a phone, it's now impossible for me to use the U1000 as a phone. As I've written earlier, I find using the bluetooth earpiece an interruption so I don't like to use it if I can help it. The reviewer at theStar Online wrote this.

Since it's a really large device, you might be wondering how you're supposed to put this humongous device to your ear to make a phone call. Well, luckily you don't have to – if you don't have a Bluetooth headset or the supplied headset handy, the U1000 by default works as a speakerphone, and it's loud enough that you can comfortably hold it in front of you to make a call, except in the noisiest of environments.

Hmm… unless I'm all by myself or in some kinda conference all, I wouldn't want to use speakerphone for my usual phone calls.

What about the U1000 as a PDA or a mini-laptop? I haven't used the U1000 before so I cannot speak from experience but from what I know of WM5 and WM6 and Window Mobile devices in general, I don't think the U1000 is a good laptop replacement, at least for my needs. If your needs are pretty basic - simple web browsing, emails, word processing, spreadsheet etc. then perhaps it will be good for you, if you are comfortable with the keyboard which is not big enough and has no tactile feedback.

I think the Dopod U1000/HTC X7500 is going through an identity crisis. Too big for a phone. Too big for a PDA. Too small for a laptop. Too weak for a laptop. If I really wanted something that small, I'd rather go for a UMPC (Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer) instead. There are many in the market now but there are two that have caught my eye so far.

Kohjinsha much cheaper than the U1000 and even cheaper than the Dopod 900

Fujitsu Lifebook U1010 A little more expensive than U1010 but it can do so much more. a href='http://gadget-mania.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/fujit1b.jpg' title='Fujitsu U1010'>

HTC Shift Hey…. if you really do want a laptoppy device from HTC, HTC has released its own UMPC but at twice the price of U1000. Hmm… no go for me.

After a while I became too frustrated with the Dopod (for the earlier mentioned reasons) and the itch to get a pda phone with a qwerty keyboard overwhelmed me so I gave in to temptation and bought myself a Treo 750V shortly after it was released.

Other than the square screen which made some of my old software unusable (mostly games), I think the Palm Treo 750V is the best pda phone I've ever used. It's responsive and the famed keyboard is as intuitive and accurate as advertised. Overall it's the best balance between a pda and a phone.

I realise there were a few sections that I left out in my earlier review so here they are.

VGA

The VGA idea is an attractive one but sadly the delivery fell somewhat short. In theory, a VGA screen shows 640 x 480 pixels. However, Microsoft's implementation of VGA on Windows Mobile is not True VGA so you won't get to see 640 x 480. What you will get is however a clearer and brighter screen. It's been said that once you see a VGA screen you won't want to go back to your non-VGA screen again. I saw my wife's ipaq h2210 screen recently and I have to agree with this statement. In fact, I thought the screen was defective and has to be sent for repairs.

I originally wanted VGA for Remote Desktop / Terminal Server and internet browsing and it appears that I do get more screen space for both these apps. However, it is still not 640 x 480 yet so I still have scroll left and right quite a bit.

I know of apps like SE_VGA and OZ_VGA which can force Windows Mobile into True VGA mode and I tried it out for a while. It was quite good. Unfortunately, not all apps work correctly in that mode and it was highly unstable. Many people had to hard-reset their Pocket PCs. Fortunately I was using SPB Pocket Plus which has a crash protection feature that will allow you to boot in safe mode if the Pocket PC keeps on rebooting several times.

I still would like to have a VGA screen device although this Dopod 900 may not be the ideal one. In True VGA mode, the text came out too small for comfort. My eyesight is poor and I already find the 1024×768 mode on my Fujitsu tablet is already so small for my comfort that I had to switch to 800×600 instead. In 800×700 mode I found the screen real estate too small. I want to see more on the screen! I think I'll get the Dell 30" LCD monitor some time. Well, one day…

Battery and Customer Service

A few months ago, I started having problems with the Dopod 900. It would suddenly shutdown on its own and I wasn't able to replicate the problem. There was no fixed pattern. Sometimes it would shutdown when it was in my pocket. Sometimes when I was using the Dopod. Initially I thought it was a software problem and I tried several things, even a hard reset, but it was still the same. Sometimes I could use the Dopod for a long while, sometimes a few minutes or even a few seconds.

I searched the net for fellow sufferers and found that many other people had similar problems and the cause was mostly the motherboard. Since I still have a one year warranty, the simple solution would be to send the product in for repairs. However, I also read the horror stories of those who sent their products in to the service centre for repairs. I have forgotten what they were but suffice to say they were horrifying enough for me to not want to send in my Dopod.

I fiddled around and tested. Because it always worked when it was connected to a power source or to the USB port, I believed the problem was with the battery rather than the motherboard. I was fortunate enough to have a friend who has an extra battery so I borrowed it to test and sure enough, the problem was with the battery. Since I got myself a new battery I haven't had the same problem yet.

Until the day Dopod pulls up their socks and get their service standards up to HP's level, I don't think I will buy another Dopod pda. Once again, this is a reminder to all of us that we need to consider not just the features but the service standards as well when we're considering the purchase of a new PDA.

After several months with the Dopod 900, I've a few reports to make. I'd also like to apologise to ce5nt for not replying to his comments as I was swarmed with spam comments and have been ignoring comments till now. Although he's bought the Dopod 900, I'll still reply to his questions here for others' benefit. Ce5nt, if you're reading this again, you can fill us in on your experience so far.

Here's my feedback after using the Dopod 900 for about half a year now.

1) For all that it is, I think it is lousy as a phone. After using phones for so many years, I never thought that I would have to take a phone, put it to my ear then start moving it around until the receiver is at my ear. I have a few explanations and recommendations for it.

• It is the first phone I have that is so wide. I'm already used to the width of my previous phones so I hold it at the wrong position.
• The speaker may be too small so there is little tolerance for wrong positioning.
• The speaker is positioned in dead centre. If it were moved to the right slightly, the position would be perfect. I'm not sure if HTC did any usability testing with it. If they did and everyone has no problems with it then I must be the odd one out. I hope to hear the experiences from fellow Dopod 900 users. Please leave your comments here.

The Dopod 900 is like a mini-tablet. You can choose to use it in tablet-mode (screen facing up) or in laptop mode (screen facing down). The good thing is that you can answer the phone in either mode. I found that in laptop mode, I had lesser problems with hearing. I suspect in laptop mode, the speaker is positioned a little bit more to the right and is slightly bigger as well.

2) The keyboard is pretty usable. My wife is pretty particular about keyboards and she thinks it's much more usable than the Nokia Communicator 9500. I agree in terms of touch, it's definitely better than the Communicator which feels a little hard.

However, I am frustrated by the keyboard for a few reasons. Touted as a mini-laptop, its keyboard seems somewhat crippled. I'm sure you'll find similar complains in many sites, blogs and forums as well. If there is a keyboard, I want to do as much as I can on the keyboard and minimize the use of the touch screen. In the laptop mode, using the stylus to tap the screen feels very counter-intuitive and uncomfortable. Here's why I think the keyboard is crippled.

•  No ESC key. On the computer, I've been so used to the ESC key that when I think I needed, I had to pause for a while then realise that I need to take out my stylus to tap on the screen.
• No CTRL key. CTRL-C, CTRL-X, CTRL-V, CTRL-O, CTRL-Z etc. are so much with us that not having CTRL key really wastes our time. Ask or observe any computer user who's comfortable with the keyboard and you'll see how much time the CTRL key saves him.

Compare this. To select a chunk of text, I press shift-arrow key  or shift-ctrl-arrow and then I press CTRL-C to copy, move to the desired location, then press CTRL-V to paste it. On the Dopod 900, I can select text the same way but to copy or paste I would either need to use the stylus or press menu then select the copy or paste command. It takes many more steps and slows the flow and pace.

• No ALT key. My main use for an ALT would be the ALT-Tab function but if there was another key or key combination to switch between open programs I would really like that.
• Space bar is too small. I have missed it a few times and hit the Explorer key on the left several times. What's worse is that the Dopod Asia url is the default home page so every time I accidentally press the button it connects to the internet and opens the Dopod Asia web page. If I were not on an unlimited package I would have wasted quite a bit of money for nothing. (I've since removed the Dopod Asia url so it now opens to a blank page instead.)
• The SYM key is useless to me though I'm sure many Europeans appreciate it.
• Only 1 Shift key. For typing Shift with characters on the left side of the keyboard I'd need to move my right hand a bit. It'd be much faster to have another shift key.
• FN key. I found the use of the FN key to be unintuitive. For symbols like !@#$ etc. we've been accustomed to using Shift-number to type them. There is aleady a Shift key. Why is there a need to use FN instead of Shift?

I know there are programs to replace existing keys and I've tried them but they come at a sacrifice. I'd need to give up one of the existing keys. The keys I can give up are not in the position so I'd need to get used again.

3) When sending or replying sms, I still want to use a keypad or keyboard rather than tablthe stylus. I always use it in tablet mode so if I want to use the keyboard I'd need to open and twist the screen and use two hands to answer. Not good. I'm interested in trying out Benq P51, Treo 650 or 700w (if it ever comes to Singapore), Sony Ericsson P990 or Sony Ericsson M600i. I looked a the Nokia E73 and while it is similar to the Sony Ericsson M600i, the phone is much wider and requires both hands to use comfortably.

I finally bought a Dopod 900 (aka HTC Universal, i-mate Jasjar, O2 Xda Exec, Orange SPV M5000, QTEK 9000, T-Mobile MDA Pro, Vodafone VPA IV). I wasn't able to resist the temptation. As you know, I've been looking around for a good replacement for my Communicator 9500 and I'm casting my net fairly wide but in the end I still chose the Dopod 900. There were several factors that influenced my decision.

First, the specs were overwhelmingly superior to the other PDA phones available. It was the only PDA phone that met my criteria of having a VGA screen. I did consider the Benq P50 for its keyboard, the O2 Atom for its size, speed and FM radio, the Dopod 818 Pro for its camera and good reviews and I also considered either the iPAQ hx4700 or Dell x51v with a bluetooth phone, maybe a 3G one, as well. However, I felt myself drawn to the Dopod because of the following factors.

Advantages of the Dopod 900
1) One convergent device versus having to use two devices
2) 3G
3) built-in keyboard
4) stereo speakers
5) VGA screen

Disadvantages of the Dopod 900
1) no FM radio
2) 520 MHz vs 624 MHz

I decided not to do a blow by blow, feature for feature comparison in the end, mainly because it would take too much time and effort and lead to analysis paralysis. I also read an article in the Singapore Business Times about a study done by New York University (if I don't remember wrongly) on making complex decisions. It was found that for complex buying decisions involving multiple criteria, those who made their decisions after serious detailed comparison were less satisfied with their decisions than those who were distracted and made up their minds partly based on gut feel. If nothing at all, it was a good excuse for me not to continue with my comparison. :p

I'll talk about my experience with it in my next posting. I also intend to put up a resource section on it soon. If there's anything you want to see me put in, please leave a comment.

I've been reading many negative opinions on the poor camera of the Benq P50 so I decided I had to see for myself. I took several photos in the shop and while they cannot compare with digital cameras or some of the high-end camera phones like Nokia N70/N90 or the Sony Ericsson K750i, I think it was ok for a camera phone. It wasn't worse than the Sony Ericsson Z600 I had. From those few pictures I took I think my Nokia 9500 with nightmode takes better pictures though.

I came across this review (http://www.mypdacafe.com/articles.php?id=228) recently which shows me that the camera is still acceptable for general purposes.

I'm still tempted to get this but now that Windows Mobile 5.0 is released I wonder if I'll be itching for an upgrade soon after I buy it. I would really like a VGA screen as well but from what's available in Singapore, the only PDA phone with VGA screen is the Dopod 900 and I'm not sure I want that phone.

I had the chance to fiddle with a few pda phones recently and here are some rough impressions on their look and feel.

• O2 Atom felt too short and wide for me. A small device is pocketable but it also means a smaller screen.
• Dopod 838 with the keyboard looked a bit thicker than the others, except maybe the Dopod 900, but I held it in my hands and it felt like a good size.
• Dopod 818Pro is basically the same casing as the O2 Mini so fans of the Mini will love it.
• The keyboard on O2 XDA IIs felt pretty usable. I've been sceptical but this form factor is something I can live with.
• Benq P50, Treo 650 and HP 6515 are pretty similar. I did not use them long enough to know the differences but I tried to type some messages and I think I can use them one-handed for most tasks.

I'm even more tempted to get a Windows Mobile phone now.

As if I don't have enough choices to confuse me, there are more interesting products coming up. If you've read my previous posts, you know I like the form factor of the Sony Ericsson P series though I was disappointed it didn't have Wi-Fi. Sony Ericsson has heard the complaints and has made its new release very attractive indeed.

While taste is very personal, I think many of you might agree with me that the design is better than its predecessors.

Here are some of the improvements and new attractions of this device.

• 3G
• Wi-Fi
• 2 Megapixel camera
• FM Radio
• USB Mass Storage - can be used like a USB flash drive
• Symbian 9.1

You can read more at the following sites. Sony Ericsson P990i Symbian 9.1

This is a breakthrough device - Windows XP notebook + smartphone in a pretty good size. I used to put my Jornada 720 in my pocket and this device is smaller than my Jornada 720 so I'm sure it'll fit my pocket. However, it's still bigger than the OQO which I'll review in a future post.

Here are some simple specs of the DualCor cPC. General

• 40GB hardisk
• 5-inch screenb
• 1GB of DDR 2 memory.
• 1 GB NAND flash memory
• CF II slot
• 3 USB 2.0 ports
• 6.5 x 3.3 x 1.2 inches
• Windows XP Tablet operating system for PC
• Windows Mobile 5.0 for PDA

Very interesting idea but no keyboard?

Now that I'm considering buying a Windows Mobile 5.0 (WM5) device, I need to learn more about the differences between WM5 and WM2003 SE (Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition). I have a lot to catch up because my last Pocket PC was an HP iPaq h2210 which runs on Windows Mobile 2003. Anyway, this post is not a detailed post. I'll just post snippets of what I learn. Today's post is about one new advantage of WM5 - Persistent Storage. Now you can store all the data and programs in non-volatile memory (commonly known as ROM) instead of volatile memory (RAM). The advantage is that even if the device should be drained of its battery, you will not lose any data.

Another advantage arising from this change is improved battery life. If data is stored in RAM instead of ROM, the Pcoket PC needs to supply power to the RAM to keep the data alive so the Pocket PC has to reserve half of its battery life to sustain the data so it will shut down before the battery is used up. This means shorter usage time and it often leads to all kinds of frustration. With this change, the Pocket PC does not need sustain the RAM and you can double the battery life.

However, for all its advantages, this change causes the device to run more slowly because it is slower to read from ROM than RAM. Here's a simple comparison I extracted from the Windows Mobile Team Blog (link below).

RAM: very fast, but burns a lot of power. ROM: much slower, but burns very little power.

To further complicate matters, there are two types of ROM - NOR and NAND. In a nutshell,

NOR: Faster to read, slower to write. NAND: Slower to read, faster to write.

Different manufacturers use different types of ROM so that's going to complicate my choosing process. sigh

If you're interested to read more…

RAM, ROM, NAND, NOR–that's a lot of capital letters…

Why Persistent Storage Is A Good Thing

In my search for my VGA Pocket PC, I noticed that the 2 PPC and the PPC phone I've shortlisted have do not have something significantly missing - USB host. Actually, the main reason why I shortlisted them are because they are available in Singapore while the rest are not. USB host opens several possibilities, like the use of external keyboards, mice, and harddisks. I'm particularly interested in having a mouse as that would really help when I use Remote Desktop / Terminal Server. I must say I was disappointed that I would have to live without it. As I was doing my surfing, it suddenly dawned upon me that since there bluetooth keyboards for PDAs, perhaps there could be a bluetooth mouse for PDAs as well and bingo! There is one coming soon.