I don’t really miss the full keyboard at all. Heavy data entry always gets done via the pc and I find T9 to be just as fast as my Blackberry keyboard for short entries like this post ( I’m on the N95 now).

In my opinion S60 smartphones are around if you want the emphasis on the phone. They have great internet access, great media streaming, the best cameras on any smartphone, brilliant as a laptop modem, loads of software (though not as much as WinMob or Palm), error free sync to pc or mac, built in search, the best bluetooth implementation on any phone including A2DP, crystal clear phone audio, HSDPA wireless speeds, and speaker independent voice dial on every contact in the phone for safety whilst driving. The N95 also has built in GPS, a 5Mpx camera and VGA video recording, stereo speakers, and a TV output cable! Nokia also provides Mail For Exchange, an S60 Activesync client for push email and pim sync, and even Blackberry Connect on the E Series models.

In case you cannot tell I am very happy with the N95 (I’m posting from it now). I just can’t wait to get the new model with more RAM.

An earlier post had asked what a dream app would be?

For me it would be a standalone Gmail app such as the java version I had been using on my Razr. I’m using the Mail program to access gmail now, but it’s lacking a lot of the features. I’ve tried accessing gmail through safari but it’s cumbersome and the text entry has been problematic for me.

As someone not skilled at programming, should I avoid the unlocking and add-ons, or is it pretty sraightforward?

Alex

I really like Summerboard too )

I received the Nokia E61i and so far it’s not doing anything for me. It’s really hard not having a touch screen… I keep taking the SIM out and putting it right back into my iPhone.

As for “restlessness”, you can count me alongside you. The iPhone is fantastic, but when I look at other options there just aren’t any to be found. For a full QWERTY device, I would kill for a Nokia E61i form factor (with 2.8″ touchscreen) running Windows Mobile Pro. Most devices in this class are standard (none-touch), and have smallish 2.4″ screens. Yuck.

Having experienced iPhone I can’t go back to a QVGA screen, it’s just intolerable to me now. PalmOS is all but dead, so going back to a 680 isn’t exactly desirable, although I will say PalmOS is still the most versatile and usable mobile platform around…not bad for zombie corpse.

sigh

What to do.

http://www.theiphoneblog.com/2007/09/17/summerboard-themes-your-homescreen-cures-boredom/

Best,

Kent

Two new (near future) offerings may satisfy the happy feet for a little while: (1) AT&T Tilt (aka 8925; Kaiser, TyTN II), and (2) Pantech c810.

The former is the TyTN with everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink (quadband GMS, triband HSDPA/HSUPA, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth 2, 128mb ram and 256 mb rom), all with a side slider and screen that tilts upward.

The later is a dual slider (vertical for keypad, horizontal for keyboard) rumored to be 86mm tall when closed. Although only WM 6 Standard, having used a Blackjack for nearly a year now proved to me that touch screens ARE NOT indespensable.

I’d also bet good money that one of the real reasons for dropping the iPhone price $200 was to make room for the real Xmas release – a 3G iphone at 16mb to go with the Euro launch, at $599. I just can’t see how Apple could sell the Euro carriers on an EDGE device when they really have extensive 3G coverage and little EDGE footprint over there.

I’m curious, how do you find the lack of real keyboard when you’re using the N95?

If the E90 is too large for you (it is for me too) then you should take a look at the new “US 3G” version of the Nokia N95.

I moved from Psion to Palm to Windows Mobile and then finally to Symbian about year ago.

In my opinion Symbian makes the best phone/pda combinations by far. The major issue with them until recently has been that Nokia has always chosen to skimp on Ram so the devices have had trouble multi tasking effectively. The same problem affected the original N95 and you are going to find the same problem with the E61i. The new US N95 has had the Ram doubled (which actually quadruples the Ram available to user programs) so the problem doesn’t occur.

The Nokia E61i arrived last night. I’ve not had any time to play with it other than to get it to sync with my iMac using the iSync plugin downloaded directly from Nokia. My first impressions are that it is too wide and that the keyboard is too shallow. We’ll see what happens though…

As I was shopping I started pondering why I would need an electronic Hershey bar @ 210 grams with almost an inch of thickness during the day… I mean I sit in front of a PC close to 14 hours a day, have all the luxuries of connecting between my devices (BT, Wifi)…. So why do I need this monster on the go?
Well….cause its nifty…the keyboard is ok, no tactile feedback though, sorta mushy…and some of the action buttons aren’t logically place…so it’s still, well – neat…but I think on the over all it will wander off to eBay.
I am having an interesting test-time with it (via truphone.com telephoning to landlines is free until end of the year [big plus here in Europe where fees are fairly high: mobile to landlines]) and autosyncing with the Nokia PC Suite via BT rocks too…but the loss of money will be my “phone rent”.

I will definitley not be buying any more large smartphones.

I am also fiddling with an E70 from Nokia which is neat, especially the folding keyboard rocks. It’s also less large and does the same stuff the E90 does, less a2dp . The screen by the way is super eye candy – the best of it’s kind right now on the market.

I pondered buying the E61i, but like the E70, it doesn’t have a2dp, which is a bummer. So I thought I don’t need the Palm form factor without a2dp. The Treo 680 is very nice in that instance together with the software: Audio Gateway. The E61i is also (according to the forums on the iNet) buggy as far as the OS goes.

Well to sum it up: I’ll be juggeling the Nokia 5500 and the E70, and ditching the E90 – don’t want to look like Arnold after toting around the E90 for a few more weeks.

Just checked UPS and my Nokia E61i is out for delivery. Unfortunately for me, I won’t get to play with it till I get home from work today. Darn day job!

I am looking forward to digging into a Symbian device. The E61i doesn’t have a touch screen, so that will take a bit of adjustment…

Cornelis:

I’ve been a diehard Palm user (for the most part) for a very long time too and now I’m trying to detach myself from the Treo. While it has been the best solution for me thus far, I’ve had to put up with all the issues that you mention. I deal with the occasional reboot, crappy Bluetooth range, etc as just the way things are, instead of trying to find something better.

The Nokia E90 is a monster! Is that your main phone these days? How do you carry it around? It is intriguing… I could see myself using it since it has a large keyboard. But I can’t see it being my main phone. My pockets aren’t that big ;o) If you could tether it to a smaller phone, that might be a cool solution…

I haven’t tried to unlock my iPhone so have tried only web based games from macmost and other things like Readdle. I’m paranoid about unlocking and adding 3rd party apps. Particularly knowing that Apple is just watching the whole hacking thing play out and could whip the rug out from under all jailbreaks. UGH! I had over 30 extra apps on my Treo 680. The result was way too many conflicts that finally got so bad it wouldn’t sync anymore. The TyTn was more dependable at syncing, but I really didn’t like the clicky keyboard as it was disruptive to take notes in meetings and was bulky. After using the iPhone, WiFi will be a must on my next machine. Nearly everywhere I go has WiFi and that speed beats any EDGE or 3G. I’ll look forward to your review of the Nokia E61i. It sounds like everything I might need… for a week or two until restless sets in again :-0

I also agree that the iPhone will get better over time as it matures.

• Joe

As for me, I decided after a lot of consideration to spend another year with Windows Mobile, on the new Kaiser/TyTn II. (Look for my review of it here, shortly after it actually arrives.) Hopefully by this time in 2008, some of the options that are currently on the horizon will have taken greater shape — for example, the Google phone, Palm’s new platform, or even OpenMoko (which could be a geek’s dream, although I don’t expect it to be consumer-friendly at all).

As much as I have thought about it, and as many times as I go to the Apple store to play with the iPhone’s slick UI, I simply can’t switch yet. One reason is the lack of 3G; I don’t think I could go back to EDGE at this point, and free WiFi is not nearly pervasive enough for me to rely on it while I’m out. Another is the third party apps — while I could probably get by with what’s out there now, I’m not going to pay $400 for a phone just to get by. The lack of official support for development means that there will not be a market for third party software. (This is especially painful when I look at my Mac and see the unique, high quality apps I use every day. Independent Mac developers could do amazing things with the iPhone, I think, but as long as their market could be pulled out from under them at any time, I doubt many of them will.)

And while I have been reluctant to make a choice, I am looking forward to the TyTn II. I can live with Windows Mobile a while longer, especially if it lets me have 3G, built in GPS, and a keyboard that has actual buttons…

I’ve anticipated the iPhone’s shortcomings by getting a Tapwave Zodiac 2. Yep, I’m back in the Zodiac world (my previous one died quite suddenly) and I must say I’m totally loving it!

I’ve removed all non-comms apps from the Treo 680 to the Zodiac that I get used to using the PDA for 3rd party apps that might not be included in the iPhone. This includes my password & financial apps. As the iPhone matures, I’ll slowly transfer more apps from the Zodiac to it.
So for now, the iPhone & Zodiac 2 are my ideal perfect combo…

Have you added any 3rd party apps to your iPhone yet? I was actually hopeful for the platform when I read that Apple said that future firmware upgrades would not break the 3rd party apps. Well since they said that, I’ve heard that they’ve back peddled and now are saying that subsequent updates will probably break them. ARGH!