Advanced Data Devices from Verizon Wireless

As an employee of Verizon Wireless, I find that PDA’s are the most returned device. In order to save you time and frustration as a consumer, it’s important to select the best device for your needs from day one.

In an effort to select the best PDA, we’re going to look at five advanced devices from Verizon Wireless – the Samsung i730, Audiovox XV6600, Blackberry 7250, Blackberry 7130e, and the Palm Treo 650. 

First of all, we need to evaluate whether a PDA is what you even need. The monthly cost associated with a PDA will probably answer that question for you. The average rate is about $45 per month, which will give you unlimited data for both browsing the Internet and email capability. If you’re not willing to take on the costs associated with this data device, then a PDA is not the device for you. There are plenty of cell phones that have calendars built in.

Choosing the Right One

•   Previous PDA Experience
• If you're not new to PDAs, you need to take into account your previous experience. What were the things that you disliked about it? What were the things you did like?
• Operating System
• PDA's have very different software. If you have software from a previous PDA or feel more comfortable on a certain OS, you may want to select your PDA based on this.
• Windows CD - Samsung i730, Audiovox XV6600
• Palm - Treo 650
• And of course the Blackberry 7250 and the 7130e are running proprietary software.

• Camera Phone
• Just about every cell phone has a camera these days, but this is not necessarily the case with PDAs. If you cannot give up your camera, then you need to look at these devices:
• Audiovox XV6600
• Treo 650

• Email Junkie
• If you receive over 10 emails a day, then I recommend a device with Push Technology. Some devices have to pull the email from the server, others push email straight to the server. Push technology is faster and more efficient. Blackberry models are the only ones that have this capability.
• 7250 and 7130e
• Verizon does offer a Wireless Sync service for other devices that will make the other devices behave similarly to the Blackberry.
• Samsung i730, Audiovox XV6600, Treo 650
• For corporate email users, you must be in a Blackberry to receive your email; otherwise your computer will have to remain on all the time to push emails to your device. Wireless Sync is only compatible with POP3 (web mail) accounts.
• Free email users like Hotmail and Yahoo will have to subscribe to a premium email service to access their email from their advanced data devices. This averages about $20 a year.
• Wireless Sync does not support email that requires an SSL connection. Basically these mail servers simply need a higher level of encryption. Gmail falls into this category. So the bottom line, if your Gmail account is important to you, you need to be in a Blackberry.

• Speed of Internet Connection
• Dial-up speed can be frustrating for surfing the Internet. If you require a fast connection, please realize that not all devices are compatible with Verizon's BroadbandAccess.
• Samsung i730, Audiovox XV6600, Blackberry 7130e

• Laptop Owners
• Not everyone wants to always be connected through their phone. Only one PDA supports a tethered connection. In other words, it allows you to use your PDA as a broadband modem to connect to the Internet. There's no additional monthly fee- it uses the same data plan.
• Blackberry 7130e
  

• Stylus and Touch Screen
• If a stylus and a touch screen are important to you, then the Blackberry will not work.

Taking a Closer Look

Samsung i730

This is Verizon's most expensive PDA. It has a few features that the others do not, like Voice Commands (very convenient with a Bluetooth headset) and Wi-Fi. It's also the newest Windows-based device.

Audiovox XV6600

This device was released last December, so it's currently on phase out. Don't let this stop you from getting into this PDA because it's probably Verizon's best priced device right now. For browsing the web, it's by far the best with its huge screen. Just realize that it will not be upgradeable to the new Windows operating system when it is released.

Blackberry 7250

Even with the new Blackberry out, this one is still a current model. It is not being replaced by the 7130e, as the 7250 is positioned as the corporate version. It has a full size QUERTY keyboard that makes it more efficient for email. Though at this time, it is not broadband capable.

Blackberry 7130e

This is Blackberry's consumer-style device. It's much sleeker and has the best screen of any PDA or device that Verizon offers. The only draw back is the keyboard. While it is QUERTY, it works like predictive text, but it only takes about 15 minutes to get use to. Within a week of using it, you'll find that it's much more efficient, as it does learn your vocabulary.

It's the only PDA that can be used as a modem for your laptop! It uses the same unlimited data plan, which is at least $15 cheaper than having an AirCard from Verizon.

Treo 650

I've saved the Treo for last because it is my least favorite device. It does not support a high speed connection, plus its probably the PDA that has the most problems within the first year. If you're in real estate, this device is what you need because of the ability for it to serve as your key.

Otherwise, if you don't have a lot of Palm software that you can't live without, I would look for a more efficient device, or wait on the new Treo 700. The new device will be the first Treo to have a Windows-based operating system.