During the next few months, I’ll be joining the 10-city Hewlett-Packard (HP) and Microsoft Network Storage Solutions Road Show (http://www.winnetmag.com/roadshows/nas). Because of my heavy travel schedule, I needed to upgrade my mobile-communication capabilities. My goal was to find a combination cell phone–and-PDA device that could handle my calendar, contacts, phone, email, to-do list, and light Web-surfing needs. After considering several factors, I discovered quite a few interesting possibilities.
Considerations
Before I took out my wallet, I needed to pin down exactly what I wanted in the device. I evaluated the available products according to reception, form factor, features, and phone and data plans.
Reception. What good is a phone if you can’t get reception? The reception coverage area is determined by a phone company’s network infrastructure. Three wireless network types exist in the United States: Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA). My old mobile phone plan was AT&T Wireless's AT&T Digital One Rate, which uses AT&T’s extensive TDMA network. However, all AT&T's future infrastructure investments are going into its newer GSM network. (Much of the world, including Europe and Asia, uses GSM. Also, GSM supports a digital network called General Packet Radio Service—GPRS—which is important for wireless data services such as email and Web surfing.) T-Mobile uses a GSM network. Sprint PCS uses the CDMA network, which also supports wireless data services. In the United States, CDMA and GPRS data services are available only in major cities. . . .
Register
