When we first started the business we paid a stupid amount of money on mobiles phones. This stung so much that when it came around to the end of the contract we got a really cheap contract with a pretty basic phone.
While this was fine it meant i was missing out on push email goodness and i was still carrying around my trusty ipaq which has served me well over the years but it’s showing it’s age a bit (it’s Windows Mobile 2003!) and has no capability for connecting to the internet while i was away from the office
The contract is up for renewal so i felt i really needed a new smartphone
After a recommendation from Richard Tubb i went with the T-Mobile MDA Vario 3 (which i believe is a HTC TyTN II)
So far i’ve been pretty impressed.
I really like the keyboard which makes typing pretty easy. Also there are about four different ways to operate it. You can use the touchscreen, the keyboard, a thumbwheel and button on the side or the buttons on the front. I’ve found myself switching between them depending on the task i’m performing
It’s not a bad size (though it feels heavier than my larger ipaq but thats ok) and the screen is big enough so that nothing gets lost
From a techie perspective it’s got all the connectivity you’d want (USB,Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G/HSDPA/GPRS/etc)
It has a built-in GPS receiver (finally i have a excuse to get get rid of the evil sat-nav software i have), Windows Mobile 6, MicroSd expansion slot (up to 8Gb i belive but looking to get this confirmed) and 3MP camera
If i had to complain about anything it doesn’t seem as responsive as my ipaq but i’m guessing it’s doing a lot more
The contract i took out also gives me “unlimited high speed internet access” (about 1GB in reality) and allows me to hook the phone up to my laptop for when i need connectivity on the go
I’ve always felt a bit guilty talking to clients about mobile solutions while not having one myself. I’ve only had it a couple of days and i’ve already found one or two productivity benefits as well.
The downside is i’m now (even more) attached to work than i was before!
Thankfully there is an off button 😉
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I have a lovely Vario II (which is up for contract renewal in the next couple of months) and can’t live without it. I never got on with text messaging using the letters-on-numbers system, so the keyboard is essential. I can mobile blog with it, post pictures from it via Flickr to my site, and use Google Reader. I can even stream music from my PC at home (via Orb) if I’m bored, and then there’s Pocket Slay to play too.
Oh, and I use it as a bluetooth modem for my MacBook, so I can use the internet from anywhere. 🙂
Hi deKay
The Vario II was actually what the recommendation was for. Seemed to make sense to move onto the next model
Will be checking out pocket slay 🙂
Thanks
Glad to hear it’s going well! I’m now jealous of being “stuck” with my old MDA Vario 2 now when the in-built GPS and superior Camera would be nice to have, but T-Mobile don’t do in-contract subsidised upgrades – so £350 to purchase the Vario 3 for these nice features is a touch too rich for me. Now… make sure to go get some utilities like Pocket Informant, WiFiFoFum and PocketBreeze to make your Windows Mobile experience even better!