I support just about every type of messaging phone from BB, to smartphones like the Q and blackjack to Palm phones like the Treo 650 and 700p and WM5 phones like the 700w and the 6700. I think what you should do is actually go to the store and seriously spend a good 10 minutes just playing with each phone you are considering. Do you mind carrying something bulky like the Treo or the 6700? If not, they have far more power and functionality. If you need something slim, you might want to go with the Q. The Q does not have a touch screen which limits some web interaction and general functionality. There are manufacturers who make slim full function touch screenWM6 pda phones withhigher resolution but Sprint doesn't currently deal with those units - I would hope that changes as browsing theweb at anything below 640x480 is not pleasant.Frankly 640x480 makes browsing the web, checking e-mail, reviewing documents all much better so this is an important item Sprint needs to change.
The 6700 has a better keyboard for people like me with clumsy fingers and has a larger screen for more viewing capacity. The treo has a keyboard on the front so you don't have to slide out the keyboard and for some particularly dextrous people, they can do a great deal of typing with just one hand. Most people think the 6700 is significantly bigger than the Treo due to its svelt brick like lines but they aren't much different in size.
If you can wait, you should see some new PDA phones coming out from Sprint by Summer. The new ones should include WM6 which allows for HTML formatted e-mails for better reading. It has some other features as well but I would say that his the biggest upgrade. In addition the new phones will have a little more memory for storing documents, e-mail and software. You can add storage by buying standard ST, Mini or Micro SD depending on the phone you get but this sometimes causes the screen to remain dark when you power up your device (known as the DSOD - Dark Screen of Death) so ideally you want more memory already integrated into your phone.
If you go with a WM phone - things you want to install - SPB Pocket plus - let's you change your today screen to make it display what you want at a glance and to make accessing programs easier as well as a much better battery indicator. Voice Command is a MUST - being able to touch a button on your phone or BT headset and call a person is safer if you are driving as well as much more convenient - it has many other commands but that alone makes it essential. You can install a flash player and adobe reader for free. You can install Live Search for free which included a pretty nifty GPS mapping program, directions, attractions etc. Live Search is also free - a web page - good for many things including stocks and sports (it is still beta but good). I have the 6700 so I got vjcadella which is a great little utility that lets me use the flash for my phones camera as a flashlight. Since the flash is LED the extra battery drain is minimal and it is fantastic to always have a decent flashlight with me at all times.
You can use MSN messenger on any WM phone and the new one includes nearly all the bells and whistles of Live messenger for your PC.
No matter what, get a spare charger as you will want to charge your phone at least once a day. BT 2.1 has just been ratified which reduces battery drain but it will be a while before we see BT 2.1 units in any phones. Lithium Polymer batteries can improve your battery life by about 20% but currently no Sprint phones have those. With luck you might be able to buy one from a third party down the road that works for your phone but then you are paying another $50 for something that ideally would already come with your phone.
As for the camera - you'll find that just about any phone camera is for limited functionality. It doesn't matter if the unit is 2 megapixal, the small lens etc is not going to compete with a $100 camera for picture quality.
Message Edited by boe on 03-10-200711:29 PM
