My i705 is now a non-communicating device. Actually, it still communicates just fine: the network is still there, the radio in the device works great and the software hasn’t crashed. But the servers on the other end were supposed to be disconnected from Cingular’s Mobitex network as of last night. [I'm not entirely sure they've taken everything off the network yet. I certainly can't access any services via radio, and can't sign into the Palm.Net Web site any longer, but email sent to my old Palm.Net address does not get rejected. In fact, it appears to be gladly received by a machine answering on port 25 at 63.120.179.11, which resolves to smtp-relay1.palmone.com. I guess the folks at USA are still hoping I'll convert.]
I need several things from mobile devices. First, and most obvious, is voice. Has to be GSM, and the handset must be a multi-band phone that works on at least one US and one international band. Second, I need email, and although it does not have to sync with what’s back in the office (see below) it does have to get pushed out rather than wait for me to pull it. Email devices and phones have to have a user interface that works for me, which means the screen has to be readable without 3.00 reading glasses and the keytops have to fit my thumbs. The phone must fit comfortably in my pants pocket, because I refuse to geekify myself by carrying it on my belt. Bluetooth is also a requirement for both headsets and syncing. With memory so cheap I want to carry all my contacts and calendar data with me at all times. And the devices to sync with my Mac. Battery life cannot be less than 12 hours between rechargings/replacing, and power supplies must work worldwide. Notetaking is not important to me, nor is access to the Web, although the latter is a nice perk but not a requirement. Given my admittedly picky requirements I’m resigned to carrying multiple devices, the phone (currently a SonyEricsson Z600) being the one that is always along.
The i705 was a good compromise. It had enough memory to hold all my contacts and calendars, and synced seamlessly and flawlessly with my Powerbook both over USB and Bluetooth. The UI is good and the email service has been passable. I worked up scripts on my server so I could easily forward incoming mail out to the device and turn off the forwarding when I returned to World Headquarters.
So now I’m back to carrying three devices. The phone, my new reliable 950 for email and my iPod Mini (which I inherited from Alex) for contacts and calendars. The music is a bonus. I’d rather not carry all three, but nothing else seems to work, at least presently.
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