photo credit: poketmonster [rafa]

Judie: Welcome to the newest installment of Dear Gear Diary, where several members of the team chime in when Dave asks for advice on what he should replace his dying Palm TX with, and Carly tells Carlos how he can make his Camangi look better with tips that will work on just about any Android device.

And without further ado …

Dear Gear Diary,

My old Palm TX is dying and I am looking for something to replace it. If it could also replace my phone, that would be a bonus, but I’d be willing to look at MIDs or PMPs.

I am looking for something with a robust calendar and to do list (like DateBk6).

Something that can set audible alarms for appointments and tasks (like Palm)

Something that can sync the calendar to Google (like GooSync).

Something that can manage lists (like HandyShopper).

Something that will function when it’s not connected (because there are spots where I work with no reception, depending on the carrier).

And something I can carry in my shirt pocket (not much more than 3×5×0.5 and 8 ounces)

If you were looking for PDA functionality in a small device, what would you recommend? And if the answer is a Palm phone, what would be your second choice
(since Palm, once again, seems about to go under).

Thanks,

Dave

Judie: Well Dave …

I opened this one up the team, and as expected we had suggestions that fell all over the map.

Francis: Not sure how anyone else feels, but I think a Dell Mini 5 could be a good option. Its not too big for a phone, and not too small for a MID. Android may be the only holdup – and of course price. If Dave is open to Android, and likes AT&T, the Mini 5 could fit the bill.

Michael: Until recently I would have said either a Palm Pre or a WiMo device like an HTC Touch Pro 2. But having owned the Touch Pro 2 for a few weeks and played with the new Palm Pre, I cannot recommend either of those devices.

For myself, as a long-time PDA user, I have been thrilled with the Motorola Droid running Google’s Android – and as Francis recommended the Dell Mini 5, I would say that most newer Android devices would probably work.

I have found that the intrinsic Google sync, as well as the great flexibility and ever-growing list of great apps for handling all sorts of things has made it a wonderful ‘convergence’ device that has caused me to drop my Dell Axim x51v completely.

Judie: Ah, but Dave wants something smaller – 5” tall x 3” wide x 0.5” thick. Wouldn’t that leave out the Dell Mini 5? It’s measurements have been given as 152mm (6”) x 78mm (3.07”) x 10mm (3/8”), and it weighs 8 ounces which is a little longer than he may have wanted and pretty chunky for a shirt pocket—never mind the reported ~$1K price point. If he is willing to try Android, what about a Nexus One? It’s got an almost 4” screen and a Snapdragon processor.

Or even … why not the iPhone? It will do everything he wants – sync to Google, Pocket Informant is excellent and inexpensive enough, it has audible alarms, it functions when it’s not connected to the internet, plus it’s got a great media player with its own store built right in.

Carly: The iPhone would offer better calendar options, but I think a Nexus One might be a better choice. Great Google integration, many free apps, etc.

Maybe the answer would be to hit up an Apple Store and then a cell phone store to compare Android and the iPhone. I would recommend trying a Verizon store, just because the Droid would be a much closer match, performance-wise, versus a MyTouch3G.

Francis: Judie, despite the Windows Phone 6.5 vs 7 discussion would you recommend the HTC HD2? Since he mentioned MID or PMP, it seems he is looking for something a little more. The HD2 has the larger screen, but of course now has the current limitations of the out of the box OS. I think the N1 and iPhone are great alternatives as is the Droid. But I still recommend the Mini 5, even though its a bit larger than suggested. Also he didn’t mention if there was a keyboard preference, and for that matter  Blackberry has some great new options too.

Judie: Francis, I’ve said many times that I think the HD2 is the best Windows Phone yet, and possibly ever (thanks to HTC’s UI), and it is definitely some of the best smartphone hardware ever … I mean, my god, the specs alone. But I simply can’t recommend it to anyone in good conscience, because its operating system was effectively outdated with the Windows Phone 7 announcement and its complete lack of upgrade path for any existing hardware. The HD2 is the cream of the crop, and you will pay dearly for its features when you buy one (without the upcoming T-Mobile subsidy, anyway). So to tell someone that they should buy a phone that will not be upgradable at the end of the year, when a truly BAD ASS updated operating system will be available that could theoretically work on this hardware … but it won’t even be an option because the hardware has two extra buttons? I can’t do it. I would rather tell people just to wait.

With that said, I do want to applaud Microsoft for picking a standard and sticking with it. If this means the possibility of over the air Windows Phone updates because of “standardized” hardware, then I’m all for it! I just won’t be recommending any Windows Phones until 7 is out.

Doug: Well, as a former Palm fan, I have been really happy with my iPhone as far as PDA functionality is concerned. My only gripe is that integration with Microsoft Exchange is kind of flakey. Other than that, I think the iPhone is an excellent PDA.

Michael: Reading back over I realized that I completely missed the iPhone. Since Dave already has a Palm TX, which has no keyboard (unlike my beloved TC) , he should definitely be open to the virtual keyboard of things like the Nexus One or iPhone. As Doug mentions, the Exchange integration is flaky on the iPhone – but that is also true for Android. So if that isn’t a big deal it seems like there are actually a load of possible options!
Judie: Well, Dave didn’t mention Exchange at all, but he did mention Google specifically. If that’s what he needs, then I think he would really enjoy the Nexus One or the iPhone right out of the box.

So, never let it be said that we could all agree on anything! Can you all think of a better option that we didn’t explore?

Dave, we hope you were able to get some ideas from our rambling. As you can see, there are lots of options available, and we think that you will enjoy exploring them!

Next up, we have an email from Carlos. He’s got a Camangi, but isn’t happy with the user interface. Carly is ready to help him out with some advice that will work on other Android devices as well …

Dear Gear Diary,

Hi I have watched your review on the Camangi Webstation, and it was helpful. I just received my Camangi a few days ago and I am kinda not happy with the workstation because of some factors. I writing to you because I know you aren’t a tech for this device, but you might have heard of options.

So I was looking on a website and it seemed someone had another GUI version that I have do you know by any chance if that is possible and also if it is, I would like to know if eBook will still function on the image. One last thing, I saw that your background was different on a post you have put up. I try to put a picture as my background and it doesn’t work. So again, I don’t expect you to answer all the question and I hope I am not a bother for these questions.

Thanks for taking the time to read my email.

Carlos

Carly: Hi Carlos- I’m using the Camangi these days. I agree that the default user interface is pretty bad. The good news is that Android is very customizable.

First of all, head over to mAPPn and purchase aHome. It’s only $4.99, and it is well worth it. That’s going to make your Camangi look and feel like a regular Android device. In my opinion, it sped things up a great deal. All the files (including ebook) will still be available. If you aren’t familiar with Android, there’s what’s called an “app drawer”. In aHome on the Camangi, it sits on the right side, and looks like a little gray tab. Click or drag the tab, and a screen slides out that shows you all the apps you have installed.

Second of all, I recommend going to Slideme.org on your Camangi, and downloading their app store. It’s not as good as the regular Android market, but it’s light years better than the Camangi-run version. Download the Dolphin browser, it is much better than the default browser.

Finally, if you’re going to be doing a great deal of ebook reading, check out Aldiko (which you can get through Slideme). It’s a gorgeous ebook reader, and can download directly from manybooks, feedbooks and smashwords. Looks awesome on the Camangi, and runs quickly. Or you can check out my roundup of Android ebook options for more choices!

One quick word on Android apps in general; they come as an .APK file, and if you have one sent to you by a developer, or that you’ve downloaded from a website, you can just click on it in the Camangi to install the program. mAPPn will send you aHome that way, for example. You can also try searching “program.apk” if you are looking for  a free Android application that you can’t find through a marketplace like Slideme.

I hope this helps a bit, and if I can offer you any other Camangi assistance, please let me know!

Judie: That’s it for this week! Please send your questions to deargeardiary@geardiary.com. Maybe we can answer a question for you in our next installment.