Q. Hi Judie,
I’m looking for an expert opinion on smartphones. I’m a Verizon customer, so I am due for my new every 2 free $100 in August.

I have a Palm TX, which I lovingly refer to as my electronic brain, and my cell phone LG8600.  The problem is that my brain often forgets the electronic brain, which is really bad for remembering meetings.  :(  So, I want to get an all in one device.

I’ve been reading reviews and checking out all kinds of info, but I’m so confused between Treos, Blackberries, etc.  What I need is a phone, calendar, to do list (mainly some organization software), contacts, camera, and the occasional internet use.  I don’t need to check my e-mail.  Work has not given me a phone to make me constantly check my e-mail, and until they do, I don’t want them to think I’m going to spend all my free time working. 

With that said, I thought maybe a blackberry would be overkill.  I don’t need the super-duper data package for my phone.  Plus, like most people, I’m all about the speed (RAM needed???), and reception.

I’ve thought about taping my phone to my Palm, but that’s just not the fashion statement I want to make.  Plus, the doublesided tape doesn’t hold very well.

Thanks,
Heather

P.S.

I had another question kind of related to the cell phone question: why is it that GSM seems to get the more advanced phones before CDMA.  I’m not talking about just the iPhone, but it seems that way for most new phones.  I thought it had more to do with the fact that more people use the GSM ‘network’, but is there something different about the tech that makes it more difficult to make CDMA phones.  I’m happy with my Verizon service, but I guess I’m a bit frustrated.

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Sometimes, an item shows up in my mailbox for review that I REALLY want to work well. Maybe the description of the item just sounded so cool that I hope it lives up to the hype. Other times I’m rooting for the product because I believe in their mission and am rooting for the company to succeed. But in the end, the product has to actually work for us here at GearDiary to recommend it to you, oh gentle reader.

The Solio Solar Charger from CREDO Mobile is exactly this kind of gadget.

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Introduction
Last fall, the Palm Centro was launched upon the U.S. on the Sprint network. Judie did a review of it and covered everything from the unboxing to her impressions of the device. Rather than repeat covering the basics of this device, I’m going to recommend that you take a look at her review here and here for a basic overview of using the Centro. Today, I plan to talk about the Centro on AT&T’s GSM network, AT&T highlights and additions to the Centro, and my impressions of the device and service.

Most import, for some folk, is the fact that Centro appears on the AT&T network in a brand new color – Glacier White. You’re either going to love the white with green combination or you’re going to hate it. I actually find it kind of interesting.

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I have written reviews of just about every current Treo on the market. I looked at the Verizon Powered 700w on pocketnow.com, the Sprint Powered 700wx on pocketnow.com, and the Cingular (now AT&T) Powered Palm 750 here on Gear diary. I also wrote a couple of follow-up articles on the 700w on pocketnow (Good Night Sweet Treo…or Not, and Over the Air Synching Issues Investigation) that really stirred things up. However, problems are problems, and if they need to be resolved, I’m not necessarily going to hold back.

I’ve been using the 755p for a little bit, and honestly, while the device is a good, solid device, there are some contributing factors here that you need to be aware of.  Carrier issues aside (I think Verizon’s rate plans, and other wireless services products are over-priced and, in some cases, outrageously expensive); many previous Palm users may be looking at this device and wondering what the 755p gets them, over say, the 700p or any other Palm Powered Treo Smartphone.  Let’s take a look and see what the 755p provides…

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My how time flies when you are having fun! A month has come and gone since I received “my” Palm Centro review unit: a month in which I got to try out nearly everything, a month during which I was able to decide if a device such as this could meet my needs. When I first received the Centro, I posted its unboxing, gave a description of the hardware, and posted my initial thoughts. If you haven’t already read that portion of this review, click here and then come back; as always, I’ll be waiting patiently.

In this portion of the review we’ll cover my user experience, the Centro’s battery life, its camera, and a rundown of some of the included Sprint software. Let’s get started…

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Things have been so crazy today (in a good way, thanks for asking), that I am just now getting settled down to tell you about the package that showed up this morning. Inside that FedEx box was the brand new fire engine red ruby Palm Centro, the $99 Palm OS smartphone that was announced earlier this month, and that has been showing up all over the web as other review sites have also been receiving theirs.

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Well here ya go, the unboxing of the device that never was: The Palm Foleo

Ah a new toy that was never meant to be. What to do, what to do…I know, Play Time.

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Hi everyone. I’m going to try to give my thoughts on people’s reaction to Palm’s Foleo. Honestly, I’m really amazed by how seemingly angry and dismissive people are about the Foleo. It makes me wonder if something else is motivating such harsh responses.

I think about people’s response to Apple’s iPhone which, while not everyone feels this way, is that people have this anticipation about Jobs and Apple - almost a  “what is Apple going to do right next?” And this seems to be in contrast to, what I think, is the disappointment and frustration people have come to have over the years about Palm which seems to go something like “What is Palm not doing now?” or “how is Palm underwhelming us now?”

How do I feel about Palm? Well, I haven’t used a Palm or Treo since 2003. I’ve been using Pocket PC phones since that time (the i700 and then i730). I like the Palm Pilots but don’t trust their operating system. Too many anecdotal stories of Palm Treos resetting on their own. And then there’s the turtle like pace with which Palm seems to move to offer new innovations. So this in particular seems to be a big point of frustration for many people.

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Well it would be lovely if that were the case, but evidently it is not. Chris Leckness has posted a pictorial showing why the two similarly sized Treos can’t share a battery…and it’s really too bad, because the battery in the 755�(Palm OS)�is 400mAh larger than the 750’s (WM5 OS).

Hmmm…conspiracy? Maybe!

�

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Vincent Nguyen, of Slashgear and myiPhone fame, has posted a detailed�hands-on review�covering the just announced Palm 755p. Let’s take a look at some of his comments…

“While the Palm OS is undoubtedly the easiest to use, it�s getting outdated due to the lack of support for multitasking. I find it annoying trying to download a big email attachment and not be able to use another application or quickly surf the web. Then again, the power of Palm OS is to keep things simple and eliminate the need to press a bunch of keys or stylus taps to get to where you want to go. And yes, unlike Windows Mobile, the responsiveness and performance doesn�t degrade over time.”

photo courtesy of SlashGear

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