Help! We recently switched to AT&T because my beloved Palm Treo 700p is doing a death march, and Verizon will require us to pay for a monthly data plan no matter what phone we replace my Treo with.
I got an HTC Fuze with the new AT&T contract but despite it's beauty I hate it and am sending it back (it's terribly slow, you can't customize the buttons, and it takes a bunch of steps to do simple tasks like call someone... beautiful but not practical).
I am now considering either the Palm Centro or the Samsung Epix.
The main differences seem to be the operating system (Centro runs on Palm; Epix runs on WinMo 6.1, which is the same operating system as the Fuze, which worries me); Epix has wi-fi and Centro does not (I can live without wi-fi, but would REALLY like to have because it would make work & travel much easier); and the keyboard visibility (Centro is easy to read, Epix is impossible).
Can any of you make a recommendation for which phone, and any add-on software I would need to make it work as required? My requirements are below.
WILL BE USED FOR:
- Phoning frequently (voice command is nice but also need ability to dial).
- Schedule & Task management constantly.
- If possible, reading emails (but do NOT want constant email "push").
- Reading & minor edits to documents, email attachments, etc.
- Camera frequently, syncing photos w/PC.
- Texting occasionally, usually in meetings to respond to kids so need to be able to do so quickly, quietly, w/o fuss.
- Taking notes in meetings.
MUST:
- Sync seamlessly with Outlook 2007 run on Windows XP.
- Have quick search function (Fuze took more than 11 minutes to do the same search that my Treo took just a second or two to perform!).
- Be easy & quick to dial calls (Treo allows you to hit letter & it brings up all names in Contacts that match. The Fuze required a complicated combination of finger swipes & presses.)
- Be fast, despite having 1000 or more contacts, tasks, etc. (Treo allowed me to NOT sync completed tasks; Fuze syncs everything).
- Allow sorting of tasks by context (i.e. Outlook categories). (Fuze did not -- just sorting by due date or subject).
- Have at least one task view that shows due date, context (Outlook category), and subject in one place.
- Have good handwriting recognition (Mobiwrite on my Treo has been sufficient for me, tho not fabulous). Due to tendon problems, thumb typing is never going to be an easy thing for me.
STRONGLY PREFER:
- Ability to assign more than one context (category) to a task (Treo does not allow this).
- Allow for more than 14 Categories (a limitation of Palm at the time of my Treo, but not sure if it's a limitation of the more current Centro). With Outlook 2007's merging of categories across calendars/tasks/contacts/notes, this is almost a "must have" now.
- Ability to sync email rather manually rather than via data plan (Treo did not have this ability & I can't afford a data plan, so I've lived without portable email all these yrs).
- Ability to quickly change appt details (w/Treo it took 3 taps to change an appt date; w/Fuze it took 7 taps over 3 different screens!).
WOULD BE NICE:
- Ability to sync with Mozilla Thunderbird email & Lightning calendar/tasks (I'd like to switch over eventually to reduce dependence on Outlook).
I got an HTC Fuze with the new AT&T contract but despite it's beauty I hate it and am sending it back (it's terribly slow, you can't customize the buttons, and it takes a bunch of steps to do simple tasks like call someone... beautiful but not practical).
I am now considering either the Palm Centro or the Samsung Epix.
The main differences seem to be the operating system (Centro runs on Palm; Epix runs on WinMo 6.1, which is the same operating system as the Fuze, which worries me); Epix has wi-fi and Centro does not (I can live without wi-fi, but would REALLY like to have because it would make work & travel much easier); and the keyboard visibility (Centro is easy to read, Epix is impossible).
Can any of you make a recommendation for which phone, and any add-on software I would need to make it work as required? My requirements are below.
WILL BE USED FOR:
- Phoning frequently (voice command is nice but also need ability to dial).
- Schedule & Task management constantly.
- If possible, reading emails (but do NOT want constant email "push").
- Reading & minor edits to documents, email attachments, etc.
- Camera frequently, syncing photos w/PC.
- Texting occasionally, usually in meetings to respond to kids so need to be able to do so quickly, quietly, w/o fuss.
- Taking notes in meetings.
MUST:
- Sync seamlessly with Outlook 2007 run on Windows XP.
- Have quick search function (Fuze took more than 11 minutes to do the same search that my Treo took just a second or two to perform!).
- Be easy & quick to dial calls (Treo allows you to hit letter & it brings up all names in Contacts that match. The Fuze required a complicated combination of finger swipes & presses.)
- Be fast, despite having 1000 or more contacts, tasks, etc. (Treo allowed me to NOT sync completed tasks; Fuze syncs everything).
- Allow sorting of tasks by context (i.e. Outlook categories). (Fuze did not -- just sorting by due date or subject).
- Have at least one task view that shows due date, context (Outlook category), and subject in one place.
- Have good handwriting recognition (Mobiwrite on my Treo has been sufficient for me, tho not fabulous). Due to tendon problems, thumb typing is never going to be an easy thing for me.
STRONGLY PREFER:
- Ability to assign more than one context (category) to a task (Treo does not allow this).
- Allow for more than 14 Categories (a limitation of Palm at the time of my Treo, but not sure if it's a limitation of the more current Centro). With Outlook 2007's merging of categories across calendars/tasks/contacts/notes, this is almost a "must have" now.
- Ability to sync email rather manually rather than via data plan (Treo did not have this ability & I can't afford a data plan, so I've lived without portable email all these yrs).
- Ability to quickly change appt details (w/Treo it took 3 taps to change an appt date; w/Fuze it took 7 taps over 3 different screens!).
WOULD BE NICE:
- Ability to sync with Mozilla Thunderbird email & Lightning calendar/tasks (I'd like to switch over eventually to reduce dependence on Outlook).