VS

imate jasjam vs Palm Treo

Some of my friends know of the battles we have been going through since June with PDA phones. Husband + his promotion = new phone. He decided to get a PDA Phone that included a camera and was capable of synchronizing his contacts and if possible had the Windows Mobile 6 Platform. This is where the trouble started. Windows Mobile 6 had not been released in Australia and no one could tell us when it might be released. So after waiting a couple of weeks he decided he needed a phone now and went and signed up for the imate jasjam with Telstra.

Phone number 1 all seemed OK to start with then the drama began.Calls couldn’t be answered. The answer button would not work and some of the keys on the keyboard like back space also were playing up. So this phone lasted about 10 days before it was replaced.

Phone number 2 the calls would ring and then before you could answer they went to unanswered call and then you had to ring the person back. After countless hours on the phone to both Telstra and imate in Australia and offshore call centers, continual configuration changes and hours on the internet reading forums the phone was returned.

Phone number 3 this had the same problems as number 2 and was continually losing calls which drove the phone bill up as each call had to be returned. By now the problem was escalated after a call to the Ombudsman and we had a direct number to Telstra staff to try and resolve the issue. After 2 weeks of problems with this phone the offer was made to cancel the contract! Fortunately the local Telstra shop were prepared to offer a different phone and change the contract rather than start again.

Phone number 4 the Palm Treo 750 with Windows Mobile 5 OS. Have had this now for two weeks and have not had a problem. Screen is a little smaller, camera not quiet as good and it doesn’t come with a holder or pouch but all in all a great phone.

It has not been an easy 6 weeks as on many occasions they wanted us to do the running and ringing around until we put our foot down and made them sort the mess out. So if at first you don’t succeed try try again and if you have a phone or any device you have purchased and it is not working as it should take it back and demand the product you have paid good money for or a full refund.

The First Windows Mobile 6 Phones have been launched by 02 Germany. The O2 Xda terra is currently only available in Germany, but hopefully more phones will follow soon. The Xda terra contains the usual Bluetooth, W-LAN , a 2 megapixel camera and a slide-out keyboard.

Ultimate is a new range of Smartphones from i-mate? due for release in Mid 2007, from what specs I have read these Smartphones have a touchscreen but do not include the Office suite, so are more phones than PDA’s. They do state that they have handwriting recognition so maybe the specs have just left out all the features of the phones, we will just have to wait and see. They also have the JAQ4 with WM6.

HP has the iPAQ 500 series Voice Messenger.This is said to have 20 voice commands to allow hands free operation. You can reply to email by dictating the message, listen to email and text messages and start applications by voice command.

So what does Windows Mobile 6 have going for it?

The interface is not a lot different from WM5, is has a Vista look about it.

Microsoft’s Direct Push technology which means you get real time email will be on all devices, and your e-mail will display better with its original pictures, tables and formatting.

The new ‘Calendar Ribbon’ has the Vista look and lets you view your calendar by day view or week view giving you a quick easy way to see your schedule.

Internet Explorer Mobile has been revamped making it easier to search and easier to access your Favorites and History.

For Windows Mobile 5 users, Microsoft said it will be up to carriers and device manufacturers whether they will offer upgrades.

I had a good look around to find when Windows Mobile 6 will be available in Australia but the best indication I can get is mid to late 2007 so we will just have to wait.

Since writing this we have brought a new PDA phone have a look at how we went

Technorati tags: WM6, Smartphone, Device