DeuceTech

I recently had an email exchange with someone asking about whether a Treo 700w would work with our Exchange-based email system. I initially told him that basically any Windows Mobile device currently sold would work with Exchange and the Direct Push technology that was added to Exchange 2003 SP2 recently. After a couple more emails, I finally gave my extended analysis and recommendation as follows:

In the world of Windows Mobile, you have two basic choices: Smartphones such as the Motorola Q, and true PDA phones (with a stylus and touch screen) such as the Treo 7xx series. The PDA phones are a little more versatile because of the better input method, but the Smartphones generally have much better battery life with almost the same ease of use and functionality. One major difference between the two is that Windows Mobile 5 Smartphones do not have mobile versions of Word and Excel, so you would have to purchase a 3rd party application if you need to edit these types of files on the device.

I carried a Treo 700w for about 6 months and I have been carrying a Moto Q for about 8 months now, so I have experience with both, along with 5 different BlackBerry models over the last 3 years. Both of the Windows Mobile devices are unstable, meaning that they freeze up, turn off, or reboot by themselves periodically. The Treo battery lasted about 8 hours maximum without making any voice calls, so I ended up purchasing a second charger so I could always have it plugged in at home and at work. The Q battery life has been better; about 24 hours or about 40 hours with the extended battery.

I have to admit, I really prefer the BlackBerry over any other device. The battery life is close to 3 days, it is 100% stable, it has a better user interface and applications are just easier to use. Now with the BlackBerry 88xx series, including the 8830 which is available from Sprint, it even has the multimedia capabilities (video and music playback)that were missing before.

My bottom line is this: 1) If you want the best device for staying in touch, go with the BlackBerry 8830 from Sprint. 2)If you feel you really need to go with a Windows Mobile device, the Motorola Q is the more stable choice with the best battery life, but get the extended battery. 3)A Treo 7xx is not really bad, if you really need the additional functionality it offers then get it, but in my experience, it is a little too buggy for me to recommend it over the others.

I mentioned Sprint because the user had told me that he was a current Sprint subscriber. He ended up buying the BlackBerry 8830 from Verizon because they gave him a very big discount over what Sprint would would give him. He was very happy when he got it and we set up his email, calendar, etc. on the device. I will write in my next post about my own experience with the Verizon BlackBerry 8830 and other recent devices.