help me find a PDA phone...

[UltraMagnus]

so, i am hoping to upgrade my PDA (dell axim x51v) for a PDA phone. now, i dont have a clue how to shop for these things, and none of the retailers seem to list things i care about... so i was hoping you guys could give me a hand.

really, the things i am looking for in a phone are

VGA screen
Fast processor (>600mhz preferably)
good amount of ram (>128mb preferable)
CF slot (i guess, not really necessary, i have just got used to using it to install programs on)
SD slot
IRDA port
WIFI
3G
Bluetooth
maybe, some sort of graphics accelerator?
Good battery life
Easy to replace battery

am i being too demanding?

thanks in advance!

[wombar]

I am in exactly the same position and you can get almost all of your requirements just not in one phone at the moment. The VGA screen (i.e. 640x480 I presume?) is the big one you'll stuggle with, I don't think we're quite at that point where manufacturers want to bother yet. Once surfing the web on a mobile becomes more popular (and affordable), they'll start building it in as standard, until then it's a bit of a speciality.

I've been waiting for the specs you've mentioned for over a year and there's very little that will suit you exactly. There's a new ETEN handset coming out soon called the X800 I think that sounded promising but has had some bad reports. The iMate ultimate series looks nice, but no one is quite sure whether they'll be any good (or actually get released as iMate have a tendency towards vapourware). There's also a Toshiba one which I would avoid like the plague because I've heard nothing but bad reports from owners.

Basically, I don't think there's anything that will suit you exactly, just lots of phones that nearly fit the bill. There are quite a few decent sites out there that let you keep up with new phones which I've listed below.

MS Mobiles
Modaco

However, I'm certainly no expert, so if you do find something please let me know because at the moment I'm carting a brick of an Orange M3100 around which is chunky to say the least. At the moment I'm considering just buying something like a Kaiser and keeping an Asus EEE in the car.

[PanzerKnight]

TrustedReviews - Orange HTC TyTN II

Specs

Windows Mobile 6
Tilted 2.8” 240*320 QVGA touch screen
Sliding QWERTY keyboard
built-in GPS
3 mega-pixel auto focus camera
VGA camera for 3G/UMTS video-calling
Tri-band UMTS with Quad-band GSM/GPRS/Edge
HSDPA up to 3.6 Mbps HSUPA
ROM 256MB and RAM 128MB
360 degree 3 way jog wheel paired with OK button
microSD card slot
WiFi 802.11 b/g , Bluetooth 2.0
TouchFLO Technology

I just got this, really amazing phone!!

[nichomach]

I think your closest match is probably the HTC Advantage - no CF slot, but with an 8GB hard disk I reckon you won't have problems installing stuff. Downside is it costs a lot. See HTC Advantage Description - eXpansys UK.

Other than that, the Toshiba Portege G900 ticks a lot of your boxes, as do the E-Ten Glofiish X800 and M800. HTC's other devices (like the TyTN II noted above) are great, but you give up the VGA screen (well, unless you go for the Shift which is even more expensive!).

Buy an E-TEN glofiish X800 (UK, GPS, iGo Maps), #X800_iGo - eXpansys UK

Buy an E-TEN glofiish M800 (UK, QWERTY, GPS), #M800 - eXpansys UK

Buy a Toshiba Portege G900 (UK, QWERTY), #G900 - eXpansys UK

[wombar]

I'd love a TyTn II (aka Kaiser, V1615 etc) but unfortunately browsing the web on it can be painful if you need to access sites not made of mobiles. 320x240 simply doesn't cut it for me (go on resize your IE window now) and I'm going to hold out for something that has a decent VGA screen on it.

I would say there's been a lof unhappy customers with the Toshiba Portege (check out XDA forums) so you may want to do some thorough research before plonking down your cash. Likewise with the ETENs', there's also been some build quality problems so once again make sure you know what you're getting.

You could also try the Nokia communicator which is meant to be good and has most of the spec you want, but I've heard is VERY big so definitely try one before purchase.

[Flibb]

wombar have you tried using opera mini, has a zoom in out out function ,rss feeds, etc. Installed it on my one the other day works really well. The next step HTC need to take is a full sized vga touch screen, with slide out keyboard, would be the replacement for the old Universal.

[nichomach]

I honestly think the TyTN II's a staggering device. Flibb's got a good point re Opera mini - "...and this is the Internet, really quickly, NOT on your iPhone...". TBH, although there are fudges to get VGA to really look and work right as far as apps go, having used an X51v and an X30 (w/WLAN and Bluetooth) and a TyTN II and a couple of others as well, the TyTN II's capabilities - still in a relatively compact package - just put it streets ahead; far enough that I wouldn't actually care that much about screen resolution. Although I'm a sad git and am currently lusting after the HTC Touch Dual (and no, I DON'T want an Orange contract!).

[Flibb]

I have to say I was a bit unsure about getting the Kaiser after my Uniersal, bit its incredibly compact, and usable. The internet is very usable, and I use RSS a lot now. What really makes these devices for me is the support on forums like xda-dev, and modaco. I currently have a touch cube system installed on my Vario III (Kaiser), thats working really well, especially with pocket music and finger friendly friends (odd name but great app).

[5aboy]

Hi
I would definetly reccomend a HTC device simply because of the masses of support available on xda-developers

the first few devices which immediately spring to mind are the HTC TYTN and the HTC TYTN II

however, none of these have the VGA screen your looking for, so the HTC Advantage/X7500 is worth a look but thats a little on the big side!

personally, i would go for the TYTN II!

[Flibb]

just installing a new rom on my phone, took 5 minutes, extremly easy. A few kaiser roms on xda-dev now

[nichomach]

Fantastic resource, xda-dev. Just flashed an Axim X51v to WM6, which is MUCH nicer.

[purohitebay]

if you want excellent battery life - not the stellar unless yu want an extended battery. you will need to charge the battery at least once every 2 days. - if you can live that get it.

[Funkstar]

Are you going to bump every thread that mensions the Kaiser/TyTN II?

This was was dead since December, I don't really think it needed opening again just for that comment.