Here is the home screen, lookin' good.
The first thing I did was see how hard it was to link up to my home network over the WiFi. Easy-peasy. I just click on the connections from the main screen and I get this menu, allowing me to turn on and off the various radios in the device. WiFi, Bluetooth, and phone. The phone found my home network and prompted me for the WEP security code. Once the code was accepted and connected, this is saved as a profile and will connect automatically in future.By using the local wireless connection, I can do things like use the internet on the phone without using up any of my costly cell phone minutes. I am on a prepaid plan with O2, so I don't really want to need to buy a bunch of minutes because I am playing around. Mobile internet is neat, but not that practical yet. I have just tried google and checked the weather. I need to figure out what mobile sites are actually useful. I just learned that you can shop Amazon over the mobile web, so I may give that a try sometime.
Next I tried dialing. A neat thing is that even the dialing is "smarter" than on a normal phone. If I key in 263, the phone displays a list of all the contacts in my book containing 263 in the phone number or in the name (letters on the keys.) In this case of course 263 is AND and gets all the Andersons to come up. I scrolled down and clicked on myself and you can see that it pulled up my contact with all numbers to choose from and of course my handsome face looking out.
The phone synchronizes with my outlook, including all email inbox and calendar appointments. I like this a lot since I have a lot of crap in my calendar that I don't want to have to look in my laptop to remember. It carries over all of the alarms and reminders as well so I won't forget any of that important stuff.
Finally, I tried playing video on the phone. I imported a television show and then saw what the results were like. Better than I expected, although I think I still need to play around with the video encoding settings to make sure everything is optimal as far as audio and video goes.
The next things I will be checking out will be the music playback and voice command functions on the phone. Sorry to anyone reading who is not interested in my new phone, but that is the thing that is keeping me busy the last few days, so you will need to bear with me until it is out of my system.
7 comments:
Fraser what is the number pad like on the phone? The pictures make it look a bit chunnky and not very stylish (sorry just comparing it to the iphone).
Otherwise, it's a pretty fancy phone. Mobile internet can be useful (checking for maps, directions).
The keypad is fitting in with the overall utilitarian business focus of the phone. Plain, raised buttons that are fairly firm to press.
They are a tiny bit smaller than the buttons on my last phone, which took a little getting used to, but they are fine.
iPhone it certainly is not, but it is not even remotely geared to the same audience. iPhone is meant as a hyper-easy to use smartphone for the consumer mass market. The HP iPAQ is a business focused phone mainly aimed at larger coroporate customers.
The "killer app" on the iPAQ is the ability to go over WiFi and use a VOIP PBX. So I could configure it to be my desk phone when I walk into the office and links up to the wireless office network. the iPhone certainly cannot do that.
I would say that iPhone's killer app is the web surfing, which looks to be better than anything else I have seen on a portable. Also, the fact it is an ipod.
Oh, iPhone's battery gives you about 4 hours, I get 7.5 in mine. And my phone was 500 dollars cheaper (with employee discount.)
Fraser - I hear that the wi-fi connection drops off in a minute or so attributable to a software bug. Is this true? I'm waiting for my phone to be delivered and if wi-fi doesnt work, then its useability is limited for me
Anurag
I have had no issues with dropping wifi signal when using it at home. I have a netgear wireless router (kabel BW is my provider) and I have surfed the web for over an hour at a time while playing.
No complaints.
Hi Frazer - I agree, I really like this phone. The Voice Commander is also very good, particularly if you're driving, and the ability to ask it to read SMSs to you is great. I wish that the user manual/help facility was a bit more comprehensive as you need to really put some time in to work out everything that is does, and also how to do some basic stuff. You get there in the end, but it could be easier.
Can you explain a bit more about the VOIP comment you made with the WiFi - I'm not to au fait with VOIP so this went a bit over my head.
Also, have you worked out how to use mp3 files as sounds ? I can do it for the ring tome, but can't seem to get anything but the fairly dull standard issue tomes for all the other functions/reminders/alerts.
All the best,
Nick
Hi Nick,
when connected with wifi, I use the program FRING to make VOIP calls, it is a client just like SKYPE, and in fact takes all of your skype contacts into the phone. The only downside of FRING as a client is that it is on permanent speakerphone. You also have to set the program to only use the wifi for the VOIP conenction, unless you dont mind using up your cell internet minutes.
Do you mean use MP3 files as system sounds? In the settings menu there is a list of events that have customizable sounds, this can use any sound file saved in the \application data\sounds directory. Currently I have only used WMA files, I am not sure if MP3 can be used. I would need to try that out.
I have also not yet tried to assign custom sounds to specific contacts, but since no one really calls me, I can be bothered to try that. My phone is essentially used as an Ipaq first and a phone last, I wanted a replacement for my PDA that was small. I am not a big phone user in general.
hi again...
i just looked back over the comments and thought you may be referring to the connection of the phone to a VOIP PBX in an office.
This is very possible, but ironically my office will not allow me to do this despite the fact we use IP phones at our desks...
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