Do you care about buying wireless internet access through the phone provider instead of with wifi? If not, it won't matter whether the smartphone uses Edge or a 3G connection. (I'm not sure which either Palm or RIM's phones support).
Also if you want wifi on one, that will make it harder still, as most phones don't have wifi, at least not in the United States.
Another thing-in the U.S. at least, it's REALLY hard to get a smartphone without having to buy a data plan with it. I don't want a data plan (they're way more than I can afford), which is another reason I can't get a smartphone.
I don't have nearly as much experience with RIM's phones, but from what I've seen they're *much* worse at PDA/PIM functions compared with Palm's stuff. They started out as a corporate device focused on being an email device first, whereas Palm's stuff started out as an organizer/PDA/PIM device first, and there's a lot more (mostly free) software available for Palm's stuff (though I'd recommend a Palm OS one, not a Windows Mobile one, as Palm sells smartphones with either OS).
I'd guess Palm's phones aren't built real well, if they're anything like their stand alone devices, but they're still the best for organizer features (by far).
Or...heck, an iPhone might work for you. As far as I know you can set alarms on those too. They have by FAR the best mobile web browser out there (still primitive, but compared to what Palm and especially RIM offer it's fantastic). They also have Wifi if you want that. They're not as fully featured as Palm's stuff (no Office Suite yet for example), but for the basics they may work just fine for you.
So, yeah an iPhone or Palm OS device I think would work for what it sounds like you want better than a RIM phone, although those might be okay too.
16 Aug 2008, 11:13 am
