Replacement for E2 - what?

[t***@isbd.co.uk]

My wife's Tungsten E2 is on its last legs so we're thinking of
upgrading it, we're thinking of one of the Treos (probably a 500) but
have some questions :-

Is data transfer as simple as synchronising the E2 with Palm
Desktop and then synchonising the Treo with Palm Desktop?

Do the Treos take standard SIMs? I.e. will she be able to take
the SIM out of her existing phone (I think it's a Motorola) and
put it in the Treo?

What's battery life like on a Treo compared with the E2 (OK, it's
not comparing like with like as it's a phone as well but some
guide would be useful)


Finally, what are the major differences between the various Treos, any
reason for going for a more expensive one?

Or should be be considering something completely different? It
doesn't need to be a PDA/Phone, a straightforward PDA would be OK.

[Daniel James]

Post by t***@isbd.co.uk
My wife's Tungsten E2 is on its last legs so we're thinking of
upgrading it ...

The E2 is still a good device.

Post by t***@isbd.co.uk
Is data transfer as simple as synchronising the E2 with Palm
Desktop and then synchonising the Treo with Palm Desktop?

Should be, I think, as long as you go for another PalmOS device ... I
haven't tried this with the most recent devices. Beware that some of the
Treo models use Windows Mobile instead of PalmOS.

Post by t***@isbd.co.uk
Do the Treos take standard SIMs? I.e. will she be able to take
the SIM out of her existing phone (I think it's a Motorola) and
put it in the Treo?

I believe so. I'm not aware of any smaller SIM standard.

Post by t***@isbd.co.uk
What's battery life like on a Treo compared with the E2 (OK, it's
not comparing like with like as it's a phone as well but some
guide would be useful)

There's no sensible way to make a comparison, really. The Treo has a
bigger battery to support the phone part, but the phone part drains it
much faster. If you had a Treo and use it with the phone turned off all
the time it would probably have a much better battery life than an E2
.. but it's unlikely that anyone would want to do that.

Post by t***@isbd.co.uk
Finally, what are the major differences between the various Treos, any
reason for going for a more expensive one?

See here: http://euro.palm.com/uk/en/products/compare_smartphones.html

The /most/ expensive ones run Windows Mobile, and as an upgrade from an
E2 I'd say there were very good reasons for NOT choosing one of those.

The two PalmOS models -- the new "Centro" and the Treo 680 -- seem very
similar in capabilities, but very different in styling. The Centro has a
better camera.

Post by t***@isbd.co.uk
Or should be be considering something completely different? It
doesn't need to be a PDA/Phone, a straightforward PDA would be OK.

There are depressingly few straight PDAs on the market, nowadays. There
are some Windows Mobile models that aren't phones (notably from HP and
Acer), you know about Palms ... there's the Nokia internet tablet -- the
N810 -- which is nice but not really a PDA. I'd suggest that unless you
actually /want/ a smartphone rather than a PDA then another E2 is
probably the best bet.

I certainly don't know what I'd do if my Palm Tungsten T gave up the
ghost tomorrow ... probably get a Tungsten T|X ... or maybe a Nokia E90
for a complete change of scene.

As you may have gathered: I'm not a fan of Windows mobile. It's very
fully featured, but I hear too many storied of crashes, need for reset,
missed calls and slow call pickup on the phone versions.

Cheers,
Daniel