Best SmartPhone for an airline pilot?

[zippy32]

Hey All--

I am new to the airlines and I'm looking to get a new phone/PDA combo (SmartPhone). I'll admit I am ignorant on the ins and outs of life as an airline pilot, so any advise would be appreciated.

I'm starting a small business on the side and will need to have email and internet capability. A QWERTY keyboard would be nice. The two phones that have caught my eye are the AT&T 8525 and the Mogul by HTC. I've looked at Blackberry a little too.

Here are my thoughts so far. Just about all the phones I like are pretty expensive, but I guess you just have to accept that if you want wi-fi and all the other nice features. Also, most of these phones seem pretty big. How does anyone put these in their pockets? Will they fit in your jeans pocket?

Any advise would much appreciated. What phones are good for working in the terminals? What does everyone else use?

THANK YOU!

 

[FlyingSig]

When you shop you kinda need to shop by provider. Sprint and Verizon don't offer any real options other then the blackberry for international flying. My Sprint treo is just an expensive address book when I'm on a trip.

 

[Lebowski]

I've had the Mogul for about a week now. I'm using it with Qwest/Sprint.

Pros:

• The WiFi/web/email stuff has all been working very well for me. I typically don't pull out my laptop anymore unless I really have to.
• If you're frequently near WiFi, you don't need to pay extra for a data access plan (or whatever providers call it when you access the web using cell phone signals instead of WiFi).
• The keyboard works well.
• This could be considered a pro or a con depending on perspective, but I consider it a pro. Not all web sites will work with a mobile device like the Mogul. However, based on my previous experience trying to access the web over WiFi on a Palm Pilot, the Mogul does a much better job. Most web sites display pretty well on the Mogul, even those not designed for mobile access.
• At least so far, the battery life is better than I expected. It seems to hold a charge for about 48 hours with a fair amount of use.

Cons:

• It does not change time zones automatically. You set your "home" time zone and a "visiting" time zone. I don't know if all Windows Mobile devices use this same approach, but it sucks for pilots.
• Alarms: First, mine don't seem to work correctly at all, or if they do, then they are completely counter-intuitive. I'm constantly getting "reminder" alarms for alarms that are either not set at all or which are 12 hours +/- minus the current time. Second, a regular phone is much simpler for "snoozing" alarms, which I suspect most of us do with some regularity. I don't really enjoy having to navigate through menus and be a Windows user when I'm half asleep.
• It's just a little too big to hold comfortably as a phone or to put in most pockets. I know, it's a PDA, so what did I expect? But, it is a bit of a pain, and you have to get used to it, especially if your're not a "phone holster on the belt" kind of guy.
• You have to hit the "power" button to get a display. I.e., if you want to make a phone call, you hit the power button first, then the little green phone button. It may not seem like a big deal, but having to hit two buttons to make a phone call is annoying. Every other cell phone I've ever seen is ready to dial when you hit the talk button.
• It locked up on me last night for the first time, which surpised me, since it had otherwise been very reliable so far. I had to remove the battery and re-insert it. I have no idea what caused it, because I wasn't using it at the time. I simply tried to hit the "power" button to make the screen light up, and it refused to light up, even though all the other little lights were flashing.

Summary:

For me, the biggest cons are the first two--they're almost dealbreakers for me, but not quite. I like it alot for email/web access. I find myself using it frequently, and have already become somewhat attached to it. My wife loves hers, and doesn't understand why these cons are so annoying to me, but she doesn't have to travel with it like I do. Although this may sound ridiculous, I'm thinking of keeping the Mogul AND my old phone--just for alarms and automatic time zone switching.

I'm also curious about others' feedback, so let us all know what you think of your mobile devices. I've tried the Blackberry and iPhone in stores. I liked the Mogul's size and overall interface better than the Blackberry and I'm not switching to AT&T anytime soon to use the iPhone.

Lebowski

 

[zippy32]

FlyingSig--

Thanks. Yes, you are right. I'll be flying for SWA, so I'll be looking for domestic coverage only. Especially in LBB.

I've used Cingular for the last two years and haven't had any problems (domestically) until recently. I think it is because my phone is 2 years old and is getting worn out. I never really had problems before, but now dropped calls are becoming regular.

 

[PCL_128]

I have yet to hear anyone complain about the new iPhone, but I haven't tried it myself yet. (I'm a little bit too cheap)

 

[kf4amu]

Anybody got suggestions for Nextel?

 

[zippy32]

lebowski---

Wow. Great post! You should go work for cnet.com or something as a guest reviewer!

Great points. If those first 2 cons are the worst, I could definitely live with that. I am really worried about the size though. So, if you're wearing jeans the only real option is a belt holster? That sucks. I just don't know if I could do that.

 

[Lebowski]

Ha, thanks! I'm just sitting here at the crash pad with nothing else to do!

I have stuck it in jean pockets, but at least for me, it depends on the particular pants/pockets. It's just not comfortable in all of them. I'd suggest giving it the pocket test at your local cell phone store.

 

[50Pesos]

I have SPrint and the 6700. When in the US I love it. I am usinging as the modem for the computer right now. Get a program for the phone call PDAnet. Dont buy the package from sprint to use it as a modem. I listen to XM radio on it, Watch movies, Listen to MP3's, excel, MS word and so on. For living in a suitcase I cant beat it. It does have its cons: size, time changes, and alarms. Get a good alarm program from pocketgear.com for $20 and youll be set. There are so many programs out there and buy a memory card.

 

[Dream2fly]

Black Berry 8830 is the way!

I got BB 8830 thru Verizon and I can take this phone to anywhere in the world. If you want the global email or internet service, you can pay to get'em.

Dream2fly

 

[50Pesos]

forgot to mention an email downside, the Blackberry email is better. On a PDA/PPC you will have to log on to sent/recieve emails. yo will have to get a POP3 email account to get your email. Gmail is the best out there that is free.

 

[Longhorn]

I am using the treo 750. Works great and uses windows mobile that syncs to the company exchange server allowing me to tie in directly to my schedule. The online function works great as does flica on the phone (if you use flica)

 

[sat74]

I personally use the Crackberry Pearl and love it. I am overseas most trips and it works great with ATT, although I have SIM cards in most of the countries I frequent to get the lowest rates and use an international callback service if I have to call back to Amerika. I only need my phone for text messaging and emails, so anything more elaborate than general internet usage I will use my laptop.

I do not like the text interface on the iPhone, and the Treo's are too bulky for my taste.

Check out www.phonescoop.com for the best reviews and comments.

 

[tathepilot]

Treo 700wx

My vote is for the Treo 700wx running Windows Mobile 5 on Sprint..

Internet is fast, I have a search on my home screen and can have an answer from google in about 3 seconds. Very fast internet, I find myself on the internet for around 3 hours a day.. I am very happy with the internet speed, I have unlimited net which includes email for around 10. per month.

Bluetooth capable. The update that just came out allows stereo use from you BT headset (music)..

Alarm is great, independent of your phone. You can cut off your phone and your alarm still works (independent of network signal).

Frame websites don't work to well in IE, so you can download a 'tabbed' browser, like oprea mini to help with that. Besides the 'framed pages' IE is fast and stable..

I have a backup utility called 'sprite' which I use every week to back up my device. This program creates a .exe file to restore your device just in-case.. To give sprite a try, one day I did a hard reset.. I clicked on the .exe file I saved to my SD card and WALA, my complete treo, including my address book was restored...

The querty is nice, I can bank out a long email in no time...

Sprint service is great, I can download a 6 minute porno in no-time.!!

Google maps is the best, turn-by-turn directions, with traffic delays is golden...

I have a 2gig SD card and I use that to expand my memory. I also use the same SD card in my digital camera..

Battery is good, with my high internet use.. Lasts around 2 days, although I charge it every night..

Email can be pushed, pulled or outlooked, depends on your flavor.. I personally pull from my accounts once an hour.

There is a cool program that you can download that allows you to change the TV/VCR from your device using your IR port (lazy pilot in the pilot's lounge)

Direct sunlight viewing is great, hitting shift+p allows me to increase the brightness..

Like all windows devices, you will get an occasional freeze. I like to do a soft reset every few days just to keep things jiggy..

That being said, I can't think of anything that I don't like about my treo..

 

[145BOSS]

Does anyone know what phones are compatible with Continental's CCS?

Thanks