The problem with most devices that live just below the smartphone designation is that they aren't very, well, smart! The ones I've seen do have contacts and calendar apps, and maybe even a memos-type app, but they are either rudimentary, difficult to access, awkward to use, or sometimes all three.
Years ago I learned a lesson when I tried to move my dad off of AOL. He'd been on AOL since the beginning, and I, as a techie, just *had* to get him off such a terrible thing and over onto using more "modern" tools for internet/email/etc. I moved him to what was then the norm - an ISP-based setup with IE and POP3-based email. It worked OK, but he had to call me many times/week to have me remind him how to do things. He was used to AOL, and it did what he needed. Yes, it was technologically unsophisticated. Yes it had its problems and limitations. Yes, it was clearly on its way out, even back then. But it did what he needed and he knew how to use it. I moved him back to AOL after about a month, and there he stayed! What you describe is exactly what the PalmOS devices were designed to do, and do well (as you know better than I do). I'd see how many more months/years he can get out of PalmOS and wait for the rest of the market to mature. You are (as usual) on the leading edge of something that will settle down in a year or so. There are LOTS of people who want a spiffy phone but don't want to (or can't) pay the $30 - $45 per month the carriers are charging for unlimited data. This will have to shake out, resulting in plans that provide less and cost less, for people who want less data. The Centro is a great device! I missed the 755's keyboard, but otherwise really liked the Centro. What do you think? Cheers, Don From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Craig Froehle Sent: Sunday, February 07, 2010 3:01 PM To: [email protected] Subject: [Treo] Suggestions for my Dad (Treo dying, wants new phone) All, My dad has been a long-time Palm PDA and Treo user. His aging 755p is dying and he needs to move to a new phone, so I thought I'd ask here for suggestions. First, let me be clear, he does NOT want anything that requires a data plan. So, that rules out all webOS and Android devices that I know of. Here's his use case: - Has to be a great phone (he makes a lot of calls) - His most important data-centric "app" is contacts/phonebook - Also relies on Calendar and memopad regularly - Is currently on Verizon, but can move to any carrier - He travels a lot, so can't rely on Wi-Fi for anything cloud-based He likes physical keyboards, but also knows Grafitti; I imagine him putting up with a virtual keyboard if he had to, but the screen would have to be pretty big (he's not young). Any suggestions on specific devices would be really welcome. Thanks. - Craig [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
