Have you been bragging to your friends about all the things you can do on your Treo or Windows Mobile smartphone? You know, IM, email, web browsing and so forth.
Well you might not have as big an edge over your buddy with the cheap phone after all. Jay Noggle at
Mobile Ministry Magazine has
written an article about all that he can do on his $29 cell phone. Believe it or not, he says he can do things like:
"1 take and send a picture
2 read and send email
3 access the Internet (including my favorite tech sites, check on Ebay bids, search Google, get driving directions, check the weather... you get the idea)
4 log in to Yahoo Instant Messenger (and send and receive posts in REAL TIME).
5 listen to Podcasts like ABC News
6 Manage and post to my Blog
7 access documents and files on my home office PC
8 watch MSNBC, Discovery, CSPAN, TLC, ESPN, CNET and MORE!!!!!!"
So forget about that new Treo 700p, right? Not so fast! It's a whole different ball game when you can buy myriads of third-party PalmOS or Windows Mobile software. You probably want to have a nice screen with 240x240 or 320x320. And if you use the PIM applications, there's no question that PalmOS or Windows Mobile has a distinct advantage. Not to mention the power of a high-end device to read and edit MS Office documents, read e-books in various formats, listen to streaming audio and watch dvds and videos.
But if you are one of the lucky owners of a powerful smartphone, remember that a smart user of a cheap phone might be a lot more capable on the go than you might expect. And they probably have a slimmer, sleeker phone attached to their belt - one that doesn't threaten to pull their pants off from the weight!