Life is getting busier like never before. Increasing work pressures and socializing leave us with little time to organize our lives. To help us sort our lives in the electronic age, we initially had the digital assistants. They were devices with touch-enabled monochrome screens that would jot down our appointments and notes, among other things. While these devices evolved considerably over the years, with the exploding popularity of cell phones, it became a bit inconvenient for people to carry two devices all the time. This gave rise to a device that married the two -- the PDA phone.
An early-day PDA -- the Apple Newton. Now you know that the iPhone wasn't Apple's first touch-enabled device
I don't need to tell you how popular the PDA phone has become. Its popularity has almost killed the standalone PDA industry, on which it was built. Pure PDA manufacturers like Palm and HP moved on to create PDA phones to survive in the market.
OK, enough history lessons. We're looking at pocket-friendly PDA phones under 20k today. Let's start with the basics. First, PDA stands for Personal Digital Assistant. Such a device generally has a large touch-sensitive screen traditionally operated by a stylus. But of late, many phone-makers are focusing on making the screen friendly to finger input. Some devices like the iPhone go all the way by removing the stylus altogether, accepting finger-input only.
There are a lot of PDA phones out there and I've hand-picked 5 of them that offer a good mix of usability, features, and price. We'll start with the affordable end, i.e. the sub-10k range, and then move up the ladder.
Users opinion on ASUS P527? Am planning to buy one. Does it have "in-device search" feature. and notepad kinda editor ??? Anybody bought? what price ?
by Sam Gada
from Mumbai
on 15/05/08 11:32 AM
Very nice review. I am using P1i for the past two months. I have also checked out MotoROKR, HTC P3400 and AsusP527. But I would rate SE on the top. However Asus comes with loads of useful accessories. MOTO ROKR is complete waste.
by sudeep
from Pune
on 12/05/08 03:56 PM
Was touch screen the primary criteria for selecting this list? Nokia E61i and E90 can better any of these phones on any parameter and are tremendous value for money apart from being a lot more sturdier. I think TechTree has to be responsible and clarify on selection criteria whenever you come out with a Buying Guide article.
by killer1314
from Hyderabad
on 12/05/08 12:41 PM
Yes, this article was particularly based on touch-screen PDA phones. If you read the introduction, i've mentioned about the same below.
And i do agree that the E61i is a good phone but it has been already covered in our 'Need a QWERTY' article a while ago.
by Rohan Naravane
from TechTree Techabs
on 12/05/08 12:56 PM
Hey Dear,
I am interested in paying for this item so i will
want to know its present condition and also i will
want to know if it is the original box and I shall be
paying you through your prefered payment credit cards or Paypal
are most Preferable and ok by me I am
sending the item to my One and only son in Nigeria
as a birthday gift.I dont mind i will pay you for the
shipping cost to Lagos Nigeria,so i would like you to
get back to me with the shipping cost because i want
you to ship it to him in Nigeria immediatelly please
kindly get back to me with the total cost including
the shipping cost plus insurance cost, So i can transfer the funds into
your account now
And i will also be offering the Additional Amount of
to the Shipping Cost so as to get the Item
shipped fast to him in Lagos,Nigeria....
Thanks for the understanding...
Regards..
oloyesa
Hey Dear,
I am interested in paying for this item so i will
want to know its present condition and also i will
want to know if it is the original box and I shall be
paying you through your prefered payment credit cards or Paypal
are most Preferable and ok by me I am
sending the item to my One and only son in Nigeria
as a birthday gift.I dont mind i will pay you for the
shipping cost to Lagos Nigeria,so i would like you to
get back to me with the shipping cost because i want
you to ship it to him in Nigeria immediatelly please
kindly get back to me with the total cost including
the shipping cost plus insurance cost, So i can transfer the funds into
your account now
And i will also be offering the Additional Amount of
to the Shipping Cost so as to get the Item
shipped fast to him in Lagos,Nigeria....
Thanks for the understanding...
Regards..
oloyesa
by yesa
from surulere
on 12/05/08 01:21 AM
Nokia e61i is missing here...!!!
This PDA phone with full QUERTY, 3g and many nice features is far more superior than all other phones given here...
by wiseguru
from nashik
on 11/05/08 01:38 PM
Am not sure if it is still available in the market but the O2 stealth is also a good buy....2MP autofocus, slider design, WM 5.0, wi-fi..... no edge though
by Anonymous
from Chennai
on 09/05/08 03:56 PM
Add WiFi and a mildly faster processor to the P3740 and it becomes the most serious m*f* in the sub-20K PDA segment
by Dukhi
from Mumbai
on 10/05/08 04:26 PM
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