Phone PIM

[Inner Prop]

On Verizon is the PIM the same for all the non-smartphones? If not, what's the best phone for PIM.

For the non-smartphone phones, is there any way to sync the calendar with your computer?

I have Verizon now and am eligible for an upgrade, but I don't want to pay an extra $30 for a data plan that I don't want, can't afford and won't use. I have a TX, but I'm trying to figure out a back up if it goes down.

I'm looking at the phones that would be free for me:

LG enV2
Motorola Rival
HTC Ozone
Verizon Wireless Blitz
SMT5800

[r0k]

There is add-on software for Motorola phones (it may now come with some models) and a cable that may be purchased (it may now come with some models). I had this software. I did not like it. But it did sync contacts to the desktop. The biggest problem with non smartphones is the limitation in the number of contacts. Most top out at 500 and a few go to 1000. Smartphones have much higher limits. At one point, I had 4000 contacts and this worked fine on Treos and Blackberry but there is no way at that time I could have had that many contacts on a Motorola phone (other than a Mot smartphone).

You should be able to access the user manuals for the phones online and see what capabilities they have and whether sync cable and software comes with the phones. Many feature phones are "wanna be" smartphones and have browers, lots of contacts and limited pc sync capability. I believe the LG ENV2 fits in this category. The guys over at phonescoop seem to think the ENV2 offers pc sync, but I would find the owner's manual online or a detailed review before you decide.

[questionfear]

On Verizon is the PIM the same for all the non-smartphones? If not, what's the best phone for PIM.

For the non-smartphone phones, is there any way to sync the calendar with your computer?

I have Verizon now and am eligible for an upgrade, but I don't want to pay an extra $30 for a data plan that I don't want, can't afford and won't use. I have a TX, but I'm trying to figure out a back up if it goes down.

I'm looking at the phones that would be free for me:

LG enV2
Motorola Rival
HTC Ozone
Verizon Wireless Blitz
SMT5800

The Ozone (and possibly the SMT5800) are going to require a data plan. The SMT5800 might sneak under the radar, but the Ozone is a rebrand of the HTC Snap, which is a brand-new, email focused smartphone. I highly doubt VZW would let you walk away without a data plan on that phone.

If you're using a PC, I think Motorola and LG offer desktop syncing, though I don't know how robust it is.

[Hook]

Also, be prepared. Coming from Palm, even smartphone PIMs will disappoint you. Feature phone PIMs? Nnnnnnggghhh!

[hal]

On Verizon is the PIM the same for all the non-smartphones? If not, what's the best phone for PIM.

Straightforward reply: no.

Recalling that the PIM are a set of apps that digitally replace a planner, the specific apps and their respective features vary a lot from one device to other, unless we're talking about devices that share OS and apps (like Palm OS, or many recent Motorola phones, just to mention clear examples). The PIM apps, for one, don't depend on the services that a carrier offers you, but on the devices that said carrier offers you, and what you get in the device and how it handles your info. As a side service, several carriers offer you some sort of PIM backup, but it usually depends on any out of two options: one, a clouded storage that depends on OTA connection, and thus on data transfer costs (that you wish to avoid); second, some carrier-tailored desktop that is usually a POS (don't even know if VZW offers one, but my carrier used to offer one -- a dull-minded enormous POS PIM desktop).

For the non-smartphone phones, is there any way to sync the calendar with your computer?

There are many non-smartphone devices -based systems that attempt so, but in short, knowning that you use a Palm TX, you're gonna vomit when you see what is offered for dumbphones or featurephones. Lowly attempts to achieve what your PC/PD/TX system already does good.

I have Verizon now and am eligible for an upgrade, but I don't want to pay an extra $30 for a data plan that I don't want, can't afford and won't use. I have a TX, but I'm trying to figure out a back up if it goes down.

I'm looking at the phones that would be free for me:

LG enV2
Motorola Rival
HTC Ozone
Verizon Wireless Blitz
SMT5800

Already posted by other members, the hard factor is your carrier. I understand that this carrier dulls any attempt to avoid a data plan when it comes to subscribing anything near to a smartphone. You should review the options offered for each model. Given the case you can't avoid a data plan for any of those options, I'd suggest you get a Motorola featurephone, like a V3 or an L7 (I use the latter), for the following reason.

Lately, Motorola has attempted to unify the PC sync to a computer for most of its non-smartphone models through a desktop program (mentioned by r0k). This desktop is called Motorola Phone Tools. I have used it and it works somewhat good, it has a few known bugs and it's a bit complicated to configure. But it allows to land Calendar and Contacts to your computer, and even sports conduit-like behavior to land those two PIM apps' data into Office Outlook. I have used it on a regular basis for a year, and have helped pals to transfer info to their Mot cellphones, ranging some 15 models other than mine. This program is a desktop suite that offers Calendar, Contacts, images viewer and editor, video viewer, and some other candies; it allows two way sync, but it is somewhat unstable, and it doesn't allow sync into Palm Desktop, so to sync PIM data already allocated in your computer, you have to use Office Outlook as your ground zero. Besides, its focus is not to achieve a smartphone-like system (or, r0k is right, it's just a wannabe), but to enhance a featurephone's use.

Restricting my words to your intention, which is use it as a backup for your current mobile system, I suggest not. The working system you may have is computer/Palm Desktop/Palm TX; you tell me if you already use Outlook, so then your system would be computer/Palm Desktop/Office Outlook/Palm TX. Now, let's add Moto Phone Tools. The Motorola Phone Tools can allow you to sync your Contacts from the cellphone and land them into your computer, and that's a good one cause you have a backup; but let's say you accept to use Office Outlook as your ground zero, and sync your Contacts to the cellphone. Any Motorola non-smartphone cellphone has a Contacts app of laughable scope, especially when put against a Palm device (ANY Palm OS device). So the Contacts intended to feed your Palm TX, with a lot of fields like Address and a bunch of emails, are gonna get mutilated when they land into the Moto cellphone, and back to the computer, and eventually into your Palm TX. You're gonna lose a lot of data. The other thing (already mentioned as well) is that a non-smartphone device has a limited contacts memory. IME, it may have a 1,000 contacts slots, or 1024 KB memory, available (and you may add 250 entries for a GSM SIM, which ain't your case anyway). If such is your interest, forget it.

My practice is to sync the cellphone to a Contacts sub-folder in Outlook, instead to the main one, and there I have low-graded entries that have the sole purpose of feeding the cellphone (cause fortunately the Moto Phone Tools allows aiming to specific Outlook folders or sub-folders, a-la-HotSync managers for Palm). Yes, I do need to keep two address books, but in the computer, it's an easier edition than in the cellphone's keyboard, and as both address books are just a folder away, I don't have to spend a lot of time in the task. This allows me to have an updated Contacts set in the Motorola cellphone, info that comes not via straight sync, but via edition and then sync, from Outlook. But it doesn't work as a backup. It works in a fashion in which I feed the cellphone from the computer with no data lag in my PIM, so I have updated and useful phone numbers in the cellphone. And, without hasty input sessions in the itty cellphone keyboard. BTW, for a GSM phone, the Moto Phone tools allows to sync both the onboard contacts from the cellphone and the SIM contacts (not your case, anyway). The Motorola Phone Tools (again, already mentioned), doesn't come with all the Moto phones, and as far as I've tried it doesn't allow PIM sync through Bluetooth, only through cable. Nowadays, most Motorola non-smartphone cellphones have a Mini-USB slot, so it's likable that the needed cable is already near your computer.

Also, be prepared. Coming from Palm, even smartphone PIMs will disappoint you.

Meaning PIMs in Palm OS devices? Or in Palm WebOS devices?

Feature phone PIMs? Nnnnnnggghhh!

Good aftermath. Have to agree.

[r0k]

I should mention that the "feature phone" data plan from Verizon is 15 bucks, not 30. You should be able to walk around with a feature phone with email and limited browsing for 15 bucks rather than the 30 that would be required if you had a Centro, Blackberry or Windows Mobile phone.

[Inner Prop]

Thanks everybody.

$15 is cheaper, and better, good to know. I guess that's on the secret menu.

I don't use Outlook. At work we use Lotus.

I guess what I meant by a back up was not an actual day-to-day backup, but a safety net, so I don't lose my mind if the TX dies. I realize the PIM would be bad, but I hadn't realized that the PIM might be different between phones and that a QWERTY keyboard might be useful for me, a non-text-er.

So, it seems like so far the recommendation, based on my needs and the list I presented, would be for the Motorola Rival.

[Hook]

Meaning PIMs in Palm OS devices? Or in Palm WebOS devices?

Meaning anything Garnet (Since they use the same, there is no distinction for PIMs on Garnet between PDAs and Smartphones). Though I have not tried WebOS, I have no doubt thatit's PIMS fall into the same category as my general judgement of "Smartphone" PIMS.

[hal]

Also, be prepared. Coming from Palm, even smartphone PIMs will disappoint you. Feature phone PIMs? Nnnnnnggghhh!

Meaning anything Garnet (Since they use the same, there is no distinction for PIMs on Garnet between PDAs and Smartphones). Though I have not tried WebOS, I have no doubt thatit's PIMS fall into the same category as my general judgement of "Smartphone" PIMS.

Palm OS PIMs in a smartphone will disappoint anybody? Well, coming from you, I don't get it. The PIM apps in Palm OS smartphones are certainly the same that in PDAs. And they're the best there is. Why should somebody be disappointed by them?

[Hook]

Palm OS PIMs in a smartphone will disappoint anybody? Well, coming from you, I don't get it. The PIM apps in Palm OS smartphones are certainly the same that in PDAs. And they're the best there is. Why should somebody be disappointed by them?

OK, now that I've obviously totally confused you (my wife complaions of this all the time ), let me try a complete rephrasing:

What I attempted to say is that anyone coming from Garnet PIMS will be disappointed by anyone elses (Apple, Symbian, WinMO, Android, WebOS) smartphone PIMS.

I'm guessing at Android and WebOS, but I'm betting I'm right. I suspect WinMo with third party apps is the best alternative if you are just looking at PIMS.

Clearer now.