Seriously,

This week I bought a Visor Phone with a Handspring Visor Platinum as a bundled package at $US260 (have owned a Visor Prism colour model for past year).

I purchased a $HK200 (approx $US25) stored value sim card (the Visor Phone is a GSM 3-band phone). A 'stored-value SIM card allows me to buy top-ups of $HK200 when the value gets consumed through use.

[link|http://www.handspring.com/products/sbmodules/CommunicationsAndWireless.jhtml|VisorPhone at Handspring's WebSite]


Next I installed the Handspring: Blazer browser; e-mail; & SMS; software (SMS is the Short Message Service that allows us users to enter a text message & transmit it to another phone. This software is provided with the Visor Phone.

I did this using my colour Visor Prism (the Visor Platinum is monocolor) - In order to install that software on the PDA I filled in my normal dial-in info for accessing the Internet via my dial notebook. Then hot-synched it across to the PDA from my PC.

I had not bothered trying this stuff out before because I had convinced myself it was ridiculously expensive to browse the Internet from a PDA via a mobile phone capability. Was I in for a shock !!!. The cost to do so stunned me !!!.

Last night for the 1st time, I connected to the web through the new visor phone visor Prism combo. The VisorPhone module is seen by PALM OS and Blazer browser as a modem.

[link|http://www.handspring.com/software/blazer_overview.jhtml|Handsprings webpage on BLAZER]

Because I have a stored value sim card, after any call I make I can phone in for free to find what the last call cost. Firstly, I was amazed to be able to browse familiar web pages with graphics. The pics were pretty good allowing that they had been reworked to appear on my tiny PDA screen. So I browsed for 30 mins & was expecting that the resulting phone call bill might be anything up to $50HK. I was stunned to find I was only being charged $HK2 (US 12.5 cents) per call no matter how long I browsed. I did of course have to pay my ISP for 30 mins, or whatever, access. UPDATE (Pls see note at bottom - price not as cheap as 1st seemed).

Now I plan to use this little baby (and a new Handspring TREO (but prefer the color model due mid 2002) when they arrive here later this month) as my personal PDA based wireless web & email device.

[link|http://www.handspring.com/products/treo/index.jhtml;jsessionid=5PLG33QFIU55DQFIAE0SFFGAVAAUIIV0?prod_cat_name=Treo&sub_nav_section=Overview|Handspring TREO Phone-PDA]


This is what the Internet is all about. All we need next is higher res PDA screens, plus video glasses that can plug-in and provide 1024 x 768 type resolution & faster wireless access (coming this year in the form of GPRS service) and the future has arrived. The video glasses are already on the market ('inViso eShades' & also Sony have a new product that may be adaptable).

[link|http://www.inviso.com/eshades.html|inViso eShades website]

This year should see a flurry of new TREO like devices released from Nokia, Sony, Sharp, Casio, Samsung, PALM (if PALM ever get their act together) etc: etc:. Bluetooth features prominently as an alternative to cellphone type links.
One very impressive Wireless/PDA/PC device just demoed at Comdex was the Samsung Nexio S150 with wireless streaming video & a bigger screen than most PDAs.

[link|http://www.samsung.com/press/press_read.cgi?lidx=3&rdAffiliate=01&Year=2002&Month=01|Samsung Press Release re Nexio S150]

[link|http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1006-201-8415978-0.html?tag=lh|Pic & video of the Nexio (see: Samsung slings out new portable PC)]


Sony are likely to be a leading player in the PDA/Phone stakes. Their Palm based PDAs can already show hi quality video clips.

[link|http://www.sonystyle.com/vaio/clie/index.shtml|Sony's Clie N760c or N610c - taste of things to come]

Must confess this has really impressed me - last year's WAP phones were better labelled as CRAP phones for what use they were. PDA phones do the job hoped for and as far as I can tell, at an unbelievable low cost. I expect it won't stay this cheap & it may even be a bug in my mobile phone suppliers system (both my ISP and Mobile phone supplier are the same company and coincidentaly I work for them but that has nothing to do with what they are charging me - as far as this exercise is concerned I am John Citizen using their services). I discussed this costing with some of my peers here at work & they think it must be a data package rate no one thinks it is a flaw in the mobile system. All I need now is a RIM Blackberry or a color TREO or a ...........

Some more PDA links ...


[link|http://developer.sharpsec.com/|Sharp's Zaurus (Linux-Java based)- Color & keyboard]

Will feature a CDPD CF modem & a bluetooth plug-in card for web access.

[link|http://www.nokia.com/networks/systems_and_solutions/section/1,23778,10,00.html|Noki'a web page re mobile Internet]

[link|http://www.nokia.com/phones/7650/index.html|Nokia's mobile phone that takes pics & transmits them]

[link|http://www.blackberry.net/|RIM 957 Blackberry GPRS Phone/PDA]

[link|http://www.yopy.com/|The redesigned & just released Samsung/GMATE YOPY Linux based PDA]

Cheers

Doug Marker

UPDATE RE COSTS:

After discussing further with work collegues we believe the pricing may be a glitch. By end of 2nd day & after many more connections & at least 2 hours constant connection & downloading, costs escalated to $HKD 130 ($US 16). I am still getting totally inconsistent info back when pricing calls after the web sessions. If I phone back a few mins after a session I get told the charge was $HK 2 - but then if I request current balance several hours later the remaining sim balance has dropped by a further 20$ or more. Hmmm maybe I need a stored value sim card that I only ever keep $5 on - do a 1 hour Internet session, get charged $2, then if they try to take more money later it won't be there to take (big grin)

But it is still pretty cheap but not as cheap as it first seemed.