After saturating the portable music market with its iPod and iTunes, Apple is now steadily making inroads into the laptop and mobile markets as well. Available in the UK only via the 02 network, with contracts starting at £35 a month and costing an extra £269 for the phone, the new iPhone has already proven to be an exclusively expensive device for some.
But with the arrival of the iPhone, don’t forget that the laptop market is rich in diversity and choice. For all your needs, there’s a PDA waiting to take its place in the palm of your hand. Once you get one, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without having one before.
HTC TyTN II
For the best laptop replacement
Due to its capabilities in all aspects (connectivity, ease of use and design), the HTC TyTN II stands out as a solution for those looking for a laptop and a communication device in one.
With a powerful 400 MHz processor and good memory, using the Internet and sending emails is quick and easy. Multiple communication options including Bluetooth, WiFi, GPRS and 3G to name a few keep you constantly in touch. And with Windows Mobile 6 Professional and a super-smooth interface, apps are easy to load, run, and use. It’s enough to make you want to leave the office altogether.
In addition to possessing all the essential qualities and applications of your home computer, the TyTN II also makes a stylish imitation. Complete down to the finest detail with status lights for caps lock and shift functions, the spring-loaded QWERTY keyboard is easy to operate and is complemented by a generous 2.8″ display. It’s also light and slim, with a weight of only 160 grams.
And if the specification hasn’t quite convinced you, leave it to the experts. Not only did PDA Essentials magazine make it the winner of Best PDA and Best Handheld in their 2007 awards, but editor Andy Betts went on to describe it as “simply an awesome handheld.”
nokia n95 8gb
for multimedia
“The Audi of smartphones” according to PDA Essentials, the Nokia N95 has just about every portable feature imaginable. Why have a phone, a music player, a portable game console, a camera, a PDA and a GPS device when you can have a single unit that combines them all?
With one of the most impressive built-in cameras available on the market at a whopping 5 megapixels and a 2.8″ display with up to 16 million colours, taking and storing high-resolution photos on the N95 brings you as close as possible to a photograph. digital.experience without using a digital camera.Indoor image capture is accomplished with a built-in LED flash, and a scene mode selector lets you set up landscape and close-up shots with ease.There’s even a white balance setting to keep the colors of your photo accurate, like that of a stand-alone camera.
You can buy and download music using Nokia’s music store, a direct rival to iTunes, and you can also buy games on the relaunched N-Gage gaming service. And to top it all off, there’s a whopping 8GB of internal flash memory to store all your multimedia content, as well as 100MB of internal dynamic memory for messages, images and video clips. Having fun has never been so smart.
Toshiba Portege G900
For security
Let your fingers do the talking with the Toshiba Portege. A sophisticated fingerprint sensor ensures that only the owner can access the device, allowing you to work confidently and securely knowing your files and media are safe.
One of the first PDAs to run Windows Mobile 6, all applications run exceptionally well on the Portege and are aided by fantastic memory options. The 128 MB of internal memory is complemented by an additional miniSD card, perfect for storing music and video files while the G900 keeps you connected and communicating fast.
The Portege comes with a sleek slide-out keyboard and a large 3″ screen, making your mobile computing experience comfortable and secure. It’s also highly recommended: PDA Essentials nominated it for Best PDA at the 2007 awards.
Samsung i600
If you want a smartphone that looks more like a phone
Style is not compromised by the highly usable design of the Samsung i600: beneath the clear 2.3″ screen is a full QWERTY keyboard. Ultra-compact and at just 99g, like a normal mobile phone, this device is designed to be used comfortably with only one hand. Its slim size also doesn’t make the keys difficult to press. In fact, with the inclusion of Windows Mobile 5.0 Direct Push email on this tri-band device, it’s ideal for typing emails, messages, and SMS while holding hands free as possible.
And for those essential 3G video calls, a second integrated camera is effortlessly accessible on the front, quickly bringing the smarts back to the smartphone.
Blackberry Curve 8300
If you want to access and send many emails
Already known for offering a sophisticated approach to handheld computing with its sleek, lightweight styling, BlackBerry now offers the best mobile email solution in the form of the Curve 8300. Instant wireless email and attachment viewing, simple QWERTY keyboard, big screen and high security. sending emails on the go easier than ever. You can also integrate your Curve 8300 with existing and new email accounts.
Downloading and viewing email attachments is a quicker process thanks to the Curve 8300, and expandable memory options (a 64MB microSD card is available) mean you can store them without worrying about storage space.
Other features on the Curve 8300 to make it a true all-rounder include an organizer that you can sync with your computer and a media player. But weighing just 111g, you might have a hard time putting it down anyway.
HTC Touch Dual (Nike/Touch II)
For entertainment
Have everything you need at your fingertips with the world’s newest intuitive touchscreen phone.
TouchFLO technology coupled with a basic interface make HTC Touch Dual a digit dream – effective for surfing, messaging, or surfing the web effortlessly. With interaction at the heart and soul of its design, it’s no surprise that Touch’s built-in multimedia facets make it a great tool for entertainment. Sending messages, emails, and using Windows Messenger can all be done with the flick of a finger.
It’s a unique device rich in potential: 64 MB of RAM makes storing and accessing your favorite music and videos simple and fast. With HTC’s own audio player and Windows Media Player combined in this package, you’ll want to use the Touch even when you’re not at work. And with removable microSD memory that offers an additional 1GB of memory, you have the ability to store and load photos, videos and music at will.
It doesn’t just play hard, though: the HTC Touch certainly knows how to work hard, too. A 400 MHz Qualcomm processor provides instant access to Outlook and other office applications, ensuring you quickly switch between functions with minimal fuss.
Mio Digiwalker A501
if you have a budget
For functionality without fortune, you couldn’t find a better device to pack it all in than the Mio A501. Fusing all the best qualities of a PDA, phone and GPS into one device, why bother spending anything more?
Fitting perfectly in the palm of your hand, the Mio A501 is very light and portable. Windows Mobile 5.0 ensures all the latest office applications are available while Bluetooth keeps you connected. And with a built-in European map bank, you don’t need to bother with additional GPS software. An in-car charger means you’ll always be ready to go when you arrive at your destination.