SmartPhones: When Is Too Much Technology Too Much?
Posted by Administrator on Feb 25, 2007
At hearing the news of the Apple iPhone I’m in a bit of a quandry. After trying and using nearly all of the major devices I’m fed up with wasting time with smartphones that only function two thirds of the time when you need them most. But hearing about the iPhone makes me want to give this phone a try.
I have personally used the Palm Treo, iMate SP3i, SX66/MDA III, TMobile DASH, and a host of other phones I’ve tested. All of these phones had their good and bad points, but at what cost to productivity? With phones packing in so many features, the business user has to think critically about what functionality is most important. Also, I find when I talk with most cell phone users that have the latest smartphone, most features or functionality rarely get used.
One of the factors that rarely gets considered in my opinion with the use of smartphones is the amount of time wasted testing, tinkering, and talking with tech support to fix issues. Backing up and making sure you don’t loose data is another issue. I have found that no matter how often I backed up my software, I always had occassions where I lost some data because I wasn’t in the right place at the right time.
After my latest use of the TMobile DASH I’m going to the Blackberry 8700G and will start using my daytimer again to prevent from loosing billing data and other information I don’t want to risk on a smartphone. So when is too much technology too much with a smartphone? Sure, they are supposed to make our lives easier and more productive, but I’m not so sure that’s the case right now.
Here are a few if my personal experiences with bleeding edge smartphones:
- Most cell phone companies don’t test enough before putting a new smartphone into the marketplace.
- Cell phone companies typically know of existing issues with smartphones, but play the odds when it comes to customer complaints
- Poor validation of compatible third party software applications.
- When in doubt… Reset - A poor excuse for troubleshooting
What are your thoughts on smartphones? What types of issues have you experienced in using your smartphone for business?
TMobile Dash Issues
Posted by Administrator on Feb 22, 2007
I was looking for information on TMobile Dash issues, but kept finding reviews and third party software related issues. Here’s my take on the phone as I have now used two TMobile Dash phones.
My original Dash worked fine for about 30 days or so when it started dropping calls. I would be on a call with a customer and a 2nd incoming call would drop the first call. You can image the frustration when the first and 2nd callers keep calling back as they get knocked off the call.
I received my replacement DASH phone yesterday, but experiencing the same issue. The 2nd issue was incoming calls would immediately get rejected.
After going through TMobile PDA support several times I discovered there are several basic software issues; Software issue with the touch strip that controls volume on the DASH. This should be corrected with the upcoming release of WindowsMobile 6.
The touch strip issue is one possible factor in the DASH dropping calls. The short-term fix is to disable the touch strip. The second temporary fix is to go into your phone settings and then turn the call waiting feature off and then back on.
I’ve been a TMobile customer for a long time and like the service, and I understand new phones and software issues can occur. The part I don’t understand is how one person can seem to have all the information. It was my third PDA customer support person that knew what the issues were and what steps I could take to get them resolved…ARE YOU LISTENING TMobile? A replacement phone in this case would not and did not work to resolve the issue.
Here is a site that has some great information on the TMobile DASH: http://htcwiki.com - HTC or High Tech Corporation is the company that actually manufactures the phone for TMobile.
In closing, I have tested and used many smart phones over the years. One thing is certain, manufacturers don’t do enough testing before going to market with a new product. I would recommend you contact tech support for your phone provider before upgrading to the latest bleeding-edge phone and ask them about any known issues before making your purchase. A good tech will be honest with you about any issues.
For me, I love the TMobile DASH, but I can’t wait until sometime this Spring for a software upgrade. My solution? TMobile is allowing me to switch to the Blackberry 8700g, a different device, but my phone use is 90% business and I’m told by a tech that uses both the Blackberry will do a better job for me.
If you want a video camera, camera, phone, and all the other stuff….wait for the the upgrade this Spring as it will be worth it.