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Tuesday, September 20, 2005 11:21 PM PT Posted by Harry McCracken
Neat Phone, Even Neater Keyboard
I met up with representatives of Microsoft's mobile devices group here at DEMOfall 05 today, and one of the new phones they showed me was Sprint's PCS Vision Smart Device PPC-6700. Sprint is trumpeting this as the first phone with Windows Mobile 5.0, Microsoft's recent upgrade to its handheld OS. (The new version aims to be easier to use with one hand, and to deliver better round-tripping of Office documents between phone and PC, among other things--here's my colleague Denny Arar's news story about it.)
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But to me, the most interesting thing about the PPC-6700 is its keyboard. It slides out from under the phone's screen, but does so in horizontal orientation, so the keyboard is surprisingly wide. It's not the first phone with a landscape-oriented keyboard, but I was impressed by the size and feel of the keys, which resulted in some of the most comfortable typing I've ever done on a phone. (It's up there with the keyboard on T-Mobile's Sidekick--high praise indeed.)
Another plus with this design: When you slide open the keyboard, the screen rotates into landscape mode, too--which is better than the portrait aspect ratio for stuff like Word and Excel documents and Web pages.
Sprint's new phone goes for $480 after rebate, so it's not cheap. But based on the few minutes I spent playing with it, it looks like a strong competitor in the "phone that thinks it's a tiny computer" race.
Random side note: By far the best keyboard ever in a pocketable device remains the one on Psion's late, much lamented (at least by me) Series 5 PDA. It was remarkably notebook-like--which is all the more amazing given that the Psion appeared eight years ago, before the modern era of pocket-sized computing gadgets. If you could build something more or less like the S5, except with a color screen, built-in phone capability, and decent battery life, I'll bet it would instantly become my favorite handheld device. And I bet it could be done relatively easily these days.
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Very nice i might have to get 2 of these
Thats a pretty good phone...But I see a flaw in it: Some people might not be able to use the keyboard because their fingers might be too big. But there IS a plus to this phone; it can hold Word and Excel documents, which is good.
I miss the Psion Series 5. I still have an old cousin of the Series 5 in a drawer somewhere... no battery left.
Even without the phone, the Series 5 Redux would be an instant hit.
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I just got a PPC6601 in July - not a word at Sprint that it would be updated so soon... Ug
This is just what i've been waiting for Sprint to come out with before my contract ends in December. To me its an upper class version of t-mobils sidekick. Much more sophisticated. The only flaw i have heard is the lack of back light on the keyboard. Other than that the device looks like a winner. Cant wait to play w/it.
does tis phone have a touch screen? how does it compare to the treo 650 / blackberry 7100 please tell
does this phone have a touch screen? how does it compare to the treo 650 / blackberry 7100 please tell
i have had this phone for about 2 months and love it. It is my own personal computer most of the time. Not only does it have the keyboard that works well with long nails, it also does handwriting recognition, and a screen keybord that pops up for most everything. The sylus is handy, located in the small antenna nub at the top. I give it excellent ratings. Only one drawback. 2 months of ownership, and they still don't have a car charger or any spare wall chargers. Don't expect to accessorize.
I got this phone from Alltel. Very impressed. I also use it as a high-speed modem for my laptop. Does anyone know how I can use it to share it's Inetenet connectivity via wi-fi (like a traveling hot spot?
i own it and like the word and excel but it is so big it sucks i wish i would have bouth something else like a treo