My husband, for reasons that escape me, wants a cell phone that he can use to read his work emails. He’s been wanting a GPS for the car, and he thought he might kill the proverbial 2 birds and get a cell that includes that feature. So he asked me to ask for Doper opinioins and input.
We’re with AT&T (I thought **cingular ** was a better name, oh well…) He stopped in one of their stores yesterday and they offered 2 options. One was a Motorola something but it required a subscription for GPS. The other was a Blackberry Curve 2 which has built-in GPS, but it doesn’t have all the internet capability that the Motorola has. He admits he really doesn’t expect to use internet access thru the phone, but getting email is a high priority.
So, those of you with experience or opinions with these phones or others, please share. He’s read the spec pages, he’d just prefer some real-life feedback. Thanks!
I wanted something with both of these features, as well. I ditched my old provider (thanks to their changing the text messaging fee, I was able to ditch my contract fee-free!) six months ago and got a Helio Ocean. Haven’t looked back once. The best part is that it works with MS Exchange servers, which are what both of my work emails use.
If you’re looking to stick with Cingular, I’m sorry I haven’t been more helpful.
I have a Motorola phone with GPS (it’s a Telus Mike phone, one of the ones that can kind of work like a walkie-talkie)
The GPS only gives your lats and longs… no “path tracing” (I don’t know the actual name for that feature on GPSs) or compass or anything like that.
Having said that, I just punched in the lats and longs that my phone spit out at me into Google Maps, and it just pin-pointed me as near as my driveway, which I thought was pretty damned nifty.
**SatGuy ** - He needs the GPS that talks him through his route because, well, he has a tendency to get, um, discombobulated when he’s trying to drive and navigate. So I don’t think pin on Google Maps will help him much.
**ABR ** - the Helios looks like what he’s looking for. I wonder if we can downgrade my service and get him the new service without blowing the budget??
I was giving the information so you and he would understand that even though a cell phone is claimed to have GPS, it may not have the functionality you might be expecting or looking for.
I just did a quick google on “talking GPS cell phone” and found the Samsung SCH-W399. (mind you, I don’t think it’s a current model.)
Satellite^Guy is right that most GPS-enabled phones are not navigable. None of the Helio phones are.
The Nokia* 6110 Navigator is one phone I know is navigable and definitely does email, but there may be others as well. You should be able to get it on Cingular and/or AT&T.
Verizon has navigation phones. You can put in where you want to go and it will give you turn by turn directions, either displayed on the phone or spoken out loud. You do have to download the service, I think it’s 9.99 a month for unlimited. The nice thing with the Verizon system, is that a lot of their phones are compatible with the service. I know they also offer an internet package for the e-mail stuff.
My husband just got the this Samsung, which allows you to flip it one direction for a full QWERTY keyboard or another direction for the phone. He’s enthralled with it.
Hmm… my old Sanyo MM-5600 had a “navigable” GPS system. Rather, you had to download the app and pay a monthly subscription to use that application, though regular GPS location-finding was free. I think it was something like $2.99/month, but I could sit it on my dashboard and it would give me turn by turn directions.
FTR, my Ocean does the same thing. The application is free, but not bundled with the phone, so you do have to download it.
My Blackjack II has GPS ability, but at $10 a month I’d rather just pop for a Tom Tom or another “real” GPS system for the car and not use the phone for it. After a year I would have paid for the thing in Telenav charges anway. I’d suspect that the GPS function would be a horrible battery drainer too, something that plagues most smartphones anyway.
I am also At & T (and agree about the name), and I have the Blackberry Curve with GPS. One of the applications on it is called Telenav, which is exactly what you’re looking for. It tells you where you are, pop in an address and it gets you a route, then talks you through it. It periodically checks traffic for you too. Looks and sounds just like a TomTom.
Google has a package that lets you download a bunch of their apps too, and the Google Maps on my phone works with the GPS, so when I start it, the first thing I see is where I am.
I use Gmail, which lets me use a Pop3 link to my work’s e-mail server. The Gmail application on the phone is actually easier for me to use, because while the phone’s address book has all my contacts phone numbers, it doesn’t have their e-mail addresses (because I’m too lazy to add them all in, it CAN do that, I just don’t use it). The Gmail Blackberry program for the Blackberry is really nice, and my address book is right there, with the quick add, or whatever it’s called when you just type the first couple letters of the name.
So all my work e-mail comes through that. Though I know you can configure most company e-mail to come to your Blackberry too.
ETA, yeah there’s an $8/month charge, but I don’t have to have something on my dashbaord, if I’m on a long trip, I have my bluetooth in my ear, so I can take calls, and still hear directions. If he wants the GPS in his phone, it’s an option worth looking at. I haven’t noticed it draining my battery but then if I’m going to be in the car any length of time, I use my car charger.
Another nice thing about having this in your phone, is that I don’t have to be IN my car to directions for a destination. I can get them at my desk, or wherever, make a couple notes and hit the road.
**MBG ** - I apologize for not knowing that you’d be the one with the answer to the specific question about the specific phone. I’m so ashamed that I don’t keep better notes on the minutiae of your life. All snark aside (if you can believe that) I hope you don’t mind if I email you if he has other questions.
This thread has been an education for me, since I have about the most basic, no-frills, no camera, no foo-foo cell phone, and I like it that way. He, on the other hand, likes gadgets. I honestly don’t know why he wants to get email via phone - it’s not like we don’t have internet access at home. But I thank you all for your info and comments. I shall pass them all on.
The other was a Blackberry Curve 2 which has built-in GPS, but it doesn’t have all the internet capability that the Motorola has. He admits he really doesn’t expect to use internet access thru the phone, but getting email is a high priority.
All snark aside (if you can believe that) I hope you don’t mind if I email you if he has other questions.