Sony p990i or I-Mate JASJAM
Its sad but true, thieves live everywhere. For over two years in my heart I kept dreading that one day while walking on the streets of Karachi I would be nabbed of my old yet faithful Nokia 9300. Who knew that I would end up being stripped of this faithful contraption across the world in Bangkok, Thailand.
I now am in the hunt for a replacement for my 9300 and two phones have specifically come to light. Lucky that I could narrow it down to two phones as initially I was confused with a Blackberry 8700 or even a Nokia E-61 but gave both up for the lack of a camera, but in the case of Blackberry it would have me to switch my cellular providers from UFONE to Maybelink (Mobilink). Hence I confront you with a choice better Sony Ericsson P990i & i-Mate JASJAM, pending any other serious contenders which may come to light with your insight into this massive market.
My requirements are not so simple.
- A good replacement for the Nokia 9300 to be used as a full blown organizer
- A QWERTY keypad as I detest typing SMS’s on the numerical pad, I maintain and manage a very active SMS list (predominantly jokes)
- Need the use of a decent cell phone based camera for my photoblogging needs especially for Karachi Metroblogs
- Something light to carry and not bulky
- Sturdy front screen - I might have to compromise on this as most Smartphones come with a sensitive screen
- This is not an essential component but a quirk nevertheless, I am a Linux user does anyone know if these phones can sync with the Ubuntu interface
- Coolness factor would help embolden my image as a geek ROTFL
My analysis of both phones I would like to share with everyone
Sony Erickson P990i
QWERTY keyboard, WiFi, 114mm x 57mm x 25 mm, Weight 150 gr, Memory Stick Support, 2 Mega-Pixel Camera, Blue-tooth support, Symbian OS, Push Email, Radio FM Tuner
P990i appears to be a decent phone and can easily be compared on a one-to-one basis with the i-mate JASJAM.
i-Mate JASJAM
QWERTY Slide out Keyboard, WiFi, 112mm x 58mm x 22 mm, Weight 176gm, MicroSD, 2 Mega-Pixel Camera, Blue-tooth support, Windows Mobile Edition 5, Push Email, No radio support
As of publishing this post I have not investigated the prices for each but hope to get an update soon. So what cell phone would you recommend me.
UPDATE: After much considerations I finally bought a BLACKBERRY PEARL 8100
Comments
The Windows based phones good internet software available - everything from rss reading to photoblogging through gprs to you name it…
man if they have GPS feature else they’re useless.
Khalid, I would disagree. Symbian/J2Me based applications are widely available on Internet. I have tried Opera Mini browser on SE mobile and it’s smooth and neater than IE. BTW, thanks for the website.
doc dont try the blackberry. its not so great anyway and is only good for sending emails. try and get the jasjam one. its pretty good even if its a bit outdated compared to the sony one. my friend has one though it has a few additional features coz t-mobile requested that. however do remember that it takes quite a while for the jasjam (Stupid name) to charge and you cant talk while charging it.
Doc, I don’t suppose you’ve seen a Treo in action, ‘coz if you had, it would have made your decision so much more difficult.
The Treo ($400), comes in 2 flavours, PalmOS or Windows Mobile, and in different colours. While I am still using the Treo 600 I bought 3 years ago (from Australia), the latest Treo 680 will definitely be my next upgrade option. Here are the features, in the same order you mentioned for the above phones so you can have a good comparison:
QWERTY keyboard, no WiFi, 112mm x 18 mm x 22mm, Weight 157g, SD Card, 1 MP Camera, BlueTooth, Windows Mobile / Palm OS, Push Email, No FM.
I have used the BlackBerry, i-mate JAM & Jasjar and the P990i and find them rather bulky and slow. Seriously, the flashy and heavy graphics bog down those i-mates so badly, it takes a good 2 seconds to switch between apps, and that is a pretty long time actually. PalmOS doesn’t suffer from any such deficiencies. Palm also has the largest software collection (they’ve been around 10+ yrs). I have yet to fail in finding an app for any purpose, and that is saying something. I do usually compile my C programs on the Treo.
Storing SMS wouldn’t be a problem. My collection spans 3,600+, all backed up and searchable on the PC. Speed: The Guiness record for typing an SMS the fastest is also on a Treo. Charging: The Treo will definitely outlast the other two in battery life. Trust me. You’ll end up chargin the i-mate every other day (if not every day), while it could go up to 4-5 days with the Treo (assuming you’ll probably talk for about 15-30 mins each day). Standby time is about 10 days. Office and IM apps: all IM networks including MSN work just fine, as well as all the office apps, including Outlook. Some work even better than Microsoft’s
The latest Treo 680 model was released last month so it might be a while before it comes to Karachi, but you can get the older (and equally reliable) 650 at Zamzama. The only difference is of the form factor design (650 has a small [cute] antenna).
KO - Thanks for the link, they still don’t list the JASJAM but I hear its close to 54,000. M600 is decent but the sharing keys QWERTY must be annoying almost like the Blackberry Pearl.
Shobz - Will keep that issue in mind about the charging thing I am sure its going to be a pain if you cant talk while its on the charger
Alias - I am very well aware of the Treo series, I myself lived on a 270, then jumped to a 600 which was later replaced by Nokia 9300. My father has the 650. To be honest I am a little over the Treo series, but I think you may be right and I should push this back into consideration considering all the bells n whistles it has to offer
I would recommend the Treo as well. I have had a Treo 650 (Palm version) for a while and it’s great. I would move to another smartphone only if it added a built-in GPS capability (but that might eat too much battery life).
Teeth you can try Nokia E70 , its neat , its cool , its small and it got a QWERTY keyboard not to mention Symbian is way stable than WM5 and i use both currently I am maintaining a 1200 plus contact list with SMS to 800 of them on daily basis ( Warid Zoom Unltd ) a SMS box with more than 1000 sms ( I use 2gb memory card to store them ) it can play music , video , streaming audio , wifi with good connectivity , a 16million color 352 X 416 pixel screen and a load of software available , just read my blog ” my yours and our E61 and E70 ” for more info
“however do remember that it takes quite a while for the jasjam (Stupid name) to charge and you cant talk while charging it.”
Who tells you that? I am using jasjam and I talk all the time while its on charger.
About jasjam keep in mind that its a compact one of those 400MHZ computers with 64 Mb RAM in it, Qwtery keyboard is quite handy.
I have exchanged 3 sets though cause of their WIFI issues [:D] … but its a kool device for sure.
Between I can play Age of Empire the famous game on my Jasjam. ;) … Good luck
My vote will goes to i-mate,it has been a long time i am using their gadgets and really they are of the top of excellence.
Versatile to suit your style
Input text via the keypad, keyboard, onscreen keyboard or handwriting recognition, or go handsfree with speakerphone or wireless headset.
The future of communication is here
A 3G smartphone that lets you leave your PC behind while travelling, yet access everything you need for effective communication. It’s all here, now.
For local (Karachi) phone availability & prices, see this website: http://www.whatmobile.com.pk/ :: Whatmobile.com.pk.
Take a look at the Sony M600 also.