Folks,
I'm having a hard time deiciding which unit will be best for me. I have read the specs on these but I've yet to actually make a couple of test calls on either device - I use Cingular right now (Dallas, TX) but I do travel domestically quite a bit, and there's no international travel. I am not married to Cingular - I could switch if another carrier has better benefits.
The choice is complicated by the fact that my company DOES have BES on our Exchange network, but I am not forced to use it. Here are my requirements, in order of importance:
1) Must have good sound quality and support bluetooth headset - voice dialing with BT would be even better.
1a) QWERTY keyboard mandatory.
2) Must be able to log in/pick up email from Exchange server AND from Gmail/other POP accounts - company does have Outlook web access but functionality is limited. Must also synch contacts and calendar.
3) Web access over EDGE data network. Sidebar question (Is EV-DO faster or better than EDGE?)
4) Document storage for PDFs. I know the BB doesn't do this, but a workaround would be to store the docs in a folder on Exchange as attachments to view. It's ugly and "hackish", but possible.
5) Ability to read/modify Excel spreadsheets and Word Docs.
6) SSH/Telnet client availability for logging into a Linux box or two remotely - basically a handheld version of Putty like I use on my laptop.
7) Good battery life.
I know I can't have EVERYTHING, but I'd like to get as close as possible. Again, I'm not married to Cingular, but using them would be most cost-effective to me. I'm no longer under contract obligation so I can switch/upgrade at any time.
Thanks in advance for your advice. Any supporting information would be helpful. I'm looking for real-world experience here.
I'm having a hard time deiciding which unit will be best for me. I have read the specs on these but I've yet to actually make a couple of test calls on either device - I use Cingular right now (Dallas, TX) but I do travel domestically quite a bit, and there's no international travel. I am not married to Cingular - I could switch if another carrier has better benefits.
The choice is complicated by the fact that my company DOES have BES on our Exchange network, but I am not forced to use it. Here are my requirements, in order of importance:
1) Must have good sound quality and support bluetooth headset - voice dialing with BT would be even better.
1a) QWERTY keyboard mandatory.
2) Must be able to log in/pick up email from Exchange server AND from Gmail/other POP accounts - company does have Outlook web access but functionality is limited. Must also synch contacts and calendar.
3) Web access over EDGE data network. Sidebar question (Is EV-DO faster or better than EDGE?)
4) Document storage for PDFs. I know the BB doesn't do this, but a workaround would be to store the docs in a folder on Exchange as attachments to view. It's ugly and "hackish", but possible.
5) Ability to read/modify Excel spreadsheets and Word Docs.
6) SSH/Telnet client availability for logging into a Linux box or two remotely - basically a handheld version of Putty like I use on my laptop.
7) Good battery life.
I know I can't have EVERYTHING, but I'd like to get as close as possible. Again, I'm not married to Cingular, but using them would be most cost-effective to me. I'm no longer under contract obligation so I can switch/upgrade at any time.
Thanks in advance for your advice. Any supporting information would be helpful. I'm looking for real-world experience here.