HTC Windows Phone for Virgin Mobile Canada (and Mobilicity?)

[Cantankerous Happy Face]

Hi: I'm currently with Virgin Mobile Canada and use a Samsung Impact T746 phone. (I also use a Palm computer as a PDA. Yes, I carry both in my pocket!)

I'm wanting to get a smartphone so I don't need to carry two units around. (The Palm Centro I currently have would definitely suffice - but does not work on Virgin Mobile Canada nor Mobilicity.) I've been using Palm devices since the mid-1990's - and the two major applications I use are HandyShopper (a phenomenal database tool) and Beyond Contacts which provides full synchronization with Outlook. My wife has an HTC Touch Diamond with Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional on it. Because it syncs seamlessly with Outlook and has the Windows Mobile version of HandyShopper, it would suffice for my purposes - but because it's CDMA, only works with Telus in Canada.

I'm essentially looking for an HTC phone with Windows Mobile 6.1 or better and a full QWERTY keyboard. It must work with Virgin Mobile - and hopefully with Mobilicity as well as I will be moving to them once my contract runs out at Virgin. I am told that an unlocked HTC Fuze will work with Virgin Mobile - but don't think it will work with Mobilicity.

1) Are there ANY phones that will work with both Virgin Mobile Canada as well as Mobilicity or is that not even technologically possible?

2) Whether there are phones out there that can work on both networks or not, which HTC Windows Mobile 6.1+ phone with an external keyboard will work with Virgin Mobile Canada.

Thanks in advance for any assistance you might be able to offer.

Dave

 

[Cini]

They'll technically work on both networks if they're GSM, but you'll lose 3G data.

And trying to find a new Windows Mobile phone on the market today, full stop... well, that's not easy. Windows Phone 7 is taking over, and it's not on either carrier yet.

That said, we're a long way from the days where you needed to use Windows Mobile to get your Outlook data or to check a database. What kind of file format (if any) does HandyShopper use? Unless you have specific needs, iPhones can sync with Outlook on the desktop, and Android will sync if you use Exchange.