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To switch or not to switch - from 2nd generation HTC made Pocket PC phone, to 3rd generation ? This is a Pocket PC phone question ! August 29, 2004 [Pocket PC phone] | By Edward J. R. We present hereby detailed analysis that answers the question: if I already own Xda 2 (or i-mate Pocket PC phone, or T-Mobile MDA II, etc) then should I switch to Xda 3 (or i-mate PDA2k or T-Mobile MDA III, etc)? Or should I just keep my "old" Pocket PC phone, because the new generation doesn't bring nothing that is essential to me? 
The 3rd generation of HTC made Pocket PC phones will become available commercially very soon - 2nd half of September 2004 or October 2004 at the latest - available through various operators and also through various online shops, so if you already own a Pocket PC phone of a previous generation, then this story is a "must read" for you... First let us establish what we are talking about. The current generation of Pocket PC phones made by HTC is the second one. The same model of a Pocket PC phone is being sold under various names: as "Xda 2" by O2 operator, as "T-Mobile MDA II" by T-Mobile Europe operator, as "i-mate Pocket PC Phone Edition' by Carrier Devices distributor and as Qtek 2020 by Qtek distributor as well as under different names from other operators and distributors. If you have doubts - see the phone on the left side in the picture above. This phone is a tri-band cell phone, that is also equipped with full featured Pocket PC PDA possibilities. It runs "Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC Phone Edition" software and has built-in Bluetooth and built-in VGA camera. The next, upcoming very soon generation of Pocket PC phones made by HTC is a model of Pocket PC phone known as "T-Mobile MDA III", i-mate PDA2k, or XDA 3, or another names at various distributors and operators. This phone has the same processor as the former generation but on top of that it adds built-in Wi-Fi plus built-in retractable full-QWERTY thumb keyboard. * * * * * If you already own a HTC made Pocket PC phone of 2nd generation (we will call it "Xda 2" although it refers to all names from all distributors and operators) it is very natural that you would consider buying now the 3rd generation (we will call it, for convenience just "Xda 3" but keep in mind that we mean all names from all distributors and operators). There are several considerations that can make you think that such switching is a good idea (re-use of accessories, improvements) but that what seems obvious at first glance may not be reality. So read on... One of the most important criteria regarding cell phones is battery life. Here we can notice that Xda 3 offers 20% improvement - i.e. longer battery life than Xda 2! However Xda 3 weighs 210 gram, what is more than Xda 2 that weighs only 185 gram. Battery in Xda 2 is covered by a metalic cover, while in Xda 3 the battery itself is a cover! It saves space and allows for more battery life. If you are interested in typing longer texts, then Xda 3 offers significant improvement - the retractable full-QWERTY keyboard. For some people typing on the virtual keyboard on the touchscreen is not a problem, but it is no good for writing longer texts - simply you are tired much more quickly if you use touch screen (or digitizer) for writing texts, than if you use physical keyboard. The same applies to touch screen in Pocket PC and digitizer in Tablet PC. Interestingly Xda 3 is powered by the latest version of operating system from Microsoft - "Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition for Pocket PC Phone Edition", so users can take advantage of all improvements that this version offers. Some people say that this version doesn't bring anything special - after all native support for horizontal and vertical displaying is not appealing to everybody, but wait a sec! There is one area, where "Second Edition" brings big improvement: in the Internet Explorer (IE)! While with Xda 2 watching websites that consist of frames could be problematic and requires a lot of vertical and horizonal scrolling, here, with Xda 3 and "Second Edition" watching websites with frames is a bliss because various frames can be placed under each other and only vertical scrolling is required and browsing is much more pleasant then! There is no doubt that built-in Wi-Fi in Xda 3 is a big improvement but don't forget that with SDIO Wi-Fi card (cost: around 150 USD or less) the same is possible with good old Xda 2. "The same"? Well, not exactly, because Xda 3 makes it possible to switch automatically from GPRS to Wi-Fi and the other way around, what can make your Internetbrowsing cheaper, if you come into range of a Wi-Fi hotspot! MMS client is in Xda 3 integrated into inbox with SMS and e-mails and on top of that Fax client is built-in so users can send and receive faxes without the need to buy additional software (and in many cases fax software for cell phones has compatibility problems, so having it built-in in is a big advantage). Unfortunately the connector (slot) at the bottom of Xda 2 and Xda 3, although looking similar, are not compatible with each other! So you can't reuse your accessories. So what is a verdict? Should you upgrade your Pocket PC phone made by HTC from 2nd generation to 3rd generation? Well, if you use your phone just as an organizer and a phone, then "old", 2nd generation will be enough for you. If you however use your Pocket PC phone to write a lot of e-mails and you browse Internet heavily, then new, 3rd generation is for you - it will bring you faster and more comfortable Internet experience. Please note: apart from 3rd generation of HTC made Pocket PC phones other alternatives are or will be very soon available: HP iPAQ h6315 and h6340 Pocket PC phones and Motorola MPx. Since accessories between 2nd and 3rd generation of HTC made phones are not compatible, it makes your switch to non-HTC competion even an easier decision....  Post your comment (free registration is required to post, but if you register you can edit your posts later)
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