Recommend a Mac-compatible GSM Cell Phone for North America?

Haven't had any feedback yet so what I'm now wondering is this:-

If we forget any camera requirement, will I be better off with a BlackBerry 7100?

And . . . has anyone got some experiences (good or bad) with the PocketMac syncronization software?



[We published a review of the Blackberry and PocketMac recently that was very favorable, but I received a good bit of mail afterwards from others who had significant problems with PocketMac and disagreed with the reviewer's assessment rather strongly. -Adam]

<http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=08413>



Thanks,

John Wolff Hamilton, NZ

Dear John

I wouldn’t touch the Motorola with a bargepole.  Too Windows orientated.

My experience of Sony-Ericsson is that they work for a year or 18 months and then pack up.  Their linking to Macs is difficult.

My Samsung E640 is a delight to use.  It is a folding phone, so the screen won’t get messed up and it’s impossible to make calls inadvertently - another pain for non-folding phone owners.  It will do all sorts of things, including play back your mp3 files, and has more features than you’d probably want to use.  It is easy to use and I’m very pleased with it. It is the first phone I’ve had that will integrate seamlessly with my Mac via Bluetooth.  The Sony was a real pain to deal with, so I approached my Samsung with some trepidation, only to be pleasantly surprised by its ease of use.  You can even download your own pictures and music to use as “wallpaper” and “ring tones”.  It is quite light, too.  It has a stereo earphone socket, which will be important for you.

It connects to GSM 900/1800, GSM 1900, and tri-band GSM1900/GSM900/GSM1800.  You can even do e-mail and web browsing on it.  It does not make tea or sandwiches, unfortunately.

I hope that you find what you’re looking for.  Let me know if you need anymore information.

Best wishes,

Bob Hayden-Gilbert

As far as I can find out, the software for synching the Motorola RAZR
with a Mac is not available as yet. "Promised" about a month ago.
Trying iSync and HotSynch did not work. Used PocketMac Blackberry for
my BBerry, but it does not have a camera and is not really a
convenient telephone.
Good luck!
RDP

Bob Hayden-Gilbert wrote

My Samsung E640 is a delight to use. . . . and has more features than you’d probably want to use. It is easy to use and I’m very pleased with it. It is the first phone I’ve had that will integrate seamlessly with my Mac via Bluetooth.

Many thanks Bob for your recommendations -- you have helped to narrow down my options.

I would like to know more about the integration of email via Bluetooth on the Samsung phone with Apple Mail on a laptop. The closest Samsung model that's available locally is the D600 which has the sliding action and is also a quad band phone so has more options for using different service providers.

Am I correct to presume that the interconnectivity via Bluetooth would be standard across different models? I also note that Apple does not list any Samsung devices for iSync on their web site.

Could you get back to me via email to dtopcomp at wave.co.nz with a few more details on the email integration and then I can summarise back to the list.

Thanks,

John Wolff Hamilton, NZ

I personally use the Sony Ericsson Z520i camera and enjoy it quite a
bit. Bluetooth works perfectly; I use iSync to keep a backup of my
phone contacts on my computer (my last phone got in the wash and I
lost all my contacts) and to put my calendar on the phone. I had no
problem setting it up, I believe iSync immediately saw it and allowed
me to connect to it. Like the Samsung; it's folding, will play back
mp3s (as ringtones), and will display jpegs (camera photos or
pictures you send to the phone via bluetooth) as backgrounds. One
useful feature my previous phone lacked is that it makes a noise when
you end a call (my old phone would disconnect and I wouldn't realize
it for about half a minute); it has a speakerphone function (haven't
used it though) and can pump out some hefty volume, so it should be
fine for you. I've only had it for three months or so so I can't
speak to reliability over the long term, but I've dropped it several
times (I'm a teenager and do a lot with my stuff I probably
shouldn't, my PowerBook has several major dents) and no noticeable
damage yet. I personally like the interface (after I got over the
fact that there's no "call" or "hangup" key, they're all multipurpose
keys). I haven't used it as a modem, so I can't speak to that. The
SIM card is under the battery, but doesn't look too horrible to
access (no protective coverings or anything).

Hope this helps,
Max Beckman-Harned

>As far as I can find out, the software for synching the Motorola RAZR
>with a Mac is not available as yet. "Promised" about a month ago.
>Trying iSync and HotSynch did not work. Used PocketMac Blackberry for
>my BBerry, but it does not have a camera and is not really a
>convenient telephone.

I have been using iSync with my RAZR since the day I got it w/o problems.
Which RAZR do you have? Some of them are supported "out of the box", others
require a bit of work.

--
Marshall Clow Idio Software <mailto:marshallidio.com>

At 11:16 AM -0800 3/23/06, Richard Perlman, MD,MPH,FACS wrote:
>As far as I can find out, the software for synching the Motorola RAZR
>with a Mac is not available as yet. "Promised" about a month ago.

I JUST got a RAZR and it wouldn't sync, so I did a quick google
search on: isync verizon razr

The first link: <http://www.briantoth.com/razr_v3c/>

It is an isync plugin that adds razr compatibility to iSync. Ta-da!

--
=alex hoffman

John,

I have a Sony-Ericsson Z600 which has very good Mac synchronization and can perform as a bluetooth modem, although the camera has poor resolution. This model is no longer available through Vodafone NZ, but the replacement model (Z520i) might do the trick. A 3G option is the V800, also from Vodafone NZ, but it's a bit bulkier than the other two 2G models.

Check out http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/isync/devices.html before you buy. This lists the phones that talk to the Mac via iSync. Vodafone tell me to stick with Sony-Ericsson as they play much more nicely with Macs.

David Everett Dunedin, NZ

I have had excellent luck with my Motorola Razr v3 and Cingular for "fairly" hassle free world roaming.

I travel a lot on business, so I know that it works flawlessly throughout the EU (W/ CINGULAR since you need GSM) with international roaming (once set up) on networks of BT, Orange, Vodafone, Swisscom, Proximus, etc. Sync works for me as well, although I have taken to using MegaCellX as it allows more precise control of what I sync.

Lastly, with a bit of help from "Ross Barkman's GPRS Info Page" I have happily been able to use the data access options upon roaming and use bluetooth to connect the Razr to my PowerBook as a wireless modem. Very helpful in places like Italy and Spain where land lines are less dependable.

Hi All,

Many thanks for all the sound advice received thus far.

My own enquiries have wandered down numerous leads as I sought reliable information. I was even asked to leave one Vodafone store as I pestered the laid back clerk behind a desk on where I could get information!! Nevertherless the two most significant revelations have been:

1. The rates for international roaming from any phone based in NZ are are just horrendous -- very typically $US 2-3 per minute. You pay this on all incoming as well as outgoing calls. This means that a prepaid card is pretty much mandatory for all but minimal phone usage in North America. It didn't take much of a spreadsheet to show me that you could easily afford to buy a fair bit of hardware on the savings from using a prepaid SIM card.

2. There is nothing much in the way of an email service on a prepaid phone.

I'm thus in the process of buying two separate devices.

One will be a Samsung D600 for its 2 MP Camera + Quadband phone capabilities + the brand reputation for reliability. It has Blue Tooth but is not listed as an iSync compatible device. But that we can explore as Apple (or third parties) will possibly extend that capability as the MacBook Pro evolves. iSync was NOT critical for our present needs.

The second device will be a Blackberry 7290. It can double as a mobile phone here in NZ but incoming calls will be disabled whilst roaming where its sole purpose will be as an email client. I'm informed that the Blackberry email service can be enabled just for the individual months that we are visiting North America. PocketMac have the synching side pretty well covered for the Blackberry and expect to have an ability to sync with Apple Mail in their next version.

I'll report back in late May on whether or not my daughter managed to make all this work for the May visit that she and my technophobe wife are making to the Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis.

Cheers,

John Wolff Hamilton, New Zealand

Hi All,

I'll report back in late May on whether or not my daughter managed to make all this work for the May visit that she and my technophobe wife are making to the Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis.

As promised I'm reporting back on our experiences with a separate Quadband phone and Blackberry 7290 for our visit to North America.

First off are some plaudits for the Blackberry. It has proved simple to activate for a temporary email service and even simpler to use as an email client plus a notepad. Both my daughter and my wife found it just great for keeping in touch via email with base camp and relatives no matter where they happened to be without having to startup a laptop then look for a network outlet or wonder if you can access an open wireless connection. Battery life is also excellent.

It's also behaving well as a second cell phone on our local network. I don't expect any lack of motivation for my wife to make sure she can use it for her next visit without help from her daughter.

Secondly, the Quadband phone with a local prepaid SIM card, got limited usage but did save the horrendous roaming charges on a couple of calls.

All in all, I'd still recommend this combo as an effective way of beating roaming charges and retaining good communications whilst travelling abroad -- especially so from this part of the world where roaming charges are so expensive.

Once again, my thanks to this list for members' input. It all helped me to winnow wheat from the chaff.

Cheers,

John Wolff Hamilton, New Zealand

PS Now I'm wondering if the same scenario applies when visitors from the Northern Hemisphere visit our shores. Are the roaming charges just as exorbitant?