Blackberry, Nokia or what...

[Ramjet]

How useful are these gizmo's for the bush pilot?

I'm looking at upgrading from a two-piece mobile phone and Palm combo, but want to know if it'd be worthwhile for everyday practical purposes. Can you get effective weather updates, sat pics, notams, etc, and do they work in the bush -- ie CDMA coverage?

The latest Blackberry 8800 looks good on paper, but...

Advice please gentlemen and ladies.

[VH-XXX]

Consider the Nokia N95. Has a browser, internet, built in GPS etc. Unfortunately no email out-of-the-box. There are some good capped plans for voice/data/skype on 3 on the 3G network. Depends on what you want to pay per month, however they are good value. If GPS is what you're after, the Nokia Navigator is only around $700 outright and less on a plan.

[corowacomet]

Ramjet you are probably going to need whatever you buy to be connected to Telstra's Next G network. 3 mobile and vodafone's new 3rd generation apparently don't have the coverage of Telstra. CDMA has been replaced in the last three months by Next G. I don't have a mobile connected to it but I do have a mobile card for my laptop on the network and the coverage and speed are pretty good although Telstra do charge some pretty exhorbitant fees so read the plans carefully. Their website should have the coverage maps on it. This is just my opinion though someone else might have a bit better idea. All the best!
The Comet via Corowa.

[rsull]

I have an I mate Jas Jam on Telstra Next G. I am yet to find an airfield where it doesn’t work around remote QLD and SA. Its also Quad band so it works with every network around the world and they cant be locked to a certain provider so you can put other sim cards in it. It has an inbuilt GPS but requires aftermarket software. It has built in 3.5G HSDPA wireless broadband for on the move and WI FI for at home/work. It also has built in Bluetooth so it can work as a modem for you current PDA or laptop. Its also not that big because the keyboard slides out.
I had a blackberry but sent it back. The Imate runs windows and therefore its dead easy to use and sync’s with your laptop. The Nokia and Blackberrys run their own OS NOT windows which is not as easy to learn. I have outlook, MSN, Adobe PDF reader, Skype and MS office on my IMATE and it was all pre loaded. I had a HP IPAQ last year and would recommend either HP or Imate to anyone.
You could get any Telstra next G mobile with Bluetooth and just use it as a modem for your current PDA.

Oh Yeah I used the HP PDA/Phone as a GPS as well BUT it sucks the battery.
I would suggest a Bluetooth GPS receiver. You can get them online from the USA for $80 and they have an inbuilt rechargeable batter and they work with any BT device. This doesn’t suck the power from your phone as BT is a low power consumer and you just place the small Bluetooth GPS receiver o the dash of your plane/ car so you always have the best possible signal. This will also work with your current PDA if it has BT.

[Ramjet]

Thanks everyone for the super rapid response.

Email capability probably would be important, but not so much GPS. I'd never heard of Imate and the jasjam before, but I sure do now! Have downloaded the specs and read quite a few reviews, and coupled with the Telstra nextG network, looks like a good possible solution. The splodges on the Next G coverage map cover most of the places I go to in Qld, with a bit of a void around the Qld/SA border areas, but good coverage in north and west Qld.

I get the impression that buying the actual device proper is only the start of what they hope will be an ongoing 'hand over more cash for more accessories and more software' relationship, and then of course making sense of the connection plans -- and figuring out just what this new addition to your flightbag is going to actually end up costing you! Ah, but it's only money...

My browsing tonight shows the Palm Treo to have much the same main capabilities as the jasjam, and also supports next G, but not many of the online phone shops seem to have the Blackberry.

So thanks all for getting me started and pointing in the right direction -- much appreciated.

[redsnail]

Ramjet,
Work's given me a Blackberry to play with. It's a great tool but you need specific written software for "add ons". Palm has a lot more software out there to make your life easier.

I "thought" that with the new Nokia 95 I'd be able to get rid of a few devices. I'm afraid that the Palm T3 still has a very useful place in the nav bag as it's so easy to use and there's software around to make life easier.

So, I still carry the Blackberry for work, the N95 for calling home (blackberry is locked etc) etc, the Palm T3 for calculating my flight times and storing top tips and a nice Canon Ixus 40 as it still takes very good pictures with better zoom.

[drpain]

I recommend to check out the Nokia E90, new communicator. I've been toying with it for a month now, and have to say wouldn't trade it for anything. Very fast device with superb data capabilities and features (HSDPA, GPS, Quad band, fast prosessor, radio, qwerty keyboard, VOIP, etc.). Great for mobile mail and browsing (inner display is 800x352 resolution with very good quality that really is able to show pages that aren't optimized for mobile devices). Works as time killer also if pilot is grounded and need to pass time (radio, videoplayer, huge number of software available including games).

http://www.nokia.com.au/nokia/0,,100743,00.html