My Smartphone Epiphany

For the past three years, I've been a two-piece guy. That is, I've been using two devices, a data-enabled cell phone coupled with a PDA, to get my email and maintain my calendar. But that all changed about a month ago when I decided to try out the Motorola MPx200 Smartphone running Windows Mobile. The Motorola MPx200 Smartphone has convinced me that a convergent device, one that is more cell phone than PDA, can keep me connected and informed.

Let's begin with the physical advantages of a one piece solution. Obviously, going with a single device sheds a lot of bulk. For a while I used a Bluetooth-enabled Sony Ericsson T68i cell phone coupled with my latest PDA to get my email. While that's an excellent solution, I can't imagine myself going back to it. Life is so much simpler, and lighter, with one device.

One of the things I like the most about the Motorola MPx200 is that it's an excellent phone. It's easy to send and receive calls, and calls are exceptionally clear. There's even a speakerphone on the front.

Another thing I like is that it's a flip-style phone. It was annoying having to enter some cryptic key combination on my Nokia 3650 to lock the keys each time I slipped it into my pocket, or risk calling someone inadvertently. With the MPx200, you just flip it closed and stash it.

Flip phones also tend to be more ergonomic than candy-bar style phones. They're longer when opened, and slightly angled too. This brings the earpiece close to the ear and the mouthpiece close to the mouth, and makes the phone more contoured to the shape of the face.

But the true joy of a one-piece solution is simplicity. You don't have to create a connection with another device, whether it be with infrared, a cable, or Bluetooth, to do something as commonplace as get your email. Once you run through the Setup Wizard (which I was impressed with how easy it was to do) you simply select the Inbox icon, click on Menu, and select Send/Receive E-mail.

Sure, it's got all of the fancy Smartphone extras, like expandability through its Secure Digital slot and the ability to play stereo music using Windows Media Player and browse the Internet using Internet Explorer. But those are just the icing on the cake for me. If it weren't a solid phone that's makes it easy to call people and get messages, then all of the extras would be for naught.

Is there room for improvement? Absolutely. Email access could be one-click rather than three clicks. And the tiny information window on the front of the MPx200 that displays the date and time could be higher contrast, it's barely readable in most lighting conditions. But overall it's an excellent device.

So, there you have it. I'm a changed man. While you may see me on occasion with a Palm Tungsten T3 or an HP iPAQ h4130 Pocket PC, you're far more likely to see me with just one device, a smartphone.