The Best & Worst Cell Phone

I have a visorphone attached to a Handspring Visor Pro. It is the best since it combines a fully functional PDA with a cell phone and cost me less than half of a similar device such as a Treo. It is the worst since it is bulky and fragile. I love it. Let me explain.

It is great having a phone and a PDA integrated. First off, I can dial directly from my address book. This is the same address book I can keep synced with my computer. I can enter new addresses with the PDA stylus on the road or using my keyboard at home. Also it is quite easy to use. I have lots of screen space to read addresses and other information. The screen changes depending on context, so when I need to dial, there are numbers (seen in the shot), and when I need to look up my call history, it is just a button away.

I got very frustrated with traditional cell phones where I had to enter names and numbers using only a number keypad. I also had to go through several menus simply to dial from a stored number.

Another advantage is that the phone also works as a modem, so I can have the wireless web wherever I can get a signal. It is, admittedly, slow as hell, but I can get at any site, not just those designed for cell phones. The big screen means that I can actually see a significant portion of the site too.

It is a fully functioning Palm OS PDA as well so I can do everything from playing Tetris to using the device as a remote control. My favorite function is to download part of the web using Avant Go or Plucker. I can then browse the New York Times or Slashdot in the subway or walking around.

The disadvantages: Its kinda big. That doesn’t bother me so much. It is also quite fragile. Notice the hot glue on the antenna. Some friends of mine thought you pull it out like some cell phones. Well, it pulls out, all the way out. It would cost $99 to fix. Another point of fragility is the visor itself. I have dropped it twice on a moving subway and the screen has shattered.

People think I am crazy and that I look funny talking into a PDA, but I love this thing.