I purchased the Verizon
Wireless XV6700 Verizon
Wireless XV6700 (known as the PPC-6700 to Sprint customers,
also the HTC Apache as the OEM name). It's a PocketPC PDA
phone that has broadband Internet access via Verizon's
network, WiFi and Bluetooth. It came with Windows Mobile 5.0
that includes Pocket Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. It also
has Internet Explorer 4.1 with some JavaScript support but I've found
there are some sites it has trouble with. It also
has a VGA (640x480) camera built in.
The plan from Verizon Wireless is about $40 US per month
and that gives me unlimited connect time. There are two
parts of their network - the National Access plan which is
typically around 50 kpbs with bursts to 144 kbps (same as you
can get with most 3G phones & a USB cable), and the
Broadband Access that's available in limited areas. I happen
to live in one of those areas, so I regularly get 300-500 kpbs
with (theoretically) bursts to 2 Mbps. At home, I'm on
the fringes so I use an external patch antenna on the outside
of my house with an adapter cable (Radiall/Larsen
R284L3403005) that brings it from the FME male on
the antenna cable to the tiny RF connector (MC) on the
phone.
I have made it work as a modem via the USB port (there's
some files you have to unhide in the Windows directory to do
this) and it should also work as a Bluetooth modem. Since the
unlimited data service is US $40/month vs. $80 for the
AirCard I also use, I think I will probably drop the
AirCard when its contract is up. Mostly I use the XV6700
standalone but it can be connected to the PC for broadband
Internet access via Verizon's network. It uses the same RF
connector for the external antenna as the AirCard. It also
charges the battery when connected to the PC's USB port.
One other gadget that proved useful was the 2.5mm-to-3.5mm
headphone adapter PPCPADPT16 from PocketPCTechs.
This allows you to listen to stereo sound using standard
headphones.
Memory
This PDA has a single mini-SD slot. I purchased a
1GB mini-SD card from:
http://www.FlashRUs.com