New PocketPC Phone flawed

PocketPC Phone Edition is the first device designed specifically to run the mobile phone-enabled edition of Microsoft's PocketPC 2002. Is this much anticipated PDA/phone, built for VoiceStream by the same company that builds iPaqs for Compaq, the best foot forward for Microsoft's new OS? Probably not. Having spent several days with the device, I'm ready to tell you why.

In the Microsoft world, the only thing that compares to this device is Audiovox's Thera. However, the convergence in that device--which runs the regular edition of PocketPC 2002--was managed by Audiovox and not by Microsoft. The device I have in my hands now has the convergence baked into the operating system.

The $549 device I tested was built for VoiceStream (soon to be T-Mobile) by Taiwan-based Hi-Tech Computing, the same company that builds iPaqs for Compaq. Certain resemblances to iPaqs are unmistakable. Not only are the shape, weight, display, and metallic finish similar, but so is another design choice that I consider a mistake: the battery is built-in. The device must be returned to VoiceStream should the battery ever fail. Now, this device can have another battery added. But here's the strange part: The secondary battery has to be screwed onto the back of the device. Imagine if a regular cell phone manufacturer made either design choice (to build the battery in or to attach additional batteries with screws). That phone would be a flop.

Another interesting design choice was the need for a small, dongle-like adapter in order to plug the battery recharger directly into the device. It's exactly the sort of small part that I know I will lose. (When recharging through the cradle that comes bundled, you don't need the adapter.)

The Catch-22 of battery life
PDA-phone convergence represents yet another challenge for hardware manufacturers: battery life. Unlike normal PDAs, where users turn off their devices in between sessions, a converged device has to stay on all the time if you want to receive phone calls, SMS messages, and other alerts. The Catch-22 is that PDAs typically demand more power than phones to stay on all the time, but that power consumption can compromise the amount of talk and stand-by time available.

Microsoft officials tell me they've been getting about three to four hours of usage per charge. I made quite a few calls with my test unit, also using it in PDA mode enough times to give the battery a run for its money, but the device lasted the better part of a day before warning me that it needed refueling.

That said, any device that has to return to the refueling station every three to four hours but that can't have extra batteries easily attached or detached would not last very long on the market. (VoiceStream officials say a car charger will be available for this device around August 8, but no pricing information is available yet.)

Communications interrupted
According to Microsoft, one of the device's battery-saving features is the way it turns itself off if it goes unused for a user-defined period of time. Only two things wake it up: an incoming phone call, or the user turning the device back on. But there's a problem with this feature. Because Pocket PC Phone Edition doesn't recognize an active data session between some software on the device (like MSN Instant Messenger) and the wireless network, it will go into standby mode anyway. The result is that some important communication could be interrupted. This could be particularly important to developers of corporate applications where mobile workers are running an application that takes some time to exchange data between the device and the back-office database.

At the time I wrote this column, Microsoft officials thought that developers of the applications in question might be able override the device's power management features when their applications are active. But they weren't sure. In my tests, Microsoft's own MSN Messenger software (which comes built-in) had no such override. When the device's power management kicked in, the Messenger connection was permanently lost.

Another problem with this device is that there's no way to really turn it off completely. On a flight to Virginia, I had disabled the phone and thought I had turned the unit off when a reminder in the calendar caused the device to spring to life, signaling a loud "bing-bong" tone. Flight attendants are not very fond of passengers who don't shut of all electronic devices. (The Blackberry 957 and 5810 have precisely the same problem.)

Yes, it has no Bluetooth
I don't believe you should buy a new PDA, phone, or converged device unless it has Bluetooth built in. ( See "What to look for in your next PDA/phone") This one doesn't--although it could be added through its one expansion slot, a Secure Digital (SD) slot. (VoiceStream customers who buy this phone via the Web when signing up for the company's GPRS-based mobile phone service for the first time will get a free 32 MB SD card as well as a $50 rebate.)

In the event Pocket PC crashes--not unlikely, based on my previous experiences with the OS--that card could come in handy. Losing data stored in the device (like all your phone numbers) could be catastrophic if you're nowhere near a computer where Microsoft synchronization software (ActiveSync) can put you back in business. Keep an SD card with you to perform frequent backups and the occasional restore when disaster calls.

In four days, my test unit crashed four times--it would not respond to screen tapping or the press of any button (including the power button). When this happens, a hard reset is required. Fortunately, no data was lost during either of these crashes and a restore from backup wasn't necessary.

Abominable backup app
Speaking of backup, PocketPC Phone Edition has a terrible built-in backup application. In past reviews of other PocketPC-based devices, I've clamored for more granular control over what gets backed up. Sometimes, you don't want to wait while the entire device backs itself up. Perhaps you want to back up only your contacts database or some notes files. But, in this device, it's either all or nothing.

In addition to missing Bluetooth connectivity, the device also lacks a normal telephone keypad. Instead, a virtual keypad is displayed on its screen. I've grown very accustomed to the tactile response of real keypads. My biggest concern with a virtual keypad is that I'll have trouble pressing the right key when trying to dial a number. However, for the few short hours I've play with this phone, my dialing accuracy was near perfect.

I truly believe that a BlackBerry-like thumbboard is a necessity to make text-input into a device like this bearable. According to VoiceStream officials, an add-on thumbboard will be available by October, but no information on cost is available yet. Still, I'd like to see something built-in so that I don't have to rely on scratching text into the device via its handwriting recognition engine.

Microsoft has added some cool features to the operating system. If the sheer convergence of the PDA and phone functions into one device doesn't impress your friends, the convergence that will impress is the way PocketPC Phone Edition handles music and phone calls simultaneously. (Remember, you can use a PocketPC as an MP3 player.) When a call comes in, the OS lowers the music's volume so you can hear the ringing, and stops the music altogether if you answer the phone. The minute you hang up, the music resumes precisely where it left off. Not too shabby. (As a side note, this device comes with stereo headphones that double as a hands-free microphone. You can hold the phone up to your head or use the built-in speakerphone. However, in my tests, compared to my Motorola cell phone, neither of the latter two modes works very well in noisy areas because the device's maximum volume just isn't loud enough.)

Something else that makes this device fun to use is the ability to assign your own sound files to Pocket PC's different events, including the sound played when the phone rings. Next, I would love to see a capability where different sounds can be assigned to different callers.

Integration pros and cons
I liked the way Pocket PC's notepad application is integrated with the phone system. While on the phone, you can take notes, which will be stored with that phone call's entry in the phone log. The note is automatically populated with data about the person on the other end of the call, based on information retrieved from the contact management application.

Strangely, that same functionality doesn't take advantage of another feature in the operating system. If any document contains a phone number prefixed with "TEL:" PocketPC will interpret that as a phone number; you can dial that number simply by tapping it. However, when the notepad application populates a note with data from a call, it doesn't insert TEL: in front of the phone number. If you want to call that number, you have to back out of the note to the call log itself (where you can dial by tapping the log entry), or go out to the contact manager (which is also enabled for dialing).

The call log is in need of some serious improvements. If the log can't find the phone number (from the inbound Caller ID) in the contact manager, it just displays the phone number. But, by tapping on the entry, you can add that number to your contact manager. However, the only choice is to add it as a new contact. You cannot easily add that phone number to an existing contact (the contact manager can keep track of different numbers for home, work, and mobile phones). There's also no way to easily copy a number from the call log to the device's clipboard. This way, you could just paste the number into an existing contact. As a workaround, I manually added a phone number to an existing contact. However, for entries that previously only displayed a phone number, the call log was unable to retroactively update itself if that phone number was added to the contact manager. It should have started displaying the name of the person, but did not.

PocketPC Phone Edition tracks all calls with a phone log, and all SMS messages and e-mails with Pocket Outlook. In contrast, the Blackberry 5810 tracks all in- and outbound communications (including phone calls, e-mails, and SMS messages) through one inbox. There are no separate e-mail inboxes and call logs on the 5810 like there are in PocketPC Phone Edition. Which is better? I prefer the BlackBerry approach. You might prefer the way PocketPC does it.

One thing any converged device should do is enable me to respond via any available medium to any inbound communication. For example, with this device, I should be able to respond to any entry in the call log using my choice of SMS, e-mail, or phone call. Also, I should be able to pick any of the contact's available phone numbers. However, all you can do with phone log is reply via SMS or phone (no e-mail) and the only phone number you can use is the one listed in the call log. Likewise, from the device's Pocket Outlook inbox, you cannot reply to an e-mail with anything but an e-mail. If the integration had been done right, I would be able to reply to an e-mail using SMS or phone as well.

Speaking of SMS, this device relies on an SMS message to tell you that you have voicemail. However, once you clear the pop-up bubble that an SMS message triggers, there are no indicators on the Pocket PC's home page that indicate you have voicemail. Compare this to your average cell phone, which invariably displays an icon of some sort to remind you of unread voicemail. If the feature is available on average phones, it should be available for this one as well.

In the phone log, you check back on the duration of any call. In cell-phone parlance, that's a call timer. If you want the other timer that's typically available in a cell phone--the total time--PocketPC Phone Edition has it, but it's mislabeled in the menu. Instead of appearing under a menu entry called "Call Timers," it appears under "Options."

This device needs a data timer. VoiceStream charges its customers separately for data usage, and those charges are connected with the amount of data transmitted wirelessly. If you go over your monthly limit, you get hit with additional fees. VoiceStream should not only have included an application that tracks monthly data usage, but that application should warn you when you are approaching your monthly limit.

A word about wireless networks
Two large carriers in the U.S. provide GPRS-based service--VoiceStream and Cingular. The only places where their infrastructures will be shared are in California and New York. Everywhere else, you are dependent on the availability and coverage of the service to keep you in touch. With a converged device, keeping in touch isn't just being able to get phone calls. It's being able to retrieve your e-mail. Pocket Outlook can be set to check POP3 or IMAP e-mail at user-defined intervals; but, according to Microsoft, the user must manually initiate a data connection first. It won't do this automatically (as I think it should), nor will it terminate the data connection once the mail has been retrieved. However, it can do this automatically if you are connecting Pocket Outlook to Microsoft's Exchange Server through another product that Microsoft sells--Mobile Information Server. (This is an example of how Microsoft's support of standards is sometimes limited. Mail retrieval here works with standards like POP3 and IMAP4, but it works a whole lot better with something proprietary to Microsoft.)

Network coverage is equally important in achieving "always-in-touch-via-phone-email-SMS" capability. In terms of geographic coverage for a cell phone network, VoiceStream's GPRS-based networks are probably the least mature. VoiceStream tells me that they have (or will have by the end of this year) a presence in most major cities and all along most major interstates and thoroughfares. But as I write this in late July, I'm barely 25 miles north of Boston and about a half-mile from the eastern seaboard's most important interstate (I-95) and I have no signal. I also didn't have a signal at a location about one mile from I-495 in Virginia. Meanwhile, my Nextel phone had connections from both places. This wouldn't be so bad if the device could roam onto another network with a stronger presence. But it can't. It only works on the VoiceStream network.

In fairness, it will take a while for GPRS to catch up to the sort of coverage that other, more mature networks have. I have confidence that VoiceStream will get there. But, if you want a converged device like this, you had better check the provider's coverage map, double-check its roaming capabilities, and maybe even ask to borrow a device for a day before you take the plunge.

Finally, let's not forget service cost. Wireless voice and data service providers like VoiceStream usually don't combine voice and data into one charge. Instead, you have a voice plan for some amount of free voice minutes per month, and you have data plan for e-mails, SMS messages, and retrieved Web sites. VoiceStream has several monthly plans for data: $19.95 for up to 5MB of throughput per month, $39.95 for 10MB, and $59.99 for 20MB. Usage is incremented on a per kilobyte basis, and if you go over the limit in any given month, the rate jumps to $4 or $5 per megabyte (depending on the plan). Compared to my wireless data account with Earthlink that costs $39.95 per month for unlimited usage, the VoiceStream plan feels pricey.

If you're in the market for a converged device, I wish I could recommend PocketPC Phone Edition, but I can't. The Microsoft/VoiceStream offering is not ready for prime time. While the software problems can easily be overcome through updates, the device's industrial design--especially the inflexibility of the batteries, the lack of built-in Bluetooth, and the inability shut it off--are reasons enough to hold off on this purchase. This product category is at the beginning of its lifecycle. In the next six to twelve months, we will see more capable PocketPC-based phones show up on the market that will bring this type of converged device into the mainstream.

What do you think? Do you want one? What do you consider must-have features for a PDA/phone hybrid? Leave a message in our TalkBack forum or e-mail me at david.berlind@cnet.com.