While there is no doubt that a mobile phone can be an asset aboard your boat, helping with everything from navigation to blogging, going mobile presents a universal problem: Which phone should you buy?
Palm phones are stable and reliable options, especially for first-time users.
With multiple products available on Palm OS, Windows Mobile, Blackberry, iPhone and Symbian platforms, the choices are vast and there are few good sources of information to help buyers sort it all out.
The good news is that, as the universe of mobile phones grows and matures, there is almost certainly a product that will meet your needs – in fact, probably more than one. Finding the one that is right for you requires some research, but the effort will pay off in the form of a product that meets your needs and matches your level of technical skill.
Before you start shopping, assess your needs by answering a simple question: What do you want to do? Are you mainly interested in accessing weather and tide information, or do you want to use navigation software too. Are you keeping a blog? Do you require a camera? By listing your needs you are also listing criteria, and that can help you narrow the field of products. (For a story on some common criteria to consider, see link).
Assess your situation too. Do you have deep experience with a particular platform? Is a smartphone provided through your job? Are some brands not supported by your mobile provider? Do you have family or friends who can offer technical help? All are factors that may further influence your decision.
When you understand your needs and constraints, then it's time to research what's out there – and that's where we can help. In coming weeks, we will look at all of the major platforms and highlight the pros and cons of each as they relate to use on a boat. Some of the information will be factual, and some will be opinions based on our experience. All should combine to arm you with the information you need to research your options more quickly and make a smart selection.
PALM OS
We'll start with Palm, an industry leader in developing handheld computer products. The first Palm Pilot appeared in 1997, and these early devices were the precursors to today's smartphones. We have owned, used and developed for Palm OS devices for many years and there are many reasons to consider a Palm OS device today.
The Palm Pilot was released more than a decade ago, making Palm a pioneer in hand-held technology.
While it is true that Palm OS has lost market share in recent years, there are still millions of devices in use today and new Palm OS smartphones continue to be released. We believe Palm phones will be around for a long, long time and that they are an excellent choice, particularly for the new smartphone user.
Palm's longevity in the market and experience with these small devices has created some of the easiest to use and most reliable smartphones available. While some critics point to Palm's maturity as evidence that the company and its products are outdated, our experience is that they provide a solid, dependable device that rarely freezes or crashes.
While Palm OS may lack some of the bells and whistles of Windows Mobile products or the iPhone, a Palm OS smartphone cannot be beat when it comes to speed and responsiveness. Their touch screen technology has set the standard in the industry, allowing users to easily use your finger for tasks instead of pulling out a stylus. Palm devices also come with some nice features not found on other smartphones, such as the ability to program the keys of the QWERTY keyboard to perform a variety of tasks.
Because Palm has been around so long, there are also lots of applications to choose from, including thousands of useful shareware and freeware applications. Tide Tool, an application offering tide and current predictions, and SmartList To Go, a list program, are examples of Palm applications that are hard to beat.
Palm's Centro is economical and comes with a bright, daylight-viewable screen, making it well-suited to marine applications.
The main downside to Palm OS smartphones is the lack of multitasking, meaning you can only run a single application at a time. While this is a major reason Palm OS smartphones are so reliable and easy to use, it is also a limitation that can lead to some frustrating interactions, particularly for more experienced users.
For example, you will need to exit your navigation program in order to check your tide program. While the speed at which these programs load will limit the wait, there may be times when you want something to continue running in the background. For example, you may want your email program to download while you are navigating. On a Palm, you could not perform these two tasks simultaneously. If it is critical that your smartphone be able to multitask then a Palm OS smartphone may not be for you.
PALM CENTRO
Our favorite Palm device is the Palm Centro, which was released earlier this year. It is the device we use most often when on our boat. The Centro is inexpensive – AT&T is offering it for $69 with a plan, and you can often find it on Amazon for free – and has the best screen quality of any smartphone we have looked at. The brightness makes its visibility in sunlight excellent, which is a critical feature for use on a boat.
