BenQ P50 Review - Construction & Conclusion
Construction & ConclusionOn paper, the Benq P50 offers just about everything a power user could want from a PDA phone: WiFi, QWERTY keyboard, Touchscreen, Megapixel camera, Bluetooth, and an operating system that supports Web browsing and Email out of the box and is customizable via myriad downloadable applications. While the phone didn't entirely disappoint me, I'm sorry to say that it didn't live up to my expectations, either.
The main problem I had with the P50 lay in its industrial design. For a device so large, the keyboard was frustratingly difficult to use. As such I found myself writing on the touchscreen with the stylus much more than typing, which made me wish I had a device that gave up the QWERTY board in favor of a smaller overall size. Though the Treo 600/650/700 phones have similar designs, they are overall wider devices with easier to use keyboards. Newer Pocket PC devices like the T-Mobile MDA feature horizontally-oriented keyboards that slide out from under the screen and are also more comfortable to use, though the phones are overall thicker and heavier than the P50.
The other issue with the P50 is the reality of using WiFi on a phone. No Pocket PC or Palm OS device can do everything a can. As such, the utility in mobile Internet access comes in quick bursts of access to text-heavy content such as checking Email and downloading driving directions, movie times, news./stocks/sports updates, and the like. High-speed cellular networks aren't as fast as WiFi, but they are fast enough for basic information retrieval. Additionally, most cellular data users will have network access wherever they have phone service, whereas an open WiFi network can't always be found. This may change in the next few years, but for now I found using a WiFi-enabled phone more of a novelty than a practical solution any connectivity problem; if I really want mobile access to the Internet, I think I'd be better off spending my money on an EDGE-equipped phone and T-Mobile's $6/month mobile Internet plan than a WiFi handheld like the P50. There's nothing worse than thinking you've got the Web in your pocket only to find that you've got to go back home in order to connect to a network. Compare prices »Fetch me more...Quickly jump to more information about related topics, cell phones, carriers or phone manufacturers mentioned in this In-Depth Review by using the links below. About our in-depth cell phone reviewsWe take great pride to ensure that the our reviews are thorough and accurate. In no way are our editors directed or influenced by any manufacturers, advertisers, or partners; we believe that honest, opinionated reviews -positive or negative - are the only way to maintain credibility and serve our users. Reviews by companyApple, BenQ, BlackBerry, Eten, HTC, LG, Motorola, Nokia, o2, Palm, Pantech, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony EricssonHalf phone, half PDA, with some laptop functionality thrown in for good measure, the Benq P50 is the mobile executive's dream, at least on paper. Combining a quad-band GSM cell phone, Windows Mobile-powered PDA with QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen display, and Wi-Fi enabled Web and Email capabilities into a handheld unit is no easy task. Was Benq up to challenge when it designed the P50? Yes ... and No.
The P50 has been... Anyone considering a Benq P50 would be doing so for its extensive feature set. Running Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC SE (a version of the Win CE operating system), the P50 comes with mobile versions of MS Word, Excel, Internet Explorer, and Outlook pre-installed, and is capable of running hundreds of other productivity and entertainment applications. It should be noted that newer devices, including the TMobile MDA, now... The P50's functionality is really centered around its 2.8" touchscreen. Capable of displaying 65,00 colors at a QVGA resolution of 240 x 320, the screen is not quite state of the art, but is more than sufficient for a handheld. The touchscreen functionality works well, and the Windows Mobile software includes user calibration functionality. As with most handhelds, the screen exhibited some readability problems in direct, bright... MessagingRunning Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC SE, the P50 comes with mobile versions of Microsoft Outlook and MSN Messenger pre-installed, and can handle SMS and MMS messaging and POP3, IMAP, and push Email right out of the box. Connections can be made via GSM/GPRS cellular and 802.11b Wi-Fi networks, and the phone can sync with your PC's Outlook client via Bluetooth and/or USB. A plethora of other email and messaging clients...
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