Waident supports nearly all network and desktop technology and devices including most of the wireless PDA's on the market. Because of this, I have people on a regular basis asking me what the best device to get and is there a perfect one?

Frankly, I don’t think there is a "perfect" device that appeals to everyone, but there are some good ones that do a pretty respectable job depending on what you need. I won’t go into too much detail on all of the units available, but I will give you some of the insights I have learned from my usage and what we have seen on the front lines with the users. I won’t bore with the overly technical, or back end security and management details, and focus primarily on the end user experience.

PDA's are a very personal choice for people, and with that, some great emotional attachment for some. I'm sure I will step on some toes so feel free to email me and tell me what you think.

To start off, let’s define the basics of utopia. The perfect PDA for me is one that:

• Wirelessly syncs my e-mail, contacts, and calendar
•  Full keyboard (with usable keys)
•  Large bright screen
•  Good battery life (a couple of days general usage before recharging)
•  Feels good and sounds good when used as a phone
•  Light and smallish
•  Speed – fast data downloading and general usage
•  Minimal crashing and no need for resets!

Not too demanding I think.

Apple iPhone – like many of Apple offerings, it is very elegant and intuitive to interact with. Great screen and user experience with an acceptable battery life. The lack of “real” keyboard and no native Outlook syncing may pose a problem for many. For those who have never used a Blackberry or other similar tool, it might work perfectly for you. The AT&T data network is much slower than Verizon or Sprint so that is a major downside. You can however use IceMail to sync with your email server. Definitely approaching the perfect device in many area, but I will wait for version 2 that has a “real” keyboard, a better data network than AT&T, and native MS Exchange syncing for now.

Blackberry – The tried and true wireless business tool. Deftly handles syncing the corporate e-mail, contacts, and calendar. Overall very good battery life and the newer devices have bright readable screens. The 2 letter per key keyboards work, but can drive you crazy if you type a lot on it. The full keyboard models work well for typing. Need a Blackberry server for true wireless syncing which adds to the cost and complexity of the solution. People carry these around all day including nights and weekends and with no real away from work features (camera, play MP3’s etc.) it is lacking in some areas. This is changing rapidly however so I expect to see some cool devices coming along. Be prepared to pull the battery for a reboot every couple of weeks though when it acts up.

Treo – Good phone and data device with its touch screen and full, but cramped, keyboard. Seems to work well at first but ultimately falls short with many irksome features and regular crashing (remember this is based upon the Helpdesk requests and personal experience). We have seen many people use one for a while, but then trade them in for something else. Even the phone feature has issues when just trying to answer calls if you are doing something else on the PDA. My take is to stay away from this one unless there are features that you really need.

Moto Q – Great form factor with its thin frame and light weight. Fairly usable full keyboard and clear bright screen. It has some quirks, but most can be easily overcome by learning the counterintuitive way to do things. The battery life like most Windows mobile devices is pretty bad with only a day’s worth of charge if you are lucky. Overall a pretty good device if you can handle the battery life (or lack of).

So what do I use? I have a Verizon XV6700. Good data device but a pretty bad phone. Since it has a very large keyboard and screen, runs Windows mobile 5, and uses the high speed Verizon data network, it handles my Outlook account syncing, e-mail, and web browsing with ease. The downside is that I barley get a full day’s battery, the phone sounds like I’m using an early 80’s sports illustrated football phone, and it is a bit bulky (yeah I know it is only 6.5 ounces but by today’s standards…). It works for me, but I upgrade devices about once a year for something better. Not sure what's next.

Helpful hint – Many of today’s phones and PDA’s that use the carrier’s data access can be used for Internet access for your laptop. Check with your carrier for a plan or just download software called PDANet and plug your device in for fast data access anywhere. It works great.

Every year new devices come and go. Someday the perfect one will arrive. When it does I will let you know, but until then make the most of what you have and enjoy the features that work for you.