New smartphone hunting

Welp, I’ve about run out of patience with Palm… I’ll go over the reasons in another post, but as a result, I’m hunting for another PDA.

I’ve got an iPod Touch, which I love as a web browser, and occasionally use it for music, but it’s Contacts app is limited at best, the Calendar is just horrid, there is no tasks, email, or authorized ability to install other apps. My plan had been to wait out the SDK and see if anything interesting shows up, but having now written several multi-page long articles from the Touch, I’m just not loving the keyboard.

So, what AM I looking for?

Well, ideally a smartphone. I’ve also got a Razr2 V9 that I use as a phone, my Treo 680 is configured as a data-only device. I’d like to have one less thing in my pockets.

I’m moving away from PalmOS, which more or less means Windows Mobile 6. If you know of another device running a different OS, feel free to mention it, I’ll consider anything.

So, with that in mind, what am I looking for?

  • Quadband GSM (850/900/1800/1900), not locked to any specific carrier.
  • High speed data HSDPA/UTMS (850/1900MHz especially)
  • Wifi (Some combination of 802.11n/g/b) — This one is mandatory as unlimited data is not available yet.
  • Physical QWERTY keyboard (don’t get me wrong, the iPod Touch’s keyboard isn’t horrible, but without the tactile feel, I just can’t manage to type without looking at the keys)
  • Bluetooth headset
  • Removable battery (I’ll settle for 4-7 days of actual use on an internal battery that is not removable, otherwise, a spare battery is in my future)
  • On that topic, I want to get at least 1.5 days of actual use on a single battery.  Having to charge mid-day isn’t acceptable.
  • Ability to install additional applications
  • SyncML client (built-in, or third-party is acceptable)
  • IMAP mail client with support for multiple accounts
  • Internal GPS is nice, but not mandatory.
  • Expandable memory (SD, mini-SD, micro-SD)
  • Decent voice quality — Again, loved my Treo 680, but as a phone, it’s bad.
  • Noise cancellation — This one is optional, but my Razr2’s active noise cancellation is nothing short of amazing.

Now… What don’t I care about?

  • Camera.  I have a Canon S2 that does the trick nicely, my next camera will probably be a XTi.
  • Speakerphone.  Don’t use it, don’t care.

With all that in mind, I’m currently eyeballing the HTC TyTN II aka AT&T Tilt

Opinions? Suggestions?

Also note, I will not be buying this from my home carrier (Rogers Wireless), so I am not limited to their selection in phones.

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