PHAROS PTL600E Unlocked GPS Phone

Pros: all in one device

Cons: Highly unstable operating system. Camera rarely will save a picture. GPS is the poorest i've seen. Phone drops every call. Recognizes installed programs sometimes, must be soft reset to recognize them the next time. No video mode as advertised. Alarm has worked twice in hundreds of programmed times. Will not keep time zone--then when resetting it, will change your appointment times (yes, ALL your appointment times). WiFi connection says it's connected but isn't--doesn't work at all.,

Other Thoughts: Pharos should really recall these devices

Pros: Excellent Pocket PC PDA. Installs and uses tons of 3rd party apps. Easy to use granted if you know how to use Pocket PC. Nice Screen, GPS is accurate and a wonderful tool. Phone accepted SIM with no problems and it synced easily with my desktop contacts. Camera is OK, Video is questionable.

Cons: Video DV mode doesn't seem to display video on playback. I hear audio, but no video. But this is a side feature to a great PDA/Phone/GPS.

Other Thoughts: Size is good. Functional design and so far looks very sturdy. Will work on figuring out the video piece, but haven't had time. Call quality is decent, but not very robust. Love having the GPS in travel. My contacts and calendar are always with me and I've reduced what I have to carry all down to one unit while still having a phone.

Pros: -It's a rock-solid Pocket PC. It's fast, it's tiny, and runs all sorts of 3rd party programs that make it a great productivity tool.

-It’s also an UNLOCKED GSM phone. It comes with some free add-on software that allows using your finger to quick-dial your contacts. It works and sounds great. The only problems I’ve had so far are the fault of my carrier.

-It's well built, with style! My wife and I each bought one several months ago, and use them all day long in a hospital and haven't had any issues. The battery is more than sufficient- like any powerful PDA you’re best off charging it each night. I rarely expend more than 50% of the battery with heavy use.

-It’s got GPS!! It comes with Microsoft streets which will make use of it the day you take it out of the box- if you want audible directions there’s tons of other programs (Tom Tom, etc.) that will do it.

-Pharos has already released one update to the OS, (I hadn't noticed any bugs) and are working on making WM6 available

Cons: The camera doesn't take the same quality pictures as a $1,000 SLR, but it's tiny, and there when you need it. I would have bought it without the camera.

Other than that, there aren't any cons that I can think of. Here's more pros:

-MicroSD slot: just pick up a 2 gig card from Newegg

-The buttons are easy to use and re-assign. It comes with a free full-screen keyboard for finger typing.

-Customer service is fast and friendly.

-Of course it has WiFi, Bluetooth, access to EDGE, and an FM radio.

-Standard USB port for syncing

-Comes with a stereo headset w/ microphone

Other Thoughts: I'm a 4th year medical student, and I really appreciate having all of my PDA medical references in such a small package. Also, the holster it comes with is perfectly balanced and stays attached to my scrubs when I run to a code.

It’s my library, my phone, my GPS, my movie viewer, my web browser on the road, my alarm clock, and my insurance policy if I ever feel the need to switch carriers.

This is a re-branded E-Ten X500, with some software improvements. It's one example of the great technology enjoyed in Asia but not here- until now.

There just isn’t another handheld that has this much functionality in such a small package. Well, maybe in Asia…

Pros: The GPS functions are great. Maps are good and precise. Love the windows mobile 5.0. It is a great PDA/GPS unit.

Cons: The phone feature is a joke. Bad reception, poor call quality, and loads of dropped calls. The overall design is less than desired. Buttons are not that user friendly. The cradle is poor designed as it pushes the side buttons every time your dock it. The camera seems to come on every time I take it out of pouch. Pieces are fallen off the phone. The mirror is totally gone from the camera side due to being in included leather pouch. The finish where the stylus goes in is gone due to putting the stylus up. I have babied this phone due to the cost, so no misuse on my case.Not a phone you can use with ease such as texting, im'ing, and calling. It is the worst phone I have ever owned. I usually am not unhappy with purchases, but after spending the dough for this thing.....HA!
Don't be a sucker! I could go on and on, but not enough room to write a 5 pages of cons.

Other Thoughts: Seems like a cool gadget until you have to live with it and work with it. It should be taken off sale and recalled for trying to mimic a phone

Pros: SiRFstar III Chip for fast GPS acquisition
Included maps are excellent
Touchscreen sensitivity and brightness very good

Cons: Short battery life
Included car charger base is poorly designed; cord is too short
Glitch in network menu causes phone to lose all signal unless you remove and re-insert sim card

Other Thoughts: This is a really cool gadget that combines cell phone, PDA, and GPS into one unit. All three parts function well after a little getting used to.

Cell phone portion is what you would expect. There are no number keys meaning dialing is done on the touchscreen. Selecting the network tab on phone settings causes mine to lose and not reacquire Cingular. Irritating if you accidentally select it.

PDA is standard Windows Mobile setup. It defaults to an available wireless network before 3G. Full screen keyboard works well, but autocomplete can be frustrating.

GPS receiver is great and software is above average. It is minimally useful for non-driving use.

Battery life is understandably short as the unit does many things at once. Requires daily charging.

Car charger cradle is just bad. The cradle's side supports press the phone's side buttons often. Even though the unit charges through a USB B port, it will only charge with the included chargers (maybe a voltage thing).