I Think I Like It - My new Sprint PPC6700 SmartPhone and SBS 2003

RTA Information Technology, Tempe, Arizona http://rtait.com/index.htm

I resisted the temptation for a long time, but I finally acquired a pair of Sprint PPC6700 SmartPhones. If you are in the IT business, you probably already know all about them. Just about every IT consultant I run into seems to have one. But they haven't hit the average businessperson. Yet.

The Sprint PPC6700, and its Verizon, T-Mobile, and other twins, is a Windows Mobile 5 SmartPhone/PDA. Besides being a decent phone, it features full WM5 functionality -

* Instant synchronization of email, contacts, and calendar with your SBS 2003 Server
* Mobile versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
* Always-on medium-speed Internet connection
* Built-in Windows Media Player
* A Windows-centric operating system that Windows users find familiar

If you spend time away from your office, and if you have an SBS Server or an Exchange Server, you owe yourself a hard look at these phones.

I put a $60 2GB MiniSD storage card into mine, for holding music, videos, and whatever. I also downloaded a WONDERFUL program, SiriuCE, that lets me listen to my Sirius Satellite Radio channels.
http://www.emulamer.com/SiriuCE.html

And I just ordered a SlingBox, to let me watch my Dish Network Satellite TV channels from anywhere in the world, via an Internet connection. http://slingbox.com

I bought a pair of PPC6700s. I figured that was cheap insurance. Plus, I got two of everything, including cases, chargers, and sync cables. I found some vendors on eBay that claim to be selling original (OEM) Audiovox car chargers and other accessories. One nice thing about the PPC6700 is that the hardware between phone vendors (Sprint, Verizon, Audiovox, etc.) seems to be identical, so you can get accessories from multiple sources.

I'm also taking a look at extended batteries. The factory 1350 mAH battery is good for a day's use and no more. Lion Battery http://www.lionbattery.com/description.php?noproduit=321
offers a new 2800 mAH battery that is getting great reviews and can, apparently, be squeezed into the (Sprint) factory leather case and charging base.

Does this all sound like a commercial? Maybe. But it's more a commercial for SBS 2003 and how it works with this great new hardware. Without that, the PPC6700 would just be another phone with some fun multimedia stuff.

But add an SBS/Exchange Server, and it becomes a fun toy that also gets real work done. I think I like it.