The information found on this page should be viewed only as a general guideline to the products available. Cell phone technology is changing so fast that it's difficult to keep up. Also before you purchase a product from any source other than a local cell phone company, you should make sure that the technology it uses is supported by a company in your area.
Due to ambiguous device descriptions, particularly those found online, it is easy to confuse a SmartPhone for a Pocket PC phone. However, because a Pocket PC phone is based on a different edition of Windows Mobile from the SmartPhone platform, the Code Factory software product it requires is also not the same as what should be installed on a SmartPhone. Therefore, it is important to answer the question: What are the differences between a Pocket PC phone and a SmartPhone?
To put it simply, Pocket PC phones are personal digital assistants with added cellular functionality, while SmartPhones are designed to be cellular phones first and foremost, with some PDA functionality that comes with the Windows Mobile platform. Thus, the first thing you would notice is that the form factor (size and shape) of SmartPhones will be closer to that of regular, high-end mobile phones, and not at all like that of regular handhelds or the PDA-phone hybrid devices.
Secondly, SmartPhones have traditional phone keypads (although there are models which are already integrating a QWERTY keyboard instead or in addition), as opposed to a touch-screen and stylus which Pocket PC phone devices have. The SmartPhones are designed for one-handed operation, just like any mobile phone. Navigation is designed around a required joystick and two soft keys on a SmartPhone which also features "home" and "back" buttons, aside from the keys you typically find on a regular cell phone (e.g., "Dial" and "Hang-up" keys). There may be more buttons for launching frequently used applications or controlling the media player.
On the other hand, Pocket PC handhelds have programmable hardware buttons, apart from cursor keys, and in some cases, a built-in QWERTY keyboard, and most functions are performed by tapping on the touch screen. In fact, the quickest and surest way to tell if the device is a Pocket PC phone and not a SmartPhone is to check whether or not a touch-activated screen is featured.
The mode of input has some bearing on the interface as well. On a Pocket PC device, you open the Start Menu by tapping the icon for it on the screen which is available everywhere. You can scroll through the shortcuts there and press Enter on your selection or tap it on the screen, as one would do with the QWERTY keyboard or mouse on a Windows PC. On SmartPhones, you open the Start Menu by pressing the soft key assigned to it only when you're at the Home/Today Screen (hence the dedicated hardware "Home" key). Then, the Start Menu shortcuts will be laid out by default like the first nine number keys on the telephone keypad: three rows, three columns. You use the joystick to move around and select a shortcut, or you can press the number corresponding to the position of the shortcut. Of course there are more than 9 Start Menu items, so you can press the soft key assigned to show you "More" and the next nine shortcuts are displayed, until you have seen all Start Menu items.
This unit offers the wide variety of functions available on a PDA plus the convenience of a cell phone.
Handy Tech Mobile Pack
This phone offers a QWERTY keyboard along with many other features.
Motorola Q Smart Phone
This cell phone has been designed expressely for the needs of the visually impaired.
Owasys 22C Cell Phone
This website is an excellent resource for information on accessible cell phones.
Accessible Cell Phones For The Blind and Visually Impaired Website
Eric Foreman is petitioning Sprint in the hope he can get them to subsidize some of the cost of purchasing a phone that's accessible to the Visually Impaired. Visit
the link below and if you agree lend your support by signing his petition.
Visit Eric Foreman's Sprint Petition
This report contains some recommendations as to which cell phones are the most accessible. Note While this article is a little over a Year old it still contains some good advice.
Report On Which Cell Phones Are The Most Accessible To The Visually Impaired
Now by combining screen reading software and a GPS package you can have GPS navigation available from your cell phone.
Way Finder GPS Navigation Now Available For Symbian Phones
This free Navigational Software package may be able to reduce the cost of getting GPS.
LOADSTONE GPS A Free GPS Software Option For Your Mobile Symbian Phone
This web site is dedicated to making wireless telecommunications available to the greatest number of people possible. In particular, it is designed to give you, the consumer, a greater understanding of the wireless industry and some of those elements about wireless technology that people with disabilities may find especially useful. The great benefits of wireless phones are mobility and convenience. These are incredibly important features for everyone and especially for people with disabilities because they translate to freedom, empowerment and safety. The wireless industry already provides a variety of "easier to use" products and services to many individuals with disabilities and we are committed to making our products and services available to as many people as possible. Access Wireless will serve as your source for the latest developments in the wireless industry's efforts to expand our services and improve our products. Please continue to visit Access Wireless for the latest word on accessibility to wireless telecommunications.
Visit The Access Wireless WebsiteThis new phone recently introduced in Korea is the first one able to read books to the visually impaired.
New Mobile Phone Can Read Books For The Visually Impaired
Updated on ... August 03, 2008