So over the BenQ P50
by Peter Rojas 
posted Jan 13th 2005 at 2:57PM
We've been discovering what it's like to fall out of love with
BenQ's P50 Pocket PC Phone. We've been eyeing this one
since we first spotted it at CeBIT back in March, and its listed specs — mini QWERTY keyboard, Bluetooth, WiFi, 1.3
megapixel digital camera (with flash), a 2.8-inch LCD screen — got us thinking that maybe we'd happened upon a worthy
successor for our trusty (and much loved)
Treo 600. Apparently we were
wrong.
Fast forward about ten months and the bloom is off the rose, as they say. The first strike against the P50 is its expected retail price. $800 isnt completely out of line for a fully-featured smartphone, especially if its before any carrier discounts (Wes Felter notes that an unsubsidized Sony Ericsson P910 costs about the same), but by comparison an unsubsidized Treo 650 which is in many respects the P50s closest competitor goes for $600. (And for everyone who thought they were going to be able to get one on the cheap, Expansys just jacked up their pre-order price to $925 thanks to Chris for the heads up on that).
Maybe we could be convinced to suck it up and pay that much, but not only is the phone still not out, its not even going to be available anytime soon. The BenQ rep we spoke to last week at CES said that the earliest we could expect to see the P50 even shipping would be more around the end of Q2/beginning of Q3.
It gets worse. Even when the phone does arrive itll have been in development so long that itll already be obsolete when it debuts. Barring a major revision of the phones specs by BenQ, the P50 wont be able to run the new and improved 2005 version of Windows Mobile that is coming out, and even more frustratingly itll only have GPRS for data connections rather than EDGE or UMTS. You know how we like to roll here at Engadget we fully expect that by September (or whenever this phone actually hits) that GPRS will seem like a really quaint way to get online with your cellphone and well be complaining about how using a phone with anything slower than a 3G connection feels completely intolerable (weve been rocking Verizons EV-DO laptop card, and its sort of life-changing).
Not that we want to unfairly single out the P50, or anything. To be perfectly honest, weve been disappointed by one aspect or another of every promising new smartphone with a QWERTY keyboard thats been announced lately (the Treo 650, the Samsung i730, the Motorola MPx), so the P50 is definitely in good company. So whats one to do? Well, were sticking with the Treo 600 until something comes along that actually seems worth dropping $500-$700 on.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Brandon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
BenQ would be better off just canceling the product now.
Guttrhead @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Expansys is expecting their shipment by the end of the month. I think it's out in Taiwan already.
Homer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
There is also the AMOI G6301 (Kinda Ugly). At least it supports EDGE a novelty for these new smartphones.
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,36529
Kurt Ramsauer @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Looks like my treo's safe for now. :-)
010111 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
the guy at the BenQ booth told me to expect a $500 retail price and that the $800 figure was for 'list' only. i asked if he meant that it was with carrier contract discounts... and he seemed to imply that no... one should be able to buy the phone contractless for around $500. which i highly doubt... but whatever.
he also said it is basically impossible to ever upgrade it to Windows Mobile 2005 aka "Magneto"... which is a serious disappointment considering it'll be july (at the earliest) i figure before i will be able to find one of these fabled $500 BenQ P50s. and he actually said that it wouldn't need to because this is the 'newest version of Windows Mobile you can get'... uh... apparently BenQ slept through the Bill Gates keynote. or something.
the MPx was a total let-down too once i got to touch it in the real life. too big. too thick mostly. every slider phone i saw was too thick as well. the P50 and the Treo 650 are the only decent form factor ones i saw. and both have shortcomings. some more serious than others.
so i'll just wait for my T637 (my 'transition' phone as i wait for something cooler) to come in and use that until someone wises up a bit.
i guess i'll wait for the Treo 700 or BenQ P60 now. or whatever.
Kamalot @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
I think this goes to show that, while not the machine with the greatest specs, the Treo has many intangible benefits. A lot of thought and effort has gone into making the Treo something special, not simply a bunch of hardware shoved into a little box.
The Treo is actually in our hands now. They have walked the fine line of promising vapor and delivering outdated wares to get into our hands an exceptional piece of work.
While Engadget may label the 650 as the disappointment of the year, it is still the best thing out there. And that says a lot.
Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
I like this thing, basically, though I could never justify the pricetag. Am I the only one who would be petrified of damaging the LCD on large screen models like this one and the Treo? When is a 3.5 inch clamshell smartphone going to come out? Lenovo had a crazy cool looking device on display at last year's CES, but I understand it's no longer in production. The wheels of innovation turn waaaaay tooooo slooooowwww, dammmmiiitttt!
Rick T. @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
I have been using a Treo650 for a few months now and would be hard pressed to find something to replace it...at least for a while. The 650 simply does everything most people need to do on a day to day basis. I carry the 650 and my ipod, which covers most of what I need.
Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Rick,
Your 650 can do the same thing as your iPod, no? Guess it's your flash-based Shuffle substitute....
L'Emmerdeur @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Amen! I can be moved by style or substance. Nothing here promises much more on either front than my current Treo 600.
Jeffrey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Brighthand says it will be out next month...
The article is only a few days old, don't know if there's been a different announcement since then.
http://www.brighthand.com/article/BenQ_P50_Coming_Next_Month?site=PPC
*
David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Guys,
You rock when it comes to reviews, and I fully respect your opinion. But when you say that you've been disappointed with these full keyboard smartphones, I wonder if you've spent any time with the blackberry. I've got the 7780 and it has changed my professional life.
No, it doesn't play mp3's or videos, but it is a VERY solid, professional tool that I would have paid 4x for. I've tried everything under the sun, and the email and calendar integration is so seamless that I don't think about it anymore.
Arthur Che @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
If this were out right now with a reasonable price tag, I think I'd buy it. I'm still waiting for the Windows-based Pocket PC phone that can integrate my need for phone and PDA seamlessly. Guess I have to keep waiting.
xing networks @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
I have to say I agree for the most part of the review. I also agree with David who has a 7780 that BlackBerry is by far the most powerful PDA ever made. It has problems here and there but it does take care of everything without my intervention. Anything the industry makes that assumes users will have to intervene and make the machine work is doomed to fail.
pete @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
lucky for me i skipped over to expansys and pre-ordered a p50 the other day when you first mentioned the $800 price tag. They were offering it for 275 (~$500-550), with an agreement to honour the pre-order price. They have removed that cost, and you can only pre-order blind now. Still, I won't be happy if I have to wait nine months, it's not a bun in the oven you know?
p50 on expansys:
http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=112410
Treonauts @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Glad to see so many Treonauts here!
After much hype from all quarters (but very little to show for) the P50 is yet another purported 'Treo Killer' that fails to deliver.
Engadget is right on the mark - if you're looking for a smartphone look no further than the Treo 600 and 650.
Cheers, W.
David @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
The XV6600 (Harrier, ppc6601, etc...) seems to be quite a nice phone. Don't diss it till you've held one, they are smaller than you think, not as small as a treo 600/650, but if you aren't a windows hater, seems to do good in comparison, except for a bit bigger. I dropped $450 on mine after some discounts, and don't regret not getting the 650 or 600, at least yet. It'll do me good till a VGA screen/hard drive PDA phone comes out ;-)
Ian Argent @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
I'll follow up on David's comment; the XV6600 has EVDO to the handheld, a camera, the slider KB, and a camera (plus 128 mb of memory, a 15 mb nvram storage space, and a LOT of programmable buttons). I'll admit the keyboard isn't as good as the treos' (but I'm a longtime graffiti user who was disappointed in the lack of input area on the treo - I use the SIP on my 6600 much more than I do the kb)
Bert @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Does anyone have a take on the Nokia 9300? While the lack of WiFi of the 9500 is a minus, it seems otherwise perfect to me. But They AREN'T available yet! :-(
For me, the REAL qwerty keyboard, 80MB RAM and especially the dedicated telephone keypad are big plusses, even with the larger size. It does everything the Treo does, but with a display that you can actually surf the web with...
Comments?
James Sheeppard @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
I can't believe that I found this article through BENQ's own website (http://www.benq.ca/News/index.cfm?year=2005&id=961)! That's too funny.
Javier Rodriguez @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
Hi. I got my BenQ P50 from http://mysmartbenq.com/ 10 days ago. It took just 2 days from Asia to Canada. I just pay $650, a great price! I don't even pay the taxes/duty because they send the phone as a gift. It is a great product, I think, a Treo killer, JAM killer also. You dont have to carry something eles to get WIFI. It has a great signal and it is really fast connecting with WIFI spots in the middle of the street. As a PocketPC it is incredible, as a phone, I love it. Bluetooth, WIFI, WM2003SE, not a bad battery... I don't really want EVDO/3G/EDGE, not for now. I just need the Quadband to be in Spain and Canada. About the possible Windows Mobile 2005 upgrade, since the phone comes with just 65MB ROM, it is not possible to upgrade, but you can use Sprite Backup (automatic), so you dont have to worry if you run out of battery :) Just plug in the device (charge even from USB) and run Sprite Backup, and voila! You have all your programs and data. I also use a SD 1GB card. It goes completely inside the phone, so you dont have to carry it separately. I install everything there so the main memory goes smooth.
I think this is a great phone, even with the new i-mate JASJAR or i-mate K-JAM coming this october. BenQ P50 is cheapter than the new i-mate phones and it is really good looking and a great piece of hardware.
Javier Rodriguez
Toronto, Canada.
luftcat @ Dec 19th 2005 12:09AM
This is the Worst Win Mobile PDA Phone I have Ever used....
Camera : The Picture is so dark even in Bright Daylight that no picture taken is usable. The Lag after you press a button is soo long that your intended picture composition have already bee changed the Pda record the picture. You will have a 1.3 MPixels Camera and you cannot use it
GPRS Setup : There is no options for setting up the GPRS connection on the Phone itself. You have to run a seperate Netwiz Program to setup and this eats ups Ram space.
Phone Function : Pressing the Anwser or End Calls is erratic... Sometimes it works nad sometimes it simply refuses to obey and you will have to reset the device ( and rerun Netwiz to get your GPRS settings) in order for the phone to run normally again
Bluetooth : It is so poorly implementated that you will never know when the Bluetooth connection is going tp work (imagine thinking the the bluetooth connection is ok and driving, phone rings and you have to fumble around. all the time with the bluetooth Headset icon shown on the phobe status area)
Text Messages : You can never keep the SENT text messages. Your sent folder is always empty no matter how many text messages you have sent. You will not be able to find any settings to correct this.
Service Support : I understand that there is going to be a software update to correct the problems (dont know which one or all) But you have have to wait till end Nov (software becomes available) and wait another 2 months (because there are so many people out there complaining about I believe the same things). Meantime You are ask to bear with the problems (and keeping resetting the device) until your turn comes along).
Conclusion : I can understand that due to the competiton out there in the marketplace, manufacturers have to release their problems ( sometimes wih some bugs) before the Product becomes obselete. But to release a product like this BenQ P50 in this state of development borders upon total disregard of consumer's rights. I have been an early adopter of new technology for many years now. I m amongst the first to purchase the XDA, the Sony Ericsson P800, P900 etc but I have never encounter a product so premature that have been release into the market. and just look at the time frame to correct the problems.