Audiovox Thera Smartphone

Audiovox Thera

I recently purchased two Audiovox Thera's. I bought them both on ebay as the units are at this point over two years old.

For starters a little background about myself. I never buy new unless I absolutely have to. There are great bargains to be had if you don't want or need the latest thing. In the pocket PC market there are excellent buys especially now that Smartphones are taking over. I had just purchased a Blackberry and I love the unit but it can't do some things that I want such as view pictures, play music and videos, and allow me to view and edit word, excel, and other file types. It's ok on the blackberry because I use it strictly for business but I had a need for a small unit with a collapsible keyboard I could use while at the coffee shop for instance.

The Audiovox Thera which is currently on ebay now through various sellers for about $100 is the hands down best buy you can find on a Pocket PC. It is also a phone, but I suggest you continue to use your current cellphone rather than trying to hook it up. Its phone function is somewhat poor. I do not use it in this capacity.

The unit is not the fastest, nor does it have the best features, and the screen is far from the brightest I have seen but for $100 you simply cannot go wrong. Buy the collapsible keyboard (if you can find it) on ebay for about $20 - $40 and now you have a portable note taking unit with a full size keyboard that can use, review, edit, and append word, excel, and other document types.

It takes SD memory so you can increase your storage from the onboard 32 Megabytes and can even show all of your family pictures on it. I advise you to save them as 640x480 when putting them on the unit and also put them in landscape mode to use the most of the screen as possible.

Right now brand new Pocket PC units are routinely being pumped out at stores for between $250 to over $700. If you are planning to use the unit with GPS or need bluetooth and wireless LAN then the thera is not for you. If you need a smartphone to surf the internet this unit is not for you. But if you want a dynamite organizer that can sync with your Outlook, keep all your contact information, and can let you keep track of appointments then this is your unit. Further with all of the other features it is a true diamond in the rough. In fact, I am using it right now with my collapsible keyboard to type this review while I drink my Latte at Starbucks. Even as old as it is, with the keyboard I still get a lot of looks and inquisitive question about what type of unit I am using.

If you purchase this unit with a keen eye on its limitations but also knowing what it can do, you cannot go wrong. I can type my memos while simultaneously listening to my MP3's without even skipping a beat. I can whip out my unit and show ALL of my family photos without a wallet the size of Rhode Island. I use a 256 Meg SD card with the Thera and that holds well over 1,000 pictures that have been reduced to 640x480. I take my digital pictures at 5 megapixels but on a 3.5 inch screen a 640x480 picture looks just fine. For memory considerations on a Pocket PC of any type it is a good idea to shrink them.

If you need a cutting edge solution that combines everything and money is no object consider plunking down $600 for a brand spanking new Ipaq h6315 smartphone or if you don't need the phone go for a Dell Axim x50. But if your needs are not upper-upper end, like me, and you already have the best email-cellphone (blackberry) then save hundreds and get a Thera.

By the way, if you go through ebay or other sources and you need a keyboard, try to get that first before purchasing the unit. They are no longer made (at least I dont think so) and they are very hard to find.

Features
Microsoft Windows for Pocket PC Operating System
Intel StrongARM Processor 206 MHz
Dual Band 800 MHz CDMA / 1900 MHz PCS Operation
MSM5105 Chipset - 1xRTT Compatible
32MB RAM (SDRAM) & 32MB ROM (Flash ROM) of Memory
Reflected Type Color TFT Display (65,536 colors)
Touch Screen Interface
On-screen keyboard and handwriting recognition
SD Card Slot (SD card or SDIO card) 32MB SD Card Included
Infrared Port
Mono Speaker and Headphone Jack
Built-In Voice Recorder
Watcher Dialing Software for Built-In Phone

Specifications
Processor: 206 MHz Intel StrongARM
Memory: (Mb) 32
Original Operating System: Pocket PC 2002
Display Size: (Width x Height (cm) / Inches) 3.5
Resolution: (Pixels) 240 x 320
Color or Monochrome: Color, 16-bit reflective TFT
Backlight: Yes
Adjustable brightness: Yes
Upgradeable OS: Yes
CDMA: 800/1900 MHz
SD Card: 32MB Secure Digital
SMS: Yes
WAP: 1.1
Handsfree speaker: Yes
USB cradle: Yes
Desktop compatibility: Microsoft Outlook
Battery type: 1100 mAh Lithium ion
Speaker: Yes
Earphone jack: Yes
Microphone: Yes
Hardware shortcut keys for volume control: Yes
Hardware application shortcut keys: Yes
Touch-sensitive screen: Yes
Stylus: Yes
On-screen keyboard: Yes
Jog Dial/Wheel: Yes
Handwriting recognition: Yes
AC adapter: Yes
Dimensions: (H x W x D cm) 12.8 x 7.7 x 2.0
Weight: 198 g