Need Phone or PDA for Ebay Bidding

I am looking for a phone / pda / blackberry which would allow me to bid on ebay items while on the road. I buy many items on ebay for business and it would be nice to be able to accomplish this while away from my computer. I am with verizon now. Would consider going with an additional carrier if it makes more sense, but would like to just stick with one device for phone / data.

Any input would be appreciated as to what device / plan I should consider.

Any Verizon phone with V-Cast/Mobile Web capability can access your eBay account. It is built right into the Mobile Web interface. Simply access Mobile Web, selct "more" from the home screen, then "shop" on the next screen. The eBay portal is the first option in the shopping category.

As for PDA/Smartphones, since they all surf the internet, you can access eBay by default from the browser. Just make sure you add the data feature, or you will have an unhappy surprise at the end of your billing cycle!

The browsers on phones are quite limited, while the browsers on PDA devices are a bit better. But, as paulcman said, Mobile Web does include a shortcut to ebay, which theoretically, you should be able to access ebay from. PDA devices do cost more than regular phones, and the data feature is much more expensive ($15 for the VCast Vpak, which includes "unlimited" data vs. $45 for "unlimited"* data on a PDA). It really depends on how much functionality you need (do you need the PDA functions?) and how much you are willing to spend.

* Verizon's cap on data is 5GB, which if you go over, you'll get throttled down to 200kbit.

I say get a PDA windows smartphone and just access the "full" ebay site via Mobile Explorer. The version through Vcast is limited to what you can do, and you end up paying for the full fledged mobile ebay that allows you to have more control of your account.

I'm being told by a verizon rep to get a K1M Motorola MotkRZR with the premium calling plan for a minimum of $79.99/month and it will include unlimited email, internet, GPS, and unlimited nights and weekends. Does this sound right? I'm having a hard time deciding between a blackberry and just a cell phone with similar functionality.

Chris

That plan sounds right. The National Premium plan includes Mobile Email, VCast Vpak, VZNavigator plus your minutes. As towards your BB vs. "normal" phone question, it really depends on your usage. I believe that the BB data plan is $29.99 (I'm not exactly sure on the details of that plan), so you'd come out cheaper than the premium plan (if I'm correct). The BBs are great for email, if you are really into email.

Well, if I understand correctly the plans would be the same, but I'd have to pay the extra $29.99 for the BB, right?

Chris

There wouldn't be any point in getting the Premium plan on a Blackberry, since you couldn't use really any of the features. If you were to get a BB, I'd go with either one of the Email/Minutes or the Email/Minutes/Messaging plans. I forgot that messaging isn't included in the BB plans, while it is included in the Premium plans. It really depends on what you need to do and how much you're willing to pay. If you need a real web browser and email, the BB is the way to go. If you don't mind WAP sites and don't need to do a lot of email or messaging, then the KRZR might be a better solution.

Yeah, I'd like to be able to reply to emails during the day while on the road, just not sure how much I'll have to, especially when getting into a hotel at night to follow-up in the evenings via email/internet. I think the blackberries are great, but it's a pain to me to write an email on those too, really. This is a hard decision.

Chris

*Deleted: Double Post*

Hi if you go to get it now and than shopping they have an ebay program for 3.99 a month that you can use to buy search even lets you know hot items. You can also check your ebay account. I have it and use it everyday. The best thing is you can use on most phones. I have the lg 8300 and it works great.


Eric