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back to article Datawind PocketSurfer 2R internet palmtop

Datawind's PocketSurfer 2R is all about delivering the internet on the move, for next to nowt. And that's all. It's not a phone. It's not a fashion statement. The 2R costs £199 and, if you're careful, there's nothing else to pay to go online for the first 12 months. Go online to check your email, surf the web, get Google to …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cheap!?

    How is £199 cheap?!

    If it was under £100, then I might consider that cheap but when you can pick up plenty of big screen phones/pdas for a lot less on ebay and simply install Opera, why would you buy this!?

    "Unlimited" mobile internet access is now about £5 a month so my HTC Kaiser (£140) plus a years access (£60) is about the same price - but then I get a much better and more versatile device

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Down

    Ghastly

    I'm currently working in Maplin. We've got these on sale and one behind the counter for the staff to play wi^h^h^h^h^h^h^hdemonstrate to customers. And it's just awful. If you were going around the world it'd be useful, if you were really pressed on space it'd be useful. If you were one of those weirdos who lives their whole life in the Cloud then it could even be useful, though frustrating.

    For anyone else, it's not. You're better off with a PDA phone or a Laptot + 3G dongle.

    Seriously, kids- it's not big and it's definately not clever.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cost clarification?

    "The 2R costs £199 and, if you're careful, there's nothing else to pay, ever...for as long as Datawind's in business."

    "Usage after the first year involves a £40 annual subscription, or you can stump up £60 and be sure you never have to pay a penny to Datawind ever again."

    Which is it?

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  4. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

    @AC

    Yes, I think 200 quid's cheap for a gadget - well below, after inflation, the £75 I paid for my first Walkman back in 1984.

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  5. Tony Smith, Editor, Reg Hardware (Written by Reg staff)

    @Salmon

    Good point. Copy adjusted.

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  6. Lotaresco
    Thumb Up

    I have one

    Rather I have one of the older PocketSurfer 2 models. Yes it's cheerless, the screen quality is poor and hte keyboard is only just usable. But it is certainly cheap. As stated the basic cost includes a year's use. Paying an additional £60 means that there's nothing to pay again as long as the machine stays in one piece - which may not be long given how flimsy it is.

    It's also fast and it can be used almost anywhere. I work in places that don't have 3G. Looking at a map of coverage shows how restricted 3G is in the UK, it's fine for major conurbations, but outside those areas nothing. The Pocket Surfer works and is usable in remote locations. The big negative is that there are no applications and no storage. It's possible to use Google Aps and on-line free storage but there's no way to upload pictures to the web via the PocketSurfer. All that said, within it's limits it's usable and much better than a WAP phone.

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  7. Gareth

    Pics

    I love your reviews - they're informative & realistic.

    One thing though - could we get a realworld pic of the review item, say sitting on your desk, or nestled in the bosom of the brazilian maid who serves the Reg cocktails & cocaine..? (Javier, I think he's called.)

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  8. James Pickett

    Relative values

    "I think 200 quid's cheap for a gadget"

    I wish I did! It depends on the gadget, I suppose - it's not excessive for a Wii or a Netbook, but it seems an awful lot for something so crappy.

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  9. Anonymous Coward
    IT Angle

    Everything about it is great but does it work?

    Screen display is terrible, color limitations awesomely painful, download times make a 28.8 kbs modem look surprisingly swift.

    On the other hand the case is swell, keyboard neatly functional.

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  10. druck Silver badge
    Thumb Down

    Re: I have one

    "much better than a WAP phone" WAP? Who even remembers that? It sounds like it isn't even as good as a high end phone with a decent browser. For only slightly more than that ridiculous 200 quid price tag you can get a Netbook for a fast full internet experience on a larger screen.

    It attempts to fill a non existent niche between phone and SCC and is a complete fail. It looks like the sort of tat you get in one of those gift catalogues that keep falling out of magazines at this time of the year.

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  11. Monkey

    I can Echo "Ghastly"...

    I used one for a few days that came as from our IT supplier with some phones to test. Cheap tat is the best compliment I can pay it. Some may argue so are most mobile phones, but at least you GET a mobile phone too!

    Severley limited even for it's limited application, and rubbish to boot.

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