Advise needed for pocket pc/pda

Bagheera

Bagheera

Joined
Oct 6, 1998
Messages
957
Hi,

I guess that I finally reached a state that I'm fed up with an old 64Kb digital agenda thingy that can't exchange data with my laptop.
I'm fed up with my paper address book and my paper agenda and I find the laptop to big to carry everywhere and to bothersome (Windows 2000 Server machine) to start each time to take a peek at appointments / telephone numbers etc.

I was thinking about buying a small Toshiba Libretto A5 sized notebook but these also weigh about 2 pounds and I again have to carry lots of add-on stuff.

Just a week ago I saw a guy who hand a small Psion sized PDA that used a IBM 1 GB flashmemory card sized harddrive had a colourscreen and looked very nice, I don't know the brandname of that machine.

I don't want to spend a fortune on it and although I love to see things in colour it isn't a must. What is a must is easy exchange with my laptop of addresses/appointments etc.
I would love it to have a keyboard as I don't really "dig" the Palm "alphabet" scribbling with a pen.
I would love to be able to store e.g. a "survival" manual on it so I could read it when necessairy or be able to store a routeplanner onn it.

I read that Windows CE even the 2.0 version is not up to the EPOC or PALM operating system but have no experience with any of them.

So, I need advise, pro's and contra's and places were to get them for the lowest price and especially arguments that help me decide what to chose are welcome and needed.

One thing I was eyeballing the Diamond Mako which is essentially an Psion Revo Plus and I found them for about $120 on Ebay (NIB) but I can't find any information on the charger, is that an 110 Volt only or and 110-240Volt autoswitching charger. Otherwise it wouldn't be a real traveling PDA in my opinion.

I hope to hear from you, best scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera
 
If you want something with a keyboard, go for a PocketPC based device. I have used Palm and currently use PPC. I've had fewer crashes with PPC than I did with Palm (v2.0). Plus, there are more useful apps for PPC (at least more useful to me). PPC is more "computer-like" and flexible. PalmOS follows the "organizer" path (and supports more PC platforms, such as Linux, Mac, etc). Look for a machine that uses removable, standards-based memory like Compact Flash or MMC. If you go with Compact Flash, you can get all sorts of devices that use the same slot (modems, ethernet, wireless, micro harddrives, etc).

BTW, I use a Casio E-125 palmtop device.

Chris
 
Here is a site that has a lot of useful gadget reviews, might help you decide. This winds up being a personal choice, I just looked the offerings over, listed my needs and decided what I'd pay for them-some of the bells and whistles I want, some are just annoying. Good luck!
 
My experience, and advice, are the exact opposite of mtnbkr's. :confused: I have used a lot of different PDAs, including a Casio and a Compaq that ran Windows CE, but Palm OS devices have won every contest. The Palms crash less frequently and there are orders of magnitude more software available for them. I will say that the average Pocket PC is a more powerful device than the average Palm, although the new Sony Clie series has closed the gap.

Despite all of that, this is one of those areas in which there are no right or wrong answers, merely different needs and preferences. Windows CE PDAs are basically designed to be tiny little desktop machines. Palm OS PDAs are basically designed to be overpowered personal organizers. Both are now mature enough technologies that their capabilities largely overlap, but the different philosophies behind them have a major affect on their strengths and weaknesses.

If you decide you like style of the Palms make sure you don't just look at the machines from Palm Computing. Handspring, Sony, Handera, and Samsung all make excellent Palm-based machines. Personally, I carry a Palm m505 and my wife has just upgraded from a Handspring Visor to a Sony Clie PEG-T615C.

Best of luck!

--Bob Q
 
It does depend on what you want to do.

For keeping addresses, appointments, and other personal organizer work, you can't go wrong with a PalmOS system. They start up fast and you can easily and directly go to the apps you need. There is also a great deal of support and apps for them. Basically "Keep It Simple Stupid."

However, as market share indicates, the wave of the future rides on PocketPC devices. Color, fast processors, and a great deal more modular capability are it's strengths -- it's basically like Windows for your PDA. If you would like to have the ability to play movies, mp3s, easily add Compact Flash devices, work on Excel/Word files, etc., PocketPC is the way to go.

www.pdabuzz.com has a lot of useful info on pda's, too.
 
It's tough to keep ahead of the PDA curve, I don't even try. New technology always costs, last years 'cutting edge' device is often a real bargain; it's still smart to read reviews on the Palm IIIx or IIIxe models, for instance. You might pick up a great workhorse for a song, if you don't really 'need' this years racehorse. ;)
 
I currently use a IIIxe (primarily for work). It has survived numerous drops (scrubs don't have very secure pockets :) ) It manages my schedule, keeps my contacts handy, is my prescription med database, and (w/ the addition of a cheap document viewer) allows me to look at the mulitude of text files I have accumulated. Extremely handy. If I were to buy another one, I would go for one of the Sony's. You can find them for less the $250 (noncolor) and they have the Memorystick expansion port to add more stuff. Color is nice, but for most of the applications I use it for, it is unnecessary.

Sam
 
Originally posted by fmann
However, as market share indicates, the wave of the future rides on PocketPC devices.
Click to expand...

I hate to just be a contrarian in this discussion, but I question your conclusion. According to a recent article in ZDNet News (an organization that is generally biased toward Microsoft) Palm OS devices currently have around an 80% share of the PDA market. That has declined somewhat from previous years, but I don't think it is reasonable to presume that the Palm OS is on its way out while it still owns four-fifths of the market. And the Pocket PC only has about 15% of the remaining 20%.

--Bob Q

P.S. You can check out that article here. Note that most of Palm's lost market share was versus other Palm OS devices. :)
 
I have had 3 Palm devices : a Palm Pilot Professional, a Palm V, and an IBM Workpad C3 (Palm Vx in black, basically) and have been very fond of them.

Work is getting me an iPaq though. Will be my first real experience with PocketPC. Will post my comparo when I get said device.

Clay
 
Bagheera --

Regarding the keyboard, have you actually given the graffiti input method a chance? Like worked at it for an hour, then used it a couple weeks? You'll end up appreciating it as a quick input method, perhaps. For keyboarding, I consider little keyboards worthless, I'd rather use graffiti. When I really need to keyboard, I use a Stowaway. It folds up into a package as small as a typical PalmOS PDA, but unfolds into a full-sized keyboard with excellent key feel. Graffiti for quick input, Stowaway for note-taking, document creation, etc.. I'm very happy with that combo.

Joe
 
Hi guys,

Thanks for the info, it'll keep me busy for some time.

Making a decission on what to get has become even harder now.

Joe, I have used a Palm Vx from my colleague for about 30 minutes when she first recived it and the graffiti works after you "mastered" the few letters that are 'represented' a little different that you normally write them. Still my initial impression is that I don't really like entering data through graffiti.
I' have no chance loaning a palm for a few days so I can't tell you if I would start to love it.

I have worked several days with a Psion 5mx and wrote small programs for it to communicate through a mobile phone/internet with a server in Iceland. I liked the keyboard but disliked the size of the Psion 5mx.
I have eyeballed a Psion Revo Plus and this one is thinner then the 5mx.
The Diamond Mako which is an American licensed copy of the Psion Revo Plus can be found for about $120 which is a $180 LESS then what a Revo Plus costs in Holland.
On the negative side he Revo Plus (Diamond Mako) can't be expanded and I still haven't been able to find if the Mako comes with an 110-250 Volt power supply.

I will see what I can get my hand son to try.

Thanks for the advise, best scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera
 
Using the article that you provided:

Palm market share diminished.
Handspring market share increased slightly.
Sony and PocketPC device market share increased significantly.

This implies that multimedia devices and devices with greater expandibility (ie. Sony clie's, PPC) are slowly gaining as opposed to devices that are stagnant in their design, which are either decreasing in sales or maintaining their market share.

Some analysts have said that in the higher priced market ($300+ units), the gains of PocketPC are more apparently. The low cost Palm and Handspring units are what "saved" Palm last year.

I'm not talking about absolutes, because yes, PalmOS still owns 80% of the market.
 
I've been using a Velo 500 for a long time now. It's time for me to move on to something else. I'm not sure to waht.

I need something that is internet ready, small enough to fit in a pocket, something with a good screen and long battery life, something that will show a month view on its calendar, will synch with my laptop and something that won't crash or freeze every 15 minutes or go obsolete in a month. I've always used a keyboard, but all those palmtops are really too big to pocket. So I'll probably use screen input with a portable keyboard for lengthy text. I'm not thrilled about that, but as a tradeoff for easy carry, I'll try it.

Avoid CE. Microsoft isn't supprting it. It looks to be a dead end.

SO WHAT DO YOU ADVISE? I keep hearing two machines mentioned: Compaq Ipac and HP Jornada.
 
Originally posted by HJK


Avoid CE. Microsoft isn't supprting it. It looks to be a dead end.
Click to expand...

Yes, CE is no longer supported, but PocketPC is. WinCe became PocketPC (PPC) which became PocketPC2002. People refer to that whole line of OSes as WinCe out of habit. Any WinCE system made in the past year or two (at least) will have either PocketPC or PocketPC2002.

Chris
 
If you want a laptop replacement you will HATE a Palm.
Palms are designed to go hand-in-hand with a laptop or a desktop.
They are designed to be "synchronized" with their partners (laptop or desktop) on a daily (or even hourly) basis and the many that I've researched don't even provide for a battery backup.
Once the battery dies so does your data.
For those who "synch" daily its no problem at all because everything is easily replaced but for anyone wanting a stand-alone unit its a nightmare.

The PocketPCs are just that -- pocket sized stand-alone computers.
They have their own processors, their own ram, their own ROM, and their own battery backup.
Most come with all of the software you're likely to need if you're a Microsoft fan (Pocket Word, Pocket Excel, etc.) and there's a glut of other freeware available.
For the brief time that I tried a Palm I could find little to no freeware -- only shareware.

I'm currently using a Casio EM-500 and while the processor and operating system are a year behind today's standards -- I can write and edit Word documents, work on Excel spreadsheets, zip and unzip files, and watch movies in 65k colors. A new EM-500 is under $250.
My color Palm cost well over $350, it had to convert back and forth everytime I wanted to work on a Word file or spreadsheet and the movie player that Palm provided could not support movies with sound.

Based on your requirements, a Palm is not for you.
 
Originally posted by GJW
and the many that I've researched don't even provide for a battery backup. Once the battery dies so does your data.
Click to expand...

That is true, but somewhat misleading... A typical Palm will operate for more than a month of normal use on one set of batteries. If you ignore the low battery indicators, which generally give you several days of warning, the Palm will refuse to power on, but will retain its memory for another week or two. That should give you plenty of time to synchronize, or simply change batteries, before you lose any data.

Also, Palms have enough capacitor backup to preserve their memory during a battery change. You have at least one minute, usually quite a bit more, to swap the batteries without loss.

--Bob Q
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top