Palm Vs Pocket PC

[mobilers]

Hay...
Anyone can tell me which one is the most powerful pda, whether palm or pocket pc, in term of compatibility, reliability, battery life, feature and price.
Because up to now I'm still confuse to choose the gadget :(

Thx
Regards

[Looxer]

I would like to direct you to the following link below, you will find an excellent article written by Ed Hansberry "Which PDA Is "Simple" Again?"

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=5971

:)

[Looxer]

You will find so much to read about, useful information from experts in Pocket PC Thoughts, some of them former Palm users, and checkout also interesting thread below:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11516

[mobilers]

Thanks for your information, are you pocket pc defender.. :D, where are the palm users.. :wink:

[BarryB]

As you can tell from the name of the site, this site is biased toward the Pocket PC. :)

Try palminfocenter.com for Palm-biased information or pdabuzz.com for both sides of the issue. If you do it right, you can set up a nice little flame war. ;)

<opinion on>

I like the PocketPC, but IMO, the operating system is overly complex for most people. I've had some minor problems that I think are reliability problems, but I'm not convinced that I haven't done something wrong. :) Also, battery life tends to be less than most Palms. On the whole, integration with Windows is smoother than Palm's, particularly if you use Outlook for your email and contacts and calendar. The Pocket PC is seen as another drive on your computer.

I also like the Palm, but it lacks the power for the multimedia applications like video and audio that more people seem to want nowadays. The recent upgrades to the Palm operating system to incorporate flash memory cards and audio feel like kludges to me. Battery life, on the whole, is better. Integration with desktop computers is not as smooth as Pocket PCs, but I have never had any complaints. I have had several complaints about Pocket PCs integration with my desktop.

The gap between the two is closing. The Pocket PC is becoming more user-friendly and larger batteries are helping to improve it's useful time-between-charges. Palms, particularly Sony Clies, are becoming better at multimedia. But this comes at the expense of battery life.

BTW, I wouldn't put too much faith in memory capacity. Palm programs are smaller than Pocket PC programs. 16 MB on the Palm is at least like 64 MB on the Pocket PC with regards to programs. But for multimedia, 16 MB on the Palm is woefully inadequate.

<opinion off>

I think it comes down to what you are going to use the device for, appointments or entertainment?

[NeoLogic]

I'm new to this site, because I'm new to Pocket PCs. I just purchased a Dell Axim from ebay, which has not even arrived in the mail yet.

I have been a Palm user for many years now. I must say that the one reason I switched is because of the number of options one can buy for a Pocket PC, and the software available seems to be more powerful.

For example I have a handheld Garmin etrex, in which i wanted to connect to my Palm. There were ways to do it, but the software available was slim, and display size/brightness were not that of a Pocket PC. Since my primary use would be for in-car navigation, and address to address directions, screen size AND brightness were the the most important aspects of my PDA. Also audio out was important for audio naviagational aids. Most palms don't have speakers. On top of that memory is important for loading maps. My palm did not have a card reader of any sort, so getting this Axim will be a Godsend.

Now being a palm user, there are some great aspects to owning a Palm. Fist is size. Palms tend to be less bulky, and lighter then their cousins. As mentioned above, battery life is much better than PPCs. Also I favor Palm's speed when it comes to using the address, calander and other simple tasks. Even the slowest Palm IIIs will out speed the most powerfull PPS in this arena. But that's not fault of the hardware, it's thanks to MS bloat-ware. Also, I'm a true believer of Grafitti. That is what sold me on Palms many years ago. I just hope Block Recognizer can do what Grafitti can do. Last, I find that Palm OS is a more slick interface, simplistic, and easier to use for beginners, but I'm not a beginner anymore.

All in all, I'm very excited about getting my Axim. I can't wait to get a Wi-Fi connection, and do the many things I hope to do with my integrated home theater system. I also feel that my GPS solution will be top notch, and even out perform proprietary/factory in-car systems, with the thanks of www.teletype.com.

I'll keep you posted.

[PetiteFlower]

Mobilers you really have to think about what you are going to USE the PDA for before you decide what model is right for you. Different models have different strengths and weaknesses, there really is no "best" only "best for what you want to use it for".

You're not really going to find anyone recommending Palms here though, there are(as mentioned) other sites out there that have information on Palms. Personally I've never used one, I liked the wider range of options I got with Pocket PC so I got an Axim. I haven't found anything about the OS to be "overly complex" though, I don't think it would be to anyone familiar with Windows.

[Looxer]

I concur; personally I think Pocket PCs are more powerful, maybe you will notice Palm is trying to catch-up with their new releases OS 5 and optimizing Xscale processor.

[spursdude]

Keep in mind a few things:

-Battery life. Battery life varies greatly, even among platforms. For example, the Dell Axim will get at least 10-15 hours of usage on its standard battery, while the iPaq 1910 may only get 4-5 hours. The same goes with Palm OS devices. Some have excellent batteries, especially the ones with black and white screens. Then again, some Palm OS devices get very low battery life, sometimes even worse than a Pocket PC. So don't be so quick to lapse into the generalization "Pocket PC has terrible battery life, Palm has great battery life."

-Size. Again, it varies a lot within the platforms. Many months ago, Pocket PCs were pretty much all fairly bulky. But now there is a large number of slim, lightweight Pocket PCs. The iPaq 1910, Viewsonic V35, and Toshiba e3xx series all come to mind. They are all just about as thin as the Palm Vx. And even the Dell Axim isn't that large. I have the Audiovox Maestro, similar in size to the Axim, and it's definitely not too large for me. It never hampers portability.

[NeoLogic]

-Size. Again, it varies a lot within the platforms. Many months ago, Pocket PCs were pretty much all fairly bulky. But now there is a large number of slim, lightweight Pocket PCs. The iPaq 1910, Viewsonic V35, and Toshiba e3xx series all come to mind. They are all just about as thin as the Palm Vx. And even the Dell Axim isn't that large. I have the Audiovox Maestro, similar in size to the Axim, and it's definitely not too large for me. It never hampers portability.

I'm saying palms TEND to be smaller, meaning that a majority of palms are a bit smaller than pocket PCs. It's not like the huge difference between some laptops that you would find. Of course with palms smaller size and weight, your sacrificing screen size too!! You got to love PPC's huge real estate when it comes to viewing, and with that said, bigger screen usually means less battery life.

I have a Palm IIIc, and use it a couple hours every day. Only needs a charge once every two weeks. My wife's Sony Clie' (high rez color display) is much smaller than most Ipaqs and Axims (smaller than my Palm IIIc even, and it has about the same battery life as my Palm. I can honestly say, my wife would NOT use a PPC because it would not fit in her purse. She has a phone, pager, PDA, wallet, make-up, car keys, and other nick-naks to carry around, (yes I know she can consolidate some of that stuff, but she is old school) but the PPC device is just too large for her small purse.

Frankly, I'm not sure how I'm going to carry my new Axim around yet. I do know for sure I'm going to get one of these: http://www.thepocketsolution.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PSI-058, but I'm not sure how it's will be carried during summer months. Winter is not a problem, throw it in my jacket pocket, but summer is going to be interesting. I'll have to wait and play it by ear.

I'm not trying to down-play PPCs, infact i can't wait to get mine, but a Palm is NOTHING to sneeze at.

[Janak Parekh]

I can honestly say, my wife would NOT use a PPC because it would not fit in her purse.
It's OK if she doesn't want a Pocket PC, but if you ever get the chance, do stop by a store and look at the 1910. It's about the size of a Palm m505 (actually, it's curved a bit more). I'm not making this up. No one believes it until they actually hold it. Two of my relatives recently got them, and they absolutely love the size and the screen on the 1910s (which, IMHO, is better than the T|T's). 8)

As for "average" sizes, I would have bought the argument a year ago, but if you average in the NX70 and the NZ90, realize that Palms are both at the small and large end PDAwise. ;)

--janak

[NeoLogic]

I can honestly say, my wife would NOT use a PPC because it would not fit in her purse.
It's OK if she doesn't want a Pocket PC, but if you ever get the chance, do stop by a store and look at the 1910. It's about the size of a Palm m505 (actually, it's curved a bit more). I'm not making this up. No one believes it until they actually hold it. Two of my relatives recently got them, and they absolutely love the size and the screen on the 1910s (which, IMHO, is better than the T|T's). 8)

As for "average" sizes, I would have bought the argument a year ago, but if you average in the NX70 and the NZ90, realize that Palms are both at the small and large end PDAwise. ;)

--janak

You know what? If my wife sees my new Axim, likes the features, then I'll point her toward the 1910 on your recommendation!! I'm not looking forward to admining both a Pocket PC, AND a Palm. :) (if you know what I mean) I have been looking at different Pocket PCs, and have not found a real-to-life 1910 to hold and cuddle. heh heh.

[Janak Parekh]

You know what? If my wife sees my new Axim, likes the features, then I'll point her toward the 1910 on your recommendation!! I'm not looking forward to admining both a Pocket PC, AND a Palm. :) (if you know what I mean) I have been looking at different Pocket PCs, and have not found a real-to-life 1910 to hold and cuddle. heh heh.
Don't worry about admin'ing both -- it's not that hard, as long as both don't try to sync to the same Outlook profile (separate Outlook profiles, or both Outlook & Palm Desktop on the same machine should work perfectly). But if she likes your unit, then by all means you guys should check out the 1910. It's not the most powerful Pocket PC out there (in particular, its wireless options are limited), but it's a beautiful, reasonably powered little unit.

--janak

[spursdude]

-Size. Again, it varies a lot within the platforms. Many months ago, Pocket PCs were pretty much all fairly bulky. But now there is a large number of slim, lightweight Pocket PCs. The iPaq 1910, Viewsonic V35, and Toshiba e3xx series all come to mind. They are all just about as thin as the Palm Vx. And even the Dell Axim isn't that large. I have the Audiovox Maestro, similar in size to the Axim, and it's definitely not too large for me. It never hampers portability.

I'm saying palms TEND to be smaller, meaning that a majority of palms are a bit smaller than pocket PCs. It's not like the huge difference between some laptops that you would find. Of course with palms smaller size and weight, your sacrificing screen size too!! You got to love PPC's huge real estate when it comes to viewing, and with that said, bigger screen usually means less battery life.
I know that was your point, and I wasn't directing my comments specifically at you. Just trying to do away with some misconceptions. But it is true that at this point, Palms tend to be smaller than PPCs. But thankfully that is changing.

Oh and I'm definitely with Janak on checking out the 1910. That thing is tiny! I never really thought much of it from photos, but seeing it in real life proved to me just how small it is. And also, because of its design, it looks almost smaller than the Palm m505... :)

[mobilers]

Actually I don’t want to create a little flame war by giving a provoking question :wink: , I’m just curious why palm still get the market share as big as pocket pc (CMIIW) :roll: , but after reading all of your opinions and ed hansberry’s review, I’ve concluded that pocket pc is for multimedia purposes and mobile computation rather than only for personal organizer plus plus like palm does. :)

[spursdude]

Actually I don’t want to create a little flame war by giving a provoking question :wink: , I’m just curious why palm still get the market share as big as pocket pc (CMIIW) :roll: , but after reading all of your opinions and ed hansberry’s review, I’ve concluded that pocket pc is for multimedia purposes and mobile computation rather than only for personal organizer plus plus like palm does. :)
Palm started out and really was the first company to get handhelds to go "mainstream" if you will. Palm became the brand for handhelds - it's so pervasive that even today people still call PDAs of any sort a Palm Pilot, although they haven't been called a Pilot for many yearse (b/c of the Pilot Pen company), and even though it's most likely not a Palm device.

When the Windows CE handheld originally came out, I understand that they were quite bulky, buggy, expensive, and had bad battery life. The software arrived before the hardware did.

But now, things are different. :D

[ethancaine]

Keep in mind a few things:

-Battery life. Battery life varies greatly, even among platforms. For example, the Dell Axim will get at least 10-15 hours of usage on its standard battery, while the iPaq 1910 may only get 4-5 hours.

Okay, whoa! Who's getting 10-15 hours on their Axim? I get like three or four, tops. Battery Bar shows 2h 42m r at full charge. Am I doing something wrong?

[PetiteFlower]

I've listened to MP3s for about 4 hours straight and still had about 40% left. I've also gone 2 or 3 days of moderate use without charging and gotten down to about 65%. The battery on these things is nothing to sneeze at, seriously! The time on those battery indicators is never accurate. You can expect to get about 6 hours of continuous use before the warning comes up, and a few days to a week of moderate use.