LaserProUSA
07-18-2003, 06:33 AM
Well I have both of the top of the line PDA's from the Pocket PC 2003 (iPAQ h5555) and Palm OS v5 (Sony Clie NZ90) camps. In my experience with the Palm OS for the last 3 years I feel for business uses it is a superior platform. For gaming, entertainment and traveling in general the Pocket PC is superior. With that said there are a few PPC2K3 features that if present in PalmOS5 I probably would not have even considered the PPC2K3.
Allow me to elaborate.
Multitasking: One primarily being the multitasking, very effective when on the road, conducting demos, dealing with customers, etc. The need to switch between open apps with open docs is essential. PPC2K3 does this well, but I must give it up for the Palm platform's speed in instantly opening apps but as you'll see in my direct comparison below Mapopolis shows where this just simplyh isn't good enough.
Multimedia: Secondly although Sony has done a good job of creating a multimedia Palm PDA it pales in comparison to the PPC2K3 camp. Such as proprietary audio player that places ALL MP3's into ONE folder for playing. The PPC2K3 allows me to use multiple folders to organize and even allows playlists (I just wrapped up the Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire book via Windows Media Player. That is on 16 folders for each CD). The viewer included is slow, the movie rec works well and the player plays them well but don't try to view actual movies. The conversion process is time consuming, cumbersome, quirky and most times unusable. Voice record is pretty good and I have always been pleased with it, that is until I used Notes in PPC2K3. With the ability to write a regular note, record voice or draw it is simply superior. Only need to add an alarm feature as in BugMe for Palm OS. That would make is the undisputed best note taker I've ever used.
Internet: Surfing the net on the Palm is adequate and quick using NetFront 3 to many sites create messages that NetFront cannot handle the amount of images so most surfing is without images on. Bummer when I have the LAN card connecting to my access point via Cable Modem. Should not be a problem. Email is the same across both platforms but I cannot understand why all the Palm OS versions I've tested (about 1/2 a dozen) and the email built into PPC2K3 don't allow for filtering. I spend more deleting spam than I do with constructive messaging.
Gaming: I've tested a few apps on the PPC2K3 that are not even available on the Palm OS. The graphics are impressive and the gaming experience is really good. My kids love this feature alone. I have quite a few games on my Palm OS MS storage device for those leisure times but after seeing the very impressive graphics on PPO2K3 and the overall experience they are coming off. Nuff said.
Palm has thousands of apps for it that are extremely well written. If PPC2K3 had an equivalent to ZLauncher (launching application), Agendus Pro (contact management), SCMgr (Sales Manager), Bonsai (Full-featured outliner), Docs To Go (Word, Excel, PowerPoint editor), and a few traveling apps that I have I would seriously consider moving completely away from the Palm OS. Unfortunately the only app I've come across that makes the Palm version look pathetic is Mapopolis. If all the PPC2K3 apps were written that well Palm would go by the wayside as WordPerfect, Lotus 123, dBase, Netscape, Novell (amongst many others) did. Palm better wake up as in only a 3 years or so PPC has caught up with most that Palm had to offer.
Data input: Well there is only one keyboard for the NZ90 and I have it (Targus PA870) but the weight of the NZ90 is simply to much. I type around 65+ wpm and hit my keys rather hard. Over the years I've killed at least a dozen keyboards from my heavy handed abuse (can't be helped :)) so this keyboard although works well cannot hold my heavy NZ90 well and securely. The iPAQ on the other hand has keyboards from Targus, Belkin, GoType, the new flexible FX100 and who knows whoelse. Soon to be more I can safely assume hopefully a bluetooth one (can only wish). Oh finally the Graffi (Block Recognizer on PPC2K3) is quick and easy on the Palm and I've played with the new Decuma (No real equivalent on the PPC2K3) Jot by CIC (Letter Recognizer on the PPC2K3), onscreen keyboard (Similiar on the PPC2K3) and even one that tried to translate the cursive onscreen (Transcriber on the PPC2K3). With the exception of Graffiti and the onscreen keyboard the other input methods are third party solutions with Decuma only available on the new NX series Clie's. On the PPC2K3 I found much to my surprise and appreciation all those methods built-in with a virtual writing area (Virtual Grafiti on select Clie models) and choosing your input of choice is quick and easy. That was impressive. Noticeable also is that the virtual writing area is available to ALL apps as it is built into the PPC2K3 OS, on the NZ90 apps have to be written to take advantage of it, costing 1/3 of the entire screen area if not written for. BTW even though the NZ90 has a built-in keyboard whereas the iPAQ does not I've never used the built-in keyboard on the NZ90.
Screen: I would never have thought this possible but the iPAQ seems to be a brighter white than the most impressive NZ90 screen (the NZ seems to have a slight blue tint, never noticeable until placed next to the iPAQ). Of course I never run the NZ90 more than halfway to conserve battery life but the iPAQ at the halfway mark is significantly brighter. Although I appreciate the high resolution 320x480 on the NZ90 now I realize that the text on some apps are simply to small, Mapopolis is a good example. Now the NZ screen is almost the same size (T3.25" x W2.25") as the iPAQ (T3.125" x W2.25") but the iPAQ only has a resulution of 320x240. The brightness, ClearType and crisp display in general makes this a strong contendor to the spendid displays that Sony has always put out. I must admit I am rather pleased with the display and quite satisfied.
Speed: The iPAQ has 400 MHz Intel XScale technology based processor vs the Sony Clie NZ90 200 MHz Intel XScale technology based processor. So techinically speaking the iPAQ should be twice as fast, right? Wrong! Factually speaking the units run about equivalent in moving throughout the operating system, launching applications, switching between apps, etc. In processing computing intense applications there definitely will be a difference in speed. The only app on both operating systems that I have that can give an apple to apple comparision is Mapopolis (can you tell I use this one alot?) Computing a route from my house to Mandalay Bay (I live in Las Vegas) the distance of 21.3 miles. The timing was simply amazing. On the NZ90 I simply counted 1001, 1002, 1003, etc. and I got all the way up to 50 seconds before the computation was complete and my route was ready (I even tried a new overclocking app and my time was reduced to 30 seconds). On the iPAQ I barely completed 1001 and the route was done. The is f@#$%^&g impressive. Completed in under a second, WOW! OK, in processor intense applications the speed is incredibly faster.
In my most humble opinion the following are what each top of the line PDA brings to the table.
HP iPAQ h5555: Great for video, audio, mapping, gaming
1/ RealPlayer & Windows Media formats can be played perfectly
2/ MP3 has an excellent playlist in the above apps
3/ Excellent for audio books (I have 65 MP3 books on a 40GB HDD)
4/ Mapopolis is simply AMAZING. Verbal commands on routes. I tested it with directions and purposely went of route. The software guided me back onto the correct path ON THE FLY. I was blown away. Connected to my Emtac BT GPS unit quickly and flawlessly.
5/ Multitasking is extremely valuable on a PDA. This lacks on Palm. When creating direction on the Palm is you leave the application you MUST reprocess the directions again upon reentering Mapopolis
6/ Half as thick as my NZ90 and 3oz's lighter
7/ I've had an NX70 stolen so the Biometric Fingerprint Reader is a huge +
8/ Quick and easy accessible On/Off bt & LAN
9/ Built-in LAN
10/ Large assortment of accessories and compatible with previous iPAQ models (3800, 3900, etc. series)
11/ I really like the Today screen being the default HOME. Nothing I've seen is like that on Palm
12/ Less expensive ($649) than the NZ90 ($799)
Sony Clie NZ90: Excellent for business uses
1/ Super fast. iPAQ is twice as fast (400mhz) with 8x as much memory (128mb) but the NZ90's speed (200mhz) is virtually the same as the iPAQ (probably due to the well written Palm apps and the memory (16mb) is well utilized due to these small yet powerful Palm apps
2/ Apps are better written, more logical and open/close instantly
3/ Very stable. Unless experimenting with hardware altering apps (hacks, overclocking and the like) never have to reset the Palm (I may reset once or twice a month)
4/ Highly customizable
5/ Built-in 2MegaPixel camera with built-in flash (I use this quite extensively)
6/ Built-in Bluetooth, but had to purchase separately the LAN card (another $150 investment)
7/ Built-in MS slot (Memory Stick, Magic Gate & Memory Stick Pro compatible), I have a 512mb MSPro stick
8/ Built-in CF slot. With the right driver I can use my 1GB CF card also
9/ Built-in microphone, speaker, jog dial, hold button
10/ Feels sturdy and durable in hand compared to the iPAQ that I feel like I may break
Overall I still stand by my earlier statement that the Palm OS is better suited for business purposes and the Pocket PC is better suited for audio, video, gaming and mapping.
In conclusion, make your choice based on your needs, requirements, budget, and what each platform brings to the table to meet those specifications only you can determine. Not on operating system or mine is better than yours BS.
Now that you've been educated to each his own. 8O
Allow me to elaborate.
Multitasking: One primarily being the multitasking, very effective when on the road, conducting demos, dealing with customers, etc. The need to switch between open apps with open docs is essential. PPC2K3 does this well, but I must give it up for the Palm platform's speed in instantly opening apps but as you'll see in my direct comparison below Mapopolis shows where this just simplyh isn't good enough.
Multimedia: Secondly although Sony has done a good job of creating a multimedia Palm PDA it pales in comparison to the PPC2K3 camp. Such as proprietary audio player that places ALL MP3's into ONE folder for playing. The PPC2K3 allows me to use multiple folders to organize and even allows playlists (I just wrapped up the Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire book via Windows Media Player. That is on 16 folders for each CD). The viewer included is slow, the movie rec works well and the player plays them well but don't try to view actual movies. The conversion process is time consuming, cumbersome, quirky and most times unusable. Voice record is pretty good and I have always been pleased with it, that is until I used Notes in PPC2K3. With the ability to write a regular note, record voice or draw it is simply superior. Only need to add an alarm feature as in BugMe for Palm OS. That would make is the undisputed best note taker I've ever used.
Internet: Surfing the net on the Palm is adequate and quick using NetFront 3 to many sites create messages that NetFront cannot handle the amount of images so most surfing is without images on. Bummer when I have the LAN card connecting to my access point via Cable Modem. Should not be a problem. Email is the same across both platforms but I cannot understand why all the Palm OS versions I've tested (about 1/2 a dozen) and the email built into PPC2K3 don't allow for filtering. I spend more deleting spam than I do with constructive messaging.
Gaming: I've tested a few apps on the PPC2K3 that are not even available on the Palm OS. The graphics are impressive and the gaming experience is really good. My kids love this feature alone. I have quite a few games on my Palm OS MS storage device for those leisure times but after seeing the very impressive graphics on PPO2K3 and the overall experience they are coming off. Nuff said.
Palm has thousands of apps for it that are extremely well written. If PPC2K3 had an equivalent to ZLauncher (launching application), Agendus Pro (contact management), SCMgr (Sales Manager), Bonsai (Full-featured outliner), Docs To Go (Word, Excel, PowerPoint editor), and a few traveling apps that I have I would seriously consider moving completely away from the Palm OS. Unfortunately the only app I've come across that makes the Palm version look pathetic is Mapopolis. If all the PPC2K3 apps were written that well Palm would go by the wayside as WordPerfect, Lotus 123, dBase, Netscape, Novell (amongst many others) did. Palm better wake up as in only a 3 years or so PPC has caught up with most that Palm had to offer.
Data input: Well there is only one keyboard for the NZ90 and I have it (Targus PA870) but the weight of the NZ90 is simply to much. I type around 65+ wpm and hit my keys rather hard. Over the years I've killed at least a dozen keyboards from my heavy handed abuse (can't be helped :)) so this keyboard although works well cannot hold my heavy NZ90 well and securely. The iPAQ on the other hand has keyboards from Targus, Belkin, GoType, the new flexible FX100 and who knows whoelse. Soon to be more I can safely assume hopefully a bluetooth one (can only wish). Oh finally the Graffi (Block Recognizer on PPC2K3) is quick and easy on the Palm and I've played with the new Decuma (No real equivalent on the PPC2K3) Jot by CIC (Letter Recognizer on the PPC2K3), onscreen keyboard (Similiar on the PPC2K3) and even one that tried to translate the cursive onscreen (Transcriber on the PPC2K3). With the exception of Graffiti and the onscreen keyboard the other input methods are third party solutions with Decuma only available on the new NX series Clie's. On the PPC2K3 I found much to my surprise and appreciation all those methods built-in with a virtual writing area (Virtual Grafiti on select Clie models) and choosing your input of choice is quick and easy. That was impressive. Noticeable also is that the virtual writing area is available to ALL apps as it is built into the PPC2K3 OS, on the NZ90 apps have to be written to take advantage of it, costing 1/3 of the entire screen area if not written for. BTW even though the NZ90 has a built-in keyboard whereas the iPAQ does not I've never used the built-in keyboard on the NZ90.
Screen: I would never have thought this possible but the iPAQ seems to be a brighter white than the most impressive NZ90 screen (the NZ seems to have a slight blue tint, never noticeable until placed next to the iPAQ). Of course I never run the NZ90 more than halfway to conserve battery life but the iPAQ at the halfway mark is significantly brighter. Although I appreciate the high resolution 320x480 on the NZ90 now I realize that the text on some apps are simply to small, Mapopolis is a good example. Now the NZ screen is almost the same size (T3.25" x W2.25") as the iPAQ (T3.125" x W2.25") but the iPAQ only has a resulution of 320x240. The brightness, ClearType and crisp display in general makes this a strong contendor to the spendid displays that Sony has always put out. I must admit I am rather pleased with the display and quite satisfied.
Speed: The iPAQ has 400 MHz Intel XScale technology based processor vs the Sony Clie NZ90 200 MHz Intel XScale technology based processor. So techinically speaking the iPAQ should be twice as fast, right? Wrong! Factually speaking the units run about equivalent in moving throughout the operating system, launching applications, switching between apps, etc. In processing computing intense applications there definitely will be a difference in speed. The only app on both operating systems that I have that can give an apple to apple comparision is Mapopolis (can you tell I use this one alot?) Computing a route from my house to Mandalay Bay (I live in Las Vegas) the distance of 21.3 miles. The timing was simply amazing. On the NZ90 I simply counted 1001, 1002, 1003, etc. and I got all the way up to 50 seconds before the computation was complete and my route was ready (I even tried a new overclocking app and my time was reduced to 30 seconds). On the iPAQ I barely completed 1001 and the route was done. The is f@#$%^&g impressive. Completed in under a second, WOW! OK, in processor intense applications the speed is incredibly faster.
In my most humble opinion the following are what each top of the line PDA brings to the table.
HP iPAQ h5555: Great for video, audio, mapping, gaming
1/ RealPlayer & Windows Media formats can be played perfectly
2/ MP3 has an excellent playlist in the above apps
3/ Excellent for audio books (I have 65 MP3 books on a 40GB HDD)
4/ Mapopolis is simply AMAZING. Verbal commands on routes. I tested it with directions and purposely went of route. The software guided me back onto the correct path ON THE FLY. I was blown away. Connected to my Emtac BT GPS unit quickly and flawlessly.
5/ Multitasking is extremely valuable on a PDA. This lacks on Palm. When creating direction on the Palm is you leave the application you MUST reprocess the directions again upon reentering Mapopolis
6/ Half as thick as my NZ90 and 3oz's lighter
7/ I've had an NX70 stolen so the Biometric Fingerprint Reader is a huge +
8/ Quick and easy accessible On/Off bt & LAN
9/ Built-in LAN
10/ Large assortment of accessories and compatible with previous iPAQ models (3800, 3900, etc. series)
11/ I really like the Today screen being the default HOME. Nothing I've seen is like that on Palm
12/ Less expensive ($649) than the NZ90 ($799)
Sony Clie NZ90: Excellent for business uses
1/ Super fast. iPAQ is twice as fast (400mhz) with 8x as much memory (128mb) but the NZ90's speed (200mhz) is virtually the same as the iPAQ (probably due to the well written Palm apps and the memory (16mb) is well utilized due to these small yet powerful Palm apps
2/ Apps are better written, more logical and open/close instantly
3/ Very stable. Unless experimenting with hardware altering apps (hacks, overclocking and the like) never have to reset the Palm (I may reset once or twice a month)
4/ Highly customizable
5/ Built-in 2MegaPixel camera with built-in flash (I use this quite extensively)
6/ Built-in Bluetooth, but had to purchase separately the LAN card (another $150 investment)
7/ Built-in MS slot (Memory Stick, Magic Gate & Memory Stick Pro compatible), I have a 512mb MSPro stick
8/ Built-in CF slot. With the right driver I can use my 1GB CF card also
9/ Built-in microphone, speaker, jog dial, hold button
10/ Feels sturdy and durable in hand compared to the iPAQ that I feel like I may break
Overall I still stand by my earlier statement that the Palm OS is better suited for business purposes and the Pocket PC is better suited for audio, video, gaming and mapping.
In conclusion, make your choice based on your needs, requirements, budget, and what each platform brings to the table to meet those specifications only you can determine. Not on operating system or mine is better than yours BS.
Now that you've been educated to each his own. 8O