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karol_ki
12-02-2003, 08:46 PM
To buy or not to buy a pda...

I thinking about gettin' on pda (90% asus a620)...but 'm not sure....please tell me if this model is worth paying for it...i want mp3 movies games ebooks and avantgo services...(also office-pocket)....

toxostoma
12-02-2003, 09:43 PM
Let me tell you a little about my pda experience and I'll make a couple of comments on the asus 620.

I used to have the original Compaq iPAQ 3600, which I bought as soon as it came out. I used it a fair deal, but I found that more than any one thing, it's size was extremely limiting. I needed more memory, so I had to keep the CF sleeve on it, which made it very big, too big too keep in a pocket. I kept it in my backpack (college student). (I refuse, to this day, to hang a pda from the belt.) So, the long and short of it is... The pda wasn't that useful to me, because I didn't have it with me when I really needed it. A year ago, the battery didn't hold a charge very well, so I was often getting low on battery. Eventually, I just stopped using it. Outlook kept up with my contacts, appointments, to-dos and I relied on it.

To quit babbling and get to the point, I recently got an iPAQ 1940. It's so thin, and I got a thin case for it, so it fits in my pocket and I carry it wherever I go. It's great having it so that I can pull it out and refer to it whenever I need to. I also have ebooks on it, the bible, a few games, finances, etc. So the form factor is one of the reasons I'm happiest with the device.

So about the asus: It's bigger (almost as thin as my iPAQ, but taller and wider) so it's not nearly as "pocketable." How will you be carrying it? Is it important for you to always have it with you?

It's pros are undisputed. It's extremely fast, great screen, the best gaming pda because of it's buttons and d-pad, awesome battery life, and since it has a Compact Flash (CF) slot, you can get memory cheaper and in higher capacity than with Secure Digital (SD). Plus, there are just more accessories for CF than SD (CF modems comes to mind...)

But it does have some negatives. By far the biggest for me is the battery is internal and not replaceable. This means that after a year or two, you're battery will probably start to decrease in capacity. Plus, you can't buy a spare battery to take with you if you needed extra power. Also, no bluetooth could be limiting, depending on what you want (Of course, asus has the 620BT with Bluetooth if you want it).

I think it would be an excellent choice, particularly if you were wanting to upgrade to another PPC within a couple of years (maybe three at the longest). If you're wanting to stick with the pda for 3 to 4 years, I would buy something that has a replaceable battery. This is just because I had a kind of bad experience with my old ipaq's battery.

Hope this helps.

karol_ki
12-02-2003, 09:53 PM
size of asus is ok for me...

What about changing battery in asus-service for example after 2 years...?

I want to have this device for very long time..........but this pdas with repleacable battery ex. ipaq has very expensive batteries...battery for ipaq 1930 costs in my country 1/3 of new device.... and i want to watch movies on pda so asyus is better (speed and performance...ipaq 1930 is too slow for good quality movies... )

karol_ki
12-02-2003, 09:54 PM
long time -= hope for 5 years or so.... and i have money only for asus a620 ipaq 1930 or mio 528(which is the worst i think)




And what about using battery extender or only with power cable on..? when battery would be dead.... Will I be able to do this with success?

Sorry for lame questions...but i'm totally new in pda world , this will be my first device...
And my english is not very good too:D

toxostoma
12-02-2003, 10:14 PM
Well, I don't know where you live. Here in the US, a backup battery for the iPAQ 1930 / 1940 series can be picked up for 30 dollars in places.

I don't know about asus replacing their own batteries. Often, companies can charge an arm and a leg for battery replacement.

Finally, as far as price goes: Again, here in the US, the asus 620 (non Bluetooth) is more expensive ($350) than the iPAQ 1940 (less than $300). Note - I'm talking about the 1940, not the 1930. The 1940 has a faster processor, Bluetooth, and more ROM than the 1930. So for us, it would be cheaper to go with either of the ipaqs over the asus.

karol_ki
12-02-2003, 10:33 PM
i'm from Poland and here prices on pda and acc. are %%^^^% asus a620 is about ~400-420$ and ipaq 1940 is ~500$. Battery for ipaq ~100$.....really...sick...

for me asus is cheaper than 1940... only alternative from ipaq for me is 1930...~300$ -new price cause 1915 is stopped producing....

And that is why i'm asking for batt. extender or posibility exchenge on asus...any asus owner can say something???


I thought about buying pda in USA and send to me in Poland but i need warranty(cause this is a lot of money and i need service with any problems...) ipaq 1 year...in Poland -but the polish service is ^^%^-bastards work there (i heard)...and on asus i have 2 years warranty ...and the asus-service is borning:) mayby in December it will be full-functioning...

David Prahl
12-02-2003, 10:54 PM
Any Pocket PC that is available now will do what you need - the problem for you probably is the availability of those devices in Poland. What other devices can you easily buy?

If you've been thinking about the Asus 620 for a long time I am guessing you have read several reviews of it, but I thought I would include one anyway:
http://pocketmatrix.com/reviews/a620/

It seems like a very good device. Unless you already have a cell phone or computer with Bluetooth wireless, I would not buy the 620BT model. You could add Bluetooth (BT) later through the CompactFlash (CF) slot.

If you'd like a device specifically for watching movies, this is the best one out there right now. I suggest you should read many reviews of the Asus 620, and decide if it's right for you.

You'll be glad you bought a Pocket PC! Let us know what you decision is.

karol_ki
12-02-2003, 11:59 PM
in Poland are available almost all devices that are available in other europe countries,but prices are very high.... example ipaq 2215 - 500-600$. that is silly:)

Yes i have read many reviews...(all which i could find)...and i couldn't fin anythink better for this price...(400$-a620)...i don't have a lot o money..i'm just a student in high school:) But i love technical stuff and i have saved money for pda....(That is a lot for me:( ).

I don't need BT......
I need device with good performance for movies (i'm addicted to them:P)
and with good price (not more -400$) and loooooong work time-it should be BUY for many years (~5 or more)...

David Prahl
12-03-2003, 12:09 AM
i don't have a lot o money..i'm just a student in high school:)

I'm a senior in High School, and spent almost all of my savings on my Dell Axim X5 last winter. I always do a lot of research before buying anything, because I don't have enough money to make mistakes!

Sounds like you've done research - go for it!

karol_ki
12-03-2003, 12:14 AM
I'm very affraid >....:D


bad pixels , battery deads , crushes , and scare before stealing my precious :( i don't want to loose my baby ..:(

And propably i will go tomorrow to shop with asus notebooks and pdas and view a620 live:)

David Prahl
12-03-2003, 12:19 AM
It's always a big step getting your first PDA - let us know what happens!

karol_ki
12-03-2003, 12:32 AM
OK!

Now I'm going to sleep(it is ~01:00 ) with this THOUGHT and will see tomorrow ...:)

David Prahl
12-03-2003, 12:38 AM
But from my point of view it is already is "tomorrow" where you are! It's 5:38pm TUESDAY here. :lol:

karol_ki
12-03-2003, 09:07 AM
hehe:) you're right:)

karol_ki
12-04-2003, 11:44 PM
I went to shop...but all devices were sold...:(
So i have one week more to make a decision....to buy or not to buy...
I'm afraid cause this is my first experience with pda's and i don't know if they will do al my requests...This is a lot of money...:(

(I want: mp3player , gameconsole , pim , good quality video player , graphic calculator , full office /excel with pc compatibility...etc)

I'm affraid about word excel cause in my language are letters which aren't in english keybord.... ęąźćśó :D and i don't know if they will work good on pda...(can i add a special font to pda? which i use on pc?)

David Prahl
12-04-2003, 11:58 PM
Keep in mind that you can return your PDA if you're disappointed. I'm sure you won't be!

About the graphics calculator: I've seen programs that let you use a Pocket PC as one, but cannot remember the names. I think you would have to buy it, though.

I'd really like to help you with the font problem, but I have no experience with this. Maybe http://www.microsoft.com/poland/ ?

PetiteFlower
12-05-2003, 01:28 AM
I really suggest you look at Dell, they make a really solid device.

If you plan on keeping the device for 5 years, you WILL need a new battery in that time, expected lifespan for a battery is only about 2 to 3 years. So it might end up saving you money to get a device with a removable battery; by the time your original needs to be replaces, prices for new ones will probably have fallen, and you won't have to send it back to the manufacturer and wait for weeks and weeks.

I have an X5 and it's made me very happy, and it only cost me $200, don't know what they are in Poland but I'm sure they are less then $400!

maximus
12-05-2003, 01:59 AM
IMHO, Asus made solid products. I have not actually played with asus PDAs, but I have been using their products since way back. And, there is always a distributor warranty, right ? The warranty period might be different country per country, you should check with your distributor before buying. 1 year is a good period of warranty.

David Prahl
12-05-2003, 02:06 AM
I have a Dell Axim X5 too. But keep in mind that he wants a device that plays videos really well. The Asus is much faster than the X5 when playing movies.

PetiteFlower
12-05-2003, 05:21 AM
I watched movies on the plane ride I took last week for the first time. Well, they were old tv episodes but same thing. They played totally fine for me on Pocket MVP and I even have the 300mh version. It just had a little trouble with the fast forwarding, playing was great. I'm sure it's even better on the ppc 2003 400mh versions.

karol_ki
12-05-2003, 11:49 AM
Hi!

Dell is hard to get in Poland for privat customer...(example: me)...and price is quite high..(on auctions portals about 400$ for 400mhz edition-shipped from usa-asus costs 400$-380$ but with 2 years warranty in Poland-dell only 1 year and need to send to Usa..)

Warranty for Asus is 2 years.....

Do you know if i can change battery in service?(i know i must send pda to them)???Removeable batteries are expensive.....hp wants for battery to ipaq 1930 about 100$ -it's sick...(not removeable battery is about 40$ i heard..)

Can i use device with adapter plug in or battery extender after main battery day?

PetiteFlower
12-05-2003, 07:18 PM
I don't see why you wouldn't be able to use it plugged in, but then again if it's not portable that really defeats the purpose of having it, and you'd have to leave it plugged in ALL the time, since once the battery is really dead, as soon as you unplugged it, it would hard reset and you'd lose everything.

David Prahl
12-05-2003, 07:50 PM
If you're getting the Asus, expect the battery to last 1 to 3 years. At that point you could have it replaced.

I would reccommend looking at devices with a removable battery - The Dell Axims or HP 2215, for example.

karol_ki
12-05-2003, 08:00 PM
but 2215 is too expensive.... ~650$ -sick...and dell is hard to get for privat customer:(

(I won't buy in other countries , cause need a warranty...in Poland)

Do you think that repleace the battery (after it's deatch) is possible in asus?(not alone in home but quest. is if Asus-services will do that...)
I can't afford to spend 650$ on 2215..... and it looks that asus is only quite cheap (400$ lol) possibility to get quite good device ... (ipaq 1930 is 300$ but no cradle and case include and too slow for divx's)

Anybody has any experience with repleacing not-removeable battery?:) in asus or other pda's....? (asus/zayo a600 is quite old stuff maybe someone made a repleacement:D)

David Prahl
12-05-2003, 10:27 PM
I have read articles about people replacing a non-replacable battery in a PDA, but cannot remember the webpage or which PDA.

The Asus does what you really want. I think you should buy it. If you don't like it very much you can sell it or return it. If you really like it you can have the battery replaced in a few years.

karol_ki
12-05-2003, 11:48 PM
If you really like it you can have the battery replaced in a few years.
What do you mean? I will save battery/look after battery or i will have possibility to buy a new one in the future...?

David Prahl
12-05-2003, 11:51 PM
I think you will need to send it to Asus to get the battery replaced.

But all of this is assuming that the battery goes dead and you keep the same PDA for 2 or 3 years.

karol_ki
12-06-2003, 01:42 AM
and this is what i worry about...if asus will replace betteries /produce batteries to this device after 2 years....:( I haven't seen any info from asus about this posibility...

karol_ki
12-14-2003, 12:17 AM
I ordered a a620 :) I 'm going to have this baby on thusday..:)

I hope i won't regret this buy...

Janak Parekh
12-14-2003, 12:19 AM
Good luck on your purchase! Let us know how it turns out. :)

--janak

karol_ki
12-14-2003, 12:20 AM
I spent my one-year-savings on pda...(I don't work only learn :) - so i don't have any constant money source)...

but I haven't choice ...You made me addicted :D

David Prahl
12-14-2003, 12:56 AM
This addiction has only started! :lol:

Let us know what you think of your new A620!

maximus
12-15-2003, 02:40 AM
I spent my one-year-savings on pda...(I don't work only learn :) - so i don't have any constant money source)...


And you shall spent another year of saving to buy the accessories (memory cards, programs, etc. etc.). Welcome to the club ! :D

Arcticblue
12-16-2003, 01:20 PM
I own a Ipaq 3850 and is very happy about that, first I bought a Psion 5 wich I also liked but had a accident with it and well did not bother to get it fixed, bought instead a Palm V and was happy for about a year with that one to one of the buttons start to loose on it.
Then I bought myself a Ipaq 3850 at a auction... and well have not regreted that, costed me something like 3500 NKR... wich make it to cost something like 500 us$ but I still think that it was okey.
Have tons of programs and use it in my belt, I work as a youthclubleader among things, and cinema engineer and therefor use it there too.
I use Exel to do the salesmanagment at the youthclub, and calendar to keep track of comming attractions for the cinema.
And ofcourse if the movie sucks I sit and play some games on my C64 emulator :-) rofl... spent many hours now on Stuntcar Racer 8)

All in all, I do not regret that I bought a PDA... despite that some thinks that it have no value.

maximus
12-17-2003, 02:49 AM
Yeah. Up until now I still think that when I purchased my first PPC, I opened myself to endless spending. Some of the accessories are almost as expensive as the PPC itself.

I purchased my axim X5 for USD380 in singapore. My very first accessory purchase was an audiovox GPRS CF card, which is USD330. And then came the DSI holster, the GPS CF card, etc. etc. etc.

ares
12-19-2003, 11:26 AM
Oh dear.. that is what I'm affraid of.

I have Palm m505 and SD card and thinking of migrating to h2215. I am affraid that I cannot hold myself of buying cards to fill in the empty CF slot.