7 things to know before buying a PDA

[Jeff Rutledge]

I found this article (http://www.bcentral.ca/articles/komando/129.asp)somewhat interesting. Like many articles we're seeing these days, it has its share of errors in addition to opinion (the most glaring is calling HP an O/S).

[Zack Mahdavi]

Interesting article! thanks for the link..

It's quite biased (no wonder, look where it's from!). This article is trying to target the general consumer, and I think for most general consumers who want just some PIM and maybe some other capabilities, recommending the PocketPC as the best choice is a little overkill. I love my PocketPC, but I wouldn't recommend my mom or my girlfriend to get one. I'd tell them to get Palms since they're more hassle free and intuitive.

That's my 2 cents.. :)

[tanalasta]

Pocketpc's do make great PIM's - especially if you invest a little extra in programs like pocket informant (or agenda fusion for the so inclined).

I'd tell them to get Palms since they're more hassle free and intuitive.

I'm not sure what you mean by this... I've always preferred the microsoft (*sigh* OS as that's what I'm familiar with. There isn't much that semi-computer literate people can't work out with regards to outlook and microsoft if they're used to the desktop versions. Whereas I find I can't navigate my way round my friend's palms because i'm not used to both the OS and how the menus are laid out. Specific examples include my poor grafitti skills and not being able to work out simple things like how to copy a file from main memory to SD card!

[Aerestis]

tanalasta - I figured out my palm in less than an hour. I'm still unfamiliar with the ppc vibe of things... And I've used windows for at least six years. Palm is as far as I'm concerned REALLY simple and basic, they are so much that my friends are able to pick it up and just use it.

In my opnion, that's why palms are still pretty popular. People who buy a handheld are fully aware that they have two options I'm sure, but the moment that they pick up the palm, they are writing, typing, scheduling, whatever.

It just sneaks up on them later when they want to listen to mp3's or watch videos :wink:

I think ppc is going to take over though, palm is starting to look and feel primitive in comparison.

Nice article by the way : )

edit: No, now that I completed reading it, I want to send this person e mails about all of the terrible errors. Some people will stumble across this and consider it a reliable source, which makes me want to spew my stomahc contents all over that website.

[Steven Cedrone]

"Kim Komando is the host of the nation's largest talk-radio show about computers and the Internet, heard on more than 400 stations in the United States. She writes a weekly column for more than 100 newspapers and a Q&A column for USA Today. She also publishes a free weekly e-mail newsletter. "

Wow, one of the most popular techies I've never heard of...

Steve

[Palm Cow]

Actually, my Pocket PC has done a better job of PIMnating then my Clie ever did. I just love this gigantic screen! Eye candy!

[outdoor]

wow... i was surprised what she wrote.

As a long time palm and current ppc user, I have to disagree with alot of things she says. Very obvious that she is biased against palm, since this article is from a microsoft webpage!

You input data with a keyboard or writing with a stylus. The Palm OS uses a handwriting recognition program called Graffiti. If you've never used it before, good luck. The learning curve is steep.

this statement is hilarious. My 7-year old sister can learn how to use palm's grafitti in half an hour's time. It is very easy to understand and it doesn't take an IQ of 150 to learn it. If she's never used it before, then she shouldn't comment on it. I suggest her to think (and try) before making such comment.


Different PDAs use different versions of the operating system. For example, the Palm Zire utilizes OS v.4 and the Zire 71 uses OS v.5. If you have a specific software need, ensure that the operating system is capable of running it. Upgrading the operating system is close to impossible

Firstly, I can surely say that the majority of palm OS applications can support OS4 and OS5 devices. I own a palm m505 (OS 4.0), and CLIE NX70V (OS5), and i have more than 30 programs. Apart from some games, all my office apps, internet apps and ebook readers work on both my machine quite well.

Secondly, upgrading is close to impossible? what are u talking about? It is possible, and I can easily flash my sister's clie N710c from OS 3.5 to 4.0 in no time. I haven't tried upgrading my ipaq 4150 (since there arent any), so i cannot comment on it. Again, did the author EVER owned a palmOS machine before? or is she trying to advertise M$ products on this biased article?

Data entry with the stylus is much easier than with the Palm system.
Sigh. Refer to my first comment on palm grafitti....

IMHO, i believe data entry is easy on both palm and ppc, but ppc wins this time by allowing multiple methods of data entry (transcriber, keyboard, handwriting recognition), while palm only offers grafitti (now grafitti 2), or decuma for sony clie(s). But having multiple writing recognitions doesn't mean its easier to use than palm.

Since there are fewer PDAs running the Pocket PC operating system, this software is harder to find.

hmm... HP uses ppc OS, Toshiba uses ppc, Audiovox (maestro) uses ppc, samsung uses ppc (and palm), and lots more. Software is hard to find?? i dunno if she meant for mac users, but in general terms there are thousands of software available in handango and pocketgear.

For a bit more, there's the Toshiba e405, which retails for $299. This is a top-of-the-line budget PDA. It's not only good for business applications, but is instantly multimedia friendly. Plug in headphones and you've got an MP3 player.

For a bit more?? Man she must suck at math. u need $70 more to go from zire71 to toshiba e400. with 70 you can purchase multiple softwares and accesories. Dont forget the zire71 has a bulit in camera, and the e400 doesn't.

If I were to buy a PDA, I'd go for the Pocket PC. Its Windows system is familiar and the handwriting-recognition program is fantastic. I was able to pick it up and start writing immediately. Learning Graffiti was more difficult than learning the Russian alphabet. It's just not very intuitive.
Well this is her personal opinion, so i can't argue with that. But learning graffiti was more difficult than learning the russina alphabet is just hilarious. I wonder when she learn how to write. :D



I'm not a palm user bashing in a ppc forum. As i said before, i own a ipaq4150 and i love it. I'm just trying to give a more balanced view of palm vs ppc, not just from a person writing this article in a MICROSOFT webpage. Palm has its advantage in terms of simplicity and usability, while PPC has advantages in the power to act like a laptop. I moved from palm to ppc because i want more from a palm, like internet experience and the power in multimedia and gaming.

That said, both palm and ppc are wonderful and people should appreciate their advantages, not criticizing their bad stuff. :wink:

[Zack Mahdavi]

outdoor, well said. I also can't believe that she said graffiti is hard to learn.

It's basically like this: write each character one at a time. Write all of them in upper case, but there are a few exceptions to some of the letters. Grafitti 2 uses Jot, which supports 2 stroke letters, which makes it even easier for the beginner.

Even now that I own my PocketPC, I find myself using the Block Recognizer to write Grafitti most often. Transcriber is nice, but only for writing long phrases. I find using block recognizer better for writing short or "odd" phrases.

tanalasta, regarding the fact that PocketPCs give you a Windows feel, I'd have to disagree. The start menu is on the top? Application menus are on bottom? Programs don't actually close? Those are all significantly different from Windows. The average consumer expects different interfaces when they move from device to device. They expect for a PDA to function differently than a Windows computer, and they expect an mp3 player to function differently from a PDA. They expect that they will have to spend some time to learn how to operate a device, and that's why they don't mind seeing different interfaces from device to device.

[Aerestis]

zkmusa, it's a nitpick, but a lot of people have their start menu at the top. I do because when I'm using msn, the taskbar pops up when people message me because I have it hidden otherwise. Since mine is filled with open programs and files, my taskbar is four rows tall. If I have that pop up on the bottom while doing graphic work, it gets in the way of tools and stuff. If it pops up on top, then I'm still good to go : )

That's just one reason why you could put it on top. I also have it there because I prefer to have my dock at the bottom. It's awkward to use when it's on top, because the icons pop down pretty far and it's all funny feeling. I'm also used to using a mac, so have the program managy stuff at the top is a little bit more familiar.

anyhow... I agree with outdoor.

[Zack Mahdavi]

Good point Aeristis. I was just trying to get my point across, as the majority of Windows users would never move their taskbar. :)

[Trimac20]

I don't know why people find PPC/Windows Mobile hard to use. Since a good majority of people use Windows, it shouldn't be much harder to use a much simpler version of Windows. Yes, it may be not as intuitive for beginners and a little more complex than Palm. ie it is annoying entering appointments, etc the sheer amount of features and capabilities in Pocket PC: built in mic, stereo sound, speakers, better screen.etc make it much better value for money: MP3s sound richer, videos sharper and brighter and the units them self just look oh so much sexie!

[outdoor]

the sheer amount of features and capabilities in Pocket PC: built in mic, stereo sound, speakers, better screen.etc make it much better value for money: MP3s sound richer, videos sharper and brighter and the units them self just look oh so much sexie!


Trimac20, i'm not sure if u have owned a palm before, but the mp3 feature on palms are as good as ppc (apart from its external speakers). Sony's line of CLIE features a DSP chip that designs specifically for audio use, and it is just as clear and crisp as my ipaq 4150.

As for video, i dont think the video quality is inferior to ppc; i believe it is all a matter of personal judgement. The sony VR100 memory stick video recorder can record shows on tv and play them on the clie very smoothly. With the newer CPUs and hardware, multimedia isn't a issue on both palm and ppc. However, one annoying thing about palm is that it does not support native video files (such as mpeg or avi or wmv).. and it does take a hassle to convert it.

As for brighter videos and their sexy look.. err i dunno how to comment on that. IMHO, i think the clie design looks sexier and stylish, while the ppc's look more professional.

just my 2 cents.

[Fishie]

Outdoor the MP3s on PalmOS machines are limited in scope, dont have the rich features things like Winampaq have nor the support for other formats.

Ive owned Clie´s and PalmOS5 machines before and none of em compare to a decent dedicated MP3 player while my Toshiba e800 blows dedicated players out of the water witouth breaking a sweat.

[Aerestis]

zkmusa - you're absolutely right, I sort of forgot that. I think 90% of the people I know don't even know that you can hide the taskbar let alone change its location on the desktop.

That's probably why all how-to manuals say click 'start' at the bottom of the screen :wink:

[Trimac20]

I had a look at a few Palm models, and found that the OS was actually MORE confusing than Windows Mobile. Firstly, when you're in a program for example HTF do you exit to the main screen (apart from taping the 'home' button present on only some Palms). There are a series of buttons with dots, but not one resembling the simplistic 'close' button found in Windows Mobile. Of course, on versed in technology such as myself wouldn't have any problems, but I find the Palm system less intuitive (and people wonder why Windows (in general) is so damn popular? Simplicity!), and somehow 'shallower' than Pocket PC. But then, thats just my opinion.