Jonathon Watkins
03-19-2004, 05:00 AM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/68/36319.html' target='_blank'>http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/68/36319.html</a><br /><br /></div>Hands up anyone who has heard of Medion Pocket PCs. Anyone? Ah yes – you at the back – you'll be aware that last year they took 7.9 per cent of the European PDA market. :) This is even more impressing considering "Medion sells its PDAs exclusively through German grocer Aldi. Until now, that is: its Pocket PC has come to the UK, and is now available through car accessory chain Halfords." So – new wiper blades, a litter of screenwash and a PDA – why? :?: <br /><br />"Medion focuses on a single PDA: a Pocket PC with a bundled GPS receiver. And it sells it very cheaply. Halfords is offering the product for just £400 including 17.5 per cent sales tax in the UK, well below comparable devices." So now the Halfolds connection becomes clear (as would the windscreen with new wiper blades an a litter of screenwash). :wink: <br /><br />The Medion Satellite Navigation System has a 200MHz Intel XScale processor, runs Windows Mobile 2003 with 64MB RAM and 32MB of Flash ROM. You can get either one or two 256Mb SD cards with it, depending if you get it from Halfords or Aldi. There is a review <a href="http://www.pcmag.co.uk/Products/Hardware/1151619">here at PCMag</a>." Once you see the equipment, some of that wonder wears off, but only some, mind. The Pocket PC feels rather cheap and plastic, but it's slim, has 64Mb of memory and comes with two 256Mb MMC cards for holding the supplied UK and European GPS map data. The colour screen is also very crisp, although like those on most handhelds, it isn't very clear in bright daylight."<br /><br />However, the good folks at <a href="http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5345&sid=5024e3dd0e9efe47f4b7a1b57e117198">Pocket GPS</a> don't think much of the review and really quite rate this PDA. The <a href="http://www.pocketgps.co.uk/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=5239&sid=5024e3dd0e9efe47f4b7a1b57e117198">boards at Pocket GPS</a> are a good place to go for more information about the Medion. Definitely worth a look if you want a reasonably cheap PPC with GPS functionality.