help with buying a ppc

[nech]

hey, i need some help, i wanna get a ppc that is real good for games mabie with a video card in it, i want a camera as well, i will prob end up buying a gig or 512 mb card for it, i dont mind spending a lil bit on this device but under $1000, i would like sumthing that is going to last for at LEAST 6 hours, i could always buy a bigger battery i spose, i am going to be using this for games, image editing if possible, mp3/avi/mpeg play back and lotsa program, i was thinking on the lines of the ipag 5450 but that 1 doesnt have a camera but it seems like a pretty cool ppc, any advice i would be greatful thank you............

[Kati Compton]

hey, i need some help, i wanna get a ppc that is real good for games mabie with a video card in it, i want a camera as well, i will prob end up buying a gig or 512 mb card for it, i dont mind spending a lil bit on this device but under $1000, i would like sumthing that is going to last for at LEAST 6 hours, i could always buy a bigger battery i spose, i am going to be using this for games, image editing if possible, mp3/avi/mpeg play back and lotsa program, i was thinking on the lines of the ipag 5450 but that 1 doesnt have a camera but it seems like a pretty cool ppc, any advice i would be greatful thank you............
Sounds like you should wait for the new VGA devices to me.

Personally, if I were to buy now, I'd have a tough time deciding between the Asus 620BT and the ipaq 4150. Either is easily under $1K. Actually, you could most likely get BOTH for under $1K. :D

[nech]

wil there be a new gen of pocket ppc's coming out soon? if so when
thanks for the fast reply

[arnage2]

Yes, there will be alot of new ppcs comming soon, running a new version of windows mobile, and using new intel processors.

The first of this new group to have come out is the Dell X30 312-624mhz dual wireless (wifi, bt) pdas. at $250-$350 these are insanely good deals. I own the 624mhz model, and the performance is blazing. Great video and game playback. the new version of windows mobile allows you to use ur handheld in either portrait or landscape mode. The newest intel processors feature wireless mmx integration for better batterylife and performance, as well as the highest clock speeds yet.

In the near future, Asus and HP will release 300-520mhz ppcs, some with vga screens, and most with cameras.

Your best bet, for the price, is to get a X30 624mhz ($350), sdio veo digital camera attachment ($100-130), and a 512mb sd ($80-105).

[nech]

THANKS i will prob get X30 624mhz but i just dont wanna buy 1 and 2 months they all have 16/32 mb geforce and ati video cards in em. video cards are advancing at a amazing rate.

[gohtor]

THANKS i will prob get X30 624mhz but i just dont wanna buy 1 and 2 months they all have 16/32 mb geforce and ati video cards in em. video cards are advancing at a amazing rate.

I highly doubt that will happen anytime soon =)

[Brad Adrian]

I agree that the new VGA screens are probably worth waiting for, but no matter what you get, within a few weeks there'll be another new Pocket PC offered that you'll covet just as much!

[Kati Compton]

I agree that the new VGA screens are probably worth waiting for, but no matter what you get, within a few weeks there'll be another new Pocket PC offered that you'll covet just as much!

I think that's the First Law Of Gadgetry. :)

[milkman dan]

I would have a hard time reccomending a gamer an x30 based on the messed up video problems I have been hearing alot about, not to mention ther TERRIBLE button lag problem makes games basically unplayable :(

[nech]

i have being doing a bit of research i dont think the x30 is for me, I no this is a pocket pc website but are palms any good? i have seen that zire 72 with a built in camera, i spose the main things i want out of a pda is, taking photos/movies editing them on the pda unit, using word programs for study, my mind has sort of changed about games on a pda, like ill still play games but id rather play them on my pc or when i buy a psp or sumthing, i dont mind playing oldschool 2d games on a pda. i still want a unit that is at least 400mhz

[milkman dan]

palm = nono!!!! palm devices have processors that are less then half the speed of PPC cpu's, and cost twice the price. Plus, the emulators for palm are junk compared to the PPC ones, so I hear. Hell, SONY couldn't even market a palm device good enough to make money :(

[Janak Parekh]

palm = nono!!!! palm devices have processors that are less then half the speed of PPC cpu's
Not necessarily. The Tungsten C has a 400MHz XScale.

That said, nech: many people would agree that, today, multimedia capabilities are still quite a bit better on a Pocket PC. If you're willing to spend money, TextMaker is an excellent word processor.

--janak

[nech]

ok i am at the point where i dont no what to buy, i have the money in my pocket but, still no pda. dellx30624mhz tungsten t3, zire 72 (build in camera i like that feature) asus mypala620, hp ipaq from ebay 5555,
i dont understand why the tungsten wont play games as well as other pda it has a x-scale 400mhz

[milkman dan]

janak, you omitted the "and cost twice the price" part of it :) Generally speaking, palm units cost twice what an equivelent PPC costs.

[Janak Parekh]

janak, you omitted the "and cost twice the price" part of it :) Generally speaking, palm units cost twice what an equivelent PPC costs.
I don't know - it's hard to do a one-on-one feature comparison. I will say that Pocket PCs are, nowadays, priced aggressively against Palms. ;)

--janak

[Janak Parekh]

i dont understand why the tungsten wont play games as well as other pda it has a x-scale 400mhz
If you're referring to the T|C, it's a matter of which games are available for a Palm. Also, the screen is a bit smaller (although it's 320x320, compared to a 240x320 screen), which may or may not be of issue. Finally, I was specifically referring to video and audio.

One strategy would be to first look for the kinds of software you want to use with the unit, and check out its availability. You may find that helpful in making your choice. Just because the Palm has the same processor doesn't mean it has the same application choice, because the Palm OS is vastly different from the Pocket PC OS.

--janak

[milkman dan]

for example.

$150ish US dollar machines on EBAY

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38331&item=5706929904&rd=1
300Mhz tosh e335, 64 megs of ram, wme2003 : $159 BuyitNow price

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=38331&item=5707264252&rd=1
126mhz tungstun E, 32 megs ram, palmOS 5.2.1 : $160 BuyitNow price


==============================================


$350-$400ish US dollar machines from manufacturers site

(this one was an obvious)
http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/axim_x30_high?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs
624 MHz Axim, 64 meg, wme 2003SE, wifi+BT : $350US

http://www.palmone.com/us/products/handhelds/tungsten-t3/specs.html
400MHz Tungsten T3, 64 meg, palmOS 5.2.1, BT, no wifi : $399US

=========================================


Bah, those are somewhat biased as palm units are come with different advantages, ie. better PIM and a slightly higher rez screen. The point is, is that if you want a PDA to play games on, PALM is out of the question, you just pay more for a unti that will not perform nearly as well. I wonder if there is a palm port for Quake1? It would be interesting to bench a 400MHz palm against the 400MHz PPCs :)

[mara6]

asus mypala620

Don't get the 620, get the Asus MyPal A716, it is much newer and has CF, SD, WiFi, BT, lots of memery, and 400 mhz; all for the price of about $420! Plus in many reviews they said the buttons and d-pad are great for gaming! :D

[nech]

i have seen serious sam on palm but i think im going for a ppc and ill just buy a digital camera and 1gb flash card, if i was to get the 624mhz dell, would i be able to up grade to the next os for pocket pc????????... cheers for every1s input

[milkman dan]

i have seen serious sam

http://www.palminfocenter.com/images/Img_SeriousSam_2_L.jpghttp://www.palminfocenter.com/images/Img_SeriousSam_1_L.jpg

check out what we have in the PPC world... 3d models :D

http://www.pocketpccity.com/images/software/0213-pocketquake.gif

We've got a ton of doom-clones for 3d shooters. If serious sam on a palm impressed you, you are going to **** yourself when you see what ppc's can do :D
[EDIT]
Oh, and trust me mang, if you want to play games on your PPC, stay away from the X30, its got bad button lag which makes games unplayable. Ive been reading gamers reviews of people who traded their X30 for 2200's and 4100's :O

[nech]

ok that looks realy bad!!
the pics i seen on it b4 looked way better but they were smaller
lol i still havnt got 1 yet i just baught a new hard drive and cpu so i wont havnt ne more money until about 2 weeks, i dont under stand why they would make a device like that and it would have bad button lag. (d*ckHeads) so wat do u suggest???? oh and can u please post some pics of ppc games. Its like i have gone crazy about pocket pcs 1 day i didnt even think about them until i read this pc user mag and now i cant stop thinking about them i realy need to get 1 soon.

*post modified by moderator SJC for language

[milkman dan]

heh, one day you wake up and realize how much fun PPC's are :D I would honestly reccomend holding off a few months, as the new PPC devices that are around the corner are looking extreamly nice! In the meantime, I am having a blast with my ipaq 2215, it plays all teh games I throw at it, has CF and SD, and I only paid 200 bucks for it :) The X30 would be a nice pda if it werent for the button lag :( Honestly though, try to hold off for another two motnsh and PPC's will be significantly cheaper, and there will be some really sweet new ones out!

[nech]

im not sure if i should wait untill vga. if i get vga does that mean i can have a higher res??? and do any current models have vga????. oh and by the way im australia.

[milkman dan]

only thing that has VGA that I am aware of is the tosh e800's, which are quite expensive (upwards of $500US when all is said and done). Most PDAs at the moment are QVGA, which is 320X240, where as the VGA are a nice 640X480 :D By the time most of teh VGA devices are out, they will also have faster CPU's too

[nech]

ok i see thanks for replying so soon.

[nech]

how long do you think before it comes like a standard to have vga cause i will prob get a ppc in about a month

[milkman dan]

I think the new ipaqs will be out by then, but don't quote me on that as I really have no clue :O