New to Pocket PC's--questions inside!

[KristyS9]

Hi Everyone.
I am in the market for a pocket PC. Never had one. I am pretty computer savy.

I have been looking at some of the one's dell has out. Not sure what is really the best brand for these. I am eliminating anything by HP/Compaq because I have several Compaq products that are crap :D

My main goal is to be able to get on the internet from this device. What is required for that (Wi-Fi?) and about how much is the monthy internet service (I'm assuming there is one).

If you have any sites that could "learn me" of what these gadgets can do, that would be great, also!

Thanks! :D

[billbuckner]

What would you like to do with a PPC? (ie: Phone Calls, Video/mp3, Organizer, Wifi, etc) If you tell us, it would be much easier to reccomend one.
[edit] Okay, I saw that you wanted Wifi. Wifi is included in the Dell Axim series, on the old X3i, and the advanced X30. Other devices have it as well, but if you hate HP, I'd get the X30, because it has the fastest processor on the market, (612MhZ) and it has Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition. HOWEVER, Dell may soon release their new X50 model which is a major upgrade to the X30. By the way, Wifi is free in some areas, (Panera Bread, some Barne's and Nobel's) and costs money in others (Starbucks, Most airports). If you want it in your home, you'll need to buy some equipment.

[KristyS9]

Mainly I would like to send emails with it and use the Office tools that come with it.--primarily Outlook. And occasionaly listen to MP3s.
Yeah I was checking out the X30 and that was what I was leaning toward. I wouldn't get this till around Christmas, so hopefully the latest will be out by then.

So to send emails, what is involved? Like how would I connect if I was walking down the street or sitting in a car?



[email protected]

Thanks for your help!

[Matt Kitchen]

If your walking down the street or just sitting in your car you would most likely need either a cell phone with BlueTooth connectivity that you could pair the device with and then connect to the internet through you cell phone's service. Both T-Mobile and Cingular offer unlimited GPRS (the data service to connect to the internet) for $19.99 a month on top of any calling plan.

You could also look into getting a convergent device (cell phone and PDA in one) - like the upcoming MDA 3 from T-Mobile (http://www.phonescoop.com/phones/phone.php?p=569) available at the end of this month. If getting on the internet on the fly is the most important thing for you - then that might be your best bet!

[yankeejeep]

Different devices would have different options to get you connected when away from home or office. All require you to have a way to make that wireless connection.

If your device has wifi, then you can connect through the various wifi hotspots that are becoming more common (Starbucks, Kinkos, Borders all are among those who are installing them). Sometimes these hotspots are free and sometimes you need to subscribe to their provider for service (for instance, T-Mobile is the Starbucks provider and they have various wifi access plans available). You need to be within range of one of these access points to make your connection.

Another very common way is to have a cell phone to which your device can connect, either through bluetooth or infrared, so that the phone becomes a data access point. Some service providers allow you to us there phones like dial-up modems to connect to your regular ISP and charge you airtime for the connection. Other providers have specific data plans that let you connect to the internet through their servers, which would then let you access email accounts you have through other services. Obviously, you need to be in a service area, typically with either digital or GSM signal.

Then there are the PocketPC Phone devices, that combine cell service and a PPC in a single device. These devices connect directly to your cellular provider and make use of whatever plan you have in place for voice and data service.

So, how you connect will depend on what your chosen device allows, but all current devices will allow for unwired connection, either directly or by making a connection through your cell phone.

[KristyS9]

Thanks for all your help. Unfortunataly I recently got a new cell phone (Verizon). I know it has some internet capabilities, so I will look into that and see what it can do.

[Brad Adrian]

Thanks for all your help. Unfortunataly I recently got a new cell phone (Verizon). I know it has some internet capabilities, so I will look into that and see what it can do.
And, if your phone isn't capable of connecting to your Pocket PC via Bluetooth (Verizon doesn't offer many/any Bluetooth phones), you can always get a short connecting cable so you can plug your phone into the Pocket PC and use it as a modem to access the Web.

[mrkablooey]

Thanks for all your help. Unfortunataly I recently got a new cell phone (Verizon). I know it has some internet capabilities, so I will look into that and see what it can do.
And, if your phone isn't capable of connecting to your Pocket PC via Bluetooth (Verizon doesn't offer many/any Bluetooth phones), you can always get a short connecting cable so you can plug your phone into the Pocket PC and use it as a modem to access the Web.

Just the new Motorola 710 AFAIK, otherwise you'd need a cable.