which VGA pocket PC [Archive] - Thoughts Media Forums

pedroboe

12-26-2004, 07:26 PM

Hi all,

I am a veteran PPC user, from the early days of Jornada, iPaqs with the "dust-in-the-screen" issues, I even have a Sharp Zaurus SL 5500; But in the last 2 years I have been perfectly happy with my Dell Axim 5 Advanced, which I only had to swap once.
My GF wants to give me a new VGA PPC for xmas real bad (I got her an iPod) and she wants me to give her my Axim......and Iv'e gotten to the point where I'm not even sure i want to get rid of my trusty Axim with it's great battery life....
I have not been following too closely the developement of PPC's but
I was looking at the Dell X50v and the iPaq 4700. Any recommendations or warnings on either one? which one would you choose? I am sure my adrenaline will flow again when I see the new one, but is it worth it?

surur

12-26-2004, 07:36 PM

I understand one of them only comes with 64Mb ram... :twisted:

Surur

Menneisyys

12-26-2004, 08:24 PM

Unfortunately, there is no all-in-one VGA device - no single device contains all the available hi-end technologies. So, you really have to consider each machine's strengths and weaknesses.

The strengths of the two, above-mentioned machines are, for example:

iPAQ:
- srceen size
- screen quality

Dell:
- price (at least outside the EU)
- 2700g

Both sport a 624 MHz processor (the fastest available), which is clearly an advantage over other VGA machines.

There're severe drawbacks of both units, however. The biggest is the lack of 128M RAM and the lack of USB host.

I think you should thoroughly read the Brighthand, the Firstloox, the Aximsite etc. forums because you will need to sacrifice a lot of functionality available in other VGA models, depending on which VGA PDA you choose.

Also, check out http://pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35630 to have a picture of the screen quality of current VGA machines. (Hint: the iPAQ and the Fujitsu-Siemens is by far the best.)

(BTW, I'm writing this on a F-S PL720 with a Stowaway BT keyboard. I love it, but you may find other VGA PDA's better, depending on your needs/preferences, or even geographical location - NB the Loox, being a EU product, is considerably cheaper in Europe than even the Dell.)

Fishie

12-26-2004, 08:33 PM

Or go for a Sigmarion3 instead.

:mrgreen:

pedroboe

12-28-2004, 07:52 PM

Yeah Sigmarion III looks great but no integrated WI FI. I'ts kind of a new thing in Japan, so they are still exited about lan cards. It should have integrated wifi, plus who knows how much $$? and my hiragana is not that good, not to mention my Kanji!

Janak Parekh

12-28-2004, 09:01 PM

pedroboe

01-02-2005, 06:05 PM

You may find this FirstLoox (http://www.firstloox.org/VGAppc.htm) link to be of help, as well -- it's a fairly comprehensive comparison.

--janak

p.s. When I saw your handle, I did a double-take. Brings back lots of memories of the crazy days over at Brighthand. 8O

Thanks for the info and the link. I could not help but start wondering about the iPAQ hx2755, seems like a new product and no sites have reviews or info on it yet. I realise it doesn't have VGA, but it does have 128+128 memory and all the other goodies that the 4700 has....

Brighthand?
That would be a long story I guess, but those were the first days of Pocket PC and were very exiting indeed. I remember getting my 1st Jornada and then the iPaq, of course, as well as the Casio 500. Some of us were overly protective of the direction Brighthand was taking after 6 months of proclaiming itself the Pocket PC authority, but in the end it has turned into a great website.

surur

01-02-2005, 06:21 PM

Thanks for the info and the link. I could not help but start wondering about the iPAQ hx2755, seems like a new product and no sites have reviews or info on it yet. I realise it doesn't have VGA, but it does have 128+128 memory and all the other goodies that the 4700 has....

I like the look of the of the hx2755, and I especially like the flip cover. It means no case and a thin unit. (Recognise an old HP568 owner?) No VGA however means its a high end unit without the current high-end killer feature. And dont let any body tell you it does not make a difference. No one who has VGA ever want to go back to qvga.

Surur

pedroboe

01-02-2005, 07:22 PM

Ripper014

01-02-2005, 07:37 PM

I agree... once you have used true VGA there is no going back. When I first got my device I was running in se_vga... and thought this is no big deal... I can take or leave it. But once I put in oz_vga... it all changed... I will not be going back to a QVGA device.

I would not go with either the Hx4700 nor the Dell x50V for a number of reasons... most note worthy the lack of onboard ram. With my Hp2210 I was always struggling to manage my available ram... now with 128mb I am never short. I am still thrifty with how I manage my memory, but no longer do I worry.

The touchpad for the Hx4700 is a sales gimmick... afterall do you really need a touchpad... when your screen is exactly that...??? It is the most expensive of the units currently available... it BIG... but I like that... (lots of screen real estate)... the fast processor is good... but no usb support... and of course... ONLY 64mb of ram... 55mb usable.

The Dell x50V is not much better... basically the same limitations... in a smaller design... it does have the G2700 graphics processor... which is promising... but being the only unit that has it... we will see how support for it shakes out. It also has the smallest battery of the VGA models... ONLY 64mb of ram... 61.75mb usable...

There are better devices IMHO... Loox 720... Toshiba e830... and even the Asus a730W...

http://www.vgapocketpc.com/vga-pocket-pc-comparison.php

Janak Parekh

01-02-2005, 07:49 PM

You have a great point. Thanks. Somehow I am leaning towards the iPaq 4705 vs. the X50v, just because of owning a lot of Dell products and getting tired of dealing with CS. But I heard is the same everywhere and HP is no exeption....
HP isn't any exception, supportwise. :( The 4705 is an attractive unit because of its large screen, though, and I like the way the flip cover is integrated. In addition, the pairing of the 4705 with HP's stereo BT headset is pretty awesome. Plus I've heard the battery life is reasonably good.

And besides, I find the 64MB limitation less stifling than most. I think it's because I've been dealing with 64MB devices for a long time. Ironically, my e805 has 128MB of RAM + 96MB of flash store, but the RAM is nowhere near being used. I think it's a function of the number of programs you like to put in main memory. I also don't use my d-pad much, so the touchpad concept doesn't bother me.

--janak

surur

01-02-2005, 07:55 PM

Ironically its with the bluetooth headsets that the RAM limitation becomes most clear. I understand you need 20Mb free for trouble free listening.

I cant wait for (I believe logitech) to make them globally available. however.

Surur

Ripper014

01-02-2005, 07:56 PM

Just to add... I have a Toshiba e830 now... and though I am no where near using all my ram... I would be if I only had 64mb available to me. The extra ram has allowed me to load my more intensive applications into ram.... and they now load much more quickly... and they are also more stable... I am speaking specifically about Textmaker and Planmaker... I never had the room before to afford me the luxury of loading them directly to my device. Together they occupy over 14mb of memory.

pedroboe

01-03-2005, 04:16 AM

what if I loaded most of the programs in the ipaq's internal storage and SD card? I have a 512 SD card plus I could get a 1 GIGA CF card. my current problem is that my CF lan card occupies the slot while connected , therefore i am unable to use that slot for real time storage . this problem will be gone with the ipaq (or Dell), having built in 802.11b

Ripper014

01-03-2005, 04:33 AM

I don't want to tell you which device to purchase or how to organize your PocketPC... so I will just tell how I organize mine and why.

I bought the Toshiba e830 because I believe it is the best value for the money... the 128mb of ram is important to me because I have lived with 64mb and find it difficult to keep more than 16mb free... and with the new applications... (games mostly) I am being asked for between 10mb-20mb. With the Toshiba I have not had to deal with this issue.

I load plug-ins into my device directly... as well as some other processor intensive applications... such as Agenda Fusion, Textmaker and Planmaker to name a few. This makes for much faster loading... and ease of use. All other applications go on my 512mb SD Card... My 512mb CF Card is dedicated to mass storage... items such as music... movies... books... pictures... whatever...

I find that this works extremely well for me... as I never have to remove any of my cards... the Toshiba has both BT and Wifi onboard. Just to be accurate though... I have had problems with BT not wanting to connect to my GPS unit... and I hear that there is no current BT Keyboard that is compatible but I also hear that the Dell BT Keyboard that was advertised originally with the x50V is not compatible either.

It seems that you are sold on getting a Dell... so my suggestion to you is to plan carefully how you want to manage your resources and go from there....

pedroboe

01-03-2005, 05:04 AM

Actually, I'm sold on the iPaq, pretty much by now.... I know the dell is cheaper but the Ipaq looks really well built to me. I have to admit I really fell for the magnesium case vs. plastic on the Dell. But I have been happy with my Dell Axim 5 advance and it's awesome battery life.I would love to look into the Toshiba and Loox units, but it is My GF whos gonna buy it and shes gonnna do it this week. Plus, a very important detail: I am traveling to and from Mexico very often this year. HP has a big presence in Mexico and I believe I could get support there. Dell has not worked out so well for me in Mexico with my laptop and my Dell DJ, which is a real lemon. They won't give me support in Mexico because Dell Latin America and Dell USA don't mix. Isn't that a little strange?

Janak Parekh

01-03-2005, 05:13 AM

But I have been happy with my Dell Axim 5 advance and it's awesome battery life.
Sadly, the X50's battery life doesn't mirror the X5's. At least with the standard battery. :(

They won't give me support in Mexico because Dell Latin America and Dell USA don't mix. Isn't that a little strange?
I'm not shocked. Dell makes money by eliminating costs. It would be an extra support overhead.

(Mind you, I haven't been blown away by HP's service in the past.)

--janak