ATTN: Calling anyone with the wit, grace and knowledge of a guru!!

[CosmicJester]

Since you all seem well informed here i've decided to enquire what in your opinions is the best handheld to shoot for with a 600$ budget i've been researching for a few months and got mixed reviews on so many of the handhelds on the market

any input is appreciated please and thanks

[JustinGTP]

1. Welcome to the site!

2. Posting a better subject would be more helpful to others.

3. How about you tell us about what thoughts you have gathered! At a budget of $600, there are multitudes of possible combinations for you! Do you know what you are specifically looking for? Do you know what you will be using it for? Games? Notes? Internet? GPS? Navigation? If you tell us these things, we can help advise you in which device would be most suitable to you!

:D Merry Christmas! (Oh wait, that was yesterday)

:D Happy New Year! (Oh, that's in a few days)

:D Happy Holiday! (Yes, that works!)

-Justin.

[CosmicJester]

hey, thanks....well first an foremost
1.internet
2.notes
3.games
4.music
........in roughly that order, i'm a total noob to handheld and have always wanted one and this is just next in line of electronic devices XD

[webdaemon]

If you want more replies you should change your subject. "Please Help" is'nt very descriptive.

As for your $600, you should get one with WiFi, Bluetooth, VGA screen and as much RAM/ROM as you can get for the money. Right now the Dell x50v is 15% off so it's only $424 right now and has all of the above with 64MB RAM and 128MB ROM. It's the one I have and I love it. I recommend spending the balance of your budget on an extended warranty and second battery.

[CosmicJester]

well WiFi i've ruled in as a neccesity, and i''ve looked at the X50's and was impressed, and i'm curious is it possible to wipe a palms bios and install linux?

[JustinGTP]

If you want more replies you should change your subject. "Please Help" is'nt very descriptive.


Good job Captain Obvious! That is what I said!


Anyhow, if you want to view the Internet on your device with any amount of success and formatting that makes sense, I would go with a VGA device. You will probably need to connect to the internet whilst you are mobile, so Bluetooth and WiFi are a must. You can look at the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 720, HP iPaq HX4705 (a tad pricey), or the Dell X50V (the screen is subpar, as many say).

These are higher end models, so they would support music and games etc. You will need more storage, so a suitable SD or CF card would work, as all of the above models I listed have SD and CF.

Well, happy choosing. You should visit their websites for more information, and see which one you like to look at. The Loox may not debut in the US, so maybe keep that one on the downlow.

-Justin.

[Menneisyys]

well WiFi i've ruled in as a neccesity, and i''ve looked at the X50's and was impressed, and i'm curious is it possible to wipe a palms bios and install linux?

It will be possible as soon as a port of Linux is released for the given machine. Now, there isn't and I don't think it'll be available in the next year either - mostly it is ported to "mainstream" PDA's, if at all. For example, there has been high demand for a Toshiba e800-port for over a year; still, it hasn't been developed.

If you really want a Linux-based machine, go for the Zaurus clamshell series.

[Menneisyys]

the Dell X50V (the screen is subpar, as many say).


Yeah, check out http://pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35630 for more info.

[surur]

http://www.expansys-usa.com/product.asp?code=LOOX_720

Loox 720 at Expansys USA, bit cheaper than the HP 4700, and accept for screen size better too. If you like your PocketPC pocketable, its better in that way too.

http://www.firstloox.org/

Surur

[CosmicJester]

hmmm, thanks for all of this, i have some direction now, the x50 sounds quite appealing, and i can get SD cards for pennies so it seems a viable option to say the least but what about the iPAQ series of handhelds?

[Ripper014]

The downside of the Dell x50V and Ipaq Hx4700... is the lack of ram... of all the vga devices these 2 only have 64mb... Some think that it is enough... I personally think it is far from what most need.

The top device is probably the Loox720... though it is not available in the US except through third parties... the Asus a730W is also in the ballpark... but both are priced at the extreme limit of your budget... If you were in Canada and living in the Vancouver area... I would suggest the Toshiba e830... in my opinion the best unit with the most features for the best price... This week you can get one at Office Depot... (if they have stock) for $499can...

Here is a breakdown of the features of each device...

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