Buying tips?

[amberbamber]

Ok, right now I have a pretty big field of models I'm looking at and trying to narrow down. I've had a Casio E-100 for about 8 years. I cant believe I paid $600 for it brand new. It's scary that it was top of the line at the time. lol

Here are the models I've been looking at:

Dell Axim x30

Viewsonic v36

HP IPAQ:
RZ1715
H1915
RX3115
H3760
3835
3850
H5455

The dell x-30 is looking better and better the more I research. I'm wondering if I'll find more accessories for the dell or the hp ipaq and which is more upgradeable.
I noticed with the dell x30 I can pay more and get more in the same model which is comparable to the hp h5455 but if I get the higher end x30 or the h5455 I'm going to be over my price range at around $250 it seems. If I want to give up the bluetooth and wireless then I can forget the h5455 and get a cheaper x30 or one of the other hp models.

Why are there so many models of the ipaq's? The all seem to be the same.

The more I read the more I'm leaning towards the dell x-30 from the dell outlet store. If I go cheaper at under $200 then I'm leaning towards the other ipaq's not the h5455.

Most of my uses for my PPC will be tasks, contacts, possibly gps, wine cellar, notes and whatever bluetooth and wifi can do for me if I get one with those features. I'm guessing moving up to an abacus will be a major update from my e-100 :(

Any thoughts or words of advice?

Thanks for the help,
Amber

[Menneisyys]

Originally posted by bamber
Dell Axim x30
Viewsonic v36
HP IPAQ
RZ1715
H1915
RX3115
H3760
3835
3850
H5455


Of your list, I'd definitely choose the x30 Mid. It's better than the h5455 and the rx3115, its closes matches, IMHO.


Why are there so many models of the ipaq's? The all seem to be the same.

Actually, they're radically different. There're tons of iPAQ's on your list because you've also listed 3-3.5-year-old models (3760 and some iPAQ's from the 38xx series), which should definitely be avoided. The two low-end models, the 1910 and the rz1715, should be avoided because they have restrictions that are a pain in the back. The 5450 was quite good at its time, but it's pretty slow by today's standards. The only current iPAQ model on your list, the rx3115, is pretty decent by today's standards, but it's not as good as the x30 Mid, I'd say.

[amberbamber]

Thanks for the info. I agree and am really leaning towards the x30.
Do you have any tips on when the dell outlet site updates or when the best time of day is to look for deals on their site? It seems with the dell outlet site you have to be ready to buy immediately. I lost one I was interested in already :(

[Menneisyys]

Thanks for the info. I agree and am really leaning towards the x30.
Do you have any tips on when the dell outlet site updates or when the best time of day is to look for deals on their site? It seems with the dell outlet site you have to be ready to buy immediately. I lost one I was interested in already :(

Just looked around on eBay for prices (see the thread http://pocketpcmag.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15330 over at PPCMag). You can get a brand new x30 Mid for under 150 US$ :eek:

[amberbamber]

I'm really looking to the 624mhz I think but we'll see.

The thing about ebay is you don't know who your buying from, most of the time you wont get a warranty and with dell refurbished you can get a 14 day trial and 1 year warranty.

The deals on ebay do look great but they are not as safe I think.