PPC stupid questions

[PocketChris]

I've been thinking about getting some kind of portable computer for a while now. I spend most of my time travelling to work or visiting friends or relatives. I've toyed with the idea of laptops, but to be honest, they just aren't portable enough - I can't just slip one into my work bag as I leave the house, or stuff it one into my backpack when I travel. So, PPCs, although not as powerful might be what I'm looking for.

Some of the following may seem like idiot questions to you, so I am sorry in advance.

1. What IS the internet experience like on a PPC? Is viewing web pages ok, or does a lot of reformatting have to take place to fit the pages on screen? You CAN view normal websites on a PPC can't you?

2. Does WiFi mean I can browse the net in Starbucks/airports etc. using a wireless connection for free? So what's Wlan?

3. If I set up a wireless network on my PC at home (which has a broadband connection), could I connect to that and surf the net sitting with my PPC in the garden etc?

4. If I buy one of those 3G data cards, would that fit into a PPC allowing me to use the net via a mobile network, or is that only for laptops?

5. What do they mean by ROM and RAM - I mean, when they quote '128MB ROM', do they actually mean 'read-only memory'? So that means that its 128MB ROM has stuff on it like OS, bundled software etc., and is therefore pointless quoting the ROM amount? Or can I use that '128MB ROM' for storage?

6. I'm running a 5-year-old PC at home with WIN98. It has USB 1.0. Say a PPC model quotes USB 2 connectivity, can I connect that to my PC?

7. I need a PPC mainly for web browsing, email and entertainment like games and the odd movie file. I'm looking at the Ipaq hx7400 but any recommended models?

Thanks.

[surur]

The only stupid questions is the ones you dont ask, leading you to make a stupid mistake.


1. What IS the internet experience like on a PPC? Is viewing web pages ok, or does a lot of reformatting have to take place to fit the pages on screen? You CAN view normal websites on a PPC can't you?

You can view most websites fine on a pocketpc, but the experience is not as good as on a desktop. It depends very much on how the original website is formatted. If you give me the addresses of one or two websites you frequent I will do a screenshot of those sites displayed on the pocketpc.

2. Does WiFi mean I can browse the net in Starbucks/airports etc. using a wireless connection for free? So what's Wlan?

Yes, it does. Whether its free or not is up to the provider. Wlan (Wireless Local Area Network) uses WIFI to do its work. They mean more or less the same thing (pedantics aside)

3. If I set up a wireless network on my PC at home (which has a broadband connection), could I connect to that and surf the net sitting with my PPC in the garden etc?

Yes, but you will have an easier time setting things up if you buy a wireless router.

4. If I buy one of those 3G data cards, would that fit into a PPC allowing me to use the net via a mobile network, or is that only for laptops?

3G cards currently uses PCMIA cards, which don't fit into a pocketpc. You can however uses a bluetooth connection to a 3G mobile phone to do the same thing. Another alternative is the upcoming HTC universal PocketPC Phone, which will have 3G built in.

5. What do they mean by ROM and RAM - I mean, when they quote '128MB ROM', do they actually mean 'read-only memory'? So that means that its 128MB ROM has stuff on it like OS, bundled software etc., and is therefore pointless quoting the ROM amount? Or can I use that '128MB ROM' for storage?

ROM actually means EEPROM these days, basically the same stuff as in your thumb drive or camera memory card. RAM is the volatile stuff that you use on your computer and that gets erased when you switch it off, ROM on a pocketpc is equivalent to the hard drive on your PC, and remain even if you lose power. Its best to have as much as possible of both.

6. I'm running a 5-year-old PC at home with WIN98. It has USB 1.0. Say a PPC model quotes USB 2 connectivity, can I connect that to my PC?

USB 2 is backward compatible with USB 1.1, so don't worry. However, isn't it about time you update your desktop :) You may end up with a PPC more powerful than your PC!

7. I need a PPC mainly for web browsing, email and entertainment like games and the odd movie file. I'm looking at the Ipaq hx4700 but any recommended models?

Thats a good device. All the latest pocketpc's can do the kind of stuff you want to do easily. Its only when you push the envelope that they differentiate themselves. Based on the age of your PC I can only suspect that you would do better with a nice big screen, in which case the HP hx4700 would be the best choice.

Thanks.

No problem. Fire away with more questions any time.

Surur

[Menneisyys]

Say a PPC model quotes USB 2 connectivity, can I connect that to my PC?

Only one PPC model (the iPAQ hx4700) has a USB2-compliant interface right now; furthermore, with current (quite restricted) PPC's, USB2 speeds aren't significantly better than USB1.1 speeds (with the hx4700, the difference is some 20%). That is, you can still use your old desktop with all the current PPC's without a major speed hit.

However, you can always buy USB2 PCI cards for really cheap. You will certainly need one if you will also get a card reader.

[SteveHoward999]

Since you are looking at a VGA device, you are going to find the Web browsing experience pretty good. Most, but not all sites, render OK. The netive copy of Internet Explorer offers 3 different ways to view the pages, something like

One Column
Default
Desktop


Between those you can usually get a usable view. Normally I leave it on default. You might also prefer rotating the screen to landscape to get a wider view of the web page. Personally I cannot get used to using my PDA sideways, but for web browsing the view can be closer to what you are used to on your PC.

You might want to look at one of the available 3rd-party browsers to to enhance your browsing experience. I use PocketIE plus, but there are others. Yu should be able to browse these forums and find numerous comparissons of the different 3rd-party browsers and their features.

Browsing on the PPC is usually noticably slower than on the PC, but you might not notice much difference when compared to a 5-year-old Win98 system.


HTH

[Menneisyys]

7. I need a PPC mainly for web browsing, email and entertainment like games and the odd movie file. I'm looking at the Ipaq hx7400 but any recommended models?

You may want to check out this (http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=117248) on other VGA devices.

[PocketChris]

Thank you all so much. You've all been most helpful in demystifying this for me!

Yes, my desktop is rather archaic, and I'll be upgrading that soon. But for now it does all my music and audio work just fine, so it's not that bad...ok maybe it is. But it chugs along just fine for now.

But like I said, I think a PPC would be the best thing for me. Simply it beats laptops on portability hands down. I actually just had my friend here this afternoon who'd recently bought a laptop. I asked him about portability and he said 'well, it just about fits into my briefcase'. Good for him I suppose!

Will continue my research.

Many thanks to you all.

Chris.

[Duncan]

I'm looking at the Ipaq hx7400 but any recommended models?

My chart here (http://www.firstloox.org/VGAppc.htm) will give you all the specs for every current VGA screened Pocket PC (the hx4700 included) side by side - including links to *every* major review of each model. I hope that is of help.