Pocket PC Angst

[JasonSilver]

I hope this is the right place to send my angst. I've recently found myself in a terrible dilemna-- at least it has been frustrating and annoying to me-- and I'm hoping you can direct me.

I've been using pocket pcs and palm pcs since the E10 and E11 by Casio years ago. I've had about five or six different ones, and the most recent was the ipaq 6300 series with the camera, cell phone, blue tooth, and wireless integrated. It was given to me with a cracked screen which I replaced myself.

I've hated this pocket pc. It's been the worst of all of them-- slow, fickle, and fragile, and gives me unexplained hard resets right when I need it to be there. This morning I noticed the screen was cracked again, with black ink oozing down the left side under the glass.

So it's time to decide what's next for me. Do I even want to stay with pocket pcs, or is it time to just give these ppc jobs to a fancy cell phone?

This is where you come in. I hope you can help me! What is the right device for me?

I don't care about size.

I want blue tooth for my GPS, OR integrated GPS I want to be able to stick SD cards in it for maps/books/etc I want to be able to read the bible, and/or ebooks on the thing I would like it to double as my cell phone I would like it to have decent power consumption so it can go at least two days without recharging. (The HP above forces hard resets on me monthly if I go 2 days without charging) I would like it to have a decent processor speed so I can run Skype I don't want those silly thumb keyboards on the bottom.

Does such a beast exist? Can you direct me? Any help you can give would be so appreciated.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Honest opinion? You can get virtually anything out there and it would be better than the 6300 - take your pick. It might help if we knew what knid of budget you're talking about.

[JasonSilver]

Budget is kind of a problem-- I usually buy stuff second hand on Ebay...

I have two Dell X5s which still work well-- they are actually quite a bit faster than the HP 6315. That stupid Texas instruments processor was so slllooowww.

I've considered buying a compact flash bluetooth radio to stick in the top of the X5 so i can connect to the GPS. I still don't have wireless or phone though.

I've noticed I can buy a CF Cell Phone as well, which might turn the Dell into a phone, but then I've got all these extra parts to lug around.

Maybe give me a few options, and I'll see what I can find on ebay?

Jason

[JasonSilver]

What about the HP iPAQ 3870? Is that a decent machine? I've read that it has:

206 MHz Intel X-Scale processor - Is that enough?

64 MB SDRAM / 32MB Flash ROM
16-bit color TFT LCD with white backlight
Bluetooth built in
240x320 resolution
3.78-inch
low-power

Does it have WiFi?

Jason

[applejosh]

I think the 3870 is an old (old old) device (PocketPC 2002). And I think the processor is not Xscale, but StrongArm (i.e. pre-Xscale). And if it's the one I'm thinking of, it does not have wifi (I think the 5450 was the first iPAQ with integrated wifi). Personally, if this is the device I think it is, I'd avoid it unless you really liked PocketPC 2002 (it may have been upgradeable to WM2003 (not se)) and do not need to worry about running current versions of most software (as PPC2002 support looks like it is being dropped a lot of places). (Or if you have a lot of those cool iPAQ sleds laying around.)

[JasonSilver]

What about a Nokia 9300 (It's unlocked) TriBand SmartPhone?

Is a smartphone the same thing as a pocket pc?

Jason

[applejosh]

Nope. Smartphone is a generic term for a phone that has at least some sort of PIM functionality. And I believe all Nokia's run some flavor of the Symbian OS.

[JasonSilver]

OK, thanks-- that helps.

Are there any smart phones that are pocket pcs that don't have that tiny little screen, and don't have a thumb keyboard?

Jason

[GSmith]

Actually, "Smartphone" is both 1) a generic term used by carriers and manufacturers referring to phones with pda functionality and/or web browsing and 2) a version of Windows Mobile.

Windows Mobile on phone devices comes in two (modern) flavors:

Windows Mobile Smartphone Edition
Windows Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition

For more information (and details on Cingular offerings), see:
http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=80859#80859

You can currently get the Cingular 8125 with a *new service* 2-year contract for $75 from Amazon. It is a modern, Windows Mobile 5, Pocket PC Phone Edition device *with slide-out keyboard*. It has a lower speed processor and a lower speed data connection. At the moment, it is being replaced by the 8525.

Trying to parse the entire landscape of Windows Mobile Smartphones and Pocket PC Phone Edition devices is somewhat harrowing.

Greg Smith
Author, FeederReader - Windows Mobile news, blogs, audio, video, podcasts downloaded direct to your Smartphone or Pocket PC
www.FeederReader.com - Download on the Road

[JasonSilver]

Wow, this is overwhelming. Thanks so much for the direction!!

I have a sim card already, with Fido, here in Canada. I want to be able to just slide that into a phone or ppc and be set to go. Am I dreaming?

Something similar to the HP 6315 would be ideal-- it was just so darn slow. I also didn't like the antenna sticking out.

What's a good upgrade from that PPC?

Jason

[GSmith]

Based on your requirements, I would lean towards an HTC Magician(codename) form factor. The newer models in the line (like, I think, the HTC P3600) have faster processors, faster data capability, more frequencies (generally) and Windows Mobile 5 Pocket PC Phone Edition on them, while older devices have Windows Mobile 2003 Pocket PC Phone Edition on them.

You can get these from several different brands/names.

You will want to make sure that the device you get matches the frequency necessary for your carrier and area and is either locked to your carrier or is unlocked and able to run on any carrier.

Older devices are available unlocked for under US$300.

Edited to clarify US currency.