[Newsboy]

This is all a moot issue for me anyway, as I just purchased a Handheld PC Pro 3.0 (IBM Z50). The Maestro is going to get replaced by a flip-style smartphone in about 3 months anyway (Samsung i600 w/ Sprint PCS). I have waited a long time to combine my PPC with my Motorola.

I am not saying that I don't like Palm OS 5 or the Tungsten, but I think Ed is right. Unfortunately the market and competition dictate price, not necessarily improvements or functionality. At $499, I think the Tungsten is destined for either drastic price cuts or market failure.

[Newsboy]

This is all a moot issue for me anyway, as I just purchased a Handheld PC Pro 3.0 (IBM Z50). The Maestro is going to get replaced by a flip-style smartphone in about 3 months anyway (Samsung i600 w/ Sprint PCS). I have waited a long time to combine my PPC with my Motorola.

I am not saying that I don't like Palm OS 5 or the Tungsten, but I think Ed is right. Unfortunately the market and competition dictate price, not necessarily improvements or functionality. At $499, I think the Tungsten is destined for either drastic price cuts or market failure.

[rave]

Originally Posted by Janak Parekh

With the T, you're getting a hires screen and bluetooth over the m515, and that's currently it. $500 for that isn't a deal IMHO.

You forgot the Innovative Sliding Graffiti (tm). The bulk of the price goes to this fine and ground-breaking feature. :wink:

[rave]

Originally Posted by amin

Comparing RAM, processor speed, etc between a Palm and a PPC is pointless when you consider how different the two really are. We pay for the whole system, and not all good things are quantifiable specs. When you read a review of a digital camera, what is more important, the # of megapixels, or the way the photos look in the end?

"Good-looking-ness" of pictures is a function of "Megapixels", along with a number of other parameters, like "Saturation" and "Contrast". I can't see how you can ask whether or not "Megapixels" is more important than "Having A Good Picture".

In the same vein, "Functionality" is a function of a number of quantifiable technical parameters, like "RAM", "Display Resolution", "Multitasking" and "Having A Filesystem". I can't see how a device is more "Functional" when it has less "Features".

Let's cite a specific example. Suppose a user wants his device to not only "Organize His Life", but to "Store Photos" as well. A unit with more "Megabytes" will be able to store more pictures. A unit which has more "Megahertz" will be able to handle complex image compression such as JPEG, and will therefore be able to store more photos, because of the more efficient image compression. A unit which has a "Real Filesystem" will enable the user to classify the photos more easily. A unit which has more "Resolution", "Color Depth" and "Screen Size" will easily lend to better image viewing.

In this example above, we have seen how more "Features" translates to more "Funtionality". Or, in other words, "FEATURES = FUNCTION". :wink:

By the way, I don't consider Palm and Pocket PC to be "Apples And Oranges". They may have different operating systems, but both are currently advertised to users as being able to do the same things, namely:

* Organizing Your Life
* Office Suite Capabilities
* Digital Photo and Video
* Digital Audio
* Games

That being said, I think they should be put head-to-head on the same arena.

[rave]

Originally Posted by mookie123

How many RAM do you have left after you install all your basic software? is there even room for any program that require 2MB to run, let alone your favorite ebook and personal files. And that's only memory aspect alone.

Let me expound and clarify this point, if I may. Palm handhelds do not need program memory since Palm programs are "XIP", or executed in place. So theoretically, you could fill up your Palm PDA to the brim and everything will operate just the same.

However, some programs require additional memory for swap/temp files. A good example is WordSmith when it handles some eBooks. The book is first uncompressed into a temp file before it is read. Thus it is wise to leave a megabyte or two for the Palm to work on these types of files.

[rave]

In any case, Palm PDA's tend to be the entry point for most PDA users, perhaps because of the name and marketing muscle. But as you go along and grow as a mobile device user, you'd tend to thirst for something more, and start looking at what the high-end has to offer. In my opinion, neither the TT nor the NX will be able to satisfy that thirst, despite the keyboard, camera, and (ahem) sliding Graffiti.