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marlof
11-10-2002, 12:45 PM
Like <a href="http://windowsce.kensai.com/velo/">someone else I know</a>, my pdaddiction started with a handheld pc, a Philips Velo 1. This unit originally came with Windows CE 1, but I had the Windows CE 2.0 upgrade for it. After two years of continuous use this was replaced by a HP Jornada 548. I've used that one for over a year, but then things went fast. The 548 was followed by a Compaq iPAQ 3670 (upgraded to Pocket PC 2002), a HP Jornada 565, a Compaq iPAQ 3870 and a HP Jornada 928. And now, I went back in time as my latest addition is the HP Jornada 720.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/bregonje/handhelds.jpg" /> <!><br /><br />I've always been a fan of the HP Jornada handhelds, but found them a bit too expensive ($999) to justify getting this one next to a Pocket PC. But now there were a few circumstances that made me get one. The most important thing is that a Handheld PC 2000 can still sync with Windows 95 and Schedule+, the setup I'm required to use at work. I couldn't get any Pocket PC 2002 to work at work, as Pocket PC 2002 requires Activesync 3.5 and Activesync 3.5 does not work on Windows 95. Adding Intellisync to the mix was no solution, as the version of Intellisync that supports Pocket PC 2002 does not support Schedule+ 7.0, which is what I'm using. They are talking about an upgrade at work, so the future looks brighter, but so far it's talk only. But another good reason that I could buy a HP Jornada 720 is that they seem to be phased out, and can be had for something like $450.<br /><br />The things I've added to the standard mix are the following:<br />• <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/handheldpc/downloads/powertoys/powtoy30.asp">PowerToys</a> (free download from Microsoft)<br />• <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/mobile/handheldpc/downloads/pluspack/pluspack.asp">Plus! Pack</a> (free download from Microsoft)<br />• <a href="http://www.palmdigitalmedia.com/product/reader/browse/free">Palm Reader for CE</a> (free download from Palm Digital Media)<br />• <a href="http://www.nakka.com/soft/npop/index_eng.html">nPOP POP3 client</a> (free download from Nakka)<br />• <a href="http://www.cam.com/vxutil.html">vxUtil network utilities</a> (free download from Cambridge Computer Corporation)<br />• <a href="http://www.hp-expo.com/driver/hppocketcamera-v1.20.112c.exe">hp Pocket Camera driver and image viewer</a> (free download from HP)<br />• <a href="http://www.socketcom.com/support/support_bluetooth.asp">Socket Bluetooth Connection kit driver</a> (free download from Socket)<br />• <a href="http://www.socketcom.com/support/support_wlan.asp">Socket WLAN CF card driver</a> (free download from Socket)<br />• <a href="http://www.dejavusoftware.com/inkce/">InkSpot CE newsreader</a> ($25)<br />• <a href="http://www.iliumsoft.com/site/ew/ewallet.htm">eWallet for Handheld PC</a> digital wallet ($19.95)<br />• <a href="http://www.acdsystems.com/English/Products/WinCE/index.htm?LAN=EnglishX10">ACDSee Mobile</a> image viewer and editor ($39.95)<br />• <a href="http://www.conduits.com/products/artist/download.htm">Pocket Artist by Conduits</a> ($49.95)<br />• <a href="http://www.ruksun.com/mobile_computing/windowsce/products/msn_messengerforce/index.html">Ruksun Messenger Force</a> MSN Messenger client ($15).<br /><br />The only things missing are a GPRS counter and a DHCP IP release/renew applet. If someone has some info where to get one of those, I'd be more than happy. With this setup I can cover 90% of my computing needs on the road. Although the weight and size limits the use of a Handheld PC as a carry-everywhere, the Jornada 720 is still highly portable. It will not replace my Pocket PC as my main PDA, but it did make me give my aging Vaio notebook to my mother. :)

medic119
11-10-2002, 03:10 PM
If it weren't $899 I'd have one myself. I just can see spending that kinda cash when decent Laptops are selling for $100 more.

marlof
11-10-2002, 03:14 PM
If it weren't $899 I'd have one myself. I just can see spending that kinda cash when decent Laptops are selling for $100 more.

Yeah, I always felt like that myself. But now, the 728 is $899, and the 720 went for $450. That was more like it to me. Still not really a bargain, but for this kind of device, good enough.

hhollick
11-10-2002, 03:43 PM
If we are going back in time, I have to go back to the HP 100LX in the early 90's. This was a great little device. No synchronization but full DOS 5.0 compatability. What fun.

The 100LX has been followed by:
200LX
HP 320 LX (Windows CE)
Philips Velo
Palm Pilot
HP 620 LX
NEC MobilePro 700
iPaq 3600

JimDantin
11-10-2002, 04:01 PM
History of my pocket companions:
Texas Instruments TI Organizer
HP 95LX
HP 100LX
HP 200LX 1meg memory
HP 200LX 2 meg memory - upgraded to 5 meg
HP 430 (yuck!)
HP 545
HP 548

Inventor
11-10-2002, 04:16 PM
My first handheld was the Shart PC-1401 in 1986
3k Ram and 1 line LCD (16 characters). Built in Basic in rom!!
It was great at exam time. (hint/hint)

Marlof: I bought the Velo1 and later the ROM upgrade (you also get 8 megs of ram with it) when it came out and had to send it back to Philips 3 times becuase of the hinges breaking.

I love HPCs but there are no stores here that know me that will sell me one :lol:

johnkorver
11-10-2002, 04:35 PM
Marlof,
Where did you get that HP Jornada 720 for $450, I live in the Netherlands myself, but I can't seem to find a 720 below $800 :cry:

Handhelds:
HP Jornada 620 LX
HP Jornada 680
Casio E-105
Casio E-115
Casio E-125
Compaq Ipaq 3630
Compaq Ipaq 3660
Compaq Ipaq 3850
HP Jornada 568
O2 XDA
Compaq IPaq 3970 :mrgreen:

Bob12
11-10-2002, 04:58 PM
I agree on all but one point - my 720 is my primary PDA because of its keyboard and half VGA screen. But that's a personal issue based on the way I use my PDAs and the way I carry them. I also have a Jornada 568 but use the 720 about 99% of the time over the 568.

One thing that was passed on to me by another handheld user that really helps in dealing with the 3/4 size keyboard is to learn to hover over the keys rather than trying to stay in contact with the home row. Doing this, I can type on it fast enough to easily keep up with note taking in the various meetings I attend.

Barbay1
11-10-2002, 05:08 PM
If I want to go up in size from a Pocket PC, the Table PC is looking pretty good too. But it costs more than a lot of laptops!

Can one get just about the same software for handhelds as for Pocket PCs?

Duncan
11-10-2002, 05:15 PM
The Velo 1 was my first PDA as well - and it was great - thought the screen was hard to read in any but the best indoor light! Then the form factor of the Palm-Size PC came along - and I became hooked:

Velo 1
Nino 300
Casio E105
iPAQ 3630
PD600C @migo 32MB
PD600C @migo 64MB
iPAQ 3870
Pocket Loox 600 - 1

NOW: iPAQ 3970 + Pocket Loox 600 - 2

NEXT: Pocket Loox 600 - 2 + iPAQ 5400?

Still miss my old Velo and Nino though - Philips could have been huge if they'd not lost their nerve...!

Kirkaiya
11-10-2002, 05:15 PM
As long as were on the history trip, I think my first sort-of-PDA was my programmable Casio graphing calculator that i had to get as a freshman in college - it had 32 K of RAM, and is programmable in BASIC (a very stripped down version..)

I wrote a little name/address thing for it right after I got it, and kept my friends names/numbers in it (this was 1990, I think) - I also put in formulas to solve specific problems I knew would be useful for exams, like cubic polynomials, and engineering-specific stuff.

I *still* prefer it (it's still running great!!) for my primary calculator.

Other than that, my PDA history is short:

1. Casio Z-7000 Zoomer (ran GEOS over DOS, could do primitive sync)
2. Casio E-11 (WinCE 2.11)
3. iPaq 3650 (never upgraded to PPC2k, for variety of reasons)
4. Viewsonic V35 ( *If* it ever friggin ships, that is... been like 2 weeks...)

marlof
11-10-2002, 05:22 PM
I bought the Velo1 and later the ROM upgrade (you also get 8 megs of ram with it) when it came out and had to send it back to Philips 3 times becuase of the hinges breaking.

My hinge broke only after two years, so I guess I had a good one. May be it helped that Philips, like me, is Dutch. ;)

Where did you get that HP Jornada 720 for $450,

I got it from Expansys (http://www.expansys.com), but they seem to have sold all they got.

I can type on it fast enough to easily keep up with note taking in the various meetings I attend.

That's what I've learned in the past week of Jornada usage too. After an initial period of pressing two keys at a time, I can now touch type on my Jornada without too many errors. Nice avatar BTW. ;)

Can one get just about the same software for handhelds as for Pocket PCs?

No, the software available for the Handheld PC is much more limited than the software that is available for the Pocket PC. But with the setup as described above I can do anything I am doing with my Pocket PC, so that doesn't limit me.

Duncan
11-10-2002, 05:25 PM
Actually - I can go back further than I thought as this probably counts as a PDA - the Casio PB-700:

http://pocket.free.fr/images/casio/pb-700.gif - 8K RAM, 32K ROM and four line display. Slips into a four-colour printer module - the FA-10:

http://pocket.free.fr/images/casio/fa-10.gif

I still have both bits (fully working!) though I have no sentimental attachments to them - anyone collect them?

johnkorver
11-10-2002, 05:29 PM
I got it from Expansys (http://www.expansys.com), but they seem to have sold all they got.

Too Bad :cry: :cry:

ECOslin
11-10-2002, 05:43 PM
Medic119: If you were in the market I could sell you an indecent laptop for $10 and shipping. No CD or USB, but you could buy those.

Edward

BTS
11-10-2002, 05:56 PM
I actually still enjoy using my H/PC. After months of it sitting and collecting dust I'm back to using it again. I need to view PDF documents on the go and although Adobe has their free version of reader I find that the PPC screen is just too small (especially when your info is in columns and in chart form).

I added Ansyr's Primer to my HPC and now I can read the whole document. Calligrapher allows for handwriting recognition and I even found Money that Microsoft put out (my HPC is a Compaq C Series).

I was actually thinking of getting a Viewsonic Viewpad 100. Anyone out there using it?

veroi
11-10-2002, 08:52 PM
Can you use the Audiovox RT 8000 ( GPRS Card) with any of these HP's.

mccollin
11-10-2002, 10:02 PM
I started with the HP 200LX, and I loved that thing. If they had given it a better display, I'd probably still be using it. After sitting idle for a few years, I just sold it on eBay last month... :cry:

Seriously, I never understood HP taking a left turn and falling into line with the Microsoft camp when this device had such a great following. Looking at how slow WinCE was back then, I opted to go the way of Palm for a few years. But, I eventually returned to a real OS.

Marc Zimmermann
11-10-2002, 11:10 PM
Welcome back to HPC land, Marlof ;-)

Chronos
11-11-2002, 03:56 PM
I started off way back when with a couple of those Sharp wizard organizers (32k or so). Really, nothing more than toys to me.

Then I bought a used Gateway 2000 486 handbook (486 DX2/40 w/ 8mb RAM and 240 mb harddisk). I consider this to by my first "handheld" as it is still puny by today's standards, yet had a paralell port, serial port, and PCMCIA type II slot. The monochrome screen isn't bad either, and its keyboard is quite usable. Its still running, though I'd like to get a new battery and a RAM upgrade. I use it to monitor my Smart-UPS via powerchute.

I then went through a Palm IIIe (wife still uses it), a Handspring Visor Deluxe Ice (brother uses it), a series of 3600 iPAQs, a couple of 3800 iPAQs, and now a T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone Edition (say that 10 times fast!).

Jerome Carney
11-11-2002, 04:54 PM
Anyone remember the HP OmniGo from the mid 90s, a year or two before the Palm came out? The screen panel would open 360°, the display would rotate 90°, and Holy Transformer, Batman !, just like the Tablet PCs that become available this week, you could use it in "clam shell" mode or, with that messy keyboard tucked away, you could interface just with the screen.

Prior to the OmniGo, I thought a keyboard was absolutely essential. To my surprise, I quickly began using the screen interface almost exclusively, and soon found myself making the evolutionary climb to the Palm, the IPAQ and now the T-Mo.


http://www.hp.com/cposupport/images/eagle/hpomnigo102069_lg.gif

Perry Reed
11-11-2002, 05:10 PM
Anyone remember the HP OmniGo from the mid 90s, a year or two before the Palm came out? The screen panel would open 360°, the display would rotate 90°, and Holy Transformer, Batman !, just like the Tablet PCs that become available this week, you could use it in "clam shell" mode or, with that messy keyboard tucked away, you could interface just with the screen.

The guy who I used to sit next to at work had one of those and as he wasn't very techie, he had me configure it for him and get it connected to his PC, etc.

Not a bad little device, although I still prefered my 100LX and later my Jornada 300LX.

Perry Reed
11-11-2002, 05:16 PM
My PDA heritage is as follows:

HP 100LX (still one of the best PDAs ever made. Well the 200LX was slightly nicer)

Casio Z-7000 Zoomer (after I got this, I quickly went back to my 100LX!)

HP Jornada 320LX (my first Win CE device)

HP Jornada 548 (my favorite device until now)

Compaq iPaq 3630 (replaced the 548 only because I could upgrade it to PPC2002)

HP Jornada 568 (my current device, and my favorite so far)

I also went through several Franklin Rex cards over the years (they kept breaking in my pocket, you'd think I would have learned not to put them there)

My current cell phone, the Sanyo 4900 on Sprint's Vision service, also has PDA functions, but it won't replace my Jornada.

karen-s
11-11-2002, 07:06 PM
My pda history is similar. I think I loved the velo the most! However, all those non-keyboard ipaqs just didn't do the job. If the 728 had been a little more exciting and/or cheaper I'd have had one but I now have the latest sony pcg-c1mhp. Less than a kilogram, 30gb + DVDs on the go. I'm in love again :lol:

jweitzman
11-11-2002, 07:10 PM
My handheld experience started with the Apple Newton Messagepad 2100, followed by a Palm III, then my iPaq 3650.

The MessagePad was the most impressive of the lot. If it had been built today with the form factors and screens available now, it would easily be the best. It was just so easy to use and intuitive, yet powerful. The jokes about the handwriting recognition were gone by the 2100, which had recognition (back then) about as good as Transcriber is now (not quite, but close).

JW

woa1
11-11-2002, 10:38 PM
Interesting thread! I started with an HP200LX in '94 and got hooked on handhelds. Have slowed down lately. Handheld history:
-HP 200LX
-HP OmniGo 100
-Casio Cassioppeia 140
-Libretto 30 (well tried to use it as a handheld!)
-Palm Pilot Professional
-HP 320LX
-HP 620LX
-Rex-3
-Everest Freestyle
-Casio E-11
-Compaq Aero 2130
-Palm V
-HP Jornada 545
I am back to using the Palm V mainly for size reasons.
Next? probably a Toshiba e330, though the Tungsten is amazing in size (not price). Also looking at smartphones though the Palm-based phones seem more appealing due to the ability to run all Palm software (word processors, spreadsheets etc).

bbarker
11-12-2002, 05:13 AM
Here's my PDA history:
Casio Cassiopeia A-11. This is the original Windows CE model. I saw it at Fall Comdex right after it was announced and bought it at a CompUSA right there in Las Vegas. It was a clamshell device with a little keyboard. I don't remember whether it had 4 or 8 MB RAM
Cassiopeia E-10. I loved this one and I still have it. Actually my 23-year-old son has it. It was Casio's first "Palm-sized PC" model, with 4 MB RAM. It The mono screen is clear outdoors and pretty good indoors. Its size and weight remain small today. Runs forever on 2 AAA batteries. I think it's CE 2.xx. Important: I twice shattered the screen on this unit and sent it to Casio for repair at around $85. That's why a Jornada-type screen cover is so vital to me.
Cassiopeia E-105. This was incredible compared with the E-10. It was bulky and heavy in comparison and I couldn't use it in the sunlight, but that brilliant color display was spectacular indoors. And the huge amount of RAM -- I think it had 32MB -- was a big plus. I haven't played computer or video games since the mid 1980s except on this thing.
Compaq Aero 1520. After 8 months with the E-105 I left the company that supplied it and had to buy my own PDA. As much as I loved the color I disliked its bulk and weight and found it difficult to carry in my pocket. I decided to go for Compaq's thin and light monochrome model, despite its slower processor and 16 MB RAM. It had a lot more speed and RAM than the older E-10. I loved its form factor and the screen was excellent for black and white. But I really did notice the slower speed and smaller RAM after using the E-105, and I really missed the color. After a couple of weeks I accidentally left it on top of my car, in its case, when I drove away from my office. It really was an accident, and in the case it should have survived the fall from my car roof. But when I realized what I'd done 20 minutes later and returned to search, it was gone.
Cassiopeia E-105. I had to replace the Aero 1520 I'd lost. This time I chose color, speed and capacity over size and outdoor visibility. But about 10 days later somebody leaked Microsoft's plans for Pocket PC devices in a couple of months (April 2000). I quickly returned this new E-105, took my old E-10 back from my son temporarily, and waited for the Pocket PCs.
HP Jornada 545. I grabbed the first Pocket PC available, even though the 548 with more RAM was supposed to be out within a couple of weeks.
Jornada 548. When the 548 came out I traded in the 545 for a 548. That was my favorite PDA to that point, and I still love that model. One of my sons still has one and another has a 545. The 540 series is built of strong metal with excellent workmanship. Also, very important to me since I'd twice broken PDA screens (see above), it had a flip-up screen cover. This meant I could slip it into my pocket without a bulk-adding case, making it a true Pocket PC. The iPaq, which came out a few months later, was lighter, quite a bit faster, and easy to view outdoors. Around that time HP offered a full refund to HP owners because of the mixup over the 540's screen being 12-bit instead of the advertised 16-bit. So I had a chance to get all my money back and buy an iPaq. I looked at friends' iPaqs and played with them in stores. I read about them at length online. Ultimately I chose to stay with the Jornada. The form factor made the difference. The Jornada looked businesslike, was easier to pocket safely, and expanded more compactly. It also seemed to have better quality control.
Jornada 568. A year ago, soon after the Pocket PC 2002 operating system came out, I attended Microsoft's Pocket PC Fan Fest at Fall Comdex in Las Vegas. I won one a copy of Office 2002 developer's edition, worth something like $800. A Pocket PC developer who owned a new Jornada 568 eagerly traded me his 568 for the software. He bought another 568 and saved himself some money in the deal, and I got a free Jornada. I love this one even more than my 548. I use it wirelessly with a Symbol 802.11 CF card and through a CF cable connected to my Verizon cell phone. I have the Targus keyboard and a few other accessories. Looking at all the newer models since then I haven't been tempted to consider one. The main reason: the Jornada still seems to be the only Pocket PC with a flip-up screen cover. I can't believe it, considering that several Palms have them and Jornadas were good sellers. I don't expect HP to come out with another model soon with a screen cover, because I suspect the entire HP Pocket PC team is from Compaq and disdains anything Jornada-like. Too bad. I'd love to see a Toshiba or Dell or Viewsonic or something with with great specs anda screen cover. Until then I doubt I'll be in the market.

Pony99CA
11-12-2002, 10:36 AM
If anybody cares about my PDA history, check out my Pocket PC page (http://www.garlic.com/~svvg/svvgppc.html).

I really liked my Sharp Mobilon HC-45000 -- a keyboard, color, PCMCIA slot, 33.6 kbps modem (albeit a software modem :-() and a real Windows-like desktop (unlike Pocket PC, unless you get one of those shell products). I thought I'd never get a palm-sized device.

That said, I wouldn't go back to it now that I have my iPAQ 3870. Being able to carry my PDA anywhere is great.

Steve

ECOslin
11-12-2002, 02:21 PM
http://www.inclusive.co.uk/images/dana.jpg

New or old?

Unfortunately, it's the new Dana Palm Laptop, I've just posted about this on 'Just Chatting'.

Size - 1.9" H x 12.4" W x 9.3" D

Edward

MPSmith
01-14-2003, 08:24 PM
The only things missing are a GPRS counter and a DHCP IP release/renew applet. If someone has some info where to get one of those, I'd be more than happy.

Marlof, If you can briefly tell me what those two items are, I'll keep an eye out for them. I keep pretty close tabs on the j720 websites, but aren't too familiar with those technologies.

Mike

WyattEarp
01-25-2003, 08:05 PM
My PDA addiction started with the Casio Databank watches back in the early 80's which just increased my need to have all my information accessible at all times. Then the capture of gadgets began...

- Sharp Wizards OZ-7000 Series (had them all)
- HP 95LX (probably the best PDA/PC)
- HP 100LX (better than the last)
- HP 200LX (continuing the trend. HP's biggest mistake was discontinuing and replacing it with the HP 320LX WinCE v1.0 instead of just adding it to their production roster.)
- Palm V
- Palm Vx
- Palm m505
- Compaq iPAQ H3870
- Compaq iPAQ H3975