New Axim - 1st Impressions & Request for Help

[shawnc]

Finally got to open my Axim and it is great. Very sleek and MUCH faster than my old ipaq. Left my CF card at work so havent been able to test MP3. My only dissapointment seems typical with MS OS systems in that if you are not a techie, then SOMETHING always seems to go wrong. Nothing major, just enough to frustrate. With that, I'll lead with my request for help.

(1) I can't seem to get avantgo to recognize my Dell. I have set up an account and performed a sync and that appears to go well. Then I go into Internet Explorer on my Dell and the only sites are the ones that were loaded originally (not ones I have selected). When I try to configure the configure my device on the Avangto page by selecting the "Configure Dvice" button (Click the button below to configure the AvantGo Connect software to communicate with the My AvantGo service), I get the following error message:

"Windows cannot access the specified path, device, or file. You may not have the appropriate permissions to access them". The blocked file appears to be C:\windows\temporary internet files\content IE5\LBFJHTWE\autoconfig[1].ma.



Anybody else figured out this problem?

UPDATE - I think I got this figured out. I had to uninstall activesync and reinstall from the Dell CD. Appears to be working now.

(2) For me an external keyboard is essential as I'm currently in school. I really like the new stowaway released for the palm but don't know if I can wait for them to release the Dell version. The one for sale by Dell appears to be similar to the current stowaway. Has anyone heard when the new stowaway will be released for PPC? Also, does anyone have the Dell keyboard and if so, please share thoughts.

UPDATE - Based on feedback, I just ordered the external KB from Dell. It's on backorder and won't ship until mid-january :twisted: , but thats OK.

(3) Any thoughts on 3rd party apps for Word/Excel. I've heard (on this forum) that the versions sold for Palm actually work BETTER when syncing between desktop and PPC. They allow you to maintain much more formatting when altering Word documents and provide better support for advanced Excel functions. I work in Finance and would really like to be able to use Pivot tables and Macros on my PPC (PT's are a MUST though I could do without macros if I had to). When writing papers for school it is really a pain to have to reformat every time a make a change on my PPC. It is also a tremendous inconvenience not to have PT functionality in Excel. This is the one area where price would not be an issue if I can find the right software.

UPDATE - Still haven't decided what to do here. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanx in advance for any help/suggestions.[/b]

[Pat Logsdon]

I have the Dell keyboard, and I also had a stowaway for my casio e125. Of the two, I prefer the Dell. Build quality seems better, and it's definitely smaller. Plus, you can charge the PDA through the keyboard, a function that the stowaway lacks.

The keys are slightly smaller than the stowaway, but it's not too bad. I touch type, and I can manage just fine.

Let me know if you have any other questions...

[shawnc]

Surgical Snack,

Thanx for the reply. This was EXACTLY the type of info I was hoping for. I'll probably wait until tomorrow to check for additional responses, but I will probably order the Dell KB tomorrow. I didn't realize that the Dell is smaller than the stowaway. That is an unexpected bonus. I do have one more question for you, how does the kb charge the pda? You don't have to plug it in do you?

Everyone else, still looking for info on 3rd party apps for word/excel and also help with avantgo.

Thanx again.

[tehoais]

you might want to check out SoftMaker's TextMaker as a replacement for Pocket Word, it's quite expensive though.

come next year, SoftMaker will be releasing TextOffice, incorporating a word processor and a spreadsheet...

can't help you there on AvantGo, switched over to Mazingo. :)

[Sven Johannsen]

Stab in the dark here. Have you right clicked Avantgo in AS, settings, select server, click properties, and made sure you have your username and password in there instead of the default one.

[TShirtMan]

I received mine a week ago and I love it. I accidently shattered the screen on my old IPAQ and had to have a new one. The Dell Axim is a little boxy but not bad. I especially like the rubber side grips and the toggle wheel on the left side. For reading, the toggle wheel is GREAT. I also like the faster speed and larger memory.

After breaking my IPAQ, I vowed NEVER to carry my PPC in my pocket again. BUT I couldn't find a case I liked at a low price.

HOWEVER, the basic case that comes with it works great. I simply put the top flap under and then over my belt and fasten it. Works great. :D

[Rirath]

HOWEVER, the basic case that comes with it works great. I simply put the top flap under and then over my belt and fasten it. Works great.

Hmm, neat trick. Never thought of that. Must say, I like the freebie case too. Sure, it's a little thick... but it's free. I accidently sat on the case (with the Axim in it) at the theater when I took off my coat, but it didn't seem to phase the case or the Axim in the slightest. Whew. :wink:

[BlueRidgeBilly]

Have had an Axim for about a week now. I enjoy it. Haven't loaded Text Maker on it but used on on my old iPaq.

:?: Is there anyway to lower the screen brightness the way the iPaq 3900 series does. I read in bed, and while the lowest setting is much dimmer than my old 3670, i would like to be able to dim it even more.

Thanks

[BoiseNative]

Is there anyway to lower the screen brightness

You can do it the hard way (Start > Settings > System > Brightness) or you can use the quick trick mentioned in the Dell quick-start guide. Press in the jog lever while you click the D-pad up (brighter) or down (dimmer).

[wm5051]

As for AvantGo -

- Make sure you downloaded the most recent version of the software from AvantGo.com and installed it on your PC and Axim.
- Confirm that the software on your PC can connect to the AvantGo Servers and that your correct username and password are listed (open AvantGo Connect on your PC to perform these tests)

If that doesn't work, let me know through a post here. There are a couple of other possible solutions.