Help! Should I order the Axim and send back my v35?

[carla8478]

Help, I am very new to pocket PCs and I just recently purchased the viewsonic v35. I like it very much. However, ......... I really want to get the most out of money and don't want to have to buy a new PDA in 8months because the one I have isn't expandable enough. I am seriously considering switiching to the Advanced Dell Axim. It's only about $23 more.

I'm concerned that the Viewsonic doesn't have a removable battery or a CF slot. Am I correct in understanding that you have very limited internet access options with only an SD slot? Plus, what happens if the non removable battery wears out? Do I have to replace the whole PDA?

Connection through my cell phone isn't an option, it's a Motorola v120t. And I don't think AT&T wireless even has any phones that connect to PDA's yet. I have seen the Socket digital phone cards, but they require a CF slot.

I would prefer to stay with what I have, I love how slim the Viewsonic is, but I don't know if that's a good idea. I would be willing to wait if there are new products on the horizon to where I could use the SD slot I have. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[blazingwolf]

Personally, I would ditch the V35 and pick up a Dell. With the CF slot available for things like WIFI or bluetooth you still have the SD slot for memory. The advanced seems prepped for any new OS versions they come out with since it has the 48 mb rom. Everyone really likes the screen on the V35 but IMHO I don't think there is that big of a difference. Then there is the Dell return policy. How could you go wrong?

[Janak Parekh]

I really want to get the most out of money and don't want to have to buy a new PDA in 8months because the one I have isn't expandable enough.
Hmm, this is hard to give a straight answer on. I know people (like myself) who upgrade every year or so, and I know people who still use their Palm Vx. There's no easy answer here.

I'm concerned that the Viewsonic doesn't have a removable battery or a CF slot. Am I correct in understanding that you have very limited internet access options with only an SD slot? Plus, what happens if the non removable battery wears out? Do I have to replace the whole PDA?
A CF slot gives you access to current Bluetooth and Wi-Fi cards available for PPC's. There is a SDIO Bluetooth card that's not yet compatible with the Viewsonic and an SDIO Wi-Fi card is in the works; I'd expect these to be useable in 6-12 months.

Re battery: presumably Viewsonic could "repair" the battery for some cost. The battery should last 1.5-2 years of typical usage, though.

Connection through my cell phone isn't an option, it's a Motorola v120t. And I don't think AT&T wireless even has any phones that connect to PDA's yet.
Correct, at least for the AT&T TDMA network. AT&T is rapidly rolling out GSM/GPRS for which they support data connections. These phones support data connections over Bluetooth, IR, and serial cable. The latter two would presumably work with the Viewsonic as of this moment (assuming you can find the cable if you go that route).

I have seen the Socket digital phone cards, but they require a CF slot.
They're not always necessary, though :)

I would prefer to stay with what I have, I love how slim the Viewsonic is, but I don't know if that's a good idea. I would be willing to wait if there are new products on the horizon to where I could use the SD slot I have. Any thoughts or suggestions?
There are a lot of products on the SD horizon, although CF has a lot of these now. On the other hand, dual slots are very convenient. You should go and see if you can hold an Axim and see if that's good for you; for some people, size is paramount and the Viewsonic has an advantage there.

--janak

[flipflop]

The V35 almost certainly would handle your needs if you couldn't return it, but the 400 MHz Axim for $23 more is a much better deal. Actually, you could get the 300 MHz Axim as I did, which will still handle your needs, and save $100.

Also, don't caught up in the hype about WinCE upgrades. The PPC really needs a faster memory bus, not a new OS or even faster processors. The time to upgrade your PPC will be when the new architecture (hardware) is available.

Whatever you buy today is going to be obsolete 12-18 months from now, so spending extra money for a high-end unit because it may be upgradeable doesn't make sense.