I am in the market for a new PDA but.....

[jawjuh]

It seems due to what I need it for:
-GPS for car travel
-Getting email and internet
-2 year life span
-other stuff I think they all can do

People are leaning me to the Ipaq 5455. But I read the boards and they are full of problems with the IPAQ. Scaring me off. With all the problems why spend that much money? I was leaning to the Dell and was talked out of that because of version 1, some problems with that too although much cheaper, much cheaper materials too and maybe not as rugged.
SOMEONE HELP MEEEE!!!!!!!! :-) :D

[pocketpcdude1024]

OK dude, calm down! Personally, I don't have a 5450, but I do know that the iPAQ is a good choice. What kind of "problems" did you find that it supposedly had?

[dh]

A possible solution, if you can wait a few months, is the Garmin IQue device.

This is a Palm OS5 device with embedded GPS. It's the first Palm to have more than 16mb of memory (32mb) and also has built in BlueTooth to connect you to the internet via your cellphone.

It's due to be on the market in April.

I've been looking at making the switch to PPC, probably the 5450, but the IQue is making me wonder if I should wait a bit.

By the way, I'm not concerned with "problems" with the 5450. I know several people who have them and they are delighted with the quality and the features. The Dell Axim is a good alternative if you want to save some money. You'll need to buy seperate Bluetooth or 802.11b cards to get connected though.

[pocketpcdude1024]

He actually started another thread with his intentions for the device:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8083

and I believe that the Palm OS isn't powerful enough to do everything he needs to do. The iPAQ 5450 is the best choice on the market right now.

[Roosterman]

I will start out saying I am biased, I bought a Dell. It is an excellent unit no matter the price. Like any computer unit, some have problems. Like any computer unit, the vast majority are perfect. As I have told many people, it is not if I have trouble with a computer but when you have trouble with a computer who is standing behind it. I would think you can't go wrong with either Dell or HP. The question comes down to how much do you want built into the unit and how much are you willing to do with addons? Builtins add to the possiblity of problems with the unit. The more complexity the greater the likely hood of a problem. On the reverse, the more addons the more you have to cart around with you.

I dont' think you need to worry about the ruggedness of Dell. I have read several posts of people dropping them and they keep on working. One guy dropped it from about 6 feet onto concrete. Also there are some very rugged cases available for both units.

In my book, the most important aspect is value. For the price of the HP, you can buy all the addons you need plus major amounts of memory for the Dell which would put it over the top in my book :D .

Good luck in your quest.

[dh]

He actually started another thread with his intentions for the device:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8083

and I believe that the Palm OS isn't powerful enough to do everything he needs to do. The iPAQ 5450 is the best choice on the market right now.

After looking at the other thread, I have to agree with you 100%.

The price of the 5450 can be justified by the number of tasks it can get done in this case.

[Traveller]

The one thing that may be overlooked is the size of the screen. The larger 3.8" screen on the iPaqs makes a big difference to me. Also the auto backlight sensor makes using the iPaq 3 and 5000 series a bit more convenient. I borrowed my friend's Dell Axim and granted, though it had a TFT screen, I couln't get used to the smaller size and that I had to manually re-adjust the backlight depending on the lighting situation I was in.

I'm just waiting for the 4 inch screens to come out...

[PetiteFlower]

I like my Dell a lot. I can't imagine how .3" could make that much of a difference in screen size, but I guess it's all in what you're used to....using a 15" monitor now that I'm used to a 17" really sucks! At any rate, it certainly seems very sturdy to me and I've never known Dell to use second rate materials for anything!

Someone mentioned using Bluetooth to get a PDA online with a Cell Phone....can that be done??? How? I have Sprint Vision so I get unlimited wireless web but no one has been able to tell me a way to use the phone to get the PDA online.

[Traveller]

I thought the same, but .3" does make a difference to me.

However, had I never seen one, the 3.5" screens would have been fine. The Dell Axim is a great PDA and it's the one I recommend to people who are just getting into PDAs or are making the switchfrom Palms. But I'd recommend the iPaq to those with particular needs and more discretionary money to spend.

I can't imagine how .3" could make that much of a difference in screen size, but I guess it's all in what you're used to....using a 15" monitor now that I'm used to a 17" really sucks!

[Traveller]

Someone mentioned using Bluetooth to get a PDA online with a Cell Phone....can that be done??? How? I have Sprint Vision so I get unlimited wireless web but no one has been able to tell me a way to use the phone to get the PDA online.

You'll need a Bluetooth wireless card (probably a compact flash card type for your Dell and a Bluetooth capable cell phone. You'll probably want to also get a high capacity battery for the Dell for the added power drain from the wireless card.

[PetiteFlower]

Bluetooth capable cell phone....ok how do I find out about that? I just bought a new cell phone(old one died) so if I got one that's not I guess I'm SOL! I have an LG 5350, if anyone knows :)

[jawjuh]

Is it better to have it embedded in the device? or a card? The reason I'm asking is if the standard changes or gets upgraded, I would hate to be stuck with the old standard. Does that make sense?