Not sure what Pocket PC to buy

[Bubblegirl]

Hi,

I own a desktop computer but would like to look at a palm or pocket PC. I am
completely confused what to buy as there are so many brands and models and I
know nothing about them. I can only say what I know for sure. I am buying a
handheld because I like to snuggle up into bed and read books (but have
allergies) so I want a handheld I can read ebooks (txt, pdf) on in bed.
Here's what I know I want for sure:

* must have keyboard - don't want to bother with touch screens
*compatible with most games and software
*can transfer between handheld and desktop
*good warranty
*can run on batteries
*can read TXT and PDF

I would appreciate any other tips or help!

S

[kellys26]

Bubblegirl,
I'm very happy with my Dell Axim. I am using it so much, it's a little scary! I am reading ebooks (mostly .lit files, which are the Microsoft Reader type), but I also have a Palm Reader so I can read those books. It syncs with my pc, so I have all my calendar and contact info in both places. I don't know if they are available down under as yet, but they will probably make their way.
I was dead-set to buy a Palm until I tried a Pocket PC. Do you have an electronics store near you, where you can go and try out the various options? That is what did it for me.
Good luck!
KellyS

ps...battery life is great, and there are a few keyboard options, which I myself haven't looked into. I like the touch screen, because the PPC has handwriting recognition, so I don't have to poke at a keyboard type screen or learn a strange writing style.

[Gallivant]

All handhelds are touchscreen dependent, even those that have a keyboard for text entry. But all also have buttons to navigate eBooks without having to ever touch the screen.

Technically, Pocket PCs (not Palms) have Adobe PDF reader available, but because PDFs are always the same size, it can be very awkward trying to read them. There's basically no way to comfortably read a PDF on anything that fits in your hand. Nevertheless, they make fantastic eBook readers; Fictionwise.com has a couple hundred of my hard-earned dollars already.

[xendula]

I've had a PPC (Ipaq 3870) for over a year now, and I absolutely love it. Palm/OS devices don't come close to my baby. I always carry tons of books around with me in MS reader format; whenever I don't have time to read something on my laptop, I turn it into an ebook (there is a free plugin for MS Word) and read it on the go. You can bookmark, highlight, add your own text notes! You never know when you get stuck somewhere and have to wait, but if you have your ppc on you, you don't need to worry about getting bored. Apart from that, it's an mp3 player, you can play games on it, or watch movies on it and software like Word, Excel, PowerPoint works on it, too.

I don't know about the other companies, but HP offers a 5-year warranty for their ipaqs. Probably even down under ?!

Gush, I sound like someone in an ad, but I really really love my ppc! :?

Oh, and as to the keyboard, .. keyboards are available for most (all?) of the devices nowadays. You might found out that you don't really need one, but always have the option of buying one. If it is not built in, it's up to you whether you carry it around or not.. you probably would not need it in bed when reading books, rrright?
I have a small one that I could attach to my ipaq, but writing with the stylus is way faster, so I never use it.

[spursdude]

but because PDFs are always the same size, it can be very awkward trying to read them.

Actually, with the software provided by Adobe, some PDF files will be automatically "reflowed" to be easier to read on the PPC. It automatically condenses the text so you only have to scroll up and down.

[Delta737]

I would say a Dell Axim or a Ipaq 3950/3970/5450 (the last one if you have a big budget). They can do all things you want pretty decent (although I don't know if the Axim already has a keyboard available)

[PPCdev]

For the budget minded, the Dell Axim 300mhz
If you have the extra money, the Dell Axim 400mhz

Either one should be a winning purchase. They havent been on the market long enough to get owner's long term feedback but reviews would indicate they are well designed and built.

Good luck

[PetiteFlower]

Dell makes a keyboard for the Axim or you can use the Pocketop keyboard with it.

[WyattEarp]

* must have keyboard - don't want to bother with touch screens
*compatible with most games and software
*can transfer between handheld and desktop
*good warranty
*can run on batteries
*can read TXT and PDF


1. Most Pocket PCs can be used with a keyboard but from what you wrote
I suggest a PPC that can have a keyboard attach to it like the iPAQs
making it one unit.

2. Games can be played on just about all PPCs.

3. All PPCs can transfer files to the desktop in many ways (ir, wifi, bt, usb,
serial) depending on which one you get. Some need added accessories.
Like using WiFi except for the iPAQ 5450 and Toshiba e740 w/WiFi built-in.

4. All PPCs have a pretty good warranty. It also depends on who you buy
it from if a return or exchange is neccessary.

5. Real world experience is what counts and my iPAQ can last me all
day depending on what I am doing (mostly reading and text input).
According to the posts so do the Dells. But none of them run on regular
batteries if that's your question. They all have a rechargeable battery,
either built-in or a proprietary changeable one.

6. All PPCs can read TXT & PDFs but so do the Palms. PPCs have a much
better screen to read from, much more storage space and can read more
types of files like Excel and Word without installing extra software like
Palms need to. (PDFs not native to either and needs Acrobat Reader
installed)

I would not go back to a Palm based on those points alone. Which was why I switched in the first place
once PPC 2K2 came into play. You may find yourself using it for much more once you get started.

Now check this out http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=12/ut=18bbd1b50626675a (Pricegrabber.com)

Word of warning double check with manufacturers site because these third party listings tend to leave out
features at times.

Good luck, pick one that you like and you won't be disappointed. :D

[PPCdev]

I had a Palm IIIxe, then I got a Palm M130 because I was attracted to the color. Then I wanted to do some neat things, being a bit more of a power user than the typical 'Joe'.

Thats when the real fun began! My 64 meg SD card took 20 seconds or more to initilize when plugged in, or even just to bring up a directory. Not all programs would install on the SD card, forcing me to eat up my precious 8 megs internal RAM. Next, not all database files could be stored on the SD card, and to make it worse some files could be stored on the SD card for read only, but not write. I found that Palm's VFS (Virtual File System) was buggy, slow and riddled with limitations that prevented me from using the extra memory as it should be.

Next, I try putting pictures on my Palm, using Fireviewer worked good, except if you want to wait 10 seconds for each image to initilize before it could be displayed. The image, even though it was 16 bit was pretty grainy, that's thanks to its 160X160 resolution.

Speaking of resolution, since the grafittie area is hogging up the bottom of my screen, I in reality have a tiny square to work with.

I finally decided to graduate from what I conclude is no better than a fancy PIM and go with something with more power.

I sold my Palm on ebay for $160, and got an Audiovox Maestro (Toshiba E570) for $179. This was the turning point in my organized life. It took some getting used to, but now that I have become WinCE/PPC fluent I have never looked back!

My Maestro has given me much greater power, flexibility and speed. The screen is larger, the file system is smooth and threaded (I run a 64 meg SD card *and* a 96 meg CF card at the same time!), performance is snappy as you could want, the screen is *huge* compared to Palm's as far as information that can be displayed, clearity is supurb, letter recognition is improved not to mention theres 4 different ways to enter text now, I can *nativly* listen to MP3 files and view JPEG images all day with no special software, with PocketTV I have some short videos that are impressive in quality and several games with graphics quality that make a GBA look like trash! Not to mention, I often use it to keep appointments, contacts and notes not to mention writing documents.

Did I mention Palm's memopad limit is 4K? I hated that! Now I go to Pocket Word and write a book if I wanted to!

Over all, Palm is like a Volkswagon Bug, and even a budget PPC is like a Porche with a trailer hooked to the back, fast and ready to haul for you!

The Tungston-T: Some thoughts here. You need *special* software to work wtih native MS files (Excel, etc..), the screen is still not as high res, still uses Palm OS with all its flaws and limitations, cant play an MPEG1 video that I know of, may still have 4K limit on memos (Dont know about the new Palm OS5, and I really dont care either..). Also, to cart one out the store will set you back $450 to $500. For the same money, I can get a PPC and 512 meg CF card, and several accessories and still have $100 left in my pocket.

These opinions are those of my own. I dont condone Palms, I just loath them, for me, personally. For many folks, its a great PIM/PDA. For my kids, they are likely best suited for the Palm where its simple and effective for keeping breif class notes and homework assignments, and a few dates and phone numbers, but thats all a Palm is really good for when you get down to brass tacks, no matter how fancy the new model is or how much you spent on it. The 'T' is a $50 Volkswagon Bug with a $450 paint job on it.

I urge everyone to investigate what features they all have, and decide what is going to be best for *you* cause we all are different!

A word of advice though, dont ever call a PocketPC a PDA or PIM and not expect some retourt! :-)