545x, 1910 or wait?

[Hyperluminal]

I've been trying to decide which PDA to get, to replace my aging iPaq 3835. I want either the iPaq 545x or 1910, but I can't really decide which. Here's what I'm thinking...

The 1910 is very small and light, which I like. I'm pretty comfortable with the size of my 3835 though, so smaller isn't a must. The price is very nice.
What I don't like is that it has no wireless besides IR (not hugely important, but I would like WiFi or at least BT). It's also relatively slow at 200 MHz. I know you can overclock it, but there's supposed to be a large battery hit, like 20%, right? My main complaint however is the screen size. I know it probably had to be 3.5" to fit the overall size of the case, but I think I might be too used to 3.8" to go down.

The 545x is also very nice. The screen is excellent, especially compared to my 3835. I'd like to have WiFi, since I'll probably install that in my home soon. Bluetooth would also be helpful, as would the extra flash ROM. I have no real use for fingerprint recognition, at least not right now.
I don't like how it's bigger and heavier than my 3835, though. Also, $600 isn't as attractive a price as $300. :wink: I did pay $600 for my 3835, so I don't mind paying that much again as long as it'd be worth it.

I'm also thinking of just waiting until PPC2003 is released, in case there are better PPCs than the ones out now. Also, I wouldn't have to upgrade, if I could with these at all. And at the very least, I could save some money on one of the ones out now.

So, what do you think? :D

[PapaSmurfDan]

If I had to go to Compuka right now and buy a retail PPC, I would get the 1910. The 545x's have not really impressed me that much, and you might as well get an Axim with a 256mb SD and WiFi cards and pocket the savings. I will admit, you can't beat the 1910 for size and weight (makes my axim look huge).

However I have to ask you, is will you use your WiFi PDA elsewhere other than your home? Unless you are going to be in a place with lots of coverage, like work or a college campus (college campuses are great examples of where WiFi is the perfect solution), its just going to become an expensive toy. The same question is with BT, do you have any other BT devices? If not, are you going to get a BT adapter for your computer or other BT devices?

I do have a WiFi card for my Axim, and while I do use it, the inital spiff factor has faded. I found that more often than not, I am using my PPC out of reach of an access point. The majority of the time I use my WiFi card is to sync up AvantGo, check e-mail, catch up quickly on the news, and stream music and NPR. And if I am at home, why bother using my PPC for net access when I can walk the 20' to my room and use a computer? W?BCIC does come into play when I am nerding it out with friends, but the vast majority of the time it is quicker to use a computer.

Depending on how badly you want a new PPC, I would either get an 1910, wait to see if the 1915's are comming out soon and get that, or wait until ppc2k3/4 is announced to find out the upgrade path for current devices and see if there are any new intersting devices then.

-Dan

[Janak Parekh]

The 3835 isn't that outdated, you know. I still have a 3870, and it works great.

--janak

[Hyperluminal]

The 3835 isn't that outdated, you know. I still have a 3870, and it works great.

--janak

You're right, although I do really want a transflective screen, among other things. Also, my 3835 is kind of broken, and it's out of warranty.

If I decide not to wait, I'm starting to lean towards the 1910. Its size is very nice, and PapaSmurfDan makes a good point about WiFi. I would only use it at home. It would be convenient (especially in terms of syncing AvantGo in a hurry), but I don't know if it'd be worth it. And the 5455 is pretty big, not to mention expensive.

The only thing I'm worried about is being able to upgrade to PPC2003. If I couldn't, I'd probably be able to sell it for a good price, but I'd certainly not want to rely on that. I don't know...