Replacing an old friend

[55Kevy]

I wrote a couple of months ago about my aging 548. She'll be 3 years old this June and I'm seriously thinking about replacing her. I'm not a power user - I rely on her for syncing Outlook, for email connectivity when I travel (about 30% of my workdays are out of the office), ebooks, and some games. One of the things, beyond the form factor, that I really appreciate about the 548 is the CF slot. No need to lug around a sleeve/sled for additional memory and other expansion. With the addition of a stowaway keyboard, a Colorgraphic Voyager VGA card, and a Socket DPC I haven't needed to take a notebook on a business trip in almost 3 years.

For those of you who have moved on from your 548's what did you select and how happy are you with the choice compared to the 548?

TIA

Kevin

[MPSmith]

To be honest, I'd at least consider keeping her.

You seem to have a sweet setup and haven't complained about the 548, but I don't remember your post from a month ago. Why do you want to change? Is the battery and screen ok? FYI, the most common reasons to change from a 548 is that you might want:

1. a better screen in the daylight
2. a faster processor
3. more accessories

But you didn't mention any of those things. Keep mind that your stowaway keyboard probably won't work with whatever you get to replace it.

Personally I switched from a 548 to a Compaq 3635 and was pretty happy. I'll have to admit that the 548 is a great device, though. IF it works for what you use it for, you might wait until more Dell and HP devices are released later this year.

Mike

[pocketpcdude1024]

She'll be 3 years old this June and I'm seriously thinking about replacing her.
To be honest, I'd at least consider keeping her.
Personification of Pocket PCs. How interesting. I've heard of ships and cars refered to as female people ("she"; "her") but not until now have I heard the personification on Pocket PCs. 8)

[Janak Parekh]

Personification of Pocket PCs. How interesting. I've heard of ships and cars refered to as female people ("she"; "her") but not until now have I heard the personification on Pocket PCs. 8)
Ah, you've missed some interesting threads then, both here and on Brighthand. This is most definitely not the first time. :D

55Kevy, there are definitely other units with CF. You should be looking at the Axim and e740, amongst others...

--janak

[tospappy]

I had a 548 for a little over a year and then moved up to the 568. Recently the 568 died but I had a warranty which allowed me to upgrade to an Ipaq 3955, but I chose to sell the Ipaq and buy another 568. The 568 is very similar to the 548 in form factor, though I did miss the metal casing. However, the faster speed, brighter screen, and increased memory were worth giving up the metal case. Yes, there are still faster better options out there, but once you have a Jornada, it is hard to give up that form factor. You probably can find a 568 for 300 or less on eBay and all of your accessories will work fine. You can still find accessories like the mmc/battery or pc card adapter at pretty good prices at stores as they have been discontinued. Bottom line, if you want to upgrade, get a deal somewhere on a 568.

[pocketpcdude1024]

you've missed some interesting threads

Care to point me towards them? Nothing like a good, interesting thread! :D

[Wasp]

I also have an HP 568 which I really love. However, it too is an orphan and when the next major PocketPC software upgrade occurs, I will probably retire the old girl (yes personalization). The trouble is that I really like the form factor, the cover (saved my butt several times), and would want at least an SD card capability (I already have CF Cards so would prefer that). Is there anything out there or in the not-so-distant future (next 6 months to a year) that would meet my needs? 8)

[Stephen Beesley]

Count me as another former HP54x owner who upgraded to a 568. Absolutely wonderful machine. All my 54x series accessories worked with it and the extra memory, improved screen and faster processor all made for a great PDA.

Unfortunately (due to standing on the damn thing!) I am now looking for a replacement. On the one hand I am thinking of going with a new Axim bundelled with a wireless card. But, given the good deals I have seen on ebay and elsewhere I might just go with another 568!

Goldtee

[rhmorrison]

...what did you select and how happy are you with the choice compared to the 548?

Actually I upgraded directly from a 525 to a 568 but had also purchased two 548's which I had initially intended for myself and my wife but instead bought a 568 for myself and a 565 for my wife (she needs the good display for viewing images but not necessarly the extra 32 MB RAM).

In any case we have both been very happy with our 56x devices. I also purchased two StowAway keyboards and they work great. After my sister saw it she is thinking about getting one too because she doesn't want to have to lug a laptop around.

What you may not know is that the 568 comes with some additional software including the super hp image viewer and CodeWallet. I use the standard cover with no case and my wife has a leather case so doesn't have the normal cover. Mine is therefore slim and sleek but could be damaged if I ever drop it, hers is thicker and soft and stands a chance of surviving being dropped.

The backlit screen certainly isn't the best available on the market but it is a quantum leap up from the 548 screen.

[JvanEkris]

Used a 548 for 2 years. Loved it, still like to touch it's could steel :)....

Now i use a Siemens Loox. Mostly because i like a small PDA that has a jog-dial (I play a lot of MP3's). Secondly because i did not have to invest into a expension pack for my CF card.

I had a Dell for a day (review :) ), however i disliked the jog-dial, which is more of a switch, and the size (it is a bit bigger...). One thing i did like very much about the Dell is the rubber grips on the side.

Jaap