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View Full Version : My switch from Palm to PPC


thatblokekev
06-21-2003, 08:00 PM
I know I haven't posted a great deal here but of the few posts I've made, I've been defensive of Palm and not very nice about PPC :-)

Well to cut a long story short, I've switched from Palm to PPC and I thought it might be worth nothing down why. For a while I haven't been best pleased with my Palm 515, it's not very fast, has limited funcationality and basically doesn't give much bang for the buck -- it doesn't even have sound. And I've also grown weary of endlessly converting data into the obscure formats Palm understands.

For all that, I still feel the Palm is a superior platform. It feels more robust and more mature. The reason why I changed is something I see as being not that different from the march between Windows and Apple OS. When it comes down to it, the PPC gives an awful lot more for the same money, indeed, often less money. The Palm Tungsten range is extremely expensive when compared to PPC feature for feature. Palm also seems to make incremental changes that are so small don't make upgrades distinct. I could have bought a Tungsten but I'd have the same amount of memory, the same limited expansion and the same applications.

When the PPC wins, in the way the Windows PC has become ubiquitous, isn't in its refinement but in its value. You just get so much more for your dollars and cents (or pounds and pence in my case) because the platform is being made by so many different companies, it isn't a two horse race between Sony and Palm, although both companies make nice devices the underlying products don't really offer a great deal of distinctiveness.

As an aside I did but a Sharp Zaurus 5500 but took it back. That is a boat that just doesn't float, the synchronisation is almost non-existant (it has _no_ means of syncing Notes from Outlook!!) and has no clue about how to back up to a PC on every sync. There are also very few applications, and those that there are have no desktop versions.

So for me the PPC won on a straight value test. I'm looking forward to its delivery and I'll be curious to see how well I get on with PPC.

Crystal Eitle
06-21-2003, 08:41 PM
Which Pocket PC are you getting?

thatblokekev
06-21-2003, 09:22 PM
Which Pocket PC are you getting?

I decided to get a Dell Axim X5 - I liked the MMC and CF slots, the small size, business-like appearance and the removable battery.

Kevin C. Tofel
06-21-2003, 09:48 PM
thatblokekev

I decided to get a Dell Axim X5 - I liked the MMC and CF slots, the small size, business-like appearance and the removable battery.

A wise choice my young Jedi! You will LOVE the Axim.....arguably one of the best PDA choices for the price.

I have to ask though: why not wait a few more days to see if Dell comes out with a PPC 2003 out of the box? Either way, I think you'll be happy....

KCT

thatblokekev
06-21-2003, 09:55 PM
I have to ask though: why not wait a few more days to see if Dell comes out with a PPC 2003 out of the box? Either way, I think you'll be happy....

KCT

Phew, I'm glad no one had turned around and said "you bought one of those, are you mad?! :lol: "

I could have waited but when it comes to this sort of thing I buy things based on what my needs are now, if it'll do what I need and is at the right price then I'll go for it now. As long as I have my Calender and Tasks and keep a secure list of my passwords, I'm a happy man. I work on projects rather than production systems so keeping myself organised is what's most important to me. I am _really_ looking forward to the Axim arriving!

Kevin C. Tofel
06-21-2003, 10:05 PM
Again, I think you will be happy with your Axim purchase. I too work on projects & manage a few IT teams at work. I have used a Microsoft based PDA since January of 2000 and have never regretted it. Unlike Palm you will have a native MS version of Word, Excel and Outlook.....Outlook will provide your calendar, inbox, tasks, contacts, etc....

If you are looking for 3rd party software to maintain\secure various passwords and other personal accounts (i.e.: credit cards, bank accounts, etc...) I would say the two major apps for PPC are FlexWallet and eWallet. I personally use FlexWallet, but if you do a search on this site you will find reviews of both.

Congrats again and best of luck with the Axim! I don't go ANYWHERE without mine....

KCT

Palmguy
06-22-2003, 12:49 AM
Which Pocket PC are you getting?

I decided to get a Dell Axim X5 - I liked the MMC and CF slots, the small size, business-like appearance and the removable battery.

I've never seen a Dell in person, is it small?

I've been seeing these Axim vs. iPAQ 2200 pics and they make the Axim look huge.

Just wondering though!

Pony99CA
06-22-2003, 07:46 AM
For all that, I still feel the Palm is a superior platform. It feels more robust and more mature. The reason why I changed is something I see as being not that different from the march between Windows and Apple OS. When it comes down to it, the PPC gives an awful lot more for the same money, indeed, often less money. The Palm Tungsten range is extremely expensive when compared to PPC feature for feature. Palm also seems to make incremental changes that are so small don't make upgrades distinct. I could have bought a Tungsten but I'd have the same amount of memory, the same limited expansion and the same applications.
That's interesting, because it's the same thing some people say about the Pocket PC. People are complaining that Pocket PC 2003 is just an incremental update to Pocket PC 2002, that HP isn't innovating enough in the iPAQs, that Pocket PCs are overpriced compared to Palms, that the applications that come with Pocket PCs are the same (especially regarding Pocket Word and Excel), etc.

I guess the grass is always greener. :-)

Steve

thatblokekev
06-22-2003, 09:50 AM
That's interesting, because it's the same thing some people say about the Pocket PC. People are complaining that Pocket PC 2003 is just an incremental update to Pocket PC 2002, that HP isn't innovating enough in the iPAQs, that Pocket PCs are overpriced compared to Palms, that the applications that come with Pocket PCs are the same (especially regarding Pocket Word and Excel), etc.

I guess the grass is always greener. :-)

Steve

The difference as I perceive it is in the dollar-value of the product. Neither Palm or Microsoft have come up with any revolutionary way of doing things in their latest offerings, more incremental improvements. I think with what Dell are doing with the Axims is where the main improvement will be; Dell is drastically cutting the price and even HP with the 1910 is falling this lead. There is no doubt Ipaq's have been overpriced but in defence of HP I'd say that might have something to do with the superior build quality and finish, Palm's are often not the most elegently made items.

However it isn't just the OEMs themselves: the aftermarket business I think has been better developed for PPC, there's more accessories and hardware available, less proprietary interfaces and a lot of software. Perhaps there isn't as much software as you can get for Palm but I'd say the amount of commercial software is greater?