What Is The Longest You've Kept A Single Pocket PC?

[Ed Hansberry]

I was recently looking at newer Windows Mobile 2003SE devices - the Axim X50 in particular - and got to thinking about my current iPAQ 2215. I have had this device for 15 months now, which is easily a record for me. It isn't because I've ever really disliked my iPAQ 3600/3800/3900/Axim X5 as a primary device, I've always just found good reason to upgrade, though nothing yet has moved me from my 2215. What is the longest you've kept a single Pocket PC as your primary device? I don't mean for some of you how long have you owned one, or I'll go find the receipt for my Nino 320 in my closet. :wink:

[butch]

It is more : 2-3 years. (Loving that Casio Screen eh? ;-)

I had my E-115 for three years after my Nino 320 (the one with the modem, right?)... Now I'm with a 2210 since 12 months or so.

[OSUKid7]

Still using my iPaq H3870. Great PDA really...ready for a new one (hx4705 ;)) though.

[palmsolo]

I kept my Jornada 568 for about 16 months, with my next longest I think being my current MDA II at 6 months. I wanted an upgraded 568, put that didn't happen and am now thinking of getting the updated MDA III which really should meet all my WM needs.

[lisantica]

The PocketPC I've kept and used the longest (even now) is the iPaq 1930. The only upgrade I've been eyeing is the iPaq4100 series. Love the small form factor.
Lisa

[Brad Adrian]

I got a little bit embarrassed when I realized how often I "trade up," sometimes to simply get my hands on the newest little toy out there. But then I realized that by upgrading so often, it actually benefits my family members, because they usually get to use my older devices. So, my upgrading is really an unselfish act aimed at helping my family, right? Right?

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it...

[outdoor]

usually around 9 months to a year.

from Palm IIIc (Summer 2001) -> Palm m505 (Summer 2002) --> Clie NX70 (Autumn 2003) --> iPaq 4150 (Febuary 2004)



and now i'm thinking of moving to the XDA III ....... man i'm so spoiled... heh

[Brad Adrian]

The PocketPC I've kept and used the longest (even now) is the iPaq 1930. The only upgrade I've been eyeing is the iPaq4100 series. Love the small form factor.
Lisa
Not to take this off-topic or anything, but I was in the same position as you. Getting a 4100 was one of the best Pocket PC purchases I've made. You will LOVE it.

[LarDude]

For those of us who purchased the iPaq 3600's soon after it's initial release in ...whatwasit?....Spring/Summer 2000, it would've been a couple of years (at least) before the next-best-thing (iPaq 3700's?) came out. I'd have thought Ed would have been an early adopter of the 3600's, so he must've had his 3600 for more than 15 months (??)...unless he was secretly using a Palm
in between 8O

Oops. OK. Sorry, Ed. That was an uncalled for low-blow.

[Matt Kitchen]

I find my upgrades depend on whether or not i have an existance of a significant other - considering my progression has gone:

Casio e100 > Jornada 548 > Ipaq 3600 > Palm m130 > Clie NX70v > iPaq 2210 > Palm T|T3 > Dell X30

I have been in and out of love affairs ;) But now I am settled down and this darn engagement ring thing is preventing me from continuing the upgrade cycle, ah well - i'm due for a phone upgrade soon, so hopefully i'll be able to work in lucky #9.

Until then, my X30 serves me well and should last me for a few more months maybe even outlast my current record of 8 or 9 months.

OH, and P.S. - if any of this gets around to my girlfriend, I will deny every bit of it ;)

[jnunn]

I kept my beloved iPAQ 3600 with SS2 as my only device from late 2000 until summer 2004. I still charge it and it serves as my "ok, now it's really time to get up" alarm clock. One day I will probably let its battery die but I'm not ready for that yet.

Now I own the 1945 and I love it as much I loved my 3600. I had to upgrade when all the dust under the 3600 screen made it unreliable while at work. I would have to blow into the stylus hole like a harmonica to make the screen see my stylus again ... embarrassing during meetings. I also had a 4-AA battery pack that I kept under the table during meetings with an 18 inch cable to my 3600 ... the 3600 battery was shot. It was time for a change.

Truthfully, I feel like I just transferred the soul of my 3600 (i.e. gigabar, fitaly shortcuts, settings, applications) to my 1945 and then gave it even more applications to take advantage of my 512 SD card. I will save you the analogies that are running through my head ... you are probably thinking them yourself. My next PPC will be small and cool like my 1945 but have VGA, WiFi, a lot more RAM/File-Store, and a faster processor. Until then, I am very happy with my 1945.

[dean_shan]

I upgraded to the 755 after my 740's digitizer broke (I'd only have it 1.5 years). Some one had just bumped into my and it broke in my pocket. It was weird I've had much more abuse done to it. Oh well, sometimes forced upgrades are nice. Gives you justification for going out and getting a new device.

[brntcrsp]

still working on my jornada 568. while there are lots of new wizband features but I just can't bring myself to upgrade until I see a really compelling feature set - I mean I can run most apps (slowly), I have WiFi CF, stowaway kb, thumboard, PCCard + extended battery, basically the whole kit. If I had to upgrade I would be out lots of accesories.

The only features in the newer PPCs I find at all compelling are the improved IE, .Net in ROM and Improved Connection manager - but those aren't enough to force me to upgrade. Can anyone provide a compelling reason to upgrade, please? I would like to be able to justify it, but I haven't found the right reasons (besides the fact that it's new and sexy).

[johncruise]

I'm still lovin' my Casio E-200 here.... almost 3 years now! Whohoooo!

Waiting for Toshiba E830 as replacement though. I can't live without BT & built in USB host capabilities.

[Zack Mahdavi]

My first and only iPaq is 7 months old. I have usually kept my past PDAs (Palm OS) for 2 to 3 years. For some reason, I don't think my iPaq will last as long.. :? I use it so much more!

[ricksfiona]

Still using my iPaq H3870. Great PDA really...ready for a new one (hx4705 ;)) though.

Yeah, the 3870 was a nice PPC... If it had 128MB instead of 64MB, I'd still have it.

[Leon]

Just like Ed, I bought my iPAQ 3650* as soon as I could get my hands on it (demand was fairly high a the time). It is still 100% functional, but primarily used as a navigation system in connection with a Garmin Visa and TomTom, dedicated in my car. I only still sync my contact list with it, nothing else.
After two years, I bought a 3970 that I use as my primary PPC. That is, until this afternoon, when my 4705 arrives. :multi:

So, I buy a new PPC every two years, but that doesn't mean the previous ones are collecting dust.

BTW Ed, can you tell me the difference between a 3650 and a 3630? :lol:

[gandi]

Even though I still got my iPAQ 3660 (actually I granted it my Mum so she can play Solitaire) it is very worn out. Battery power lasts like half an hour or so.
However, my employer gifted me my current device (an iPAQ 3955) almost two years ago. I am still very confident with it - but I put my eyes on that iPAQ 6315 some days ago.

Only have to convince my boss that I need that one... :mrgreen:

[carphead]

Had my 2215 for 18 months now. Before that I had a 3970 for a year and a 36xx for about the same. Having said that I did use a LG Phenom for about 2 years but not as a PDA more a terminal emulator (cisco configs etc).

So I was considering a MPX but I think I'm settled on a the new ASUS or possibly the new Loox both seem to have everything I'm looking for. The main thing being it's not HP ;) after my last experience with HP IPAQ Service they're not seeing anymore of my money :(

The MPX seems less attractive with each article I read on it :(

[wocket]

I get one when I really can't help myself.

I think i've changed nearly every year. But this is the first time i've ever not been really that keen on anything thats new.

I've usually given my old pda's away to friends to try and get them into using pocket pc's and it's usually worked.

The Tosh E800 has convinced me that I don't really need to upgrade this year(watch this space) . But at the moment i'm back to using the IPAQ 2210 with a micro keyboard for typing up assignments.

[Stephen Beesley]

2-3 years. (Loving that Jornada 560 eh? ;-)

Yep that pretty much summed up my Jornada 568 experience. Bought it in June 2002 and sold it on ebay (very tough decision) in July 2004. For those two years it really did serve all my needs. In the end it was the bigger screen and built in wifi of the Toshiba e755 (plus the availability of the PocketSolutions flip screen cover for it and the low price for a refurb unit on ebay) that convinced me to jump ship.

Although I like the look of some of the new vga devices and I am pretty sure that is "the future" I think I will probably be sticking with the Toshiba for at least another year. By then who knows what will be on the market!

[Iznot Gold]

Yeah....another 3870 user...still going strong!

Cheers

David

[Snail]

I still can't see a replacement for my UX50 on the horizon, so this one might yet be the one I'll use the longest...

The shortest time I ever used a PDA was three weeks - a Palm m505... I gave it to my wife (who still uses it, but only as a contact database!)

[bnycastro]

My first ppc was a compaq iPAQ 3870 had it for a little less than a year. Then I got an hp iPAQ 2210 which I replaced with another 2210 because of the side grips thing (I got a brand new unit for free; since my unit was still in warranty)... I tide over my gadget lust with changing mobiles instead; as these are cheaper :) This year I've changed my mobile 3x I replaced my SE T68i with a Nokia 3100 and now I have a Nokia 7610, I also bought a digital camera (Panasonic SV-AV30) however I'm already feeling an itch to get a new PPC... Luckily the PPCs coming out each have something that may be lacking for me (yes... a reason to keep my current PPC) the hx4705 is really looking sweet but I was turned off by the trackpad, the hp h63xx looked great until it came out with the older OS, the HTC Blue Angel is also looking good but of course I am not sure if I would be able to get the same service/support that I get from hp if I buy an XDA or i-mate device (I don't think they even have an sales office here in Manila)... I wonder if the second generation of the 6xxx will be better... if it comes out by 2005 maybe it will be time to upgrade (I really want to try out a PPC-PE). For now my 2210 will have to do. WILL HAVE TO DO. WILL HAVE TO DO. WILL HAVE TO DO. (ok now I believe myself) :mrgreen:

[TopDog]

From 2000 to 2003 I worked as a tech consultant in PDA's. Jused to change at least 2-3 times a year. Then I had to leave, and my Axim X5 had to last for about 13 months before I changed to a Palm Tungsten|W in april this year.

Now I'm doing part time PDA consultancy again, and just got a Qtek 2020 8)

[theoak]

I was recently looking at newer Windows Mobile 2003SE devices - the Axim X50 in particular ... :wink:

HELLO! ... X50! ... DETAILS! ...

(please :))

[OSUKid7]

Yeah....another 3870 user...still going strong!Boohya! :mrgreen: So other people do still use the 3870. :lol:

[PPCMD]

I had my I700 WMPE for 16 months, but when I had Palm OS devices I switched every 9-12 months. The hx4700 that should be here today (it shipped from PCconnection.com) I feel will meet my PDA needs for some time. Great screen, memory slota and available memory on board, oh and BT plus WiFi so why will I need another upgrade other than something I can't get in the current OS.

[Fabulas]

I still have my E-100 8)

[hamishmacdonald]

People like us on this website are probably the quickest to jump into buying these new units, and I'm very happy to find myself (for once) able to easily talk myself out of buying any of this season's offerings. In the case of the HP units, I'd be having to sacrifice things to do so, which is just crazy. (Card storage in most of the models, or a schwackload of money in the case of the 47xx series.)

The only comparable devices to my 2210, it seems, are the new Asus and FS Loox models, and they're not available yet. Even with those, I don't see what the great advantage would be -- all my add-ons suddenly being useless, just for a bit more internal memory (big deal, I've got 2GB in SD and CF memory) and a crap digital camera. (I bought HP's SD one and promptly eBayed it off a week later, and I imagine that's the level of camera in any of these units.)

Nah, I'm not buying this year. Maybe by next year Orange will be offering a Pocket PC phone edition of some sort and I can get one for free.

[Ryan Joseph]

I got my first PPC two and a half years ago. Since then I've owned five devices including my current i-mate. You do the math. :wink:

I love upgrading. But it's not always just to have the newest hardware (although that's always a factor :D). I like to consider resale value, too. Since I never have the money to drop on a new device, I always have to sell my current one before upgrading.

And by upgrading every 6-9 months I ensure that my current device will still sell for close to what I paid for it. It's a great system, really. :mrgreen:

[KayMan2k]

It is more : 2-3 years. (Loving that Casio Screen eh? ;-)

I had my E-115 for three years after my Nino 320 (the one with the modem, right?)... Now I'm with a 2210 since 12 months or so.


Wow! Quite similar to myself.

3 Years: Sharp Zaurus 1MB w/ Backlight + Fax Modem
1 Month: Phillips Nino. It sucked, returned it within 30 days.
1 Year: E-105. Yes, Casio screen rocks! Awesome button placement.
2 Years: E-115 Casio Upgrade Program (PocketPC 3.0 v. 2.0)
1 Year+: iPaq 5555

[WyattEarp]

Got my first PPC (3870) in mid 2002 (switched from a Palm m505). Then about 6 months later upgraded to the 3975. Unforutunately I lost that one so that winter I bought the 5555 and haven't upgraded since. Waiting for 2005 devices and the next WM OS before I upgrade again, hopefullly :wink: . If not hx4700 or h6300 (getting tired of carrying two devices) here I come.

[The Yaz]

I've only owned two PocketPCs, a Casio E125 and an Audiovox Maestro. The Casio is used by my three kids to watch cartoons on PocketTV on long car rides. I got the Maestro on closeout 2+ years ago for $149. With my battery extender, it can do just about anything.

I've had a 3850 for a time that was given to me to help my job, but sadly I had to return it when I moved on to another opportunity.

I don't think there's any chance of me upgrading for at least another year :(

At least that's what my wife keeps saying... 8)

Steve

[Deus]

I still have my E-100 from 4 years ago which I play with once in a while.

[Perry Reed]

still working on my jornada 568. while there are lots of new wizband features but I just can't bring myself to upgrade until I see a really compelling feature set - I mean I can run most apps (slowly), I have WiFi CF, stowaway kb, thumboard, PCCard + extended battery, basically the whole kit. If I had to upgrade I would be out lots of accesories.

I've got pretty much the exact same setup with my Jornada 568, which I've had since they were first released. I still love the thing, even if the screen isn't as bright as the newer ones (or capable of VGA) and it doesn't have all of the latest OS niftiness.

I do need to replace the backup battery real soon now, though...

[rlobrecht]

I used a Caio E10 and then E11. I then switched to an Ipaq 3630. I kept that until last year when the screen broke.

[powder2000]

Got my eg-800 about a year ago on ebay brand new. I have felt the urge to change but can't justify it quite yet. Before that it was the aero 1520, toshiba e570, jornada 568, intermec model 70 (still have) and now my eg-800. I think I have a thing for the unigue ppcs. Still love the screen and built in rom storage on my eg and can't see myself getting rid of it. I also had the aero 8000 hpc and moved to the jornada 690 hpc that I got a few months ago. I really think I have an addiction to these things.

[Duncan]

I'm about to get my 14th Pocket PC (incl. the PsPC) in c. five and a half years - that's one in approx. every five months...! 8O

[Stephen Beesley]

still working on my jornada 568. while there are lots of new wizband features but I just can't bring myself to upgrade until I see a really compelling feature set - I mean I can run most apps (slowly), I have WiFi CF, stowaway kb, thumboard, PCCard + extended battery, basically the whole kit. If I had to upgrade I would be out lots of accesories.

I've got pretty much the exact same setup with my Jornada 568, which I've had since they were first released. I still love the thing, even if the screen isn't as bright as the newer ones (or capable of VGA) and it doesn't have all of the latest OS niftiness.

I do need to replace the backup battery real soon now, though...

When I finally did part with my 568, this is also pretty much the same setup I had (except instead of the extended battery I had a total of 4 (!) standard batteries). I am now slowly building up the same sort of kit for my Toshiba. Going of my Jornada experience I should just about have everything I want by the time I finally decide to move on in a year or two :D

[yawanag]

I entered the PPC world with the Jornada 540. Was in awe of it until T-Mobile came out with the all-in-one device. Memory was a problem, initially, because I was forever deleting something so I could install something else. Had it close to 2 years. Then after the upgrade to WM 2003, the T-Mobile was nothing but a phone.

In search of more memory, I chose the I-mate. The digital camera was a plus. Thought I wouldn't use it, but now I wonder how I ever lived without it. I probably will have this longer because if I continue with the minimum payment I'll be forever paying it off. I was fortunate to get a $250 rebate with my Jornada. No such luck with the I-mate.

I keep the Jornada and the T-Mobile charged for a backup; T-Mobile for the phone and the Jornada for the programs and ebooks.

[baker]

Had a Toshiba e310 for 18 months. It started going wacky and Toshiba wanted $150 to repair. We parted ways and my kids keep it plugged up to use it for games. Have an HP 4155 now and wonder why I didn't buy a better unit the first time.

[MkH]

I got my Jornada 548 four years ago in January and still use it daily. It's built the way a PPC should be built. I always carry it around in the hip pocket of my jeans. The thing's built like a battleship. I'm looking forward to the new Asus a730w, it should be quit a step up. I will wait for the reviews and comparisons because I expect my choice to last me several years. I don't think I will consider anything with a 4" display because it would be larger than my Jornada already is. I also hate the idea of a cheap, low mega pixel, camera being any part of a PPC.

I doubt I will consider a new HP because of their cheap docking connector in the base of the unit. It's a flimsy card edge connector on a 15 or 20 Mil PCBA. I expect it to break. I walk into stores and jostle the things around in their docking cradel just to see if I can break them. And you wonder why their display model don't work sometimes. Why don't we hear anything about the docking cradles in the reviews of PPC's!! I mean look how weak the connection is between the HP 415x or the HP 435x and its docking cradle. The connection is a little more posative on the new line of HP PPC but they still employ the use of the flimsy card edge connector. I think this all came about from HP's buying of Compaq and letting them do the PPC development. I would have rather seen them come out with their 57x series of PPC's It's getting better from design to design but they still has a ways to go. They also need to get rid of the Ipaq name.

[azhiker]

I am still using the much maligned but at the time stylish Toshiba E-310 for two years now. Got it for just over $300 then which inlcuded a 32Meg SD card. While I have to load a lot onto my 256 Meg SD card it does what it is suppsed to do. It is still porbably the thinnest of the PPC's available and if it would take a wifi card I would hold onto it. :wink:

But will replace it if the latest VGA with wifi PPC's lower in price. Perhaps the Dell X50???

[Jonathan1]

The longest I've had one Pocket PC is the one I'm currently on. My Jornada 568. To date I'm sorry to say neither the OS nor the hardware has been inspirational enough to motivate me to upgrade. In fact PPC 2003 is decidedly less attractive then 2002 simply because of the alarm issues. Honestly I don't care about Pocket Word or Excel (Both are useless versions to me.) I don't care about Inbox (Its crappy to begin with.) I like Palm Reader over MS Reader. I use a VNC setup off an alternate port to remote control my system. And Pocket Informant is the only PIM software I use. So at the end of the day I'm more concerned about new and improved features of the OS rather then the bundleware (Now if MS would actually update their bundleware to make it functional that's a different matter.)

Second Edition has become more compelling with the advent of VGA and landscape support. These two features alone are enough to tempt me. Couple that with the new hardware Dell, Asus, and HP's 4705 and I'm all but convinced that sometime this fall I'll be picking up a new Pocket PC. I've boiled the contestants down to:
Dell X50
iPaq 4705

[wbuch]

Hehe...I love the comment on "2-3 years. (Loving that Jornada 560 eh? ;-)"...that's exactly what I have (well, a Jornada 568), which I've had for about 2 yrs 10 months.

[Mark Johnson]

I am still using the much maligned but at the time stylish Toshiba E-310 for two years now.

I loved my e310 for the four months I had it. It was so much smaller than my previous 568. Then at Christmas 2002 the 1910 arrived and it was awsome! For me "it's all about the small" and that's as small as the PPC has gotten. Since then it's just been a holding pattern waiting for VGA to get into the same form-factor. Unless the x50 is close to the pocketablilty of the 1910, it looks like I'll be waiting awhile...

[cmonkey]

I'm still using my Ipaq 3650 that I bought for $250 when I was in 9th grade (2001, I think). I switched back and forth between ppc2000, ppc2002, and familiar linux several times, but I haven't found the need to buy a new Pocket PC yet. It still plays mp3s, avi's, new games, etc. The only problem is the battery has worn down to near nothing. I guess I'll get a new Pocket PC when there is a good, cheap VGA ppc with a CF slot and Wifi. (hopefully Dell does it right with the x50)

[BobWitt]

Started with the HPCs Velo1, 500 HP 680 - those OT... Then...

Compaq Aero 1200 & Pocket PC upgrade 7/00
Casio EM-500 - 12/00 (still have - MoBo dead)
HP Jornada 568 - 4/02
HP iPAQ 4150 - 12/03

The Aero was test of the water…

The Casio would still be in use if it worked - something wrong with the MoBo (good screen though!)...

The Jornada 568 was a great machine, purchased the day I broke the screen on the Casio (repaired later) but the digitizer started to die - the CompUSA Technology Warrantee moved me to the 4150 and a gift card (refund of full price of the 568)…

Although I wouldn't have purchased the 4150 at that time - It is a truly great machine…

Who knows what is next - until I can get the 4150 size - WiFi, BT + VGA I don't think I'm in the market…

BobWitt

[DragonMan]

The longest I've had a Pocket PC? About 9 months, longest PDA? About 1 1/2 years, then I won the iPAQ 38xx (forget exact model)... 6 months later, it developed a screen problem and when I sent it in, Compaq informed me

"The Pocket PC is not intended to be carried in your pocket" so we are not covering the screen problem (hairline crack in corner of screen, killing 1/2 of the screen over a matter of a day) - I fought with them and they finally agreed to fix it. (The screen was perfect otherwise, no scratches or visable wear)

That one lasted about 6 months... (it failed again) so I upgraded to a MiTac DigiWalker 558 and got the WiFi (nearly useless, due to power requirements and how dang hard it is to get the stupid OS to configure it right) and CF/Sd card slots... I used that for maybe another 8 months before the battery developed problems... Now it won't even keep running long enough to do a restore from ActiveSync.... Need to send it back..

Oh, and if you use the CF card it slooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwws down the Pocket PC OS a whole lot... The unit became useless because of the memory usage - something I'd never seen with a Palm. (I had a Palm III and Handspring (the best PDA I've ever used - looking at going back to it)

I only went with the Pocket PC because I could run .NET on it and develop apps "using the same framework as the PC" (Crock of **** Microsoft spews out.. It uses a stripped down version, that has very little in the way of features..)


So, yeah, I've used one for 9 months, the last 3 of which were shear heck..

Why don't they get their head out of their butt and design the units so they have their RAM and load everything they need to execute from the CF - allowing for a hibernate to CF so the Dang batteries LAST... I *SHOULD* be able to turn the unit off for a few MONTHS and turn it on and have it still have it's data, and still have a good charge. When the unit is off, what does it really need? Just enough power to run an alarm to wake it up at the point where the next alarm is set - a watch can run over a year on a dribble of power, with a battery the size of my PPC had, it should be able to run for the next 100 years or longer... And save off everything to Flash - sure you might have to spend 30 seconds to power it down that way.. But then you won't lose everything - which I've done 20 to 30 times with my PPC, and twice with my Palm (and I had a backup module, which I used to restore everything when I swapped out the batteries - another great idea, AAA batteries - Yeah!! I can buy them almost anywhere and they cost nearly nothing - compared to getting a 2nd battery for my iPaq - only needs to be disassembled to replace it... (or made 2X larger with the other pack thing..)


Oh, well, I hope that MS someday dumps the Windows CE crud they gave to the world... Why didn't they just keep the UI and dump everything else and end up with a good embedded OS? That didn't require massive RAM, massive storage (ROM), and supermassive CPU to run the stupid thing...

Please, if someone has access to the source code for Windows CE, can you delete it? (Only way that they would actually dump the product - sigh..)

-Just my thoughts...

Oh, and how long would I *like* to keep a PDA - years... (By the way, my palm III failed in about 1 year too - but then, it was dropped on a tile floor and it's screen got cracked.. Smash!)

[Cybrid]

Started with a Casio-100 and then the e-125 which I still have some 4 years? later...My main unit is the Dell X5 which is 18months old

[russpetrone]

:( I've been using an iPAQ 3870 for about 2.5 years, but am itching to make a change. It's going to either be a Dell x50v or another iPAQ, most likely the hx47xx. It's only a matter of time!!

[Ryk]

I got most of y'all beat. Until a few months ago when I broke down and upgraded to an Axim X30, I'd been using a Casio E-100 since they started shipping - May 1999.

I doubt I'd have even upgraded except one time I put the ol' E-100 down on a table at a meeting and the CIO recoiled in horror - "What's that??"

Ryk