upplepop
10-27-2004, 07:08 PM
Not too long ago I put down my $500 for a Axim X50v and it should be coming in a few weeks. Yeah, it is a bit expensive. Yeah, I could buy a cheap laptop for just a bit more... but I figured it is about time to upgrade from my Axim X5.
It seems to be quite the upgrade. I am more than doubling the CPU (I have the 300MHz model), double the RAM and ROM, moving up a few OS versions (I'm still using 2002), VGA, graphics accelerator, larger screen, smaller size, Bluetooth, WiFi... wowee! :drool:
But... do I really need it?
I've started thinking about what I use my PDA for, and I don't think that my PDA experience will be that much more improved after buying the X50v. I mean, take a look at what I do with my PPC:
PIM Functions: Stuff like contacts, calendar, tasks, eWallet, tracking bank accounts, etc. are going to be pretty much the same no matter how good your PPC is. That stuff really doesn't need much power to run.
eBooks: Well, a big VGA screen may make reading eBooks a bit better, but not that much. I'm doing just fine with my X5.
Games: I'll admit, I would really like to be able to play SNES games on my PPC, but the controls on PDAs simply are not made to play games that rely on heavy use of the joypad & buttons. Besides, IMHO the best games for the PDA are those simple little games (Bejeweled, Solitare, Chess, Snails, etc.) that can be played for a few minutes while you are standing in line, traveling, or whatever. When I want to do some serious gaming, I'll go to my powerful desktop computer with the graphics card and large monitor. Besides, even some of the more graphic-intensive PPC games like Age of Empries and Sim City play fine on my PPC (although it doesn't handle some of the new 3D games like Anthelion or Interstellar Flames)
Media: I am able to play mp3s just fine. And video files are playable after converting them with PocketDivXEncoder (http://divx.ppccool.com). Video quality is not very important with I'm viewing it on a 3.5" screen.
Internet: This is where my PPC really struggles. It doesn't have WiFi and it renders websites very slowly. At first I was excited about getting WiFi; now I can sit on my couch and surf the net! However, due to limitiation of PIE and the screen size, I don't really see the PPC as being terribly useful beyond visiting news sites and, of course, PocketPCThoughts! AvantGo handles the retrieval of most of the Internet information that I need (news, movie times, TV listings, weather, etc.) and it doesn't require a WiFi connection. Any heavy surfing I do (multiple windows, downloading files, saving web pages) I shudder thinking about doing on a PDA. Again, I'll just use my desktop PC.
Bluetooth: I don't use Bluetooth. My old cell phone makes calls just as good as your fancy Bluetooth-enabled phone. I never really understood people's facination with ring-tones, color screens, crappy integraded cameras, Internet access, and games--that's what my PDA is for! Also, it's no big deal cradling my PPC to sync it.
VGA: Those new screens look nice. I played around with the iPaq hx4700 at the local CompUSA and that screen was jaw-droppingly beautiful. However, they don't add much in terms of functionality. Web-surfing may be easier, but I don't do much of that. Also, Microsoft is simply not taking advantage of VGA in their software.
RAM: I install almost all of my applications to my SD card. I've been getting along just fine with 32MB. I occasionally get programs that say I don't have enough memory, but I simply close everything with Dell's Switcher Bar utility and I'm good to go.
So while the new PPCs are nice, I don't believe they offer much more over my current device in terms of functionality. I am seriously considering cancelling the X50v order and buying a new X5 battery instead (it doesn't last as long as it used to!).
I would love to get others' opinion on this. For those of you who are getting a new device, will it be able to do a lot more than your current device? Am I not considering all of the advantages of upgrading? Am I just a loser who is not taking full advantage of my PDA :)?
It seems to be quite the upgrade. I am more than doubling the CPU (I have the 300MHz model), double the RAM and ROM, moving up a few OS versions (I'm still using 2002), VGA, graphics accelerator, larger screen, smaller size, Bluetooth, WiFi... wowee! :drool:
But... do I really need it?
I've started thinking about what I use my PDA for, and I don't think that my PDA experience will be that much more improved after buying the X50v. I mean, take a look at what I do with my PPC:
PIM Functions: Stuff like contacts, calendar, tasks, eWallet, tracking bank accounts, etc. are going to be pretty much the same no matter how good your PPC is. That stuff really doesn't need much power to run.
eBooks: Well, a big VGA screen may make reading eBooks a bit better, but not that much. I'm doing just fine with my X5.
Games: I'll admit, I would really like to be able to play SNES games on my PPC, but the controls on PDAs simply are not made to play games that rely on heavy use of the joypad & buttons. Besides, IMHO the best games for the PDA are those simple little games (Bejeweled, Solitare, Chess, Snails, etc.) that can be played for a few minutes while you are standing in line, traveling, or whatever. When I want to do some serious gaming, I'll go to my powerful desktop computer with the graphics card and large monitor. Besides, even some of the more graphic-intensive PPC games like Age of Empries and Sim City play fine on my PPC (although it doesn't handle some of the new 3D games like Anthelion or Interstellar Flames)
Media: I am able to play mp3s just fine. And video files are playable after converting them with PocketDivXEncoder (http://divx.ppccool.com). Video quality is not very important with I'm viewing it on a 3.5" screen.
Internet: This is where my PPC really struggles. It doesn't have WiFi and it renders websites very slowly. At first I was excited about getting WiFi; now I can sit on my couch and surf the net! However, due to limitiation of PIE and the screen size, I don't really see the PPC as being terribly useful beyond visiting news sites and, of course, PocketPCThoughts! AvantGo handles the retrieval of most of the Internet information that I need (news, movie times, TV listings, weather, etc.) and it doesn't require a WiFi connection. Any heavy surfing I do (multiple windows, downloading files, saving web pages) I shudder thinking about doing on a PDA. Again, I'll just use my desktop PC.
Bluetooth: I don't use Bluetooth. My old cell phone makes calls just as good as your fancy Bluetooth-enabled phone. I never really understood people's facination with ring-tones, color screens, crappy integraded cameras, Internet access, and games--that's what my PDA is for! Also, it's no big deal cradling my PPC to sync it.
VGA: Those new screens look nice. I played around with the iPaq hx4700 at the local CompUSA and that screen was jaw-droppingly beautiful. However, they don't add much in terms of functionality. Web-surfing may be easier, but I don't do much of that. Also, Microsoft is simply not taking advantage of VGA in their software.
RAM: I install almost all of my applications to my SD card. I've been getting along just fine with 32MB. I occasionally get programs that say I don't have enough memory, but I simply close everything with Dell's Switcher Bar utility and I'm good to go.
So while the new PPCs are nice, I don't believe they offer much more over my current device in terms of functionality. I am seriously considering cancelling the X50v order and buying a new X5 battery instead (it doesn't last as long as it used to!).
I would love to get others' opinion on this. For those of you who are getting a new device, will it be able to do a lot more than your current device? Am I not considering all of the advantages of upgrading? Am I just a loser who is not taking full advantage of my PDA :)?