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View Full Version : PPC Stability/Speed?


maniladude
12-02-2004, 04:06 AM
Hey all,

In my quest to organize my life, I'm debating the Pocket PC's advantages over the Palm OS, especially as a first PDA. PPC's most certainly have the edge in features (I'm especially attracted to the Dell Axim X50 Advanced), but I'm not sure how stable or convenient the OS is, especially compared to the (so I understand) rock-solid, no-lag Palm OS.

I hear frequent stories of crashes, hard resets and laggy performance on Pocket PCs; then again, I hear the Tungsten T5 is experiencing similar OS woes.. How do they compare in terms of performance and usability?

Is it reasonable to expect to, say, open up a Notepad or similar application as quickly as one would pull out a real-paper notepad to quickly jot down notes on, or to open up a Word file for instant reference, on either OS?

Thanks!

felixdd
12-02-2004, 04:38 AM
I soft reset mine maybe once a month...and that's because I'm a power user and pushed the PPC too hard...so it tries to do everything I tell it to, only I end up changing my mind and instead of letting it finish, I reset.

So bottom line -- stability is rock solid. Daresay, more stable than XP. Just as stable as a mac.

Darius Wey
12-02-2004, 04:54 AM
In my quest to organize my life, I'm debating the Pocket PC's advantages over the Palm OS, especially as a first PDA. PPC's most certainly have the edge in features (I'm especially attracted to the Dell Axim X50 Advanced), but I'm not sure how stable or convenient the OS is, especially compared to the (so I understand) rock-solid, no-lag Palm OS.

It is certainly stable and faster than ever before.

I hear frequent stories of crashes, hard resets and laggy performance on Pocket PCs; then again, I hear the Tungsten T5 is experiencing similar OS woes.. How do they compare in terms of performance and usability?

These problems commonly occur because of dodgy programs, or messed up settings. Otherwise, stability is solid and you need not worry about much laggy performance, or things like that. I'm biased when I say this, but I certainly prefer Pocket PC over Palm any day. ;)

Is it reasonable to expect to, say, open up a Notepad or similar application as quickly as one would pull out a real-paper notepad to quickly jot down notes on, or to open up a Word file for instant reference, on either OS?

Opening an application is pretty much "instant" - so you can say it is "faster" than pulling out an actual notepad. But having said that, I wouldn't treat a Pocket PC as a replacement to your normal pen-and-paper lifestyle. It should be treated as a complement instead. And having said all that, it's great to have a Pocket PC to manage your PIM and have documents on-hand to access at any time. Wireless mobility is also a bonus if you're looking to tap onto a WLAN hot-spot for quick internet access.

emuelle1
12-02-2004, 06:36 PM
I greatly enjoy my Pocket PC. Stability isn't perfect, but I'd say it's pretty good. I prefer PPC to Palm. Palm, though they have some new stuff, seems like they're stuck in 1995 and have long since been passed by. I have mostly given up fighting against Microsoft since I realized that nobody else offers a comperable platform that, though far from perfect, is pretty far reaching.

I'm able to bring my home email with me, documents and spreadsheets, Avantgo subscriptions, and so on. I can also carry media files. There are endless possiblities. I realized this morning how good the PIM can be. I started a new job last week, and after syncing my Pocket PC with my computer here, I was able to pull up Outlook items from my previous job on this computer.

There are plenty of applications for it, both free and paid. I tend to stick to the freeware as much as I can. I'm afraid to do software trials because then I might like the program and decide I can't live without it and my wife most likely won't agree.

I recommend Pocket PC over Palm.

Kowalski
12-02-2004, 07:34 PM
the stability issue depends on the device and a little bit by chance, i am using my device more than one a year and i only "had to" soft reset a couple of times