Which Pocket PC is best for internet?

[SillyString]

I was wondering which Pocket PC was best for internet. I want it to be able to pick up my universities wireless signal so I can browse any web page and have word capabilities. Thanks for your input.

Brandon 8)

[Darius Wey]

Well you'd need a Pocket PC that has WLAN capabilities. Most mid to high range devices these days have these integrated. Also, a VGA screen would definitely be great for browsing. You would get the added screen space on top of the standard QVGA (240x320) devices.

The Dell Axim X30 (High) is actually a great buy. Although it does lack a VGA screen, it does have WLAN integrated into it, and it runs WM2003SE with a separate WMP10 ROM update if you wish to embark on that path. The Dell Axim X50v has a VGA screen on the other hand, but so too does the Asus MyPal A730 and the Fujitsu-Siemens Loox 720. These are among favourites in the Pocket PC community. However, they can be a little pricey - but this depends on your budget. There are also HP's rx3000 range which you can have a look at, or if your budget is a little tight, you can even opt for the past generation of HP's devices with the h4150 or h4155. It has WLAN and Bluetooth integrated into it, but does not run WM2003SE, so you wouldnt be able to natively support landscape display. Either way, they all have Pocket Word integrated, although it's nothing "fantastic" if you're looking to do some serious document writing. For the quick, unformatted documents, it is okay, but if you're looking for something a little more functional and advanced, you should opt for something like TextMaker as a program.

[galt]

The Dell Axim X30 (High) is actually a great buy. Although it does lack a VGA screen, it does have WLAN integrated into it, and it runs WM2003SE with a separate WMP10 ROM update if you wish to embark on that path.

FYI, the X30 is now shipping with WMP10... just checked! :D

[Darius Wey]

FYI, the X30 is now shipping with WMP10... just checked! :D

Ah - thanks for the heads up. Looks like the painful ROM update may not be needed after all. ;) Not that I own the device anyway...

[Ripper014]

When you say the Asus a730... you should clearify for him that you mean the a730W... soon to be released model... the current a730 only has Bluetooth onboard... and you are missing the Toshiba e800 and e830 models... they would also fit his parameters...

[Darius Wey]

When you say the Asus a730... you should clearify for him that you mean the a730W... soon to be released model... the current a730 only has Bluetooth onboard...

Actually, I was not making reference to the fact that it did/did not include WLAN. I was making reference to a VGA screen. If you read what I wrote, it would make a little more sense. Either way, you've made it apparent to SillyString that there is a difference between the A730 and A730W in terms of WLAN capabilities. That's all that matters really. :)

and you are missing the Toshiba e800 and e830 models... they would also fit his parameters...

:bangin: I always forget about the Toshiba models for some reason. But thanks for the reminder. Actually, I've noticed you've got your eye on the e830 yourself? ;)

[Menneisyys]

When you say the Asus a730... you should clearify for him that you mean the a730W... soon to be released model... the current a730 only has Bluetooth onboard... and you are missing the Toshiba e800 and e830 models... they would also fit his parameters...

Or, get the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 720. It has a wonderful VGA screen and good Wi-Fi.

[Ripper014]

:bangin: I always forget about the Toshiba models for some reason. But thanks for the reminder. Actually, I've noticed you've got your eye on the e830 yourself? ;)

Originally if cost was no object... and availability was a simple case of walking to the nearest brick and mortar... I would have gotten a Loox 720... I feel it has the best feature set. The Asus a730 would have been my second choice... depending on how the Bluetooth stack works... and then third the Toshiba...

However... with the much lower price of the Toshiba... now $549can (est. $392us) it is hard to ignore. Though larger it offers a comparable feature set to either the Loox or Asus... and it also features a much larger battery and screen. And in rethinking it... I would want the larger screen to maximize the working space on the PocketPC. Afterall... what good is VGA if you are not going to utilize it for working situations... ie. wordprocessor... spreadsheets... pdf documents... I would love to be able to use these functions without having to scroll...

On a smaller screen I am not sure you could have it in full screen mode easily read the text... having a prettier screen would not be my reason for moving to a VGA device...

Now I just need to be able to convince myself this is the right thing to do... and the right time to do it... as a poor starving student... (not quite.. but close... ) I need to justify changing devices... my Hp2200 suits me fine... and I have all those accessories I would need to replace... starting with a keyboard and Sena case... Don't worry... next time it is bluetooth all the way... no more device specific items...

Extra new Krussell case
Extra unused battery (charged but never used)
Extra side grips
Extra CF Dummies
CF D-Link 660w Wifi card
Hp Foldable Keyboard

and everything that came in the box... don't think I opened any of it... Plus Hp replaced my device at the end of August... so it is relatively new 3-1/2 months...

It has made my nights restless... I just can not seem to make a decision on this one...

:cry: :cry: :cry:[/quote]

[SillyString]

Ok, thanks for the replies. I want a Pocket PC around $300, and I want to use it almost soley for browsing the internet wirelessly using my universities wireless internet. How good are pocket PC's for browsing the internet anyway? How can you type without using a external keyboard? Is a Pocket PC worth buying if I want to be able to browse the internet around campus? Thanks.

Brandon 8)

[SillyString]

*bump*

Brandon 8)

[zirong]

hx2410

[Jorgen]

I want a Pocket PC around $300, and I want to use it almost soley for browsing the internet wirelessly using my universities wireless internet.

Don't we all. Look at any PPC plus (unless built-in) a wi-fi card. I have for many years used a cheap Dlink DCF-660W card on my hp-548 and 568.

How good are pocket PC's for browsing the internet anyway?

- AvantGo: very good
- Pocket Internet Explorer: not particular good but there are a number of sites supporting PPC screens without VGA, eg. 240px.com, pdaportal.com, PocketPCthought (but not forums).
- Web-sites without direct support for non-VGA screens are translated, meaning that you need to scroll back and forth. Some are worse than others. More and more supports PPCs. In general, you are better off with a laptop.
- ActiveSync over wi-fi: good (but not better)
- Download ebooks from for example www.blackmask.com: good
- There is a web-browser with a subscription called Thunder-something that gives good webpage conversion but it is expensive.

I don't have a PPC with VGA (did you hear that, Father Christmas? :) ), so I don't know how good it is. I remember some VGA people complain about slowness so expect some experimentation with utility programs.

If you know what you want to read so you don't need realtime access (how new news do you really need?): You can with iSilo and iSiloX (or Plucker) on a PC convert any website to an ebook and transfer it to your PPC.

I have used Ethernet and Wi-Fi for so long that I have forgotten: you should be able to access the Internet while your machine is in the cradle and thereby test how good it is. Or am I wrong (did a quick try but could not get it to work and I don't want to mess up my settings)?

How can you type without using a external keyboard?

Easily for internet access and short notes. For lecture notes: you need a keyboard. I would recomment to write in longhand and type the notes on a PC at campus or when you get home. The extra work makes the notes stick better to your brain.

Is a Pocket PC worth buying if I want to be able to browse the internet around campus?.

All universities have easy access to PCs, so probably not. But wi-fi is fun and you can google from anywhere. Note that wi-fi uses lots of battery power.

Depending what you study: using modern tools to et access to information is a good exercise. Business students should have either wi-fi or blackbird (is that the name?) experience before they get out. Sociology students don't need it.

PPCs are not that good: you can't print documents out easily.

I have broadband with wi-fi at home. A laptop is better for internet access but - if you have the money - also being able to use a PPC is nice: it is where you are, don't need to be booted etc. Not to mention the geek-value. If money are tight: spend them on books for your study! (I taught at a university (alas without wi-fi) until I retired last year).

Jorgen

[juni]

I'm quite pleased with my hx4700. First it was a disaster because of how the scrolling is implemented with the touchpad (it scrolled link-by-link instead of using the scrollbars) but tweaks2k .net fixed that (thank you :) ) with the scrolling tweak.

VGA makes a huge difference + the device is really fast (even compared to my old 2210 which I thought was snappy).

http://www.handango.com/PlatformProductDetail.jsp?productType=2&optionId=1_2_2&jid=5C58CXCXX836CXA92AD3499DXE2DCXDE&platformId=2&siteId=1&productId=24717&sectionId=0&catalog=30&txtSearch=tweaks

[Steven Cedrone]

PocketPCthought (but not forums).

Actually, if you are a subscriber (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/subscribe.php) to 'Thoughts, the forums are optimized for reading on the small screen...

Steve

[juni]

I'm reading the forums right now wirelessly. The full PC version and not the optimized one - works just fine. :)

[frankenbike]

I've taken notes with the transcriber on my Axim, and it works acceptably. A lot of words will come out wrong, so you have to go back and edit them, but you can figure it out. A thumb keyboard might be a good backup, though in the case of Axims, they just doubled the price of the thumb keyboard to $35.