Master PPC Listing

[Oreocat]

As I have time, I've been looking into possibly upgrading to a new pocket pc due to a nonreplaceable battery on my current ppc.

However, I've discovered a small problem, and while it's *extremely* possible I've simply missed what I'm looking for, I'm having trouble finding a simple master list of ALL (preferably available) pocket pcs.

PdaBuyersGuide.com seems to be exactly what I'm looking for, but I think a few of the newer ppc's may be missing. (Again, it's very possible that I'm wrong, I haven't been keeping up with what's been released lately, so I'm not exactly sure what models are currently available, and that's the problem).

So what I'm looking for is a simple, master listing of all the pocket pc's out there.

Has anyone seen anything like this and I just missed it? Or is someone willing to create one?

I know it would be really useful for those of us who haven't been paying attention :), and are looking to upgrade, and also for new people asking "What should I get?" (Not trying to be unfriendly in *any* way, shape or form, but with a list like this, when someone asks a generic what they should get, you could simply say, go here, this is what's out there, take a look, do some research, and if you still have questions, feel free to ask... )

Anyone?

[surur]

Try here.

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/devices/pocketpc/ppc/emea.mspx

But maybe the best way would be to try and tap the collective wisdom of this community, and tell us what your requirements, priorities and budget is, and see what we recommend.

Surur

[Menneisyys]

As I have time, I've been looking into possibly upgrading to a new pocket pc due to a nonreplaceable battery on my current ppc.


BTW, there're battery kits containing all the necessary stuff (special screwdrivers etc.) to replace seemingly nonswappable batteries, in addition to the battery itself. Furthermore, if your PPC is a 36xx/37xx, these kits are around 27 US$ now that their price has plummeted. So, if youu have an old(er) iPAQ, just getting one of these kits and changing the battery on your own may be a very cost-efficient solution. (It's another question those machines are definitely not up-to-date; even the lowest-end PPCs are better than them. Except for, maybe, the iPAQ 1715, depending on your model - a 3870, with WM2003, is certainly better than the new low-end iPAQ.)

BTW, I think you shoulnd't check out plain tech specs/base your decision only on them. They don't say much about a unit's general usability, the screen quality, the REAL battery life, known bugs, the problems. Follow our forums for a couple of weeks, and you'll have an idea what to go for.

[Oreocat]

Actually, between this link and PdaBuyersGuide, this should give me a pretty decent idea as to what's out there currently. (I knew there was another HP out, a 2000 something unit, that wasn't on the buyers guide site, but didn't know what it was.)

The HP site just lists them alphabetically, instead of by OS as the the guide does, and then within that as to whether or not they're discontinued, but still, there were a few I'd never heard of (I'm sure they're older and probably discontinued, but it'll still give me more units to look at :)

Thanks for the link!

[Oreocat]

Thanks for the idea of replacing the battery, however the problem is I work 10-17 hour shifts depending on staffing, and don't always have access to a plug to recharge my 620. So I need something that has rechargeable *and* replaceable batteries. While I adore my Asus 620, it doesn't have that feature :(

I'm not basing my decision on just specs, I prefer to do much more research, and this will be my third ppc since 2002, however, if I don't know what all of the newer units out are, it's a little hard to research them in the first place :) Stupid me for not keeping track!

What I think would be preferable is a simple list, based on OS, detailing specs, whether it's discontinued or current, a few links to diffent reviews of each unit, and maybe some notations as to really good things people have found in general about the unit (ie the screen on the 620 is fantastic) or things to watch for (the back up battery warning on the Dell X5s) but the notations bit is getting a little too detailed possibly :)

[Oreocat]

What I was looking for was something along the lines of this:

Windows 2003 SE
624MHz
Dell X30 Advanced
Dell X50v (VGA)
HP iPAQ hx2750
HP iPAQ hx4700 (VGA)
HP iPAQ hx4705 (VGA)
520MHz
Asus a730 (VGA)
Asus MyPal a730w
Fujitsu Pocket Loox v70
Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 718
Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 720
HP iPAQ hx2410
Toshiba e830
400MHz
HP iPAQ rx3715
312MHz
Dell X30 Basic
Dell X30 Intermediate
HP iPAQ hx2110
300MHz
HP iPAQ rx3115
203MHz
HP iPAQ rz1710/rz1715
Windows 2003
400MHz
ASUS MyPal A620
ASUS MyPal A716
Dell Axim X3 Intermediate
Dell Axim X3i Advanced
HP iPAQ 4355
HP iPAQ 5550
300MHz
Dell Axim X3

While this didn't transfer correctly from Listpro so you could see the branches, and I don't think every new unit is represented, this is a rough idea...

Something setup like this so that you could click on the unit you're interested in, and see basic specs, and maybe some links to reviews.

[surur]

Let me save you all that trouble. There are only two units worth looking at at the moment.

1) Toshiba 830 if you want a 4 inch vga screen.
2) Loox 720 if you want a smaller 3.6 inch vga screen.

I could justify these, but not until you tell us what your main requirements and priorities are.

Surur

[Paragon]

I'll bet this will help:
http://www.pocketpcmag.com/bg04/PPCs.asp?view=all

Happy New Year!

Dave

[Oreocat]

I appreciate your opinion Surur, however since the Toshiba, as far as I understand it, is not longer being offered in America, but only in Europe, I'd prefer to stick with something newer, that is hopefully still being offered here, and that will continue to be offered here for a while longer.

And the Loox is completely out since it has a camera, and I can't have camera's where I work.

My requirement are:
1. A rechargeable, replaceable battery.
2. An excellent screen. If it wasn't for the battery issue, I'd never get rid of my 620 just due to the screen.
3. Faster than the 400MHz I have currently.
4. Small, approximately the same size as the Asus a620 since I have small hands.
5.Both cf & sd would be nice, but either is fine.
6. Up to $450 price max, and preferably under that :)

And thanks for the link, Paragon, that helps. I'll see what I can find through it :)

[Menneisyys]

I appreciate your opinion Surur, however since the Toshiba, as far as I understand it, is not longer being offered in America, but only in Europe, I'd prefer to stick with something newer, that is hopefully still being offered here, and that will continue to be offered here for a while longer.

And the Loox is completely out since it has a camera, and I can't have camera's where I work.

My requirement are:
1. A rechargeable, replaceable battery.
2. An excellent screen. If it wasn't for the battery issue, I'd never get rid of my 620 just due to the screen.
3. Faster than the 400MHz I have currently.
4. Small, approximately the same size as the Asus a620 since I have small hands.
5.Both cf & sd would be nice, but either is fine.
6. Up to $450 price max, and preferably under that :)

And thanks for the link, Paragon, that helps. I'll see what I can find through it :)

For that price, the only PPC I'd buy is the Dell Axim x50v. It's overall a great machine (apart from the 64M RAM, the lack of USB host and the not-that-saturated screen that is definitely not as vibrant as that of the 620). Check out http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=315496 and http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=35630 for more info.

[surur]

My requirement are:
1. A rechargeable, replaceable battery.
2. An excellent screen. If it wasn't for the battery issue, I'd never get rid of my 620 just due to the screen.
3. Faster than the 400MHz I have currently.
4. Small, approximately the same size as the Asus a620 since I have small hands.
5.Both cf & sd would be nice, but either is fine.
6. Up to $450 price max, and preferably under that :)


Dude, it sounds like you are getting a Dell x50v, due to

a) screen (VGA, and apparently better than any qvga screen)
b) swappable battery (and you will need the extended battery, or at least a second battery)
c) fast (624Mhz) with a video accelerator which improved video playback performance significantly
d) about the same size as the Asus
e) in your budget.

Surur

[Oreocat]

Thanks, Menneisyys, I've pretty much decided on either the X30 or the X50v... the main differences to me being price, and some comments I've heard about the X50v battery. I'll keep researching, but I'll probably end up with one of them :)

Thanks so much for the links, as well! I wasn't able to get the pictures to load the other day, all I kept getting was a page in Finnish? but when I just tried, I got through :)

Now I've got some screen comparisons to read about! :)

[Oreocat]

I agree Surer, it will probably be a Dell (my first ppc was the X5, pretty decent little unit for a beginner :)) but I just finally saw the screen comparisons of the Loox and the hP 4700, and I gotta say, that Loox has a beautiful screen and is nice and small!

Hmm, wonder if anyone at work would even *know* it had a camera...?

[surur]

What do you do? It sounds like they work you terribly hard, with 17 hour shifts. Is that even legal?

Btw, there is a Loox 718 which should be available in the next few weeks with no camera, but otherwise the same.

Surur

[Menneisyys]

Thanks so much for the links, as well! I wasn't able to get the pictures to load the other day

Problem solved - that's a freeweb provider and they were shocked by the high foreign server load of my articles; this is why they disabled it for some hours. Now everything is running OK.

[Menneisyys]

Hmm, wonder if anyone at work would even *know* it had a camera...?

Put some black tape on it ;) Or, wait for the 718.

The Loox is indeed a very good PPC, I just love it!

[Oreocat]

I work for a police communications unit, with access to all sorts of information, so it's a safety sensitive position. It's doubtful that anyone *would* actually know that I had it, but I wouldn't take that risk in any event :) I was reading up on the 720 and did see mention of the 718, which sounds perfect! Once it's out, depending on the price, I may go for it.

As for the 17 hour shifts, we normally work 10 hours, but if someone calls off sick and they can't get voluntary overtime to come in, since you're already there (and captive :)) you can get "forced" from anywhere to a few hours on up to 18 hours is the most I've heard. Happens anywhere from 1-2 times a month to weekly, just depends.

And no, I don't believe it *is* legal, but that's been pointed out to the mangement before, and nothing changes. It falls under the "We have to be staffed" rule, where you can't exactly tell the public, "Oh, sorry you were being robbed, but we didn't have enough people to answer the phones." Completely understandable, but still... makes for some really long days.

Anyway, thanks for the information, I learned a lot today, and have some new information to ponder before buying a new unit :)