GETTING STARTED

[31k]

Hey everyone. Cool board!

I'm just getting into the Pocket PC world (I'm slow, I know!).....and I need some suggestions.

I need 4 main things from a Pocket PC.
1) MSN Messenger functionality
-With this, I need a keyboard that is already attached....no ad-ons.
2) MP3 capability.
-I need (well, okay....want - haha) to be able to upload my MP3's and listen on the go.
3) Digital camera capability built in. I don't want an attachment.
4) Video capture capability.
-I need built in camera capability b/c we go out on job sites and need to capture pictures and/or video for job progression files. I know the quality won't be as good as w/ a regular digi cam, but that's cool.

Any suggestions you might have would help TONS!

Also.....people I know say Palm is crap. I found a Palm that has everything I need....but am hesitant b/c of their opinions. Why is Palm considered to be crap as opposed to a windows-based Pocket PC?

Thanks!

[31k]

Wow! Thanks for all of the advice!

[Darius Wey]

Wow! Thanks for all of the advice!

31k, welcome to Pocket PC Thoughts. Not everyone can respond straight away so you do need to be a bit more patient, if possible. ;)

In response to your questions:
(1) MSN Messenger is built-in to all new Pocket PCs. If you want a Pocket PC with a keyboard, you have a few options. You can look at a slide-out keyboard (models which feature this include the i-mate PDA2K) or a non-movable keyboard (models which feature this include the HP iPAQ hw6500 Mobile Messenger series, the BenQ P50 and so on). But keep in mind that almost all Pocket PCs can have keyboard functionality with the help of a portable keyboard add-on (most are in the form of a Bluetooth keyboard, although there are a few other oddities out there such as a virtual keyboard).
(2) MP3 capability is also built-in since all Pocket PCs now have Windows Media Player. Other players such as Pocket Player, GSPlayer, PocketMusic, and BetaPlayer (which can also handle DivX if you're interested) exist. These can simply be installed and uninstalled at your own free will. The best thing to do would be to stick your MP3s on a memory card. If you have the new Windows Media Player 10 Mobile, then you can synchronise your music with Windows Media Player on the desktop.
(3 and 4) Well, based on the aforementioned criteria, it appears as though the i-mate PDA2K (also known as the HTC Blue Angel, XDA III, MDA III, or Qtek 9090) is what you want. However, I'd also give the HTC Universal (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40424) (also known as the MDA IV) a decent lookover since it will feature the latest Windows Mobile 5.0 platform while the PDA2K will not. You may also want to wait to see what else HTC brings out. The upcoming HTC Wizard (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40451) looks promising. Note that the devices I have mentioned so far all happen to have phone functionality as well.

With regard to your Palm question, you may want to read the following threads for a bit of an insight into the Palm vs. Pocket PC debate:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40384
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40336
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=39950
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=40317
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37546