New too Pocket PC's

[kiekelly]

Hi,

I'm thinking about Buying a Pocket PC and just wanted to find out a bit more of what there capable of and what to look for when buying... I'd probably go for one that's has SAT NAV ....

Ok I have a few questions:

1) does WIRELESS mean I can join a wireless network and surf the internet anywhere?

2) I'm a graphic artist, are they any Graphic programs for a Pocket PC similar like a Photoshop Lite package ? or Paint Shop Pro?

3) can you connect a Mouse

4) can you connect a portable Keyboard

5) what is considered to be a fairly Decent Spec ? ie Processsor and RAM

6) what should I look for in a product?who tends to make the better PDA's

7) any Brands/products/features I Should avoid?

Thanks

Kie

[Duncan]

Hi,

I'm thinking about Buying a Pocket PC and just wanted to find out a bit more of what there capable of and what to look for when buying... I'd probably go for one that's has SAT NAV ....

There are several of those - if you are in Europe I would recommend you consider the upcoming Pocket Loox N560 - which will be the first and only PPC with GPS built-in and VGA (640x480) screen.

Ok I have a few questions:

1) does WIRELESS mean I can join a wireless network and surf the internet anywhere?

There are four types of wireless a Pocket PC can have:

InfraRed - allows data connection with IR ports on phones and laptops etc. and also can allow you to use your PPC as a rmote controls

Bluetooth - this is a short range cable replavement technology and can allow you to sync your PPC with a Bluetooth enabled PPC or connect your PPC to a Bluetooth enabled mobile phone (which means you can use your phone's data connection to surf the internet). Bluetooth can also be used to connect to keyboards, mice and even stereo headphones - depending on the PPC in question and what it supports.

WiFi - this will enable you to connect to any WiFi network just as you can with a WiFi enabled laptop.

GPRS/CDMA/UMTS/EDGE - built-in mobile phone capability that enables data connections anywhere there is a phone network.

2) I'm a graphic artist, are they any Graphic programs for a Pocket PC similar like a Photoshop Lite package ? or Paint Shop Pro?

Try Pocket Artist: http://www.conduits.com/products/artist/

That is by far the best graphics program for the PPC. A PPC with a really decent VGA screen (one with good contrast and colours) would be a good idea. Something like the HP iPAQ hx4700 or FSC Pocket Loox 720.

3) can you connect a Mouse

Yes. Either a Bluetooth mouse (see: http://www.thinkoutside.com/products/msbtue/btmouse_product.html) with a BT enabled PPC - or - buy a PPC with USB host (such as the VGA - 640x480 - screened Acer n311 or Pocket Loox 720 or Pocket Loox N560 or Asus a730 or the QVGA - 240x320 pixel - screened Asus a636) which will enable you to use a standard mouse.

4) can you connect a portable Keyboard

See what I said about mice - the same applies. ThinkOutside (among others) provide folding full sized keyboards that work with IR or Bluetooth or USB.

5) what is considered to be a fairly Decent Spec ? ie Processsor and RAM

For an up-to-date PPC with Windows Mobile 5.0 OS:

Processor - minimum of 520Mhz - maximum of 624Mhz (or - in the case of the Samsung processor in the Acer n311 - 400Mhz).
ROM - minimum of 128MB (only the Dell Axim X51v provides more - 256MB ROM).
RAM - all come with 64MB RAM.
VGA screen (640x480 pixels). Bluetooth and WiFi built-in.

You can get USB host (see above for list) on some models. GPS built-in on some. Mobile telephony built-in on some. On one model only you can get built-in VGA out (for connecting to a TV/projector/monitor) and graphics processor (the Dell Axim X51v).

6) what should I look for in a product?who tends to make the better PDA's

That's a loaded question - everyone has an opnion on this...! Dell, HP, Fujitsu-Siemens, Asus, Acer are the main brands - with HTC providing phone enabled PPCs for many mobile phone companies. Not including the phone enabled models the most powerful PPCs are those compared here: www.firstloox.org/VGAppc.htm - the top end VGA screened models.

[eAi]

Hi,

I'm thinking about Buying a Pocket PC and just wanted to find out a bit more of what there capable of and what to look for when buying... I'd probably go for one that's has SAT NAV ....

Ok I have a few questions:

1) does WIRELESS mean I can join a wireless network and surf the internet anywhere?
No, it means you can connect where there are public wireless acess points or where you have the password for a private one. This means that in practice you can 'borrow' people wireless internet that is unpassworded in many places, but coverage is hardly 'anywhere'. If you have bluetooth you can connect to a bluetooth mobile phone and use that, which has better coverage but certainly isn't cheap

2) I'm a graphic artist, are they any Graphic programs for a Pocket PC similar like a Photoshop Lite package ? or Paint Shop Pro?
Theres a few programs, but none that I've seen are anywhere close to either Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro. I think generally doing this kind of thing on a PDA is more of a gimick and some fun, than actually useful...

3) can you connect a Mouse
Yes, there are ways of doing this, but generally I think a stylus works best. See this review (http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/review/thinkoutside_stowaway_bluetooth_travel_mouse_review) of a mouse

4) can you connect a portable Keyboard
Yes, you can. This is more useful than a mouse as the on screen keyboards are quite small and a bit fiddly to use.

5) what is considered to be a fairly Decent Spec ? ie Processsor and RAM
Depends what you're after, I'm using a HP hx2410 which is about 6 months old and that has around a 500mhz processor which runs all the apps I need perfectly well. I use TomTom for GPS frequently as well as TomeRaider with Wikipedia and various games such as Age of Empires and SimCity, all work great. As for RAM, this is a bit more complex with PDAs as PDAs combine their RAM with their static storage, i.e. if a model says it has 64MB of ram, a certain ammount will be used for running programs and a certain ammount for storing files - you can specify how much of each is used. I personally would get as much RAM as possible, but at the same time avoid using it for storing files - use a CompactFlash or SD card instead - they're dirt cheap now.

6) what should I look for in a product?who tends to make the better PDA's
[b]I use an HP PDA which has been great for me, and they are well known in the PDA area. I've heard good things about the Dell PDAs as well - I believe they have better graphics accelleration which allows games to run better - not that there are many 3d PDA games.

7) any Brands/products/features I Should avoid?
[b]Well, I'd avoid a fingerprint reader unless you really need the security. As far as brands are concerned I'm not sure of anyone you should avoid - read reviews, theres many really good review sites for PDAs.[b]

Thanks

Kie
Hope this helps.

[kiekelly]

Cheers Duncan/eAi

that's fantastic feedback thanks... I wonder if you could reccomend or point me in the Direction of a couple for me to have a look at

I'll be slightly more specific...

--

Yes Would like to have the Sat Nav GPS capabiltiy (I'm in the UK/Europe by the way)

I'd like to have the best possible Screen (contrast/colours/resolution)

I'd like one with Bluetooth (for Keyboard and Mouse)

I'd like the best possible performance Processor/Memory

--

Cheers

Kieran

[Menneisyys]

I'd like to have the best possible Screen (contrast/colours/resolution)

If you can wait some weeks, wait for the Fujitsu-Siemens N560 or the WM5 upgrade for the iPAQ hx4700. It seems the N560 will have exactly the same (quality) screen as the Pocket Loox 718/720 - that is, a very good one. Furthermore, if the hx4700 WM5 upgrade proves to be stable, the hx4700 remains one of the best and up-to-date Pocket PC's.

Much as the Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket Loox 718/720 has a great screen, it won't receive the WM5 upgrade; therefore, I woulnd't go for it any more. If you can get it for cheap, of course, it's worth getting.

[kiekelly]

Re-reading I reckon the..

Pocket Loox N560 sounds like it might be the one me, if like you say it has a VGA screen and GPS capabilitly - what is the difference from regular PDA's?... any ideas when its out and how much it might Retail at?

Thanks

Kieran

Actually I have another question...

1) is there software like a hiking companion kind of think GPS/Mapping software ? or would I just use TOM TOM ? but thats more for Street Navagation?

[Menneisyys]

Re-reading I reckon the..

Pocket Loox N560 sounds like it might be the one me, if like you say it has a VGA screen and GPS capabilitly - what is the difference from regular PDA's?... any ideas when its out and how much it might Retail at?


In Europe, it won't be THAT expensive (about 420 euros - here, the technically much more inferior Dell Axim x51v's cost the same...) - see http://firstloox.org/forums/showthread.php?p=49959

Duno about the States though.

[Duncan]

Re-reading I reckon the..

Pocket Loox N560 sounds like it might be the one me, if like you say it has a VGA screen and GPS capabilitly - what is the difference from regular PDA's?... any ideas when its out and how much it might Retail at?

Thanks

Kieran

Actually I have another question...

1) is there software like a hiking companion kind of think GPS/Mapping software ? or would I just use TOM TOM ? but thats more for Street Navagation?

The N560 can be pre-ordered from www.clove.co.uk and is due in April. Apart from being VGA and having GPS built-in it is a regular Pocket PC.

As for your GPS software - could this be the kind of thing you are after? - http://www.magnalox.net/index.php?pg=200

[kiekelly]

cheers Menneisyys - so the Pocket Loox N560 sounds like the one for me (probably) -

what but be the differnce (if any major) with the iPAQ hx4700? does that have VGA too? - I take it by WM5 upgrade? thants GPS/Sat Nav or something?

what would you go for given the choice of the two ?

[eAi]

TomTom is essentially useless for hiking/walking. There are various programs like memorymap (UK/Europe) that provide 'real' maps and can interface with your GPS device and more simple programs that can direct you like a compass to a particular point.

[kiekelly]

Thanks for all your feedback - brillant I've checked out the N560 over at clove.uk I reckon It's definately the product for me... I'll hunt down and try out a similar LOOX PDA just to get a feel for it... thanks again

[pocketpcadmirer]

I would say, wait for the windows mobile 5 upgrade for hx4700 and then buy hx4700. It has 4" display and that would be more helpful when do you do work on the screen. Loox(720) has 3.6" screen, so it might be a little smaller for graphics stuff

edit:corrected some spelling mistakes :wink:
Sunny

[kiekelly]

HI,

Yeah the big screen sounds potentially better... do you know when the Hx4700 is coming up for release? and does it have intergrated GPS ?

kie

[pocketpcadmirer]

Yeah the big screen sounds potentially better... do you know when the Hx4700 is coming up for release?

hx4700 is a Pocket PC from HP. It has already been here from >1 year or so. I was talking about the windows mobile 5(newer OS) for hx4700.

and does it have intergrated GPS ?

No.

Sunny

[kiekelly]

Thanks for the feedback.... the big screen would definately be better - but I do want GPS as a feature -

Do you have no idea whether they are planning on adding this and WM5 to the HX4700?

Also I imagine with a bigger screen the HX4700 would have a poorer battery life than the N560

[Duncan]

Thanks for the feedback.... the big screen would definately be better - but I do want GPS as a feature -

Do you have no idea whether they are planning on adding this and WM5 to the HX4700?

Also I imagine with a bigger screen the HX4700 would have a poorer battery life than the N560

The hx4700 will never have integrated GPS. If you bought it you would have two ways of adding GPS:

1) Via one of the expansion slots. You can get a GPS receiver that will connect vi the Compact Flash slot. The disadvantge of this would be the GPS sticking out. An advantage would be greater 'upgradability' (should a superior GPS system become available at some point - though most new PDAs with GPS built-in use the best system available).

2) Via Bluetooth. You can buy a Bluetooth unit that will connect to your PDA via a Bluetooth radio. The disdavantage is that of any two device solution - two units to be charged and remembered - plus the hx4700 would need the radio activated. The advantage is that the GPS unit can be put anywhere within ten metres of the PDA - thus in a good position to get a signal.

Battery life isn't an issue. The hx4700 has a very large battery (1800 mAh) and the screen being bigger isn't enough to make an difference.

The screen of the hx4700 is undoubtedly a good one (HP use the same source as FSC do for the Pocket Loox). The advantages of the bigger screen can be overplayed however - bigger screen means bigger and heavier overall unit.

The Windows Mobile 5.0 upgrade for the Loox hx4700 will be available this month. As yet it is 'untested' - i.e. it may turn out to be poorly done (Dell released an update for their Axim X51v and it has been appallingly badly done). If you want to consider the hx4700 for that reason - I would wait until the update is released and people have had a chance to try it.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

what but be the differnce (if any major) with the iPAQ hx4700? does that have VGA too? - I take it by WM5 upgrade? thants GPS/Sat Nav or something?

The hx4700 is somewhat bigger - it has a 4" diagonal screen as opposed to the 3.6" on the Loox. That may not seem much but it's substantial when viewed in real life. It's also borderline in terms of being pocketable.

WM5 is the upgrade of the OS - think Win98 to Win2000. WM5 adds some major new features, but whether it will be stable for a machine not designed for it is the open question right now, given the horrible experiences the Dell upgrade exercise has caused.

[kiekelly]

Well I'm thinking here that's it's looking like the N560 - but I'll hold off till I see some reviews for it... The HX4700 with the big screen would be nice - but really It's not essential and also I'd like the GPS intergrated so I've just got the one unit to charged and carry about.......

Do GPS systems work outside if there are at top of (but inside) a Bag/Rucsack ? just wondering...

Cheers

Kie

[Menneisyys]

(Dell released an update for their Axim X51v and it has been appallingly badly done).

It was the WM5 upgrade for the x50 series that is close to useless. The (native) WM5 on the x51 series is pretty usable (albeit not as good as, say, the HTC Wizard).

[Menneisyys]

Well I'm thinking here that's it's looking like the N560

Nice idea. I'd do the same.



Do GPS systems work outside if there are at top of (but inside) a Bag/Rucsack ? just wondering...



They do.

[kiekelly]

cheers again for your help - So GPS generally works anywhere outdoors as long as your not in a building or Tunnel ?

Also I was wondering if you could buy so sort of Solar/kinetic or Windup Charger ?

[Menneisyys]

cheers again for your help - So GPS generally works anywhere outdoors as long as your not in a building or Tunnel ?

Yup - SiRF III GPS units are pretty good in this respect. It is still to be seen, though, if the N560 will be indeed as good at using the SiRF III chipset as it's supposed to though. Some people have mentioned the GPS circuitry is under the screen, which may mean it has lower sensibility. This is why it's worth waiting for real-world tests and, even more importantly, comparisons (never trust company ads).

Also I was wondering if you could buy so sort of Solar/kinetic or Windup Charger ?

Yes, but they won't help much. For example, you can't even "kick in" battery charging with chargers that supply less than a few hundred Amperes, particularly with depleted batteries (please see http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/index.php?blog=3&p=219&more=1 for more info and quantitive results). These generators supply far less Amperage - typically well under 100 mA, except for the kinetic ones (but you won't want to roll them for hours, I think :) ).

[kiekelly]

Thanks... this is expert advise.. I've really got a feel for what I want now, the only real downer for me is being a Mac user there's no way I'll be able to SYNC directly... at least for now... I shall wait for the N560 and see what the reviews are like! thanks folks

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Also I was wondering if you could buy so sort of Solar/kinetic or Windup Charger ?

As Menny mentioned, there are power problems with solar chargers. There are a couple of very long threads at firstloox.org on this very issue:

http://www.firstloox.org/forums/showthread.php?t=4688

http://www.firstloox.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5424

[Duncan]

(Dell released an update for their Axim X51v and it has been appallingly badly done).

It was the WM5 upgrade for the x50 series that is close to useless. The (native) WM5 on the x51 series is pretty usable (albeit not as good as, say, the HTC Wizard).

Whoops - I meant the X50v of course...! :oops: