Looking for VGA

[Sheena]

Help, guys! Apparently the manufacturers don't realize what's important, because I can't figure out by the meager descriptions which of their PDA's are VGA & which are not. Can any of you tell me which models are the best for VGA? The only brands I'm considering are HP, Sony, & maybe Dell.

Thank you.

Rosie

[JesterMania]

It's a Pocket PC you want and not a Palm right?

QVGA = 320x240
VGA = 640x480

Are you sure you're searching right? Because all the manufacturers' websites I go to contain VERY CLEAR descriptions of all Pocket PCs.

HP's only VGA Pocket PC is their old iPAQ hx4700. All newer HP models do not have VGA. Sony does not even make Pocket PCs. Dell's latest Axim x51v is VGA.

Also, may I ask why you're only considering those 3 brands? If I were you, I'd take a look at Fujitsu-Siemens Pocket LOOX models and I read a few days ago on the forums about a VGA ppc by Asus which was pretty good too. There are actually many good brands out there IMO...

Almost forgot. You should check out this website for some detailed comparisons: http://www.pdadb.net

Good luck.

[Sheena]

Thanks for the details, JesterMania.

Regarding your questions, yes I'm definitely looking for a PPC. My beloved iPaq 2210 is getting on in years & a friend just lost her own iPaq & needs a replacement quick.

We've been looking at the new iPaq's, but none seemed to be VGA, something you've just confirmed (alas!). Dell is not a favorite brand, but if pushing comes to shove I guess we can try.

I've been taking a look at the Loox for myself, but my friend wants something more basic even though we both have our hearts set on VGA. The Asus have good reputation, but apparently they're hard to find if you don't know the exact specs. Apart from we both having good experiences with iPaq's, there's really no brand limitation, mostly just a lack of knowledge on other brands. Any advice will be greatly appreciated, here are our preferred specs:

VGA
Wi-Fi & Bluetooth (& IR too)
Both SD & CF slots
At least 64Meg RAM
WM 5.0
Removable Battery
For my own I'm also considering phone + camera features, but still mostly a PPC, not a SmartPhone.

Thanks again.

Rosie

[Sheena]

PS: I forgot to mention that I thought Sony made the Asus, sorry for the confusion. Thanks for the correction & the site link. Great details there!

Rosie

[Brad Adrian]

Finding a VGA Pocket PC Phone Edition with those specs will be tough, especially with dual slots. Unfortunately, the manufacturers seem to think that we all want to go out and buy even tinier, newer memory cards, like mini-SDs and such.

Aside from the possible phone component, what you've described is the Dell Axim X51v. You've no doubt heard good and bad about Dell, but IMHO, the screen is terrific and the whole thing is fairly slim.

[ADBrown]

I'd say go with the Axims. If your concerns are based on the build quality of other Dell products, don't worry--the Axims are some of the best built handhelds I've dealt with, far and away superior to Dell's laptops and the like.

[Sheena]

Well, I may have to chuck my CF cards sooner or later, but using the phone as little as I do, it makes sense to combine it with the PPC.

Regarding Axim's, it's not that they're made by Dell, but remembering the many complaints I see in the forums regarding this or that software not working properly. It seems to be a recurring problem with 3rd-party stuff.

About VGA, I've been hoping for more than what's out now, but sometimes it's hard to tell. If the specs only say TFT & so many pixels, is there an easy way to tell if it's a VGA display?

Rosie

[JesterMania]

About VGA, I've been hoping for more than what's out now, but sometimes it's hard to tell. If the specs only say TFT & so many pixels, is there an easy way to tell if it's a VGA display?Rosie

Like in my previous post:

320x240 pixels = QVGA (not VGA)
640x480 pixels = VGA (<-- what you want)

Yeah, your needs are quite basic for a regular PPC: VGA, WiFi, BT/IR, 64MB RAM, WM5, removable battery. Like the other posters said though, it's hard to get a phone edition with those specs though. I think the HTC Universal (tri-band GSM) is your only choice so far.

Regarding compatibility with Axims, maybe you can list what software you are planning on using and have users verify whether they would work fine on an Axim or not. The people over at the Axim section of PPC Thoughts can probably help you with that. 8)

[Sheena]

I thought I misread that bit about the 320x240 because *all* the new models are coming up with just that. Have the manufacturers abandoned VGA then? My luck, I held on to my 2210 too long, eh? :?

For myself I'm leaning towards the LOOX 720. The specs have the best battery life along with everything else I want. Not the phone of course, but it has a camera & someone mentioned it even takes a USB key. Now if I can find it for sale anywhere, maybe we're in business. Amazon doesn't have it, neither do a couple other stores.

The Axim complaints I mentioned before run the gamut, from WM 5.0 not working properly, to other basic software like Sprite Backup & File Explorer having trouble or needing registry adjustments. Too much trouble when others work fine, so I'm leaving these as a last resort.

Thank you all for your help.

Rosie

[ADBrown]

Regarding Axim's, it's not that they're made by Dell, but remembering the many complaints I see in the forums regarding this or that software not working properly. It seems to be a recurring problem with 3rd-party stuff.

Some places like AximSite tend to overexaggerate the number of problems like that. The people who have bad experiences tend to complain about it a lot, and the people who are satisfied aren't that noisy. For what it's worth, I've had my X51v since day one, and I've had no problems with regard to software compatibility, except for programs which aren't compatible with any WM5 device.

I thought I misread that bit about the 320x240 because *all* the new models are coming up with just that. Have the manufacturers abandoned VGA then?

Not a whole lot of new devices available with it, no. Everyone seems to be flocking to make yet another version of the QVGA, 128 MB phone with a keyboard device, like we don't already have too many of those.

For myself I'm leaning towards the LOOX 720. The specs have the best battery life along with everything else I want. Not the phone of course, but it has a camera & someone mentioned it even takes a USB key. Now if I can find it for sale anywhere, maybe we're in business. Amazon doesn't have it, neither do a couple other stores.

The Loox models are mainly only available in Europe, but you can get them through eBay or some retailers like MobilePlanet. Be warned, you'll probably pay through the nostrils.

[JesterMania]

The Pocket LOOX 720 has WM2003SE instead of WM5 though. Unless you don't plan on using newer software, it's better to get a WM5 device in my opinion. Have you checked the LOOX C and N Series? Both should have USB host and one has built-in GPS as well.

[jmhope]

Sheena,

Having had two ipaqs myself and was in the market for a new PDA (no integrated device) was hard searching for a new device. The Dell is a little large and not the best in the life of the battery department. Next looked at the Ipaq 2795, nice device, but no VGA and really wanted a better screen. As its OS is WM 5, kept looking (maybe when microsoft comes out WM 5 SE, I'll reconsider).
Finally settled on the Loox 720, everything you mentioned, (less wm5 a plus) and more. The screen is absolutely beautiful and is by far the nicest Pda on the market even though it came on the market more than two yrs. ago. If I could not get it I would go for the Loox N560 (even though it runs WM 5).

Jornada 548, HP Ipaq 2215

[Nurhisham Hussein]

I'd heartily recommend the Loox 720 - but it's already EOL and you can no longer get it new anymore. Some of the options you could look at with VGA/WM5 that are current and available (I don't think you'd want any with a Japanese OS, and the rest are pretty much EOL like the Loox):

1. Acer N300/N311
2. FSC Loox 560
3. FSC Loox C550
4. Dell x51v
5. HTC Universal (aka iMate Jasjar,Dopod 900, Qtek I-can't-remember-their-number, O2 Exec etc etc).

(For a full roundup, see here (http://www.firstloox.org/VGAppc.htm))

The only one of these with dual slots is the Dell - so really, I don't see you have much choice. The Loox line is not available officially outside of Europe, so you might have problems with support there. If you want to check out the Acer, read through this thread (http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=43248&highlight=acer).

[Brad Adrian]

The absolute ONLY problem I've had with my X51v is that I needed to do the "fake server trick" to make sure it sees both the CF and SD cards. That takes about 30 seconds, requires no additional software, and fixes the problem 100%.

I guess I just like the dual-card configuration. That way, I can use the CF card for GPS maps; I can easily pop the card into a reader, connect it to my PC, and download the huge map files.

[Sheena]

Typical blunders from manufacturers. They come up with VGA, everyone loves it, it's promptly abandoned. We want to add phone capabilities to our beloved PDA's, they come up adding *some* PDA features to ever smaller & buggy phones. :roll:

Regarding the Axim's, I've never been to their site, just seeing comments from users in forums like this one, Amazon, & on Handango. Of course every model may have its own bugs & you may get lucky & never see any, it's always a bet. God knows I've learned to live with my 2210's quirks.

The Loox is still my top choice, but now I'm debating if I should hang on to my trusty old iPaq for another year. It's not even the dual card issue, my GPS is bluetooth & I can learn to live with only SD cards. The main problem is deciding if WM5 is worth the upgrade & getting something that's not an obsolete model, *and* has VGA. Then there's the price. If only Apple would jump into the PDA market we may get some good designs. Or I may just chuck the whole PPC issue & get an ultramobile. 8)

BTW, great link for VGA comparisons, Nurhisham. Thank you & everyone for great advice as always.

Rosie

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Regarding the Axim's, I've never been to their site, just seeing comments from users in forums like this one, Amazon, & on Handango.

The reason why there seem to be so many complaints about the Axim is because the user base is large - the x51v is available more or less globally, while the others are only in selected markets.


Or I may just chuck the whole PPC issue & get an ultramobile. 8)

Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt :)

For the amount of money you're going to have to chuck, it's not worth it - yet. The main problem is input options, battery life and heat - Windows Mobile is more advanced there.

[Sven Johannsen]

Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt :)
You bought a t-shirt :?:

[Nurhisham Hussein]

I'm a sucker for a gadget, what can I say :lol:

[Menneisyys]

Regarding Axim's, it's not that they're made by Dell, but remembering the many complaints I see in the forums regarding this or that software not working properly. It seems to be a recurring problem with 3rd-party stuff.

It's not really true. I always test all the titles I review (sometimes several hundred titles a month) on all my (several) WM5 devices. In general, the x51v has never had any problems (except with some very old games), unlike, say, the WM5-upgraded iPAQ hx4700. The latter is the one that has compatibility problems with a LOT of new stuff (mostly games), not the x51v.

[BoxWave]

I'd say go with the Axims. If your concerns are based on the build quality of other Dell products, don't worry--the Axims are some of the best built handhelds I've dealt with, far and away superior to Dell's laptops and the like.

Nice differentiation -- the Axim line shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as the Dell Laptops :P. First the poor dell kid, then the poor Li-Ion batteries.

[Nurhisham Hussein]

Nice differentiation -- the Axim line shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence as the Dell Laptops :P. First the poor dell kid, then the poor Li-Ion batteries.

Consider that the Axim line are not built by Dell at all - they're actually made by HTC.