Pocket PC Advice

Paul Ingles

I'm looking to get a Pocket PC and would like to hear how people have got on with the various manufacturers? I don't need a mass of memory, or bluetooth etc. so I don't need to get the top-of-the-line models. I remember reading about problems with Compaq iPaq's a while ago, is that still an issue, or what about a Toshiba? -- Paul "I need the secure packaging of Jockeys. My boys need a house!" - Kramer, in "The Chinese Woman" episode of Seinfeld MS Messenger: paul@oobaloo.co.uk Sonork: 100.22446

Chris Maunder

I've got an iPaq and I know that I'd never get another one - at least not in it's current configuration. I've got an older 3600 that has no card slot, and the newer ones have a SD (or MMC?) slot that doesn't fit eith anything I have. I also can't, for the life of me, get the iPaq to get connected to the net via the USB cable which is totally ridiculous. It's fully setup with IE and pocket outlook, but they are all useless. I was hanging out with a friend in Redmond and he had my phone (an ericcson T39 with bluetooth) and a HP pocketPC that also had bluetooth and a CF card slot. Perfect! I could move my CF card from camera to PPC to view the images, surf the web using the bluetooth connection and the phone's GPRS and it's even got a hard fliptop case cover which means no bulky case is needed. Evidently there's a Toshiba version that is just as good but I've not bothered to look into it. My advice is to think honestly about how you'll use the device. They are a little cumbersome and sometimes not the most convenient. Go for something with a memory card slot that suits what you commonly use. cheers, Chris Maunder Q172653: Sometimes Barney Starts Playing Peekaboo on His Own

Paul Ingles

Thanks for the heads up :) It will primarily be used to keep track of meetings, assignments that kinda thing. I don't really need any kind of wireless networking (although it would be cool I can't afford that kind of investment). I'm definitely going to look into it more, but it does look like a Toshiba is the way to go. Thanks again -- Paul "I need the secure packaging of Jockeys. My boys need a house!" - Kramer, in "The Chinese Woman" episode of Seinfeld MS Messenger: paul@oobaloo.co.uk Sonork: 100.22446

Dave Goodman

I have a Toshiba e740, the one with the built-in WiFi, and I love it. I can sync up or surf the web from anywhere in the house using the WiFi, and I can pop the SD card from the Toshiba into a Cruzer and make it a removable drive on my other Windows machines. I had a Handspring Visor for a couple years, and I while I liked it, I couldn't go back. Having the Pocket PC's bigger color screen and built-in MP3 player rocks. I'm also pleased with my ability to port Windows code to the Pocket PC. Dave Goodman dgoodman@infoway.com www.dkgoodman.com "Actio sequitur esse."

Davy Mitchell

My friends Pocket PC seems to drain batteries very fast - much faster than a Palm. What sort of battery life do the newer models have? Davy Weblog, Ramblings and more... www.latedecember.com

Steve Hopkins

Best get the HP soon, rumour has it that HPaq have chosen to dump the HP kit and go with the IPaq as their mobile strategy. (signed one just as p****d off iCrap owner) if(E_NOINTERFACE == pThat->QueryInterface(IID_IUnknown,(void**)&pUnk)) { // I aint no pUnk bitch! }

Atlantys

A few months agao I won (!!) a Toshiba e310. Now, I have no real use for a PDA (ie: keeping track of appointments, etc), but I love it. It's light and small and I'm thinking of getting a 128meg SD card so I can turn it into a very expensive MP3 player. :-D The battery drains a little faster than i'd like, and for some reason my computer didn't want to detect it (connected via USB) the first few times, but other than that, I'd had few compliants. here's a review[^]

Brigg Thorp

I personally have an iPaq 3635 (which came with the compact flash card), and I find it to be a great device. I don't do any wireless or anything with it, so it might be a little overkill for me. I would suggest looking at the new ViewSonic (YES the display company) that retails for $299. It runs PocketPC 2002, but doesn't have an SD or BlueTooth. You could probably add a CF card if you needed a modem or something, but the price is really good. Brigg Thorp Software Engineer Timex Corporation

Paul A Howes

I have a Toshiba e310 (an anniversary gift from my wife!) and love it! I had an old Philips Nino 320, if anyone remembers those? Talk about a major step up for me! I agree with what was said earlier: If you have other devices that use memory cards, then find a unit that uses a similar card. In my case, we have Canon G2 that uses CompactFlash, and my e310 that uses SD/MMC. Quite frankly, I have never had a desire or a need to swap memory cards between the two, so it hasn't been an issue. The G2 has a display that is good enough most of the time. If you want the WiFi capabilities, the e740 is a nice way to go. It even has the CompactFlash slot. I found that the added cost didn't give me any benefit, and went with the e310. Good luck! -- Paul "I drank... WHAT?"

Lost User

One more to consider... ViewSonic[^] "The new personal digital assistant, which costs $299, is the cheapest new PDA running Microsoft software to date, said Ed Suwanjindar, a mobile devices product manager at Microsoft." and "ViewSonic, a closely held maker of computer screens and flat-panel displays, said the new PDA would sport Intel Corp.'s 300MHz X-Scale processor, have 32 megabytes of flash memory, a 64,000-color display and a Secure Digital (SD) slot."

Mike Mullikin :beer: You can't really dust for vomit. Nigel Tufnel - Spinal Tap

natalie morales

I've used a couple different devices (both Pocket PC and Palm platform). Personally, I can't stand Palms. I prefer the Pocket PCs myself. If you are going to get one, make sure it's running the 2002 OS and has at the minimum 32 MB of RAM. If you don't want bluetooth or wireless capabilites, you can probably get away with a PDA that just has an SD card slot. I'd consider the Audiovox Maestro. I've found it for $299 or lower on several web sites. It's got both an SD and CF slot. I'd also look at the reviews on the CNET site,http://computers.cnet.com/hardware/0-2645869-7-1477485.html?tag=prmo[^]. Number 5 on the list is what I have. It's the phone edition version of the Pocket PC from T-mobile. I use it as my cel phone and as a PDA. It's got internet access on it. Great device. You can read more about it here: http://www.t-mobile.com/products/overview.asp?phoneid=163904[^]