Page 1 of PDA Buying advice

Hi guys and gals - long time no read/write (the joys of work blocking the forum).

I`m after a bit of advice pls.

I wanna get a pda mainly for tracking appointments for the family and for reminder/notes. I`m not interested in phone or satnav as I have both as seperates. I looked at the Palm Z22 as a cheap alternative but wanted to be sure I didn`t limit myself too much in terms of functionality as I don`t know what other uses I might find for it. I then considered the Palm TX which is at the top of my price range but don`t really know what to plump for.

Anyone got any advice? Is there some other alternative which I`ve missed. Palm have got the E2 but without Wifi - is that necessarily a problem?

Thanks in advance
Riggs

My IPaq has WiFi and I definitely wouldn`t get one without it.





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I`ve owned both Palm and Windows pda`s. Though it was some time since I jumped ship from Palm, it was more limited than the Windows Mobile device (had to buy a separate app to sync Excel, Word, for example). I`m sure Palm are a bit more sophistomicated now, but it was a bit basic back then (compared to Windows device).

I wouldn`t consider getting a device without wifi these days.

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I have to say that the PDA market is pretty bottomed out, especially for Palm IMHO.

I use a aged Tapwave Zodiac 2 for personal use, similar spec to the Palm (slower processor Bluetooth only & twin SD slots) & a HP Ipaq\phone for SCC business.

The Palm TX that your looking at is almost 3 years & the only thing thats come out in years has been the Treo smartphones & even some of them are running Windows Mobile either overtly or covertly.

The Palm OS has thousands upon thousands of app`s & games available for free or minimal outlay.

On balence I still prefer my Palm OS based Zodiac (cool factor looks & it`s frequently seen in the hands of SG1\SG Atlantis personal) over the Ipaq or the newer TX, but both will cover movie watching, MAME emulation. I also prefer to have seperate components rather than a Smartphone ie using the phone while writing down information on the PDA.

If your looking for something a little more recent perhaps a Nokia N800\N810, not that I have tried them, but I am getting tempted more & more by them.

PDA functions are encroaching into PMP devices, including the ability to open MS office suite of programs.




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This item was edited on Friday, 28th March 2008, 22:34

Thanks for the very fast replies.

As you mention Rass, the functionality of the PDA is gradually merging with other devices. The problem is that I don`t want an integrated phone as I like the idea of having them seperate and I don`t want a contract (I`m currently on PAYG and spend about 20EUR every couple of months). Also I don`t really want to use the planner functions on my phone/ipod as they really don`t offer enough functionality.

The trouble is that 250EUR is a lot to spend without really knowing if it`s worthwhile or not.

mmm decisions decisions

I`ve had a Palm device and I`ve currently got two Windows devices (one dedicated and one general purpose). I swear by my Acer N320 I got from Argos, but unfortunately that`s discontinued. You can pick them up from Amazon Marketplace, and with a new battery they`re great for editing documents on the hoof. Ditto the HP Ipaq, although the display of that is lower definition.

If bag/pocket space isn`t an issue, I can recommend the Asus EEE UMPC laptop for roughly the same price as either PDA. It runs Linux and is effectively a solid-state laptop with 2 or 4 Gb internal flash storage instead of a hard drive and you can use a flash card for additional storage. Unlike the PDAs it has a miniature keyboard which is great if like me you get writer`s cramp from gripping a stylus.

J Mark Oates

Hi Mark,
thanks for the info. If you don`t mind me asking what do you generally use yours for? I had a play with an iPaq 114 today which is about the same price as the Palm TX has a faster processor but lower resolution screen. It was cool enough but I`m still not sure I will use 250EUR worth.
Riggs

I know my name`s not Mark but...

I`ve got an ageing Mitac Mio which has satnav (which I use a lot). I synch mine with Outlook, which in turn is synched with Gcal and Plaxo online (I`m calendar mad, me). I use Excel and Word quite a lot which syncs all files to desktop. Don`t use it much as a media player - though I`ve transferred the odd film and home video to it (which it plays faultlessly). I also use it as an eBook reader. Mine hasn`t got wifi on board but I`ve got a wifi card which fits into the sd card slot. I also use mine in the gym to log my workouts (in ridiculous detail). I`m sure everyone there thinks I`m a total cock. But at least I`m a cock with meticulous record keeping...

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I use my PDAs for note taking and document editing mostly. You can`t write a hell of a lot on them because of the size of the screen and the awkwardness of pecking away with a stylus on the screen, but I find them perfect for quickly making a note of an idea. They`re as quick as whipping out a notebook and writing the idea down on paper, with the added bonus of the text being fully editable, and simply by popping an SD card into the reader on my desktop I can back everything up to hard drive.

The Ipaq 114 has a screen about the same size as my Acer, and using the default font (Tahoma 10pt), you can get a decent amount of text on screen at a readable size. If you`ve played with one, you`ll know they include a fair bit of very useable software. You can use them as voice recorders for taking memos as well, and if your camera uses the same card, you can view your digital photos.

If you like the Palm TX, though, I wouldn`t steer you away from it. My only complaint about the Palm I had was although they said documents were compatible with Word, they`re not. I could import notes written on the Palm into Word, but the cool thing about the Acer and Ipaq is I can write and edit documents created in Word without any compatibility problems and for me that was the most important factor in choosing a PDA. Of course, the situation may have changed since I bought the original Palm which was a few years ago now.

J Mark Oates