Which PDA should I get?

Forums › Legacy mobile platforms (Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Web OS, Symbian, Meego, Blackberry) › Which PDA should I get?

ozziea

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#2747 13-Nov-2004 15:26

I'm new here. I was driven to this forum out of frustration brought about from the plethora of PDAs, the often misleading ads, and now the battle between bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity.

Here is what I need in a PDA - color, lots of expandable memory (preferably CF since I already own a few), and built-in Wi-Fi.

Here is my REAL question - I've haven't found one PDA with all my specs. Those that come close have bluetooth connectivity, BUT - I don't have any bluetooth equipped hardware. Even if I did, wouldn't bluetooth limit my access to the web when I'm, say, at an airport, or at Starbucks, etc - all of which commonly have Wi-Fi hotspots?

Is there something I'm not understanding about the popularity of Bluetooth?

ANY suggestions would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Ozzie

freitasm

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#10177 13-Nov-2004 17:20

Are you ok with a high end Pocket PC? The HP iPAQ comes with wireless LAN, Bluetooth, SD and CF slots. And a VGA screen.

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ozziea

22 posts

Geek

#10178 13-Nov-2004 17:39

That sounds good. Which model are you referring to? The only drawback is the OS, but I can live with it. The other unknown to me is the size and weight. I’ll look up all the iPAQs. The ones I’m familiar with tend to be on the large size.

Thank you for your reply. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Ozzie

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#10179 13-Nov-2004 17:56

The hx4700 (check hx4700 prices and our hx4700 review).

It's the best LCD screen you'll find in any PDA these days...

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ozziea

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#10186 14-Nov-2004 08:49

Well, after some research, I decided and have just ordered the Dell Axim X50v. It's very similar, almost identical in specs to the 4700 line. The one factor that tilted me toward the Axim was the fact the the iPAQs have proprietary software while the Axim doesn't.

I may have misunderstood the meaning of "proprietary" but that's one of the main reasons I've stayed away from, say, Macs. I like the idea of being able to choose and run more than just a given set of applications.

For the extra $100 the 4700 line costs, I couldn't see the value. Any ideas? Did I make a terrible error?

Ozzie

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#10188 14-Nov-2004 09:38

It's a good Pocket PC and it should work well for you. Just to clarify, both Dell Axim 50v and iPAQ hx4700 run exactly the same operating system. This OS is called Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition.

It means that the hx4700 is no more proprietary than the the Axim 50v. They may come with different bundled third party applications, but the basic OS and PIM is exactly the same (Calendar, Contacts, Inbox, Pocket Internet Explorer). And of course, whatever program runs on the Dell model will run exactly as well on the hx4700.

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ozziea

22 posts

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#10192 14-Nov-2004 16:55

Thank you for supporting my tenuous decision to go with the Axim. I understand the two have the same OS. I guess by "proprietary" the reviews I read were referring to the bundled software.

Thank you for the help and the link to the programs. I expect to be receiving the Axim toward the end of the week. I might have questions later.

Oz

Nordicman

3 posts

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#10448 26-Nov-2004 19:25

What is not proprietary about ms os? The fact that it runs on various pda's? A more truly unproprietary software would be a unix, or linux, which is unix. For that you would require a Sharp Zaurus. There are various software produced by companies, or 'vendors'. They wish to have a portion of the market.

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#10449 26-Nov-2004 19:28

I think 'proprietary' in the context of this post was a differentiator between the Axim and the iPAQ. Ozziea posted 'proprietary' in relation to some software that would run only on iPAQ devices, or only supplied with iPAQ devices.

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ozziea

22 posts

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#10450 26-Nov-2004 19:46

Well. all discussions about the meaning of "proprietary" aside, I received the Axim and have been getting familiar with Pocket PC for a few days. Coming from Palm OS, Pocket PC can be a little daunting at first. I work with Windows XP Pro all the time, but still the Pocket version's interface and navegation needs time to get used to.

Question - is there a way to run QuickTime with Pocket PC? I can download QT files but cannot play them. Is Pocket PC limited to Windows Media Player?

Ozzie

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#10451 26-Nov-2004 19:53

Nope you can't... You can play WMV (Windows Media), MPEG and DIVx (with PocketTV for example) and Real Media (with RealPlayer).

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ozziea

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#10456 27-Nov-2004 07:02

Humm... I am rapidly going off topic here but the question does come up - why not QT? I know this is an Apple problem for not developing a Pocket PC version, much of the video work that I do ends up posted on our website for clients to view (saves on having to make and deliver VHS copies of rough cuts) - and all of these are posted as QTs simply because most non-computer people (most of our clients) don't have Real and have never heard of Div-X.

Nordicman

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#10458 27-Nov-2004 07:51

Oh, what a good question you have Ozzie, though we have wandered a little. Quicktime is pretty common. would love to see more files be available in it, however.

Best wishes on your pda, and all of your labours.

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#10460 27-Nov-2004 10:15

DivX is a codec for AVI files. It compresses really well and is used on the Internet because of the file size which is way smaller than a standard AVI. You can download the codec from their site.

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