Author Topic: PDA Users - Recommendations? (Read 307 times)

aknimitz · « **on:** May 21, 2002, 05:57:20 PM »

I am in the market for a PDA at a *reasonable* price - that is nothing over $300. I assume I can get a good one for that price ... my questions are relatively general. Who is making the best PDA right now? Handspring? Palm? Compaq? Any recommendation on specific models?

Thanks for the help

Nim

Daff · « **Reply #1 on:** May 21, 2002, 06:19:38 PM »

I've had a Handspring Visor around 2 years now and I lived by it, when I was working freelance.
Handwriting is very easy to learn. (You have to learn its way, it won't learn yours, but it only takes a couple of hours).
The software on the PC/Mac end is also quite good and very easy to use. There's also tons of shareware-apps out there for the Handspring/Palmpilot
One of my colleagues uses on of the new Compaq (I think) pocket-PCs and while the features seems impressive (fancy colour screen

), it's also more clunky and goes through batteries quickly.

I'm now fulltime employed and pretty much get by, by using the diary function on my cell-phone.

Daff

Skuzzy · « **Reply #2 on:** May 21, 2002, 06:52:08 PM »

My wife is on her 3rd PDA. She has been using them since the original Palm came out.

She uses the dickens outta the pup. She now has a Palm m505 and really enjoys it more then her other 2. She uses the thing for everything. I am amazed at how versatile the little puter is.
We take the beasty to movies and play scrabble on it while waiting in lines or for the movie to start.

She is an interior designer, and she has the digital camera for it which she uses to take rough shots of homes she is working on. It is her daytimer, phone book, and she has excel/word compatibility too.

The little bugger is pretty durable too. Her first one died a premature death when it fell out of her purse and she backed over it in her car. The second one (Palm III) just flat wore out after 3 years of abuse.

Soda · « **Reply #3 on:** May 21, 2002, 06:59:36 PM »

Had a palm III, a Palm IIIX and a Palm M500. The M500 (or the colour version (505?)) is a pretty nice unit, it's small, fairly light, and has built in rechargable batteries. If you figure you will be using it a lot or attaching components (keyboard, camera's, modems) then the rechargable batteries will more than pay for themselves.

I depends on what you plan to use it for though. Skuzzys example is great. I often attach a folding keyboard to it and use it like a laptop to write emails, memos, or almost entire documents. It's perfect for that sort of thing and is about 10th the weight of packing around a laptop.

-Soda
The Assassins.

Sandman · « **Reply #4 on:** May 21, 2002, 08:20:20 PM »

I've got a Palm IIIxe. Looking at a Palm m515.

I'm told that the 515 is exactly the same as the 505 except for an improved display.

Seeker · « **Reply #5 on:** May 21, 2002, 09:20:47 PM »

Palm, because you can *write* on it.

My Nokia phone's got all most more functionality, seeing as it's got a web browser, calender, WAP etc. etc. but I hate using dinky little keyboards.

I can write and draw directly on the screen with the stylus on my palm, just as you would a note pad. it makes the difference between a workman's tool and an afficianado's toy in the same way the mouse changed P.C.'s; not because it made them better, but so much more useable.

Curval · « **Reply #6 on:** May 21, 2002, 10:04:07 PM »

I have a Sony Clie. It runs on the Palm OS, but a nice feature is the MP3 Audio Player it has, so it is now my "walkman" as well as an organiser.

Love it.

CyranoAH · « **Reply #7 on:** May 22, 2002, 04:49:34 AM »

Previously had a Palm III (a couple of years ago), now I own a Compaq IPAQ and I wouldn't change for anything (except perhaps the new IPAQ 3870 or the new HP Jornada)

Daniel

Krusher · « **Reply #8 on:** May 22, 2002, 07:53:30 AM »

I love my Compaq Ipaq 3835, but its about 500 to 600 bucks depending on where you get it. This unit has replaced my notebook. HP liked the Ipaq so much they are dumping the Jordania and going with compaqs version.

pimpjoe · « **Reply #9 on:** May 22, 2002, 08:37:12 AM »

dorks!;)

AKIron · « **Reply #10 on:** May 22, 2002, 03:45:31 PM »

Have an HP Jornada 548 with Pocket PC 2000 on it. The most use it gets is for reading ebooks at night. Unfortunatley, most ebook publishers now want the added security of Pocket PC 2002. HP's PDAs are not upgradeable, some Compaqs are.

LePaul · « **Reply #11 on:** May 22, 2002, 09:34:57 PM »

Another vote for the Handspring line up.

Started with a Visor Deluxe then went to color in the Visor Prism. Love it, best of both worlds, the Springboard slot to add really cool devices and the Palm OS.

Check eBay, Handspring was clearing out a lot of inventory over the winter, so I got mine, a factory refurb for $185 (New, $299).

Be sure to check for software at sites like PalmGear.Com and check the must haves. Palma-Sutra, Silver Screen and others are just Must-Haves