Palm vs Pocket PC and Palm OS vs WinM03

CyberGhost

i don't know what to buy, i was looking out for Dell Axim X3 maybe or Palm Tungsten E, but X3 has 400MHz and Tungsten only 127MHz,

i;m pretty familiar with palm os, but is windows mobile 2003 any good? does it have things like covertors, calc, organizers, ....

and which os has more programs/games available?

Thanks!

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by CyberGhost
i don't know what to buy, i was looking out for Dell Axim X3 maybe or Palm Tungsten E, but X3 has 400MHz and Tungsten only 127MHz,

i;m pretty familiar with palm os, but is windows mobile 2003 any good? does it have things like covertors, calc, organizers, ....

and which os has more programs/games available?

Thanks!

Personally I prefer Pocket PC to Palm. The Palm is a very good PDA where as the Pocket PC is exactly that a Pocket PC. Its a cut down version of windows in your pocket. I also think that Sony make better Palms than Palm themselves. I guess you have to try it and see.

CyberGhost

thanks Rocardo!

gonna go with a Pocket PC

now the classic question

which Pocket PC to buy?

RicardoSmith

For me the high end one would be a h2210 or the mid/low end would be the new Dell X3i or the h1940. You need to make a list of features you want then make sure the PDA you pick has them all. Check out some reviews here http://www.brighthand.com

CyberGhost

thanks for the advice and site! gonna read the reviews there

flywheel

if you are used to a Plam - then the hop to the Pocket PC OS is a big enough step to take

MHz doesn't really matter - in the same way as trying to compare a Intel PC to a Mac purely on the speed of the processor...

the Pocket PC isn't really a cut down PC - that's what Windows CE was supposed to be, the Pocket PC was created to provide a Windows like interface to a PDA device

Sony make PDAs with plenty of bells and whistles that are certainly better for multimedia - but the Tungsten range is good for standard PDA functionality / connectivity particulalry the likes of the T2, T3 and C

If you are looking for a good value for money Pocket PC then nothing really beats Dell, but HP make some of the best Pocket PCs with their wide range of options and experince in their development

high end is more like the new 4000 series iPAQ (with the 5000 series being aimed at the enterprise), the 2210 fits into the mid range or for those that need CF card expandability

the X3 is a nice device (particulalry the integrated WiFi if thay's relevant to you) - but not a particularly nice form factor / design compare do the iPAQ (important to some) - but you are paying such a great price for the Dell then most cal live with that

P.S. there is a Mobiles / PDA forum that you might get a wider response with future queries...

BrianG

CyberGhost

Thanks Dub!

i didn't know there was a PDA forum - awesome! Thanks!

oneweb

It really depends a hell of a lot on what you plan to do with a handheld. Palm is fantastic for addresses, notes, todos, calendar as well as the fact there are hundreds of thousands of apps available for download.
I don't know much about PocketPC but I do know that just because the Palm looks like it "only" has 127Mhz, the software was written specifically to do relatively trivial tasks well. So a Palm, IMO would be more responsive. Palms also sport way better battery life too.
I've had a Palm in one form or another since 1999 and still enjoy using them!

flywheel

things have been changing on the Palm front though with the advent of OS 5 and the move to an ARM based processors - so it can handle intensive tasks like the Pocket PC - both platforms have a huge developer community so you can usuallty find a complimentary app for each paltform easily enough - the battery life has started to balance between the two though - as better screens and integrated wireless has been introduced by Palm

the PalmOne T3 hardware spec are on par with what is on offer on the Pocket PC front (400MHz XScale, 64MB RAM (52MB for user), 320x480 transflective display....) - the screen is even better than current PocketPCs (but that is about to change) - the battery life suffers with this kind of high-end spec - and delivers about the same as a Pocket PC does

there are plenty of people who have shiny PDAs that are rarely used or taken away from their desks - so naturally if a $99 Zire 21 can do what you need it to do then get it and save the few hundred extra for something else

there was a nice article on Brighthand in Oct discussing: Palm vs. Pocket PC: The Paths Grow Nearer which may be worth a read to anyone interested

BrianG

RicardoSmith

I've used Pocket PC's and Palms for a number of years. They both have their advantages and disadvantages. For me the Pocket PC's are better.

1) I think transcriber on the pocket PC is better than graffiti
2) Developing Pocket PC apps is very close to VB/C++ apps on Windows
3) Pocket PC are closer to Windows OS. I prefer that

Incidentally since my Pocket PC broke I'm back using a Palm Vx and I hate it. When I have funds I'll switch back to a Pocket PC.

ZENER

I use the iPaq 5450 myself, the wifi and bluetooth are useful to have.

You could always change the OS to Linux if you liked, can't change back easily though. I read Compaq will help with the change over and back if in warranty.

Tinky

CyberGhost

well i'm more into pocket pc now

palm and ppc are almost the same size, and ppc offers better games and graphics at a cost of battery life i was concirned about the OS, but after a little research i think i'm on WinM03 bandwagon

about the price - like the American's say, i'm not so reach to buy cheap stuff

now i heard many many good things about iPaq do they have a good guarantee? where to buy one?

i'm into X3 vs iPaq decision

flywheel

for an iPAQ don't buy one off the street in Dublin without checking places like expansys.com (the price difference can sometimes leave you gob smacked!)

take some time to consider the model you choose, they have a very wide range now all aimed to fill different needs with various form factor/memory/expansion/wireless options - price might help focus your search though

for high end ones i've purchased their extended warranty or 'care pack' as they call it - there are different ones, the next day exchange is the one i went for - they courier a new or more usually 'as new' (refurbished) unit out to you and you swap back the troubled unit

the Dell would offer you great value for money though...

BrianG

RicardoSmith

Buy a big name where you'll get lots of support and repair options. Its very eay to drop, damage these things and having a popular model with a main manufacturer will give you a better chance of repair. The support from Casio for my old Pocket PC was dismal. If its possible an extended warranty is advisable. The new Dell x3i (x3 is the older one) look quite good. Or the smaller iPaqs 2210 1940 etc. The larger iPaqs I think are too bulky. Also shop around you can save yourself hundreds of euro.

CyberGhost

thanks for the advices lads!