Pocket PC vs Palm

Good question...bump

Many times it comes down to personal preference... and bias... of which I will give you both... I have used both palm and PPC... but I will only tell you about the positives of the PPC. I currently use an iPaq 3670 Colour screen 64 meg user memory, expansion pack with a 128 meg compact flash card... 202 mhz cpu that I can over clock to 236 mhz. What I use my iPaq for: I make skins on it for Dashboard a completely skinable program ( this of coarse is very important I read books on the subway, watch downloaded short movies, show people pics of my girls, surf the net (with 1x aircard) write emails play lots of games, make spreadsheets and write word documents use it as a remote control... I know I am forgetting things you can do with this machine but like I said its about preference... & these are mine.

I know you can do many of the above with a palm and palm is improving (some would kill for saying that) but to get those improvements you must get the sony machine. My father inlaw is a palm loyalist, however he is now moving towards the iPaq for the more powerful proc and huge amount of accessories (expansion packs) that you can get... (he is the VP of engineering for a large Radio chain in Canada) he's starting to realize just how much I do with my Machine and how much more he could do if he had one... Now if your a MS hater well the choice is easier. But have a look in the Dashboard section of Wincusto and tell me that you wouldn't want some of those skins!

Anyway I talk too much and yes I am bias. Hope this makes your picking easier if you are leaning towards a PPC and harder if your leaning towards Palm...

Palm = Larger variety of applications

Pocket PC = ipaq 3955 if you want power and the best display if you're a lover of graphics

Siemens SX56 = If you want it all Phone/Internet and Pocket PC (Though it does not have the Xscale processor nor the killer display of the ipaq 3955

HP ipaq h1910 = Best place to start at cuz it the best lower end pocket pc for 299.00

oh and the latest release hp ipaq 5400 & 5450 not worth the money or the hype flying around about it at all...
3955 or 3970 still beat the latest ones out on the display regardless that it says it is the same (It's not)

Then there are Dell's handhelds... http://www.dell.com/us/en/dhs/products/series_pda_snp.htm

Thanks a million for the information everyone. I was looking at a Toshiba 330. The price was $500.00 Canadian. The Ipaq are much more in price. But I didn't see many stores that carried them. I shall go out this afternoon and keep looking at them. If the Toshiba, is a piece of shit, please tell me. So were off searching. When I start writing this post, I was really wondering if anyone will answer because it was not a question concerning skins or its application. Love this place and the people who participate.

KeepOn Skinning

Try this: http://www.pdasupport.com/PocketPCReviews.htm

I didn't see the Toshiba model you had mentioned but there are a few other models reviewed.

had a Visor Prism palm device for a year - really liked it. have had an ipaq ppc for 2 years - love it, and would never go back. Just my opinion.

Thanks guys. This darn thread has me buying a PPC now.

Any help finding one that takes Compact Flash I or II AND has a high rez display? They all seem to take Secure Digital cards now, but I want to be able to take a CF card right out of my camera and stick it in the PPC.

I know nothing of the various models/brands. All help is appreciated.

Anyone want a Handspring Visor?

-GageFX

Some model ppc's do take the CF card naked w/o the jacket or sleeve but if you want the best one to take the CF then buy the ipaq and purchase the jacket or sleeve that takes "both" types 1 & 2 CF be careful not to get the one that takes only the type 1 CF or you'll be sorry
(I did cuz nobody told me there were two diff types)
if you have children toss them the Handspring... hehe

I have been searching all day yesterday. I am convinced to get a ipaq. Now it is to figure the model for my needs. In Montreal I was able to see the 3850, $599.00 It was the best buy I could find at Future Shop. On checked the web site at the 3950 looks good, $900.00. A nice 400Hz. Shit, when I started the little project, I was looking to buy something for a couple hundred dollars, every day goes buy, I am climbing the ladder. Do you think the $300.00 is really worth it to buy a 3950. Sorry to asked a stupid question, when you are mentioning to be careful to make sure it takes type 1 and 2 CF. Can you explain this, I don't want to assume anything and regret it latter. Kids have enough electronic toys. They are 10 and 12, and they both have a computer, game boy, game cube, Nitando 64, Nitando NES......lol......so now it is daddy time, to spoil himeself a bit..

Bloody expensive toys if you ask me. I'll get one when 1) the price drops to normal levels; 2) I can use my own handwriting; and 3) it shifts from "personal assistant" to "pc on minitiature scale".

Or in other words, it's gonna take a long while till I get one.

*sigh* dutchy you "can" use your "own" handwriting there are apps that you "train" to recognize your own handwriting, and regular apps that do handwriting recognition but not as well as the ones that "train"

ipaq = pc on miniture scale silly! hehe

okay KeepOn: the HP ipaq h1910 is 299.00 (that's the best one on the lower end to start w/)
other wise the ipaq 3955 (does not have bluetooth) 3970 (does have bluetooth but is 100 bucks more!) so I'd say go for the 3955 model...

any ipaq you buy you can expand your horizons to do what you want later on cuz they are all expandable w/ the sleeves and they take SD cards so you don't have to worry there.

Type 1 CF slots basically only give you what the SD does more storage space, & you can use that jacket for Radio or TV or Camera (if you buy the ones that are type 1 compat) Type 2 CF Slot gives you wireless as well if you want to but the CF card to use around a network and also Radio, Camera and TV if you but the ones that are Type 2 compat)

the reason I said be careful is you won't have to buy 2 diff jackets, and save money cuz the jackets out now that support both types cost about the same as the ones that use to support only one type, so go for the jacket that support both 1 & 2 type CF so you have all the options in one jacket...

the of course there is the PCMCIA jacket that you stick your Aircard in that gives you full wireless control but that type of wireless control you need to activate an account w/ such as go america and pay a monthly fee to access online net and e-mail etc.... that jacket and card will cost you more
the CF type 2 jacket will give you wireless only around your work network or home network but Aircards give you wireless around the coverage area of your service provider


Siemens SX56 is a lower end pocket pc and phone, you have everythhing on board naked, you can go online wireless from the coverage area city to city, browse net, get e-mail, and recieve and send phone calls!

plus you have your computer in your hand to do Word, excel, graphics, anything you name it (that all depends on what apps you install on the pc)

you pay a monthly fee of around 50 - 80 depending on mins and MB's

I have a Palm M505. It was the best when my employer purchased it. But I must say...for integration into our existing systems...a pocket PC would have been better. I like the fact that my M505 is incredibly easy to use and my "imperssion" (as I don't have one) is that the PPC has a higher learning curve. Palm is now releasing devices with OS5 but you always seem to have to use some type of software that converts (for lack of a better word) the information or your PC to another application that the Palm device uses. Very Frustrating.

I've been looking hard a purchasing a PPC device lately and must say that the device Dell offers seems to be exceptional. I used it once at a show I attended and it seems real friendly. Combine that with the service I've received from Dell in the last 3 years and the answer is clear...Dell Axim.

i used to use a million floppies and numerous CDs transporting files back and forth between my work PC and home PC. That stopped when i got my ipaq. Instead of jpegging files that i really didn't want to jpeg to make them easier to transport, i just copy the bmp files onto my PPC and take them with me. crae - don't blame the machine if many people take a very capable pocket PC and only deign to use it as a personal assistant.

Thanks Doreen for the info. You seem to enjoy Pocket PC and know them. The highest model I have seen in stores around here is the 3850 at Future Shop for $600.00 Can. I will have to understand the Type 1 and 2 card slot your explain. I went to the Canadian web site for the models you mentioned and they have there the 3950 ($900.00 Can) and 3970 ($1000.00 Can). For the diffence of price, I am leaning on the 3850 model. Be nice to find the 3950 model in a store and touch it. I looked at the US site and that is the only place I see the model 3955. I only see the model 3950 on the Canadian site. To my understanding the model 3955 is sold only in states and the model 3950 is sold in Canada.

your welcome KeepOn, yeah I really love them
I jumped on these devices back when ppl only thought they were to be used as an address book and calendar...
(most still think that's all they do) hehe

anyways, the 3950 most likely is the same as the 3955 over here in the States if you can get that one it will prob be the best one to go w/ if you can afford to grab it. (bluetooth is alot of hype over here but not going over to well) so save yourself the 100 bucks and skip that if you want.

after you get the technical part out of the way and get one, come see me and I'll tell you what apps are good, and how to skin that thing to death! hehe

I d/l certain reports I have to do into Pocket excel to study and stuff, so I use mine for alot of work but I also play hard on mine too (and these things give you alittle sense of freedom when you need to do alot of stuff on machines at times)

A positive note about Palms (seems the tide has turned PPC)- Battery Life! I'm using an m125 Palm, and the battery life is measure in terms of months instead of hours, on just two AAA's! I realize that most of the PPC's have rechargeable batteries that load-up whilst in the docking cradle, but two months in the pocket without a recharge is a nice benefit. Of course, I'm not using it for intensive multimedia tasks, just address-book, daily planning (Franklin/Covey), and word-processing/spreadsheets.

Palm is best for what it is, a streamlined, efficient organization powerhouse, not a multimedia giant, although the newer ones seek to change this.

Thanks Doreen, I will take you up on that offer. My first skin, I want to do a theme on soccer. Now on on e-bay looking at the prices. That place seems to be the cheapest area to get a ipaq 3950. I am just scared to get ripped off. So slowly, I will have one for sure.

yes much funner to skin them than to work on them
g'luck and take your time and check around, they are releasing newer models back to back lately anyways

Good. Now let the price come down. I think these things cost twice as much over here, if I here you describe the rpices. Oi, and bigger screens!

Can't wait for newer ones.lol....I will never buy one. What model to you have?

ipaq 3955 & Siemens SX56 my friend bought my older model off of me and since I work from home and use my stuff for work I claim my toys for work (and eat crackers & water until I get my refund)

if they are more expensive over there dutchy can't you order off a site in the states? the lower end HP ipaq h1910 is 299.00 which is not too bad & has a removable external battery (mine does not)
when they released that model the idea was to make them alil more affordable for everyone...

To make them more affordable, they'll have to cut the price in halve. I think they are something in the €4-500 price range these days (which is just about the same in $, seeing € and $ are worth roughly the same). Still way too much.