laptop-replacement PDAs: do they exist?

[tfflivemb2]

Glad to hear that you like it, and are happy with your purchase...

Don't forget to get a RhinoSkin case for it....just in case you drop it!!

[dsigma6]

If you feel like drooling...

http://buzzrun.com/2007/01/08/a-pocket- ... -heavy-us/

[tfflivemb2]

OK, that is definately worth drooling over with specs like these:

comes with 512MB of RAM, a 30GB hard drive, USB 2.0, a 1GHz processor, an internal speaker, and a 5-inch, 800 x 480 LCD screen.

[dsigma6]

And feel free to click on the banner ads on buzzrun.com to get me paid!!

[tfflivemb2]

And feel free to click on the banner ads on buzzrun.com to get me paid!!

Already did...

[dsigma6]

Thanks Steve!

That device is great, but the Sony seems to have much better specs, albeit at a much higher price.

[pianowizard]

If you feel like drooling...

http://buzzrun.com/2007/01/08/a-pocket- ... -heavy-us/

It looks so much nicer than the OQO model 01+.

[dsigma6]

Hey, three posts in a row by people lucky enough to own an eMachines T series...

[benplaut]

should have looked at a zaurus. Literally, i mini-laptop

[BruisedQuasar]

All I can say is do not let one or two person's opinion decide for you. I cannot get much work done at University libraries if I go normal hours with my NEC 790 or 900c as I get mobbed by students curious about my touch typeable clamshell Handheld.

To get the amazing functionality of a handheld, a person does need to get handheld literate, which is why I recommended them here. Most members of this forum are above average PC literate users Notebook PCs, so I assumed need for handheld literacy, which is easier obtained than Linux literacy, would not turn more than a few people away. PDAs require a very similar literacy. In fact, I put my PDA experience and knowledge to good use when I was mastering my first handheld, a Jornada 680.

I can not imagine why software issues would turn a person away from a classic handheld like the J 720 while a PDA is found attractive, since the basic internal hardware is practically the same. You just get a much larger display and a practical data input system. You also get a CF & PC Card slot for modification (wifi, more memory, Ethernet or Lan cards, camera, etc) Also, you get a display that will not leave you in dire need of visine.

Before anyone rules out a handheld, you might want to visit HPCFACTOR.COM... It is rare for someone to learn about these devices and not want one.

I also own PDAs. My favorite is the orphan Casio BE-300 because it is so modifiable. Other than using it as a pocket ebook reader, card games, information storage and retreival, photo viewer and mini-video player, I consider them a toy. Yes, there are some PDAs that have a tiny hidden keyboard but even those are not nearly as practical as a Jornada or an NEC.

By the way, I am not alone. The PDA market has been dropping like a rock since 2001 and Microsoft does not seem to be taking them very seriously anymore. If you want a serious PDA type device today, you must consider the Japanese Sharp Zaurus.

The micro device growth market today is the Smart Phone, which is even less practical, considering the even smaller display of most of them. As for thumb boards, they are not practical (except to tiny Japanese hands which do fine on the fantastic Sharp Zaurus line of Linux micro handhelds) and this is not simply my opinion. Every test finds a person cannot type very effectively with one, and they are the cause of a new growing source of medical patients, who present themselves to specialists with a new crippling malady similar to carpel tunnel syndrome.

PDAs and Smart Phones will not be practical PCs until voice recognition is worked out. Then, they will be dynamite devices. Infrared Light keyboards would revolutionize PDAs but they are hopelessly locked in patent law suits for five years now.

When the original question was asked in this thread, I understood the person to mean productivity PC like the Laptop PC. The PDA is a highly limited niche productivity device. Hospitals are turning to them but it requires an expensive IT department to make and keep them useful.

Of course, a person has every right to dislike handhelds. At the same time, I teach young professionals an important practice principle: "If you find Korean Kimche disgusting food, it is fine for you to say you do not like it, but never say 'it is nasty' Remember, there are millions of good people who think it delightful, including the smell"

...of course this is just my opinion

--Bruised

[pianowizard]

Hey Bruised, thanks again for your insights. First of all, I should remind you that I have already bought the Dell X51v that Steve (tfflivemb2) recommended and thus am no longer trying to decide whether to get a PDA or an HPC. Anyway, like I said, I used a Jornada 720 for about two weeks and liked certain things about it but not others. I have now used my X51v for over a week and it has its own pros and cons. But on the whole, I like the Dell more. We all have different needs; some people's needs are better met by an HPC, whereas mine are better satisfied by the X51v. One of the things that I need the device for is surfing the internet (my goal is to go to the next conference without carrying a laptop), which means I need the highest screen resolution possible. The X51v PDA has 640x480, whereas the Jornada 720 only has 640x240. Another important criterion is to be able to put the device in a pocket, which again favors the X51v. I do prefer the Jornada's real keyboard over the X51v's virtual keyboard, but the aforementioned advantages of the X51v are more important to me. Getting more "handheld literate" won't change this preference.

[BruisedQuasar]

Pianowizard, I know what you mean by the display. I prefer the NEC line of handhelds as they are bigger than Jornadas but much smaller than any notebook. Power to you if you can read for long or tolerate Internet surfing with a PDA screen.

I'd love to have a Sharp Zaurus if the Japanese would make them for Western markets, which would mean a larger screen and keyboard. They are perfect for Asian's small hands but I would find their thumb boards near unusable. I'll bet you would love the current Zaurus which ships with a built in 4gig microdrive, shows up instantly when plugged into the USB of a Win XP system, as a external hard drive, no goofy Activesync needed.

Glad you found what you need.

--Bruised

[Purcy]

May I ask a stupid question here, as I am ever so interested now in a pocket PC like the Axim; if the PDA uses Windows Mobile 5.0 does it also come with anti-virus software for when you use the internet, or is that not an issue with the PDA environment.

Thank you in advance.

[pianowizard]

is that not an issue with the PDA environment.

I asked the same question on this forum about a year ago, and was told that it's a non-issue.

[Purcy]

Many thanks Piano Sir

[DaveMackenzie]

With the ever-growing groups of hackers and virus creators, it will eventually be a MUST for any anti-virus software to be installed on a pda, Please remember that a lot of people use a pda like a phone, containing documents, pin numbers, especially your home address, imagine if you were roaming in an airport using your pda for the latest weather report, and then be intercepted by a 3rd party app created to sniff out wifi devices or bluetooth devices, they could look at your home address, they know you're not at home wink wink, do you know one of the most secure markets to invest money into is internet security, there will always be a need for protection so companies such as norton/symantec have a concrete market

[FrankK-F]

I'd like to chime in, adding that a capable PPC is a great extension to a capable ThinkPad.

Almost 2 years ago I purchased an HP 2215 found that my ThinkPads did not travel as conveniently as I wanted. Almost as soon as I got it, it did not satisfy. So I moved up to the HP hx4705, a very pocketable PPC.

To be sure this unit is discontinued by HP .. yet is is perhaps still the best PPC to date, and is still available as refurb or used.

Mine is now on the way back from
http://www.pocketpctechs.com/ws.asp
for an upgrade to double its memory. It is also upgraded to WM5.

In addition to its fast ARM processor, dual slots for storage and other peripherals, its VGA 16bit 4inch display was the hook that pulled me into getting this unit .. it is superb.

It has slots for an SD as well as for a CF card .. with the potential of 2 plus 8 GB storage capacity by today's flash card capacities. It has IR, BT and WiFi, voice recording, and BT interaction with my cell phone. I added the high capacity battery, have a miniature BT mouse (from Think Outside), have several data entry methods including a folding BT keyboard that takes very little space in my briefcase. It is very easy to upload/download to/from my TP's as well as to sync.

SW vendors for PPC's now offer apps covering almost any desktop equivalents ... but some are best left for larger screens, more powerful processors .. including CAD, except for the very simplest files; many PDF files, spreadsheets, larger/complex text documents, and the like.

In addition to an excellent PIM, my principal applications are for navigation (DeLorme with BlueLogger BT receiver), images (to 1800x1200 OK) and 30fps VGA video clips that deal with my products. Full lenght films via DivX converter enable high-quality, smooth, 30fps, full-screen viewing from 350-1200MB files; it is also for OK for browsing as more sites cater to PDA users. I have not done anything with music yet .. but I'm confident that Brahms' Hungarian Dances will be great via my BT stereo headset .. or earbuds to conserve battery.

What has surprised me, and perhaps most other owners, is HP's apparent lack of interest in continuing this high-end PPC. It was a bit pricy .. but for me well worth it. As for the DELL ...

[benplaut]

is that not an issue with the PDA environment.

I asked the same question on this forum about a year ago, and was told that it's a non-issue.

it's only a non-issue until it's an issue
(hey, i feel smart!)

[DaveMackenzie]

hehe, very true, i think for the time being anyone with a pda is safe, im just worried about how fast we're developing, consider in 10 years time, pda's will be a joke of the past, we will have devices with roll out flexible tft's, hmmm imagine a thinkpad in 10 years time, wafer thin, lighter than a cassette tape and more power than a unix server!!!!
the funny part is, one day we will tell our great grand kids that we once used devices called ''thinkpads'' they were black bricks with cool features!!!!

[pianowizard]

hmmm imagine a thinkpad in 10 years time, wafer thin, lighter than a cassette tape and more power than a unix server!!!!

I am not sure the Thinkpads are moving in such a direction. The TP240 came out in 1999 and since then, they haven't made anything with a smaller form factor. The X40, X41 and X60s are slightly lighter (2.7 vs. 2.9 lbs), but bigger. IBM and Lenovo aren't that interested in making the lightest and thinnest laptops possible; these guys are.

EDIT: I forgot about the 1.39-lb Palm Top PC 110 introduced in 1996, which was the world's lightest PC. So, at one point, IBM was interested in making the lightest laptop possible. But that's doesn't seem to be the case any more.

[FrankK-F]

I mentioned in my earlier post on this thread that my HP hx4705 was on the way back .. upgraded memory from 64 to 128MB.

Well, it is back .. and now reports
Total memory .. 121.79MB
In use .. 21.23 -- WM5 OpSys only
FREE .. 100.23 -- compared to about 34MB before

Door to door 4 business days .. installed a new screen shield to boot.

While the HP hx4705 was away I recoded PATTON, a long film by movie standards (140minutes), to DivX (1120MB file at highest quality .. sound and video) and downloaded it to a SanDisk Ultra-II CD card. Recoding (single pass) the film from DVD on a 2GH/2GB A31p took about 20 minutes longer than if I had just played the DVD.

Upon arrival of the 4705, I reinstalled/restored my stuff ... and started PATTON. Great playback .. video smooth, hi-quality, .. sound (stereo headset) amazingly good, near CD quality.

While not an entertainment junkie .. I used PATTON as illustrative of the PPC's capacity to handle a large video file satisfactorily. Now I am curious how long my 3.6AH battery will last playing PATTON .. but that will wait for my next travel itinerary.

From what I read about others' experience with such an upgrade, two benefits accrue: faster response, and the ability to run multiple apps without getting bogged down. Next I'll try bigger map file downloads from my A31p, currently using <4MB files .. large files (>10MB) used to run terribly slow, even get stuck.

If you are considering a similar upgrade step on your PPC, mine was done by PocketPCTechs.com --- Recommended.

[BruisedQuasar]

For members looking for a smaller, more mobile full Operating System to take out of the office or home, check out the new
Asus Eee 701, already released in Taiwan, Hong Kong in
Chinese Language format.

Asus says Nov.1st is the North American release date. This
system is amazing. It is a mini notebook. It comes ready
to go with Xandros Linux in 2 forms. A default Asus "easy"
version with an XP-like desktop & with the push of a key
users have the full version of Xandros. This device comes
with 512 DDR2 533MHz Ram, 2, 4, 8 internal Flash Ram,
7inch display. two stereo speakers, standard head set
port, stereo audio codec, a mini-PC card port, Intel
Pentium mobile processor & Wifi. Linux is lightning fast, near instant on as it is embeded in a ROM chip.
No moving parts!

Asus technicians have installed and run Windows XP and
Asus is supporting XP installs. There is a builtin camera,
USB 2.0 ports, AMD Megatrends Bios that permits booting
from external devices, hdd, CD, DVD players, & flash ram.

Three versions will ship to North America, prices (suggested
retail) will range from $259 to $399. Units are user
upgradeable to 1gb main memory. Dozens of Linux programs are also embeded in ROM.

Get detailed specs here:
http://www.eeeuser.com/wiki/eee_pc_701

--Bruised

[tical164]

For members looking for a smaller, more mobile full Operating System to take out of the office or home, check out the new
Asus Eee 701, already released in Taiwan, Hong Kong in
Chinese Language format.

There's a thread about it here.

[pianowizard]

I bought another PDA earlier this week, the Palm Centro. It's a smartphone and I got a great service plan through the Sprint Employee Referral Offer program (look up "SERO" on Fatwallet). It's smaller than most smartphones I've seen, doesn't have an ugly antenna that sticks out (most smartphones do), and is very affordable ($100 with 2-year contract, the cheapest offered by Sprint). With this phone, I can get on the internet anywhere anytime, something I can't do with the Dell Axim X51v that I bought as a result of this thread. In fact, I'm typing this message on this phone. But I still prefer to use the Axim for internet when there's WiFi, because its higher display res (640x480 vs. the Centro's 320x320) is much better for web browsing. This higher res also makes it easier to work on MS Office documents.

I've never been happier with my computers: two QXGA laptops, a 14.1" UXGA laptop that's probably the lightest UXGA laptop in the world, an ultraportable laptop with internal optical drive, a nice PDA, and a nice smartphone. I used to get a new computer every two to three months but I don't have to do that any more.

[Purcy]

PW, enjoy that Centro, I saw it, very nice! I also bought a used Sprint Palm Treo 650 and have an employee discount plan. Makes it very affordable with 2 lines and the Sprint Vision Plan which like you, I really like to be able to check email anywhere. We still travel with the Dell Axim, as most hotels have wifi and DH can see the screen better on that. But it sure rounds out a computer harem well, these small smartphones.

Enjoy