Technology Let's talk wi-fi PDA's

[stoic]

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What's up -

My god, PDA's have gotten crazy. I've been using an old-school palm from like 4 years ago....

It's finally time to upgrade, but I'm confused as **** by all the new products out there.

Basically here is what I need to do:

-wi-fi access
-expandable memory (to like 256 or 512 for mp3's)
-send email from my school account (a setup like outlook would be a huge plus)
-scheduling (again, the more like outlook the better)
-limited web browsing
-view edit word/powerpoint files

thoughts?

Thanks,
S.

 

[Daedalus]

I would suggest a PocketPC setup - that way you get Outlook itself 🙂 (or, at least the portable version of it) and it's much easier to sync with your desktop. Dell makes some good pocketPCs with wi-fi that aren't too expensive. The Toshiba series is another great one, but slightly more pricey.
The one drawback to the PocketPC Windows platform is that there aren't as many medical programs, which are still mainly made for the Palm OS. But more and more are coming out for Pocket Windows, so I still recommend one of those.

 

[Cerbernator]

I have been researching these a lot and here are the models i'd look at:

HP Ipaq 4150 I was pretty skeptical of any product made by HP but reading a lot of reviews suggests it is actually a very good product. It comes with Windows Mobile 2003 and built in Wi-Fi (which is why I suggest it over the 2215). 64MB RAM and 34 ROM 400 MHZ processor. Software bundle seems fairly standard (Office, Excel, etc). Price is fair (beats the hell out of PDA prices from a few years back).

My second choice is the Axim X30

Most of the same features of the 4150 but with a lower price tag and a blazing fast processor.


I still haven't decided on which one to get.

 

[Stroganoff]

I haven't done too much research, but I'm pretty sold on the Axim X30. I'll probably be getting that within 2 months. Cheaper, faster, and has Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, which allows for landscape viewing. I have an old Handspring Visor Platinum from 2001. I want Wi-Fi!

 

[stoic]

Thanks for the info.

Does anyone have exeperience with Dell finacing? I could wait a month and a half or so until I could buy the X30 outright..... Or I could finance it and buy it next week....

Thoughts?

PS. Are epocrates and 5mcc available on pocketPC?

 

[sether52do]

Let me tell you what. I'm an MS-1 at DMU-COM, and we all got the HP Ipaq 4150 at the beginning of the year. They are the best Pocket PC I have seen. Wi-Fi works seamlessly between my wireless network at home and at school, the screen doesn't fade (even in bright lights), the battery life is pretty good (unless you're streaming movies off of mobil.pocketmovies.net), and I loaded PDR onto it for free!

It's an overall great little machine. I love it!


Seth

 

[stoic]

What kind of battery life are we talking here? I'm sort of planning on using mine as an Mp3 player when I'm walking between classes and studying at the library.

Would I need to get a second battery to do this?

 

[sether52do]

What kind of battery life are we talking here? I'm sort of planning on using mine as an Mp3 player when I'm walking between classes and studying at the library.

Would I need to get a second battery to do this?

I would get a second battery if you're planning this. This will obviously eat up more battery than the proclaimed 3-6 hour battery life on these.

 

[DOctorJay]

Don't forget to look at the Palm products. They come with software for word/excell/powerpoint and wireless can still be had. Usually much cheaper than the pocketPCs and with much more available free software. I use a Palm M500 (not gonna switch till third year when this thing is ancient) and it syncs nicely to my Outlook so you can still have a lot of the same functionality. The pocketPCs are pricey and the more powerful ones are on the large side so just make sure you look all around.

-J

 

[globalism]

Don't forget to look at the Palm products. They come with software for word/excell/powerpoint and wireless can still be had. Usually much cheaper than the pocketPCs and with much more available free software. I use a Palm M500 (not gonna switch till third year when this thing is ancient) and it syncs nicely to my Outlook so you can still have a lot of the same functionality. The pocketPCs are pricey and the more powerful ones are on the large side so just make sure you look all around.

-J

IMO, Palm-OS based PDA's are going to die out in a few years. Sony said they're going to stop making Clie's for the US market (only be available in Japan now). So Palm be the only company making Palm-based PDA's.

Sony Exits US PDA market

And I've actually found Palm-OS PDA's to be more expensive (since only one company makes them now). Just compare the price of the Palm PDA with Wifi (whatever Tungsten model that is) vs. a Dell Axim X30i. If I remember correctly, the Tungsten cost around $400 but I bought my Dell Axim X30i used on Dell's used outlet (with 1 year Dell warranty) for about $240.

 

[flighterdoc]

And I've actually found Palm-OS PDA's to be more expensive (since only one company makes them now). Just compare the price of the Palm PDA with Wifi (whatever Tungsten model that is) vs. a Dell Axim X30i. If I remember correctly, the Tungsten cost around $400 but I bought my Dell Axim X30i used on Dell's used outlet (with 1 year Dell warranty) for about $240.

Jeez, what a comparison - a new retail price, vs the price for a rehabbed, previously owned, used, item?

 

[globalism]

Jeez, what a comparison - a new retail price, vs the price for a rehabbed, previously owned, used, item?

1 year factory Dell warranty, charger, sync cradle and software included. Good as new to me, you can keep the fancy box and packaging.

Okay, to convince you skeptics out there I've done some research (I bought my Axim a few months ago).

-New Dell Axim X30 with integrated Wifi- $279. Axim X30

-New Tungsten C with Wifi- $399. Tungsten C

 

[lf777]

Hi

I own a Dell X30i and I am very satisfied. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work well. Mine is not even the 600mhz version, but still it is very good.

lf

 

[Crake]

don't get a pocket pc pda just for the outlook compatability--there are plenty of third party palm programs that resolve this if you relly want to use a pop email client like outlook. A better idea, and one that I use, is to forward all your email to a gmail account and just access your email through the web (unless you get so much that you like to read it offline and download it first). Gmail has the best archiving features and lets you search your whole mailbox. Most colleges and universities let you forward your email, no problem.

Oh, and palm isn't dying out, its still more reliable than windows and easier to use. Plus, there's a ton of programs written for it, chenck them out at www.handango.com

 

[stoic]

Hi

I own a Dell X30i and I am very satisfied. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth work well. Mine is not even the 600mhz version, but still it is very good.

lf

hey what do you know, i'm waiting for the delivery of my dell x30!

 

[Stroganoff]

hey what do you know, i'm waiting for the delivery of my dell x30!

kick ass. i've had mine for a month now and love it. still need to buy a case. i've been addicted to Snails though. 👍

www.aximsite.com is my home away from sdn.

 

[stoic]

kick ass. i've had mine for a month now and love it. still need to buy a case. i've been addicted to Snails though. 👍

www.aximsite.com is my home away from sdn.

awesome site man.

got any game recommendations?

 

[Stroganoff]

awesome site man.

got any game recommendations?

Definitely Snails. It's a Worms Armageddon clone and worth the $9.95. Hell, it's worth that W I got this semester.

Check out Virtual Pool Mobile on www.handango.com. I'm drooling over this one, but I'll wait till finals.

 

[fielight]

sounds like a pocket pc would fit your needs... you wouldn't even need the Windows Mobile 2nd edition to do most of what you want (browsing, outlook, word, etc.). i would caution against expecting too much from a handheld; while they've essentially become miniature computers, they're still not optimal for computer usage (the screen size restriction and limited processing power are the basic fallacies).

also with the WiFi, you should consider if you really want to spend the $100 extra for it. the truth is WiFi on a handheld isn't that useful; you can only use it in the range of a router, you'll pay extra for the function, and the web-browsing on a pda gets old pretty fast. personally, i preferentially use my Centrino notebook to access the wifi network instead of a handheld, just because of the limitating functions of a handheld. if you just want to have instant access to email and some web browsing, then i'd suggest getting a Smartphone (e.g, Nokia 6600, 7610, 6620, Sony Ericsson P800-900). in many ways, a Smartphone is better for communication purposes; they act as your cell phone so you always have it with you, you can establish a GPRS data connection anywhere your phone gets a signal (we're talking about a national wireless network vs. the local one at your university), and email/web-browsing (using a program like Opera, which i find re-organizes an html page far better than Windows Mobile) are natural extensions of a Smartphone. of course, GPRS is going to be slower than your T1 connection, but i personally find that the anywhere access far outweighs the sheer speed.

 

[mpp]

I have the Axim X30 (624 MHz) and it's pretty cool. The browser is much better than I thought. It's nice to be able to look up stuff in UpToDate through the web while on rounds and in reality it's much faster to pull out my PDA with UpToDate already up in the browser and search for something than it is to find a nearby computer, log on, start-up explorer, etc. Searching the on-line UpToDate is even faster than searching the handheld version of 5-min CC. There are so many times when some question comes up on rounds that I can just pull this out and find an answer pretty quick, even if it's a google search to find the capital of Latvia or something silly like that. It's definitely worth it (although I can't compare with SmartPhone stuff which sounds pretty cool...to be able to search the web anywhere).

Battery life is beter than I thought. With WiFi I get total work time of about 2.5 hours (I can squeeze it to 3 if I turn the processor down to a slower speed which doesn't seem to slow down the PocketPC Internet Explorer at all) which means I can get a few days worth of use out the battery (I don't use it but for 5 minutes at a time here and there). Its easy to turn the WiFi on/off so you can save the battery even further by turning it off when your using on-board software. However there is a little bit of an annoying delay (just a few seconds) whenever you turn the WiFi on/off.

In straight MP Player mode you can get over 6 hours on the standard battery. Plus there are OEM batteries that will give you more time or you can buy a bigger battery that kind of bulges out of the back of the unit. Spare batteries are small and light and would be easy to carry with you (although changing batteries can be a pain as it's kind of a tight fit).

All-in-all it's been handier than I thought at a super good price as compared to a Palm PDAs or the HP versions of the same thing. When I bought the 624 MHz Axim X30, the Axim X50s had just come out so the X30s were on big time sale (only $279 for the 624 MHz Axim X30). I then got a great deal on a SanDisk 512Mb SD card (only $29.99 after rebate on Amazon). I bought the flip case direct from Dell not realizing that the unit comes with a pleather slip case. I called Dell to return the $26 flip case that I didn't really need and they refunded me the money and I got to keep the flip case since their website doesn't say it comes with a case at all (in fact it explicitly says it comes with no case and thats the only reason I ordered an OEM one).

My only complaints is that there is little documentation and setting up the wireless at on my hospital's WiFi network (it uses Cisco LEAP encryption) was a struggle and our helpdesk is not supporting this quite yet so they wouldn't do it. I finally found someone else that had their Axim X30 setup already and copied their settings and it now works like a charm at the hospital and at home.

 

[stoic]

UGHHH... waiting for the x30 battery to charge is driving me crazy!
----------------------------
edit:

I'm posting from the X30 right NOW

I love this thing

 

[Stryke]

anyone have the x50 or x50v.
Is forking out the extra $50-150 worth it??

 

[Ranger47]

This doc gives some good PDA advice:

http://reviews.cnet.com/5208-6140-0.html?forumID=57&threadID=24996&messageID=635748

 

[smc927]

I use an HP iPaq 4155. It has wi-fi, bluetooth, 64 meg ram, expandable memory with an SD card. I bought a 512 meg SD card from newegg.com for $35.

Some people suggest that Dell Axim. I agree it is a great little PDA. Four of my co-workers use them. Here is the comparison of the two from my point of view:

AXIM is less expensive than the iPaq.

AXIM is significantly bulkier than the iPaq. Ipaq is nice and slim.

AXIM has Windows Second Edition which allows you to rotate your screen and view things landscape style. The 4155 does not (except with the Windows Media Player, which gives you a full screen landscape view, and some 3rd party programs). I was bummed about the lack of landscape view but after using it 6 months I've hardly seen a need for it. It is cool though.

Lastly, three of the four AXIM user friends I mentioned above have had technical glitches with their PDAs. One had to return his and get a new one. Another find the wireless system sometimes unreliable.

I've been extremely satisfied with my iPaq 4155.