Technology Palm vs Pocket PC?

[Long Dong]

What's the deal? I don't know anything about the differences (I thought a pda is pda) and why one would be better then the other, so if you current 3rd and 4th years can give me some insight that would be great?

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[Winged Scapula]

Moving to Tech forum...

 

[Hayduke]

What's the deal? I don't know anything about the differences (I thought a pda is pda) and why one would be better then the other, so if you current 3rd and 4th years can give me some insight that would be great?

Dong-
Check out opinions in this forum....SEARCH. Then give a good read of editorial reviews at www.cnet.com

They have both editor and user picks that have been fairly useful.
I have been wrestling with the same question as a MS2.8. I am about to go w/ the Dellx50.
It is b/t the x50 and the palm E2 mostly based on price for me. while comparable in $$, the dell comes with more e.g. media package, voice recording etc. I also like the navigation layout on the dell. (big fingers) The screen has a virtual writing pad whereas the E2 loses a lot of screen space to the actual pad. Dell also recognizes 3 "script fonts" while the palm only has one.

The downside of the dell is....dell.
Crappy service and when you do reach someone they are in Bombay.
I see the M3 and 4 PDA as a disposable purchase. If I get 24 months out of this thing I'll be lucky.
They'll be really ol' skoo next Fall anyway.

That'll be .02

 

[(|)]

I've used both, and both were great. But when I wanted to upgrade to a PDA with wi-fi and bluetooth the PocketPC (ipaq 4155) was a much better option. Expensive, but great.

 

[TruTrooper]

Dong-
Check out opinions in this forum....SEARCH. Then give a good read of editorial reviews at www.cnet.com
The downside of the dell is....dell.
Crappy service and when you do reach someone they are in Bombay.

Dell always receive props in PC magazine for their support service.

 

[southerndoc]

I think Palm-based PDA's are on their last leg. I was a devoted user of palmOne handhelds (I've had the Vx, m500, m505, Tungsten T2, and now the Tungsten T5).

I switched briefly (a year or so) to an hp iPAQ 5555, which I later switched over to the 4155. I loved the 4155. It was very small and very reliable. Pocket PC's seem to be more stable and offer more features now.

When I switched from Windoze computers to Macintosh computers, I had to change back to a Palm-based PDA. I bought the Tungsten T5, which has a lot of neat features that weren't on the Pocket PC. Initially I loved it, but I have to admit, it's not a quality palmOne product. Pros: very nice display, large memory, super fast, lightweight. Cons: big, buggy, and doesn't include PalmOS 6 (what the crap is up with that palmOne?).

The fact that palmOne hasn't included version 6 of PalmOS makes me wonder if palmOne will be switching to Pocket PC software for their future generations of handhelds. PalmOS 6 is powerful, moreso than PocketPC, but none of the PDA manufacturers seem to be rushing to install it on their handhelds. Chances are this will not be available as an upgrade since PalmOS 6 has so many changes (it's basically an entire rewrite of the operating system).

If you have a Mac, then you can get PocketPC's to work by using MissingSync, but most stay with Palm-based PDA's. I like Palm's, and I like PocketPC's. Each has their own unique differences. Go to a local store and check them out. If you decide to go with a Pocket PC, then Dell is probably your best bet. I wouldn't recommend ordering one until you've at least tested a few Pocket PC's at Best Buy, CompUSA, etc.

I've heard rumors that Apple may be re-entering the PDA market. We'll have to see what their products are like, but if the iPod is any indication, then it'll probably make its presence well known in a short amount of time.

 

[NIQ]

I think Palm-based PDA's are on their last leg. I was a devoted user of palmOne handhelds (I've had the Vx, m500, m505, Tungsten T2, and now the Tungsten T5).

I switched briefly (a year or so) to an hp iPAQ 5555, which I later switched over to the 4155. I loved the 4155. It was very small and very reliable. Pocket PC's seem to be more stable and offer more features now.

When I switched from Windoze computers to Macintosh computers, I had to change back to a Palm-based PDA. I bought the Tungsten T5, which has a lot of neat features that weren't on the Pocket PC. Initially I loved it, but I have to admit, it's not a quality palmOne product. Pros: very nice display, large memory, super fast, lightweight. Cons: big, buggy, and doesn't include PalmOS 6 (what the crap is up with that palmOne?).

The fact that palmOne hasn't included version 6 of PalmOS makes me wonder if palmOne will be switching to Pocket PC software for their future generations of handhelds. PalmOS 6 is powerful, moreso than PocketPC, but none of the PDA manufacturers seem to be rushing to install it on their handhelds. Chances are this will not be available as an upgrade since PalmOS 6 has so many changes (it's basically an entire rewrite of the operating system).

If you have a Mac, then you can get PocketPC's to work by using MissingSync, but most stay with Palm-based PDA's. I like Palm's, and I like PocketPC's. Each has their own unique differences. Go to a local store and check them out. If you decide to go with a Pocket PC, then Dell is probably your best bet. I wouldn't recommend ordering one until you've at least tested a few Pocket PC's at Best Buy, CompUSA, etc.

I've heard rumors that Apple may be re-entering the PDA market. We'll have to see what their products are like, but if the iPod is any indication, then it'll probably make its presence well known in a short amount of time.

I'm a T3 user right now and I'm very happy with it. From what I've read in reviews Palm really screwed up with the T5. Poor quality chasis, removed the expandable type pad- making it much bigger, very small upgrade in processor speed over the T3, and a lower quality battery. Its sad that they weren't able to properly improve upon the T3.

I'm happy with mine right now as it does all the basic things I would need for in M3. Mostly I use it for reading PDF documents to keep up in classes. Theres also quite a bit of medical software available on the palm os 5 (I think more than the pocket PC) and skyscape offers a lot of interactive/easily searchable medical ebooks (right now I have around 8).

However like you mentioned I do see Palm going the way of the dinosaur. I think with my next PDA purchase I too will make the PPC switch and I'm sure by that time there will be loads of medical software available for it.

 

[Long Dong]

Okay I'm still totally clueless but less now that I've done some searches, and thanks for the link heyduke.

I fond this site where some docs discuss the palm vs pocket pc thing and how to run palm os on pocket pc with that program called styletap that is talked about in the other thread.

http://www.docsboard.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2013&page=1&pp=15

So anyone else have anymore input on the matter? One more thing here is what my school emailed to us as what is the third year pda requirements. Do you guys think I could run all these programs on a pocket pc using this styletap program?

I. The minimum 'equipment' required is a PDA with:

******* Palm Operating System (OS) v. 5.X (the latest)

******* 24 MB of Memory

******* Expansion Slot

******* 128 MB Memory Card



II. The minimum software required is:

* **The AvantGo client software (for uploading Patient Log data)

* **A Pharmacopeia (ePocrates Pro may become required; discount may be
available.)

* **A Med Calculator

* **A Document Reader

* **A Security Program

 

[burs0028]

Just because your school suggests palm, don't make that mistake. They might be getting $ to say so or--more likely--the person that wrote the rec. is not up to date. I hear a lot of people on this board taking advice from docs on what PDA to get. You wouldn't take medical advice from the IT guys, so...

IMHO palm is dying fast and ppc is the way to go. Now that styletap is around I see no reason to buy a palm. You'll just be holding yourself back. Read the other posts here, the buyer's guides on pcworld.com & check out aximsite.com All the programs you mentioned are available for ppc (along with every other subject) and you can always use style tap or another program to convert any palm docs.

Good luck finding a deal. Just do the research & once you feel like you know what you're looking for find the best model you can afford. It's like any other computer purchase: you can't easily upgrade the hardware, so you should focus your purchase accordingly. Peripherals & software can always wait.

 

[burs0028]

btw, thanks for the docsboard link...its just the kind of site I've been looking for...

 

[bartleby]

People have been sounding Palm's death knell for 6 or 7 years, but Pocket PC has made little headway against in the past several years even for power users. The fact is that the Palm OS has a far more active developer community and an order of magnitude more third party software available online.

Palms tend to be more austere in regard to their built-in apps with the idea that there's a good, stable base for what you want to do, as opposed to the Pocket PC OS which attempts to be everything to everybody out of the box. If you need a program that lets you flush your toilet from across the room using bluetooth, chances are, somebody's written a third party palm app to do it...I don't need the bloat of having it built into my device.

IMHO palm is dying fast and ppc is the way to go. Now that styletap is around I see no reason to buy a palm. You'll just be holding yourself back.

 

[southerndoc]

People have been sounding Palm's death knell for 6 or 7 years, but Pocket PC has made little headway against in the past several years even for power users. The fact is that the Palm OS has a far more active developer community and an order of magnitude more third party software available online.

Palms tend to be more austere in regard to their built-in apps with the idea that there's a good, stable base for what you want to do, as opposed to the Pocket PC OS which attempts to be everything to everybody out of the box. If you need a program that lets you flush your toilet from across the room using bluetooth, chances are, somebody's written a third party palm app to do it...I don't need the bloat of having it built into my device.

Pocket PC sales now outpace Palm-based PDA sales. So Palm's death is growing near.

 

[ramonaquimby]

bump

 

[Sprite]

It was true that Palm *had* an active developer community, but after perusing many discussion groups, it seems that more developers are turning to Pocket PC because it is far easier to get things done with Microsoft's tools.

However, PDA sales overall are on the decline. More people are buying smartphones. Last I checked, the Palm Treo is the hottest-selling smartphone, which is why Palm is still around, and expanding. It runs PalmOS, plus Internet, bluetooth, high-res color screen, camera ... basically the kitchen sink!

 

[MT Reem]

in some way i think u have a point !

 

[ramonaquimby]

correct me if i'm wrong, but i feel like even though pc based pdas maybe more popular, in the medical community, palms are so much more popular. or is this just true with residnets? what do you think?

 

[Sprite]

correct me if i'm wrong, but i feel like even though pc based pdas maybe more popular, in the medical community, palms are so much more popular. or is this just true with residnets? what do you think?

It might be because Palms are more entrenched (they've been around longer), or because the user interface is easier to work with. Even with Windows Mobile, the user interface is different enough from Windows that it takes some getting used to (e.g. OK and Close buttons, menu systems, start button on the top).

 

[Dr. Yanknpull]

Hey, Long Dong. I am only an MSII who is knee deep in boards prep, but take it from me - pocket pc is the new way to go. I did extensive research on the PPC v. Palm issue before buying a verizon PPC for my rotation yrs and beyond. In fact, I'm using it to post this comment.

I think its true that Palm is faultering - their hardware is inferior to most PPC handhelds. Some hardcore Palmers may say that Palm leads the way with massive libraries of software - mostly freeware which is cool for med students. But the styletap program is free and allows Pm apps to run on a PPC platform. Also, verizon's national data network blows wifi out of the water. I would recommend the audiovox vz6600 to anybody. It is a great cell phone too - so your white coat won't be weighed down with a phone and a pda.

 

[deleted87716]

As usual, the rumors of Palm's death have been greatly exaggerated. ;-)

Palm is still the leader in handheld computing, and you'll find lots more Palm devices in use than you will WinMob devices, unless you're in an environment where there's a custom WinMob application being used, or the devices have been issued. The two platforms are very similar nowadays, so it's really almost a matter of personal preference. I still prefer Palm.

 

[tkim]

Pocket PC sales now outpace Palm-based PDA sales. So Palm's death is growing near.

That's what they said about Apple - for the last 20 years.