Advice on buying a handheld PC

[WyWyWyWy]

Hi all,

And so, I am saving money to buy a handheld PC
Two things really, one is that I now finally realise its convenience, despite me having an iPaq years ago. Second I found it works out cheaper to buy a PDA+GPS than a GPS camera detector in the car! (RoadAngel - 399pounds)

However, I just started looking two days ago and that I... I am completely lost It has been years since I last look at PDAs and I don't even know where to start, except that I know the latest version of WinCE is 2003... but what has it got over 2002?

What should I look for? What kind of processing power and capacity should I be looking at, and is 320x240@65536colours stardard?

The only thing I know is that I want Windows, I don't want PalmOS. So Sony and Palm is not under consideration (unless someone convince me... of course).

And what kind of GPS should I go for? CF? BlueTooth? Or what???

Please enlighten me!

Thanks.

[Jammrock]

What you need is a Garmin iQue 3600. It's a fully loaded, Palm OS 5-based PDA with built-in GPS by Garmin ... of course.

http://reviews-zdnet.com.com/Garmin_iQue_3600/4505-3127_16-20799434.html?tag=topprods

http://www.garmin.com/products/iQue3600/

So it can do pretty much anything the PocketPC can, but you don't have to waste an SD/MMC slot to use GPS. It is a tad expensive though at $550.

Powerful 200 MHz processor powering Palm OS 5
Integrated Que technology, with Garmin GPS and mapping software
Flip-up integrated GPS patch antenna can be positioned for optimal reception
Speaker for voice-guidance commands, MP3 player, and message playback
Voice recorder for making memos, quick notes, and messages on the fly
Rechargeable internal Lithium-ion battery (charges in cradle or while connected to adapter)
Built-in 32 MB of memory for downloading map data and other Palm OS-compatible software
New ARM processor enhances battery life, screen redraw, graphics, and audio
SD expansion slot for flexible memory storage and additional software
Unit size: 2.8"W x 5"H x .8"D (72 x 128 x 20.3 mm)
Display: 2.16" x 3.24" (54 x 81 mm), 320 x 480 pixel, high-resolution, color display

• Basemaps included on CD:
Americas Autoroute
Atlantic Autoroute
Pacific Autoroute
Worldwide Autoroute

Jammrock

[WyWyWyWy]

Thanks for the info but...

You know how the rip-off Britain works, $550 would mean 500pounds over here And that would be too expensive for me...

Thanks.

[Taz]

Re: Advice on buying a handheld PC

Originally posted by WyWyWyWy
The only thing I know is that I want Windows, I don't want PalmOS.

Why

My Handspring Treo 270 is far more useful than my Compaq iPaq ever was

[Wombat]

If PalmOS isn't under consideration, then why is WinCE?

It's not Windows. It's just another platform, like anything else. It still has to have apps ported to it, and they're doing a bad job of that. There are MS Word document editors and everything else for Palm.

[WyWyWyWy]

Because I prefer the interface and multimedia capabilities.
And TomTom (GPS speed camera detector app) only work on CE...

Actually, you got me thinking... is there a new version of PalmOS or what?

Thanks.

[Wulfman]

you should keep the current exchange rate of the euro in mind. it might work out buying the stuff in the US & paying shipping/taxes.

mfg
wulfman

[WyWyWyWy]

No I tried, it would work out even more expensive.
Because tax is 17.5% over here, and then I'll have to pay US tax, and then custom on top.

Shipping is a killer too. All sort of airmails are expensive, surface mail is cheap, but it takes about 6 weeks (I tried)...

By the way, after some searching... the Garmin iQue 3600 really is 500pounds over here :~~ what the...

[Jammrock]

Originally posted by WyWyWyWy
Actually, you got me thinking... is there a new version of PalmOS or what?

There is a 'new' version of PalmOS. Quick sum ... since Apple wanted Steve Jobs back more than a better OS, BeOS was left in the cold. Palm decided to buy BeOS and then split the company into two parts, a hardware house (palmOne) and a software house (palmSource). palmSource then merged PalmOS 4 with an embedded version of BeOS and PalmOS 5 came to life.

PalmOS 5 is very customizable, powerful and has full multimedia capabilities. It essentially has the ability to do almost anything the PocketPC's can do, and as more people develop for PalmOS 5, it will soon have the ability to do anything the PocketPC's can.

It's hard to say which one is better. Both have their pros and cons, and you really can't decide until you go to an electronics store and play around with both. I will personally end up with the likes of a Palm Zire 71 or Tungsten E.

Oh, and the Garmin iQue 3600 is expensive because it has most of the features of the $400 USD Tungsten T3 (minus the 400 MHz processor), plus all the GPS stuff. The screen on the iQue and the T3 are the largest, highest-res in the PDA world (that I have found at least).

Jammrock

[Tjalfe]

Originally posted by WyWyWyWy
No I tried, it would work out even more expensive.
Because tax is 17.5% over here, and then I'll have to pay US tax, and then custom on top.

Shipping is a killer too. All sort of airmails are expensive, surface mail is cheap, but it takes about 6 weeks (I tried)...

By the way, after some searching... the Garmin iQue 3600 really is 500pounds over here :~~ what the...

Get a friend or relative to buy it in the states, then have it shipped as a present .. should work

[Wombat]

There's no "multimedia capabilities" that I'm aware of that WinCE has and PalmOS doesn't.

[WyWyWyWy]

Originally posted by tjalfe
Get a friend or relative to buy it in the states, then have it shipped as a present .. should work

No it doesn't work :~~(~~~ I tried...

Originally posted by Wombat
There's no "multimedia capabilities" that I'm aware of that WinCE has and PalmOS doesn't.

Last time I looked (few years ago), most Palms couldn't even play MP3s, except a new Sony model that has a decoding chip in it. And that for the same money, CE-based PDAs usually have more memory.

I know things have changed, that's why I need some more buying advice from you guys

Thanks.

[Indiana]

And that for the same money, CE-based PDAs usually have more memory.

True. But this is not an advantage since the PalmOS apps generall are MUCH smaller than the CE apps, the PalmOS handhelds simply don't need as much memory as the CE based.

[WyWyWyWy]

Originally posted by Indiana
True. But this is not an advantage since the PalmOS apps generall are MUCH smaller than the CE apps, the PalmOS handhelds simply don't need as much memory as the CE based.

True, but most people tend to store more data (e.g. map of UK from TomTom2 GPS app = over 90mb, and then some MP3s...) than apps.

But to be honest, I'm seriously considering Palm/Sonys now. However I still haven't found a GPS app as good as TomTom2 yet (for in-car use anyway).

Thanks.

[Jammrock]

PalmOS 5 plays MP3, AVI, DivX, etc ... via third party apps like Kinoma (sp?) player and RealOne mobile player. And a few others.

The reviews I've seen on the Garmin iQue 3600 have all been very positive. You should see if any stores around you have one to look at.

Jammrock