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Greetings,
I want to get a Pocket PC for my wife for her birthday and I know jack about these things so any advice will be appreciated. She will be using this mainly for her home based buisness. Wireless web browsing and e-mail retrieval are the primary functions, I'm guessing a device with mobile 5.0 is what I'm looking for. I did look at a HP iPAQ (I believe in the 19XX series) and the one feature I liked was the ability of the unit to translate writing on the screen with the stylus into text, vs having to use some type of keyboard within the unit. Are the HP's the only brand using this feature? I would also like a device that can use large memory cards in addition to the internal memory. Price, I'd like to keep the price between $300-$400 dollars.
Thanks
Hi, and welcome to the forums!
You might want to look at the Dell Axim x51V. It's about the high end of your price range and has the highest amount of memory in any PDA available right now. It also has dual memory card slots (CF & SD/MMC) for expansion. Pretty much any PDA can run high capacity memory cards, but not all have dual slots. Most single slot PDA's only have an SD slot. It also has WiFi and Bluetooth, for internet, headsets, external keyboards and whatnot.
As far as being able to translate writing on the screen into text, usually that is a function of software, rather than device. All pocket PC's have a soft keyboard (which is on the screen and input through screen taps) or a place to write letters graffiti style which are then translated into text.
There are other programs out there which will allow you to write anywhere on the screen and have the notes translated, but there are varying degrees of accuracy and ease of use.
WM05 is the newest operating system available, and may be what you are looking for, but be aware that not all software is compatible with WM05 yet. Most larger developers will certainly be working on compatibility, if they do not have it already, but not all older applications will be compatible.
Newer software will likely be compatible, since devices will be migrating to WM05, but there are very few devices being sold with that OS just yet. Christmas may bring some new devices, but we have not heard much about new devices, and it may be next spring before we see the next cop of them.
If having a new device is important, I think the Dell might be a good way to go. If you are open to a second hand device, there are other good options, like the Toshiba e800 series. (My device, and I'm partial) however, since it's a gift, you may want to go with new...depends on how you feel about that kind of thing.
Hope this answers some questions for you. Please feel free to ask more anytime, and again, welcome!
Thanks JD,
I've had good luck with Dell on laptops so I may give the Axim a try. Yes, It's way at the upper end of the budget scale but, as I've learned through the years, buy cheap-buy twice I know 5.0 is new but I'm confident there will be plenty of apps to support it. It looks like some good reading on this site and I'll be spending a lot of time here. Oh, one more thing, do you know if 5.0 supports web sites with java content?
Thanks
I didn't really know the answer to your question, so Googled, and found this answer, but it is a little older (from 2002)
Pocket Internet Explorer (IE) lets you view Web pages on a virtual 640 x 480 display, and you can scroll left and right to see the entire page. The browser also offers a Fit-to-Page option that shrinks fonts and images to better fit a PDA screen. Pocket IE supports HTML 3.2 frames, JavaScript, XML, and 128-bit encryption. You can use the browser to link to certain file types (e.g., Microsoft Excel, Word, MP3, Windows Media Audio—WMA) and run the appropriate application. Pocket IE doesn't support Java Virtual Machine (JVM) or VBScript.
I don't think a whole lot has changed with pocket IE since then. There are some third party browsers like Thunderhawk and NetFront. NetFront is supposed to support Java and Javascript, but it is not free, so it really depends on how much you are willing to pay for the ability. Even with NetFront you still can't run Java apps, like the Pogo games, as far as I know and have heard.
Bingo,
The Pogo games are the exact reason for my question. The wife has been playing there for a long time and all she said was she hoped she could play Pogo games through the browser. Like the old saying, all work and no play. While a totally different device, our PSP with the update would not work at Pogo either. These devices are clearly geared for the business end of things but Java support for sites like Pogo would be used by more than just a couple of people.
I had a feeling it was Pogo...I play there all the time, and have tons of badges!
I'd love to play on Pogo from my PDA, but it's just as well, because using wifi can be pretty battery intensive. There are alot of games out there that work well with WM. Check out Astraware, they have tons, of just about any variety you can think of, and most of their new games are VGA compatible, which is important if you buy a VGA PPC. (Like the Dell) It's not manditory that it be VGA compatible to play, but some games that were designed prior to WM2003SE do not play as well on the later devices.
One suggestion, if you or your wife like to listen to audiobooks, check out audible.com. They offer rebates on some PDA's if you sign up for a subscription program. (about $15/month) It can be a good way to get $100 back on the purchase of a device.
I have had several PPC(s) over my time and so far my favorite is the Sprint PPC 6700 - I just hated having to carry my phone and PPC everywhere. The camera is ok for quick shots and videos. Get additional memory though the built in mem goes fast.
WM 5.0 is still behind in some software but I have everything covered except GPS right now
Achieve It
Cash Organizer - for Money
List Pro
Mind Manager
My Sport Training
Standard Time
Pocket Informant
Audible Player
ClearVue PDF
Magic Button
MemMaid
Neo Telnet
NewsBreak
Notepad
Pocket Plan
Resco File Explorer
xutil
Games - I think this is personal choice but I like
Arakball
Bubble Breaker
KandG Arcade
No Limit Aces Texas Hold Em
I know 5.0 is new but I'm confident there will be plenty of apps to support it. It looks like some good reading on this site and I'll be spending a lot of time here. Oh, one more thing, do you know if 5.0 supports web sites with java content?
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