...I know this is going to be a very general question, but I need advice on a PDA that's got wi-fi (802.11) and even bluetooth... I decided to drop my Verizon i700 (PDA phone) cause it was just too bulky to walk around with... BUT I still need a PDA for work to schedule clients... other than the wifi feature... the only other thing I would prefer is something pocket pc and not palm... (I was thinking Dell's Axim)

...anyone?

 

https://acurazine.com/forums/technology-16/best-smartphone-312095/

 

thanks, but that thread is about smartphones... and I'm NOT looking for a smartphone but a good PDA with wifi/bluetooth... most of those post were regarding smartphones and/or palm based pda's... which... I'm NOT looking for.

 

Oh, ok I see (confused when you mentioned i700). You no longer need the phone's radio in the PDA tied to a wireless carrier, you just want the PDA only and with wi-fi and bt in it. I don't know much about those types of devices but you may be able to get some good information from http://www.brighthand.com

 

thanks!

 

Dell is a good choice.. if you want phone integration, you have to go HP

 

I like the Dell solutions, too.

 

Just got the wife an axim x50v. It's nice but since I am not the one using it I haven't had a chance to get it to do everything it is supposed to do.

They were running very cheap (ie $278) but I think dell was clearing them out for their x51v they just released (the differences are small). Try checking out www.aximsite.com

 

I have used both Palms and PocketPCs, but since Palm is moving into the "Windows" world, a PocketPC is definately a good choice. Go for the Axim, I have had Axims since the first X5 came out, and I have worked on all of the Dell Axim lines from X5 to X50v, and I can assure you that all of them are great and durable machines. Although there were a couple of times that some of the touch screens stopped working with the X50 series, but Dell always replaced those PDAs for us free of charge.

 

Microsoft and Palm might be teaming up but the last I read about Access and Palm is that they are doing a Linux O/S and having the Palm O/S as a layer on top of it so it can multitask properly.

 

I think I heard about that too, pretty cool what Palm is doing, but still a discouraging sight for the Palm enthuthiasts when Bill Gates and Ed Colligan showed up on the same stage presenting the PocketPC Treo.

 

Yes, very strange. Many people dislike Microsoft just cause they are a software giant. Even with the current configuration, Palm O/S is a very stout device and by all means very flexible in what it has to offer. It is a very solid O/S....Can't say that about previous generations of Pocket PC but I hope WM5 will disprove this.

 

there are a lot of computer "lingos" and terms I don't know about, but what should I look for in PDA specs if one of the main things I'm going to use it for is browsing at the web... the gym where I work at has wireless internet, and I use my laptop a lot, but I rather NOT have to boot it up everytime... just to check emails...

 

If you want to use it for Internet, then make sure the PDA has WiFi (802.11b compatible, I am assuming your gym uses 802.11b or g). Now be warned, the PDA browser WILL NOT WORK with many of the webmails out there, I was able to use my Pocket IE with gmail but not Yahoo. In many cases, you will have to use a client to access some of the email out there, for instance, if your work uses Lotus Notes, then you maybe able to get a Pocket Notes client for your PDA.

Or if you really want the full functionality of a computer on a PDA, then you can look for one of these:



or you can flush your memory and install Linux on the PDA.

 

Wow! How much does that "puppy" run?

 

hp's hx4705 - costco.com/$499



HP iPAQ hx4705 Pocket PC
Desktop cradle
AC adapter
Plastic flip cover
Stylus
Getting started guide
HP iPAQ Pocket PC Companion CD
Processor & Memory:

624MHz Intel® Bulverde technology-based
192MB total memory (128MB Strata Flash ROM and 64MB SDRAM, up to 135MB user available memory (includes 80MB of iPAQ File Store)
Display:

4" Transflective VGA TFT display; LED backlight with power save mode
Portrait and Landscape modes
64K colors
Touch screen
Resolution: 480 x 640 (WxH)
Dot pitch: 0.126mm x 0.126mm
Audio:

Integrated microphone
Speaker
3.5mm stereo headphone jack
MP3 stereo through headphone jack and speaker
Communications:

WLAN 802.11b
Bluetooth® 1.2
IrDA FIR (Fast Infrared)
Connections:

IrDA: SIR and FIR supported
USB client: Supported via cradle interface
Serial: supported via HP standard 22-pin cable interface (cable not included)
Cradle:
Connector: 1 22-pin USB 2.0 client
Cable: 1 USB cable connects to PC
DC power jack connector for AC/DC adapter connection
Expandability:

SD Slot: Supports SDIO and SD/MMC standards
Integrated CF slot (Type II)
Operating System:

Microsoft® Windows® Mobile 2003 Second Edition (Premium Edition)
Additional Software:

Pocket versions of Microsoft software are included (Outlook, Word, Excel and Internet Explorer for Pocket PC)
Pre-installed Pocket Informant 5.0 personal

or Dell's Axim X51v dell.com



Brilliant VGA display and Accelerated Graphics with Integrated 802.11b and Bluetooth
Axim X51v,Intel® 624MHz,256MB ROM,64MB SDRAM, 3.7 inch VGA 802.11b,BT

USB Cradle for Dell Axim X51 Handheld

1 Year Ltd. Warranty2, 1 Year Technical Support, 1 Year Advance Exchange3


Featured at
$449

 

The OQO (the palm sized PC) runs about 2000 bucks. Pretty expensive, but if you have the cash for it, then go for it. It is really cool to use and will definately set you apart from the PDA users. Although its kinda tough to type with your thumb first, but you will get used to it pretty quick. Also, if you want to install any software, you have to either have an external CD drive, or a large USB drive. However, the best part for the OQO is that you can hook it up to an external monitor, a keyboard and mouse, and turn it in to a desktop PC.

As far as the specs for your PDA, I think either one is fine, I would personally go with the Dell, I believe it is loaded with WM5 VS. HP's Pocket PC 2003. WM5 (Windows Mobile 5) is the newest operating system for PocketPCs released by Microsoft, and I think you might want the newest version of the OS. in addition, Dell has accelerated graphics on the Axim, while both HP and Dell offer the same VGA resolution screen. I think the HP IPAQ is slightly smaller than the Axim, but it is not by much. I would go for the Dell if I were you.

 

Thanks Man!!! Very informative!!! You outta be a Moderator!!

 

...okay, I need to make an apology... I just realized that the comment I made above may have insulted the moderators... I was.... in no way, implying that the regular moderators are not helpful... All of you guys are awesome... I was simply appreciative for the info that "Honda53" gave me... so please accept my apology.