In the market for a PDA

Moby Disc · 23rd December 2004, 12:02 AM

Hi,

I am in Hong Kong for a little while and whilst I am here I thought it might be good to do a bit of shopping. I have been thinking about getting a PDA for a while.

What I would like is one with the following features

Wireless networking, on the 802.11b or g standards
Some form of synchronisation with Outlook to transfer tasks to it

Beyond that I guess I need the basic PDA functions of address keeping and some other basic things.

Does anyone have any recommendations for or against particular models? I don't want to spend too much on one, though again I really don't know how much these things sell for.

Advice appreciated.

Fortigurn · 23rd December 2004, 12:23 AM

I purchased a Dell Axim last week at K Mall (I'm in Taipei). It's called a 'Dell Axim 3', but the specs are interesting:

CPU: 400Mhz
RAM: 64MB
ROM: 64MB
Card Slot: SD only
Bluetooth: Yes
WiFi: Yes
IrDA: Yes

I'm thinking it might be some kind of variant for the Asian market, since I can't find these specs in any Axim called the Axim 3 (see here for example).

It cost me $450 AU, including a docking cradle (which didn't come with the original kit, and cost an additional $110 AU).

Thus far, I'm loving it. I would recommend it certainly - it has all the features you want, including sync with Outlook.

Great formfactor, actually top pocket size, and it has a removable battery, so you can add a more chunky long life one if you like.

Jazper · 23rd December 2004, 11:23 AM

I say the HP 4150.. has everything you want and is smaller than the axim.

PogiPinoy · 23rd December 2004, 12:36 PM

grab an ipaq 2210

doesnt have integrated wifi but you dont want integrated wifi thats slow which is what all pdas currently provide..wait for the wifi G card which will be more than twice as fast

and it has a cf expansion slot for a gps receiver

Kerpal · 23rd December 2004, 1:30 PM

Dell Axim X50, has everything you will every need out of a pda.

compact flash
vga screen
wi-fi
bluetooth
insanely fast cpu, can remember exactly 624mhz i think.
lots of memory, cannot remember again

IXUS430 · 24th December 2004, 7:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PogiPinoy

grab an ipaq 2210

doesnt have integrated wifi but you dont want integrated wifi thats slow which is what all pdas currently provide..wait for the wifi G card which will be more than twice as fast

and it has a cf expansion slot for a gps receiver

Why exactley would you need faster connection for the PDA?

Thats the lamest thing i've heard, seriously. Your ONLY going to surg net/check emails. 11b transmits 2Mb/s, so, even with most average cable connections, you wont sturate that... Thats a joke, wait for G HAHAHHahahh

Anyway, i'd put a vote in for the 4150 as well, A LOT smaller than the 2210, which has NO WIFI, and can be had on ebay at the moment for around the $400-$500 mark, depending on how much it comes with.

PogiPinoy · 24th December 2004, 7:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IXUS430

Why exactley would you need faster connection for the PDA?

Thats the lamest thing i've heard, seriously. Your ONLY going to surg net/check emails. 11b transmits 2Mb/s, so, even with most average cable connections, you wont sturate that... Thats a joke, wait for G HAHAHHahahh

the range of G cards are farther than the range of B cards..isnt the point of wifi for the wireless feature?...haha..and have you actually used wifi cards to their limit?...i have..and the speed drops as you are further away from the wifi access point

and youre not only surfing or receiving emails...dont you transmit video via wifi?...B wifi cards are fine if you just want to surf the net or collect mail...but if you wanna do more like what i listed..you will need something faster

oh and i forgot..cf wifi G cards are already out

IXUS430 · 24th December 2004, 7:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PogiPinoy

the range of G cards are farther than the range of B cards..isnt the point of wifi for the wireless feature?...haha..and have you actually used wifi cards to their limit?...i have..and the speed drops as you are further away from the wifi access point

and youre not only surfing or receiving emails...dont you transmit video via wifi?...B wifi cards are fine if you just want to surf the net or collect mail...but if you wanna do more like what i listed..you will need something faster

oh and i forgot..cf wifi G cards are already out

lol, Yes, but the CPU isnt fast enough to stream media to a PDA, not even a 624Mhz one, have a look at the axim forums, the Ipaq forums, fujitsu ect.

Also, wireless G DOESNT have a longer field of range at its specified speeds. Its a well known fact you will get longer range with a B card, albiet at the sacrifice for speed, unless you are using the "pre-N" wireless setup from belkin, with its dual channel, speed sensing and 800% more range.

Wireless G will not give you the streaming media you require for your PDA, as your PDA's inbuilt system memory and speed will limit this and create a nice streaming slideshow.

Also, if you have to use the CF slot on your 2210, how are you going to add 4GB of storage as well?

My money, i'd get a new hx4700 at $999, as it has everything anyone could want, at a good price.

Mind you thats coming from me who just picked up a new XDA II Mini.

Chavez · 24th December 2004, 8:05 AM

I just picked up an O2 XDAIIs...

I have a HP 4150 IPAQ... it's done its service over the past year but it was just getting to the point where i was carrying a phone/camera/PDA and I finally reasoned to my self that i should just get a fully converged unit which is what the XDAIIs is. Did i say it has wireless, which was a selling point for me because I was going to get the Mini but unfortunately that didn't have wireless capability, which is what i need at the office and at various client sites that i often visit.

Fortigurn · 24th December 2004, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jazper

I say the HP 4150.. has everything you want and is smaller than the axim.

It's also about $150 more. I don't think that the smaller size is worth that price.

Fortigurn · 24th December 2004, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kerpal

Dell Axim X50, has everything you will every need out of a pda.

compact flash
vga screen
wi-fi
bluetooth
insanely fast cpu, can remember exactly 624mhz i think.
lots of memory, cannot remember again

Good grief yes, I can't believe how cheap these things have become.

Although I should point out that the entry level model (which is the same price as my Axim 3), has Bluetooth but lacks WiFi and only has a 416Mhz CPU.

The next model up costs another $100, and has Bluetooth, WiFi, and a 512Mhz CPU. In order to get everything, you need to spend around $650 for Bluetooth, WiFi, graphics accelerator and a 612Mhz CPU, and for me that just wasn't worth it.

PogiPinoy · 24th December 2004, 9:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IXUS430

lol, Yes, but the CPU isnt fast enough to stream media to a PDA, not even a 624Mhz one, have a look at the axim forums, the Ipaq forums, fujitsu ect.

Also, wireless G DOESNT have a longer field of range at its specified speeds. Its a well known fact you will get longer range with a B card, albiet at the sacrifice for speed, unless you are using the "pre-N" wireless setup from belkin, with its dual channel, speed sensing and 800% more range.

Wireless G will not give you the streaming media you require for your PDA, as your PDA's inbuilt system memory and speed will limit this and create a nice streaming slideshow.

Also, if you have to use the CF slot on your 2210, how are you going to add 4GB of storage as well?

My money, i'd get a new hx4700 at $999, as it has everything anyone could want, at a good price.

Mind you thats coming from me who just picked up a new XDA II Mini.

lolz have you actually streamed anything over wifi before?...becos i have..and my 2210 can handle it fine as if the video stream was coming from the pda memory itself..you need to use a registry hack tho..check out the axim or ipaq forums

from my experience the G card retains longer distance connection than the B card..

i can add more storage using my 2 gig SD card

and once a wifi G sd card is released i can use a microdrive in the cf slot...

..winnah!

IXUS430 · 24th December 2004, 10:01 PM

All that, or as will most people, be more than happy with the B card. As HP and XDA and Fujitsu and Dell have just released ALL their new models, which NONE of have G, it will be a long cold day in hell before they are out.

Also, as accesories and money seems no object, why not get the hx2700? or hx4700? 624Mhz cpu's ect?

I mean, streaming media is so important, why wouldnt you watch in on a 640 res screen as well?

Realisticly the 2210 isnt that crash hot anymore. It had its place. Its discontinued from HP now, and is replaced by the much superior hx2700

Anyway, my bet, second hand ipaq 4150, ebay going for about $400-450, or dell axim as well.

Good luck

Fortigurn · 25th December 2004, 1:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PogiPinoy

i can add more storage using my 2 gig SD card

and once a wifi G sd card is released i can use a microdrive in the cf slot...

..winnah!

Wow, you can get 2GB SD cards now?

How much?

Moby Disc · 26th December 2004, 7:37 PM

Prices in HK are not that much cheaper than Aus. I decided to purchase a new battery for my old IBM 600x Thinkpad (which I am using now). The battery cost me about $80 Aus from the computer market in Wanchai and has increased my appreciation of this laptop immesurably.

When I get back to Australia I will look at the suggestions mentioned. Thanks.

23rd December 2004, 12:02 AM	#1
Moby Disc Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My home Posts: 1,864	In the market for a PDA Hi, I am in Hong Kong for a little while and whilst I am here I thought it might be good to do a bit of shopping. I have been thinking about getting a PDA for a while. What I would like is one with the following features Wireless networking, on the 802.11b or g standards Some form of synchronisation with Outlook to transfer tasks to it Beyond that I guess I need the basic PDA functions of address keeping and some other basic things. Does anyone have any recommendations for or against particular models? I don't want to spend too much on one, though again I really don't know how much these things sell for. Advice appreciated.

23rd December 2004, 12:23 AM	#2
Fortigurn Member Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: taipei.tw Posts: 9,682	I purchased a Dell Axim last week at K Mall (I'm in Taipei). It's called a 'Dell Axim 3', but the specs are interesting: CPU: 400Mhz RAM: 64MB ROM: 64MB Card Slot: SD only Bluetooth: Yes WiFi: Yes IrDA: Yes I'm thinking it might be some kind of variant for the Asian market, since I can't find these specs in any Axim called the Axim 3 (see here for example). It cost me $450 AU, including a docking cradle (which didn't come with the original kit, and cost an additional $110 AU). Thus far, I'm loving it. I would recommend it certainly - it has all the features you want, including sync with Outlook. Great formfactor, actually top pocket size, and it has a removable battery, so you can add a more chunky long life one if you like. Last edited by Fortigurn; 23rd December 2004 at 12:23 AM.

23rd December 2004, 12:36 PM	#4
PogiPinoy Member Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Sydney (No Cable) :( Posts: 1,300	grab an ipaq 2210 doesnt have integrated wifi but you dont want integrated wifi thats slow which is what all pdas currently provide..wait for the wifi G card which will be more than twice as fast and it has a cf expansion slot for a gps receiver __________________ BLAQUE - Believing in Life and Achieving a Quest of Unity in Everything OCAU Club PDA Member #6 Nintendo Club Member #4 OCAU iPod Owner #65 ASUS Owners Club \|\|Dr. Pepper Club Member #21\|\| Motorola V-Club Member - V3i DELL Laptop Owners Club

23rd December 2004, 1:30 PM	#5
Kerpal Member Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 149	Dell Axim X50, has everything you will every need out of a pda. compact flash vga screen wi-fi bluetooth insanely fast cpu, can remember exactly 624mhz i think. lots of memory, cannot remember again __________________ <<Didjital Vibrations>>

24th December 2004, 8:05 AM	#9
Chavez Member Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Mill Park, Melbourne Posts: 1,570	I just picked up an O2 XDAIIs... I have a HP 4150 IPAQ... it's done its service over the past year but it was just getting to the point where i was carrying a phone/camera/PDA and I finally reasoned to my self that i should just get a fully converged unit which is what the XDAIIs is. Did i say it has wireless, which was a selling point for me because I was going to get the Mini but unfortunately that didn't have wireless capability, which is what i need at the office and at various client sites that i often visit. __________________ Check Out My Photoblog - In2events.com

23rd December 2004, 11:23 AM	#3
Jazper Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Melbourne Australia Posts: 1,555	I say the HP 4150.. has everything you want and is smaller than the axim.

24th December 2004, 10:01 PM	#13
IXUS430 (Banned or Deleted) Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 258	All that, or as will most people, be more than happy with the B card. As HP and XDA and Fujitsu and Dell have just released ALL their new models, which NONE of have G, it will be a long cold day in hell before they are out. Also, as accesories and money seems no object, why not get the hx2700? or hx4700? 624Mhz cpu's ect? I mean, streaming media is so important, why wouldnt you watch in on a 640 res screen as well? Realisticly the 2210 isnt that crash hot anymore. It had its place. Its discontinued from HP now, and is replaced by the much superior hx2700 Anyway, my bet, second hand ipaq 4150, ebay going for about $400-450, or dell axim as well. Good luck

26th December 2004, 7:37 PM	#15
Moby Disc Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: My home Posts: 1,864	Prices in HK are not that much cheaper than Aus. I decided to purchase a new battery for my old IBM 600x Thinkpad (which I am using now). The battery cost me about $80 Aus from the computer market in Wanchai and has increased my appreciation of this laptop immesurably. When I get back to Australia I will look at the suggestions mentioned. Thanks.