Best Handheld out there?

[quote]Originally posted by old_bean:
<strong>To continue, in a sense, the earlier discussion about Palm vs. Pocket PC, I'm also in the market for a handheld. Money isn't really an object, so I'm looking at getting the best thing that I can. While I like the look of the new Tanstung from Palm, the UI and software doesn;t look, at least, any different from what has come before, while the likes of the iPaq look much more interesting and advanced.
</strong><hr></blockquote>

Well, I'm now on record as saying that the Toshiba e740 is the best handheld out there. It's packed with features, is slim, costs less than the iPaq's and has decent battery life. The Palm OS handhelds: they haven't changed appreciably in years. Input is the same, memory limitations and multi-media capabilities are the same. Nothing spectular there except for one first: a Palm OS device that more expensive than the majority of PPC devices. The Tungsten is overrated. Wait for Palm OS 6 before getting one. Go to the <a href="http://discussion.brighthand.com/" target="_blank">Brighthand</a> forums for some lively discussion about this issue.

[quote]<strong>
Basically I'd appreciate some advice, but most importantly of all - do you think iSync support will be extended beyond Palm devices to handhelds running Pocket PC?</strong><hr></blockquote>

Unfortunately, this will not happen any time soon. There's pocketmac.net that is promising a Jaguar version of their software that supposed to have iSync/iCal support, but I wouldn't hold your breath for it. Basically, I've decided since using a newt 2100 for a while, that the handheld needs to stand on its own and not be tethered to a computer for things. Sure it's a pain to have to enter things twice, but would you really? I've got my PPC with me all the time and only occasionally am I sitting at my computer without it. My 2¢.

[ 11-11-2002: Message edited by: torifile ]</p>

As other threads have shown, best handheld is really dependant on your needs. Sometimes a cell phone is enough for some, sometimes people want Palm and sometimes people want PPC.

what makes the Tungsten (not the one that's also a cell phone) to me attractive is that it uses a totally new CPU--I forgot which one it is (is it ARM?), but I'm sure that it's not the old 40 Mhz Motorola DragonBall processor. It also uses a totally new version of the OS too.

I guess in the end, it's all a matter of what you need. From what I read, it seemed to me before that the real difference between Palm and PocketPC was that Palm gave you only what you really needed, while PPC gave you everything but the kitchen sink. I don't know if that's true anymore, given how both platforms have gone in terms of development; it seems that all of them are bragging full colour, MP3 playback, video playback and video I/O, etc...

I dunno...do you really need a PDA that's also a video camera, still camera, an MP3 player, a cell phone...

A new CPU is hardly a good reason to switch! PocketPCs have been useing the StrongArm chip since 2000 and has since moved on to XScale (up to 400 mhz but more power efficient).

Buy what best fits your need.

It's just a concept, but I have to admit I like the look of <a href="http://www.infosync.no/news/2002/n/2589.html" target="_blank">this</a>, a collaboration between Samsung and Microsoft.

It's Pocket PC, but without the usual bulkiness. I like the design of Palm's handhelds. I've yet to get that "wow" from any of the Pocket PC hardware vendors. And this concept seems like a Palmification of the Pocket PC.

As I've discussed in the other handheld threads, my main concerns are ease of input of text and connectivity. I can certainly live without a battery-draining color display.



[ 11-12-2002: Message edited by: Belle ]</p>

heres my 2c on this topic

i owned palm v which i gave away & then had
a cassiopea em-500 pockect pc (still have it
dont use it)

the palm wins hands down...
heres the downsides to the pocketpc that i ran into

1.crappy battery life....it takes 5hrs to recharge
leave it alone for a few days without being turned on & the battery goes dead

2.bulky & slow at times

3.win32 crashes....what can i say except it has
reset itself on a number of occcasions to the point where i no longer trust my data on it

so whats it good for ?
....playing pacman & mame games

the palm v is still the best pda out there if
you can find one..
excellent battery life & it is simple & easy
to use.

Out of interest, does anyone know of an app for the Palm that'll mimic that summary page on Pocket PC in the picture I posted above?

[quote]Originally posted by Belle:
<strong>Out of interest, does anyone know of an app for the Palm that'll mimic that summary page on Pocket PC in the picture I posted above?</strong><hr></blockquote>

I don't know of one, but it's called the Today screen. Maybe that'll help in your quest for it.

-t

[quote]Originally posted by torifile:
<strong>I don't know of one, but it's called the Today screen. Maybe that'll help in your quest for it.</strong><hr></blockquote>
Thank you, torifile! I just Googled that information and came up with <a href="http://www.palmgear.com/software/showsoftware.cfm?prodID=38922" target="_blank">this</a>.

I love Google. Though it also came up with <a href="http://www.pocketsex.com" target="_blank">this</a>. :eek:

Another option is SilverScreen. While it's not the Today screen, it does have a scrolling 'ticker' you can turn on, which runs through your To Dos and Appointments for the day along the bottom of your screen.

[quote]Originally posted by Kesh:
<strong>Another option is SilverScreen. While it's not the Today screen, it does have a scrolling 'ticker' you can turn on, which runs through your To Dos and Appointments for the day along the bottom of your screen.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Silver screen is cool. I really liked it. Kinda cheezy, but it did what it needed to do.

Glad I could help. Belle.