*BiGBonES** December 5, 2006 Share *BiGBonES** Member December 5, 2006 I think im going to get a PDA for christmas as a replacement for my 100year old laptop, I'm just wondering what to look for when buying. My plans are to use the PDA to type up lectures (I can get a small portable infra red/bluetooth keyboard) and get an audio recording of lectures. I also want to use it as an MP3 player, and a video player whilst im out and about. And finally connect to wireless internet whilst in the library. My main demand is a long and reliable battery life. Can anyone recommend anyone recommend any decent PDAs that will meet my criteria? Do PDAs suit my needs in general, or are they a waste of time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boiler December 5, 2006 Share boiler Member December 5, 2006 thats a LOT of stuff you want to do with a pda... for that much functionality it might make more sense to stick with a laptop... however, I did some PDA research end of the summer for myself, and I ended going for the dell axim x51. It has a good feature set for cheaper than most other models. **Yes, I know it's a Dell** but I have absolutely no complaints with mine. If you want to do THAT much with it, I suggest looking at the top-end model Axim X51v It has built-in wireless and bluetooth capability, high-res screen (for the size), and a fast processor and integrated graphics processor. It is around $500, which is getting near the budget laptop price range, so I guess you'll have to decide if you really want to be able to do all of that with a PDA or just get a new cheap laptop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjester December 5, 2006 Share benjester Member December 5, 2006 i have the dell x50v, model just before the 51... I have no complaints about it at all... plays video, music, and anything else I've wanted to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick December 5, 2006 Share [LaW]Maverick Member December 5, 2006 If you want to spend less money, try this: Palm TX It will do everything you mentioned, and it's a whole lot less expensive. Plus...I hate Dell. :-) No offense intended, I just hate all the bloody software they load their new computers up with. I dunno if they do the same things with their Pocket PC stuff. In any case, the Palm does everything you mentioned, costs less, and has won several awards. I bought one for my fiance for Christmas so I've been doing a lot of research lately myself. The Dells are nice too though, my brother has one. I just think that they're a tad overpriced. Also, for a keyboard....check this out: Killer Geek Keyboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostoften December 5, 2006 Share lostoften Member December 5, 2006 I have the iPaq hx2795b and have no complaints so far. It has wifi, and bluetooth plus came with a docking station. I got this for when I do my clinical rotations, as it is a mobile reference. But for the price a laptop works too. When I was looking I also was debating about the Palm LifeDrive. I heard bad reviews about this because, since it has a hard drive it reads slower. Likewise since its an actual hard drive it can't withstand being dropped on occasion. But thats just what I heard from the CompUSA guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boiler December 5, 2006 Share boiler Member December 5, 2006 Maverick' date='Dec 5 2006, 09:37 AM' post='380102']If you want to spend less money, try this: Palm TX It will do everything you mentioned, and it's a whole lot less expensive. Plus...I hate Dell. :-) No offense intended, I just hate all the bloody software they load their new computers up with. I dunno if they do the same things with their Pocket PC stuff. That Palm TX is not an equivalent PDA to the X51v I mentioned. The dell has a 640x480 SVGA resolution, which is significantly higher than the palm, and the processor on the palm is significantly slower than my "base" model x51 400mHz that I have. Now, if you don't need all the goodies, then I'm sure the palm is a great pda. He mentioned wanting to watch videos and do lots more stuff with it, so imho he ought to consider the dell over the palm due to power, resolution, and feature considerations. There isn't a pda with similar specs for the price of the dell. I also am wondering if the Palm OS is going to be around for a whole lot longer, as Windows Mobile seems to be growing in the market, but I wouldn't let that be a deciding factor for now. I know many people hate dell (I don't care much for them on several things myself, I say this as I type on my Inspiron 6000D), however the PDA is very good and **does not** come pre-loaded with all kinds of garbage like their PCs and laptops do. All the crap is on CDs, and you can choose what you want on there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
[LaW]Maverick December 5, 2006 Share [LaW]Maverick Member December 5, 2006 I'm glad they don't overload their PDAs as well...really, that is good to know. :-) I wasn't saying the Palm was better, I was saying it will do what he wants if he wants to spend less money. It will play videos and music and all that jazz, it just won't have as high a resolution as the Dell you're talkin' about. The Palm TX processor is NOT slow. Though it only runs at 312mhz, the Palm software has less overhead to worry 'bout (from what I've read) so it is still pretty speedy. That being said, I'm sure your top o' the line dell is faster, but the TX is definitely not sluggish. That being said the Palm does have a lot of bells and whistles...BlueTooth, WiFi built in, it doesn't have the hard drive the life-drive has so it isn't slow loading, it'll do video and all that jazz.... Also, something to consider, there is a little bit more software out there for Palms because they've been in the game longer. However, PocketPC (Windows Mobile) is catching on mad fast, and will catch up in a year or two probably. The Palm OS, however, isn't going anywhere. It's got WAAAY too much 3rd party support to die. I'm not saying it won't phase out in 15 years, but I doubt even that will happen. It's what MAC would be if MAC had 3rd party support and a whole lot less compatability issues. :-) All that being said, buy whatever is best for you. If you want to really spend the money, there is also an HP (HP) that has a significantly faster processor than the Palm (520 mhz) and is still a bit cheaper than the Dell at $345.99. The Palm TX will do everything you said you wanted it to do. So will the HP and the Dell...it's just that the Dell and the HP might do it a hair faster, and with the Dell, you'll get higher resolution video. My advice: go check 'em out in person now that you've got a few suggestions and see which you like the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
appalachian_fox December 5, 2006 Share appalachian_fox Member December 5, 2006 I currently have a Dell Axim X3i and love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Metallurgic December 5, 2006 Share Metallurgic Member December 5, 2006 I have always wanted a PDA with wifi. I wonder what web pages would look like at that resolution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stutters December 5, 2006 Share stutters GC Alumni December 5, 2006 btw, wifi + voip = hot. it also saves you a bundle on your peaktime minutes. may not want to use it for a over the phone job interview, but.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boiler December 6, 2006 Share boiler Member December 6, 2006 Maverick' date='Dec 5 2006, 04:34 PM' post='380206']The Palm TX will do everything you said you wanted it to do. So will the HP and the Dell...it's just that the Dell and the HP might do it a hair faster, and with the Dell, you'll get higher resolution video. My advice: go check 'em out in person now that you've got a few suggestions and see which you like the best. Wasn't trying to imply anything was BETTER, but of course it is always best to check them out yourself, everyone has their preferences! happy shopping Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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