Could someone offer some PDA purchase advice? (1 Viewer)

[Camp]

I love my Clie (and the Palm OS in general). However, if I were buying right now I'd probably go with one of the cheaper Pocket PC's (the Dell, for example).

I'd spend the $250 on that now and wait for Palm OS 6 devices to hit shelves in the next year or so. OS 5 is just a place holder to keep Palm units from appearing dated until the fully re-worked OS6 debuts.

 

[Dennis Reno]

I just received my Dell Axim X5 late last week. So far, with very limited experience, I love it. I have a 512MB CF card that I'm loading with mp3 music for a biz trip this week.

The top of the line X5 with a 400mhz processor, 64MB SDRAM and 48MB Intel StrataFlash is only $299 after rebate. It includes separate CF and SD slots for expansion. I'm a former Palm Vx user and fan. I don't think that Palm can come close to the Dell for a similar price. In fact, there are no other Pocket PC that offer all the features at that price!

 

[Paul O]

You can buy a Palm Tungsten from Dell's Accesories page in one of their frequent 10-15% off sales. I just bought one for $328 shipped. It comes with Word, Excel and Powerpoint functionality thru a program called Documents to go. It takes a second to install and included with the Tungsten. The Tungsten is a tremendous device, it combines Palm's superior usability with features like built in bluetooth (upgrading my phone to a Sony T68i for web browsing), a 320x320 screen, voice recording and slick design. Downloads for video and mp3 players are freely available (kinoma and others) and there is a tremendous amount of freeware and programs available for the palm. A fellow traveller beamed Zagat's London Restaurant guide to me in the Chunnel train from Paris to London last year. I don't want a "PC in my Pocket" when a Palm does everything just as well with power and simplicity.

 

[DaveF]

I've got the Sony Clie 615, and I really like it. When I was looking at Palm machines last summer, Sony hardware clearly provided the best value.
These features were (and are) important to me:
+ Size: The Sony Clie are like the Palm V's -- very compact.
+ Usability: The Sony's had the best feel to me. I really like the scroll wheel on the side and the hi-res screen.
+ Cost: Best value compared to Palm-brand hardware. There were also some rebates on software purchases with the Sony.
+ PalmOS is common at my job; no one currently uses PPC. I wanted to go with the herd on this purchase.
+ Integrates with my work scheduler (so I can synch with my Lotus Notes calendar)
I use it primarily for scheduling, tracking cash expenses, and playing games during boring meetings Secondary uses are as an address book, a ToDo list, and repository of handy notes.
Some other random thoughts:
A report from last Fall on Brighthand reported that "Documents to Go" under PalmOS was better at manipulating Word & Excel docs than the built-in tools for the PPC hardware. http://www.brighthand.com/article/Office_comparison

I don't want to get her something that will be outdated in a couple of years. Unlike me, if the thing doesn't break she won't upgrade.

Future hardware won't make present hardware obsolete, if it works and does what you need it to. Obsolecence is only a problem for chronic upgraders.
Good luck finding the best device for your wife.

 

[Andre F]

The new Dells look interesting if you decide to look at PPC's...