PDAs: Windows vs. Linux

This next paycheck is pretty much free for me and I want to get a PDA however I don't want a palmOne...I want something that runs WindowsCE or Windows Mobile...I'm scouring eBay at the moment...does anyone have any recommendations?

Last week I bought a HP iPAQ hx2110 for somewhere around $400. Remember you have to buy additional memory too (an SD card with 256MB or 512MB should be enough). I'm really happy with it. It's running Windows Mobile 2003 SE.

The single thing I regret is that for $80 more I could have bought the version with integrated WiFi.

what is it that you're looking for... a pda phone or a simple pda ?

If you're looking for a simple pda, try the hp 1940 series (they are cheap and they look great) or the dell axim series (they also look VERY good and they're great!).

If you're looking for a pda-phone, since pda-phone's with wm5 are very close (think 1 month or less) there's gonna be a huge amount of people trying to sell their's to be able to buy another one with wm5. Try the qtek s100 or the eten m500.

So if you can wait, get a pda-phone ... they're great!

Oh... and don't even dare to go with a device that doesn't have windows mobile in it.

Windows mobile rocks!

I've got the HP iPaq H1930i. It runs Windows Mobile 2003 (no SE), and hasn't let me down. It's cheap, and just about one of the thinnest PDAs available (which may have something to do with the fact that it has nearly no space-filling extras, so no bluetooth, wi-fi, or stuff like that).

The only thing I don't like is that HP won't provide an upgrade to Mobile WMP 10, I'd love that.

So many recommendations for HP devices! They are soooo behind!

The clear winning in the PDA stakes is HTC. check out their i-Mate range I'm sure you'll find something that will interest you.

www.clubimate.com

If you aren't made of money start off with the JAM, if you have a bit more cash to spend try the PDA2K (thats what I've got) and if your rolling in it, the Jasjar is the boy to have right now.

With HTC they device are often named and branded differently in different countries, here in the UK the PDA2K is also called the O2 XDAII and the Vodafone v1620 which is very confusing, but thats half the fun with HTC it all part of the game to discover what wacky device they are going to come up with next and for whom. In this industry these guys are the one to watch.

As for Linux ... mate not even in the PDA game yet.

 

 

Sabot wrote:

So many recommendations for HP devices! They are soooo behind!

That means they're "tried 'n' tested" then, doesn't it?

W3bbo wrote:

Sabot wrote: So many recommendations for HP devices! They are soooo behind!

That means they're "tried 'n' tested" then, doesn't it?

I have a HP 2110 it's not even 6 months old and it's falling a part, the build quality has gone way down since the iPaq days.

Anyway, I'm a geek ... need shinny new things

Sabot wrote:

I have a HP 2110 it's not even 6 months old and it's falling a part, the build quality has gone way down since the iPaq days.

/me hugs iPaq 5550

must not spill tea over this one... must not spill tea over this one...

If I were to buy a new PDA, I would want one with a real VGA screen. I've had it with QVGA. Unfortunately most VGA PocketPC devices are very expensive.

Sabot wrote:

If you aren't made of money start off with the JAM,

The only price for the JAM I can find is €525. By contrast, my HP 1930 cost only €260, which is just about the maximum I can spend on a PDA (the one I had before this one was only €30).

Treo 670!

Sabot wrote:

I have a HP 2110 it's not even 6 months old and it's falling a part, the build quality has gone way down since the iPaq days.

Correction, build quality has gone down since the Jornada days.

Back when the cheapest PDAs cost £400 and were made of metal.

Mine weights a ton, has a small dent after being dropped... but it still runs!

Sabot wrote:

As for Linux ... mate not even in the PDA game yet.

 

I own two PDA's:
A Sharp Zaurus SL-5500, which uses Linux embedded and an HP 2215 which uses Windows Mobile 2003.

Both play nicely with MS Outlook synchronization.

If you want to do some development, I recommend a Windows Mobile 2003 device if you already have VS 2002/2003.  I'm not sure on the availability/cost of development tools for linux embedded.

Sven Groot wrote:

Sabot wrote: If you aren't made of money start off with the JAM,

The only price for the JAM I can find is €525. By contrast, my HP 1930 cost only €260, which is just about the maximum I can spend on a PDA (the one I had before this one was only €30).

£297.83p if you buy it or free on 12 month vodafone contract (£40 a month)

http://www.expansys.com/product.asp?code=124760

W3bbo, you have a point, my old Psion was a stunt double for a cinder-block.

MarkAnatony (aka Eric_shmidt) be still child or it's the naughty corner for you.

Actually, my father-in-law has been a bit of a PDA nerd for years. He's an engineering professor and has carried around psions of various versions for ages. He never made the jump to the mini-tablet style because he likes to have a keyboard.

His latest move was to a teeny weeny Viao though - its a full PC but it ways nothing and has a reasonable spec. V nice. Probabyl a bit more expensive than your average PDA though.  

The only trouble for me with a nice expensive gadget like a PDA or Tablet is that I would drop it and scratch it so easily.

Same with the PSP, I can just see my shoving that in the wrong pocket with all my keys, SCREEEEEE!

Is it the same thing as on some watches that can get removed?

Beer28 wrote:

forgive me for asking, but what do you need a PDA for?

I can't think of a situation where my laptop would be too heavy or I would have to do computing beyond just surfing the web at a hotspot or listen to music or watch a mpg with my PSP.

Isn't a PDA about as useful as those old 64k digital rolodex's from the 80's?

EDIT: I mean, it doesn't have a phone or anything right?

I carry my PDA everywhere, it clips to my belt, it's also a phone, it does Agile Messenger (Yahoo and MSN et al) RSS Reader, Diary, contact list etc ...

But I work for a utility company we use them to sell gas and electricty. GPS with asset location and a whole host of other programs that are handy when you are up a mast or down a hole in places where carrying a laptop wouldn't be practical.