26 replies to this topic

[burncycle]

hey, so i was considering buying a nice pda for my trip to europe so that i don't have to lug my heavy laptop around everywhere (im backpacking it), but there's a lot of pda's out there, so im looking for some advice.

basically all i need is something that i can update my blog with, ya know, something with wifi and a decent web browser. but i also need a SD slot for uploading my pictures to the site, and the ability to read pdf/chm/ebooks on it. (i read lots of tech books!)

those are the basics, but after that, id like to be able to do more hackerish things, such as have linux on it (man that would be sweet) but i can't really seem to find clear information about weather or not there's a solid linux flavor out there that will run on a semi-newer pda (im eyeing the dell x30/x50 right now) and that runs X as well. just being able to have a terminal/nmap/ethereal/irc would be cool as hell.

but also, one thing im wondering is... should i try for a palm or something running windows mobile 2k3? im just worried about compatibility (cause i dont think wm will sync on a linux box or a mac), and im wondering what OS is better or has more software available for it. also, where can i get free pda software? a very basic picture editor (i.e. cropping and rotation) and a html editor would be nice for my work on the pda...

so yeah, what's your opinion? im really interested to hear people's experiences with pda's. oh, and i haven't had the opportunity to use one for web browsing yet... does cramming such large pages into such a tiny screen suck as bad as it sounds like it will?

thanks!

Edited by burncycle, 29 June 2005 - 10:18 AM.

[PsypherX]

Having been the owner of various Palms since high school, I would suggest getting a Pocket PC. There's more apps out there for them and more things you can do with them, IMHO. However, it may just be the fact that I've never owned a Pocket PC, and they look rather tasty to me right about now. *shrug*

If you do decide to go with Palm, you can find plenty of great software at Palm Gear and Handango (Multiple OSes).

[Belial]

Where abouts are you going ?

Ipaqs. are good. but in my opinion PDA's are over priced slates of crap. i wouldnt go for one but instead buy a small laptop.

For Wi-fi you are looking at every single one at the moment. They all seem to have built in wi-fi.

Browsers. i think they are just sandard IE browsers adapted to render to a small screen.


But in my opinion i wouldn’t buy one. i find them (if i have to use them) hard to use at times when you really need to edit somthing quickly.

I see their main use in synchronisation with calendars and mail clients (mainly outlook). that’s pretty much it.

And yes this is a very biased view as all my expirance with them has been negative so for what you plan to do I think you would be better off with a PC tablet or a small laptop.

[blacklines]

I own a dell axim x30i, they are relatively cheap, though I didnt have to pay for mine, nor would I. I think one can be had on ebay for ~99-150 USD.... they have integrated wifi and blue tooth, and the wifi is actually reall decent. Also have an SD card slot.

blacklines

[riscphree]

Ive had the opportunity to play with many Palms and PocketPCs. And I can say, PocketPCs are much more worth your money than Palms. When using a PocketPC I felt at home and things were easy to find. I am not a fan of the Palm menu system so it was awkward, maybe something you can get used to. But the Blazer (browser) is slow as hell.

[double.emms]

blazer sux, but web pro 3 or higher i must say i was very impressed with. it is a little slower than a pc browser as it has to reformat pages for small screen, but it does a great job.

as far as quick editing on a handheld it's just not gonna happen. not until they include voice input anyway. you can do most anything, you just can't always do it fast.

[Black Hand]

I have an HP iPaq h4355 which runs Windows Mobile Premium 2003. I don't have any problems with it, but I do sync it with my windows box. I've never tried with a Mac or any flavor of Linux.

Personally, I find that the Palm OS's are boring. To me, they don't seem very intuitive. I've never been too fond of it. WM works well for me.

I installed WiFiFoFum on my PDA, thanks to dual, and can now go warwalking... or warskating as he did... with it. There are some decent apps out there that will run on WM.

Edit:

I actually use IE on my PDA, just because I haven't found anything else to install. It does an OK job of resizing everything, including images. I have the font set to the smallest, but I think going a little smaller would be better.

Browsing the web isn't bad at all, for having a screen that small.

Edited by Black Hand, 29 June 2005 - 01:58 PM.

[Nemasket]

If you are looking for a good organizer go with Palm. Otherwise go with a Pocket PC. I have a Palm m515 and now a Dell x50V.

[mikes]

I'm with everyone else...get a PocketPC. we use Palms at work and they are so limited in a lot of ways.

[Seal]

Palm is dead. Long live Palm.

I own a Clie (PalmOS; got it used via eBay... $70), with a mini wifi card that fits into a memory stick ($50), as well as 512MB of memory and a fold-up keyboard ($20). I had to twist its figurative arm a little (make use of a few holes) to install the newest version of Netfront Browser.

I'm very much satisfied with the contraption. I can use it to surf any webpages (renders them very nicely); load PDFs/PowerPoint/Word Documents; write .doc files myself; watch XViD movies and listen to OGGs/MP3s; have a streetmap of my city; anything really. That said, there's been a real slowdown in app development for the Palm platform lately. For instance, good luck finding anything wifi related for Palm.

It just seems like all the good software is being developped for the Windows Mobile devices (ie. skype, games). As such, I'd recommend you opt for a Windows-based device.

Edited by Seal, 29 June 2005 - 11:41 PM.

[regicide666]

What about the Z. I use a Zaurus and I love it. The Zaurus is a Linux pda by Sharp. It comes with a little qwerty keyoard and feals in alot of ways more like a pc then a pda. If you use linux at all and like OSS then take a look at these. I have a palm and I don't like it. I came close to gettng an Ipaq but only to install Linux. My girlfriend got me a Z for Christmas last year and I have not looked back.

Edited by regicide666, 30 June 2005 - 12:09 AM.

[droops]

im a pocket pc kind of guy, after having a few, there are a few things that i cant live without. sdio and compact flash slots, wifi, and i love my vga screen.

i have a hp4705.

phizone and i used wififofum this week to find some access points for filming some infonomicon tv.

[pixelFiend]

What about the Z. I use a Zaurus and I love it. The Zaurus is a Linux pda by Sharp. It comes with a little qwerty keyoard and feals in alot of ways more like a pc then a pda. If you use linux at all and like OSS then take a look at these. I have a palm and I don't like it. I came close to gettng an Ipaq but only to install Linux. My girlfriend got me a Z for Christmas last year and I have not looked back.

I second that.

I got a Z last Christmas and love it. Good wireless and all the command line hackerish stuff you could want. I have Debian installed on mine and it works really well, X and all, save for some problems I'm having with locale info that is keeping me from using apt-get and compiling source. I just about got that problem tackled but got sidetracked recently.

But even without putting a full-blown known Linux distro on one the Open Zaurus project will give you just about everything you could want. There's a lot of info about it and a pretty good user community for helping out. Check out Irongeek's site for good info as well.

They take both CF and SD cards, but the CF slot on mine is generally used for the wireless card. The SD card holds my Debian install, but since I dual boot it with Opie I could swap in other cards for storage as well. All in all a hell of a nice little machine and you can get them for somewhere in the $100 range on eBay.

PF

[burncycle]

thanks a lot for all the replies! yeah, ive used some palms in the past, and ive been less than excited by it... the OS is clunky, and the software is never that great. so yeah, i think palm is definitely out of the running.

i can't seem to decide between the zaurus, dell axim x50, and ipaq.

i really like the fact that the zaurus runs linux, but the only one i really see for sale is the sl-5500, which is dirt cheap (140 bux which is nice), but it seems a little slow (200mhz), but the intergrated keyboard is cool... but what about apps? do i need to compile apps that i want to run on it, or can i apt-get them?

the dell x50 looks ridiculously awesome, and it's within my price range (which is a max of 450 bux). and so are some of the ipaqs, but none of them have nearly as good a specs as the dell.

how good is pocket pc software? is there a lot available? does anyone know about making a dual boot (wm2k3 & linux) pda?

[PsypherX]

how good is pocket pc software? is there a lot available? does anyone know about making a dual boot (wm2k3 & linux) pda?

Granted, I've never owned a Pocket PC, but I've certainly browsed what's out there, and they certainly have Palms beat for selection, hands-down.

[tehbizz]

i have a Dell Axim X30 and before I got my laptop, i was in love with this thing. now it just collects dust. built-in wifi/bluetooth is great for bluejacking/snarfing and wardriving.

[DigitalAcid]

Defintalty Pocket PC. I have a Hp Ipaq 1910 and I love it. I bought mine about 1 1/2 years ago for $140 from some place that I cant even remeber now, but I can play 3d games, music, movies, slideshows and so much more. Palms are just over priced for barley anything, maybe a built in 1MP camera , but just use my Minolta Z2 for pictures.

PS: some times you can find really awesome prices from places like http://bensbargains.net, I saw a iPaq phone not to long ago that retails for $600, for $120, if I had the money i would have bought it

[Nemasket]

thanks a lot for all the replies! yeah, ive used some palms in the past, and ive been less than excited by it... the OS is clunky, and the software is never that great. so yeah, i think palm is definitely out of the running.

i can't seem to decide between the zaurus, dell axim x50, and ipaq.

i really like the fact that the zaurus runs linux, but the only one i really see for sale is the sl-5500, which is dirt cheap (140 bux which is nice), but it seems a little slow (200mhz), but the intergrated keyboard is cool... but what about apps? do i need to compile apps that i want to run on it, or can i apt-get them?

the dell x50 looks ridiculously awesome, and it's within my price range (which is a max of 450 bux). and so are some of the ipaqs, but none of them have nearly as good a specs as the dell.

how good is pocket pc software? is there a lot available? does anyone know about making a dual boot (wm2k3 & linux) pda?

I chose the Dell over the ipaq for features and cost. I got the x50v (VGA) which was about 150 cheaper than the comparable ipaq. It has bluetooth,802.11b,takes SD and compact flash cards and is runnung at 624mhz max. It comes with the standard Windows mobiles sofware and the Dell wireless software is very cool.

I have installed a few games,subnet calc,some mapping sofware and metric conversion sofware.

Overall a very solid machine.

[PsypherX]

Damn you all! Now I'm looking really hard at an x50v.

/me regrets buying a Tungsten T|3.

[Nemasket]

Damn you all!  Now I'm looking really hard at an x50v.   

/me regrets buying a Tungsten T|3. 

One very cool feature, you can get a adapter and hook it up to a standard VGA adapter.
I got a few of these for my for my sales people and they use them for power point presentations and hook them up to proximas. It is a heck of alot cheaper than laptops.