PDAs - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

adiaw83 · #1 06-08-2006, 03:25 PM

I have a nice gift certificate to best buy and I'm looking to buy a PDA from them. Right now I'm trying to decide between the Hewlett-Packard iPAQ Pocket PC ad the palmOne LifeDrive Mobile Manager. The palmone has 4gb of memory while the HP uses 32 onboard and sd memory. The palmone also has bluetooth while the hp does not. I've never owned a PDA before so I'm just looking for a little bit of assistance. Thank you.

bciocco · #2 06-08-2006, 03:47 PM

I have a Palm Zire 72. I use it every day for work and love it.
AFAIK, Lifedrive is the upgrade from the Zire and offers everything that IPod does as well as the benefits of a PDA.

Hammertime · #3 06-08-2006, 04:12 PM

Depends on your needs.. I just got one of these Mototrola Q's..all the convenience of a computer( as far as e-mail and IE) and cell phone all in one. I guess you need to look at your needs, but if you carry a PDA(Palm, Blackberry etc) AND a seperate phone it just doesn't make sense.
I do however have a problem getting into frame websites with the Q
Jim

Kuan · #4 06-08-2006, 04:12 PM

Don't let a 2 year old get their hands on it. They might drop it face down on the tile and then it's gone forever.

Go buy a new phone PDA with the same features.

bciocco · #5 06-08-2006, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kuan

Go buy a new phone PDA with the same features.

I considered a PDA with a phone (seriously considered the Treo 650). I found that most of them only do one thing good; either the PDA or the phone. Another issue is that I need to have my phone everywhere (on 24 hour call) but do not need to carry my PDA everywhere. I can carry my phone unobtrusively, but the PDA phone combos are either bigger than I want to carry or too small for my aging eyes to read. The keypad on the Blackberry is too cumbersome for me as well.

YMMV.

adiaw83 · #6 06-08-2006, 04:36 PM

I was considering a phone pda but Im not sure if I want to do that. I do not think best buy has a good selection on those devices, I have not seen any with the memory capability of the palmone, and my cell phone is the sprint blade and I'm very happy with it so I do not know if I want to upgrade. Thanks for the replies though. I really wanted to find a pda with a qwerty keyboard but I might have to give up on that. Also don't they make bluetooth keyboards that I could interface with the palmone? bciocco, how easy is it to type on your palmone device. Also Does it work well on wireless LAN in terms of checking email or other basic web browsing? thanks a lot

gmercoleza · #7 06-08-2006, 04:37 PM

I love my TREO 700w. I disagree - it slips into a front jeans pocket with no problem and is truly a great all-in-one design.

I am getting a Motorola Q, possibly tomorrow. Similar to the TREO but very slim. Check it out: Motorola Q Review

bciocco · #8 06-08-2006, 04:49 PM

The Zire has an lcd keyboard that you hit with the stylus. I also have an iR folding keyboard that I bought from Palm. I use the folding keyboard for when I am going to do a lot of typing away from home.
The Zire is not wireless. So I cannot comment on the performance. A card is available, but I don't have one. I don't need the access right now.
You might want to check on Yahoo Groups for some more info. I am locked out of my Yahoo account right now. I know there is a Zire 72 group. There is probably a Lifedrive group by now as well.

adiaw83 · #9 06-08-2006, 05:20 PM

Another thing about the all in one is that they cost on average about 200$ more than the deveice I'm looking at. The lifedrive would cost me about 400$, 300$ of which is covered. The only price comporable to this on the sprint PDA phones is the blackberry which really is not suited for what I think I need. Do the palms sych well with outlook?

bciocco · #10 06-08-2006, 05:37 PM

I use Outlook Express and I do not use my Palm for Email.
I do use the full version Doc To Go and that includes Outlook support, but I do not use that feature.

Bill

bciocco · #11 06-08-2006, 05:42 PM

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LifeDrive/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PUGSL/

iwrock · #12 06-08-2006, 09:15 PM

I like the Mobile Windows Enviroment.

Like you (may do), I have a seperate PDA, and phone. I have a Nokia 6255i from Verizon, and I have a iPaq hx2795. My work bought me my PDA, and my phone service is through my work. I have a partener plan with Verizon, where they allow me to go unlimited everything for 59.99 a month.

So when you couple that phone with my PDA, it becomes a wireless workhorse. I can sit on the green of the golf course, and be able to write business. Also, I find that my lil combo works pretty well when you need to check your bank, stocks, etc. I use the WiFi when I am at starbucks, etc. to check my email and messages.

I am a BIG iPaq fan, as I have had mine for a little over six months. I have dropped it numerous times, spilled stuff on it, sat on it, and just about done everything imagineable to it, and it still works. I also prefer the windows mobile over the palm OS, as I just feel that it is more user friendly and smooth. It also has a larger application base than the palm platform.

And also, that 4 gig storage, they make 4 gig SD cards now. You can get that iPaq, and stick a 4 gig memory card, and have just as much space as that lifedrive.

Anyways, hope that helps. I am on PDA #3. I had an HP 3975 before this, and I had a Palm M515. If you have any more questions, dont hesitate to ask. I use and abuse the snot out of my technology.

gmercoleza · #13 06-08-2006, 11:18 PM

Well the PalmOne TREO 700w runs Windows Mobile and syncs right up to an Exchange server using a broadband connection (syncs are very fast and in the background). So does the Motorola Q. These all-in-ones can't be beat. Built-in Excel, Word, Powerpoint, Adobe reader, and BROADBAND web access using Internet Explorer. I even keep up with Mshop on my TREO, as well as bid on eBay, check my bank accounts, etc. and it's almost as fast as my home broadband connection. Built-in RealPlayer for mp3 files (I have a 1 GB SD card) and 1 mpixel camera. With promo, you can get a good deal.

If I were you, I'd re-examine the smartphone route...

smharr4 · #14 06-09-2006, 12:42 AM

I recently upgraded from a iPaq 3800 to a iPaq hx2495 and while it's fine, I'm still looking for the ultimate convergence device - I'm tired of carrying a pager, cellphone and PDA around with me.

Pro's:
Nippy 520MHz processor
Windows Mobile 5.0, which means all data stored in Flash memory (no data loss when battery is drained)
3.5" TFT display, which is nice and bright even in direct sunlight.
Integrated SD and CF slots
Built-in Bluetooth and WiFi.

Cons:
WiFi is 802.11b only and doesn't support WPA2
Flash memory is slower than RAM, so applications load slower
Battery life seems to be drastically reduced, especially when using WiFi
No GPRS/EDGE/UMTS support.

I've been looking around, and I think the device I'm after could be the Nokia N80 (http://www.nokia.com/nseries/index.html?loc=inside,main_n80), except it's not Windows Mobile 5. Cingular is supposed to be selling the N80 later this year but you can grab one on eBay now.

I'd be careful with Windows Mobile 5 smartphones, the WM5 software bundled with them might not support all the applications that the regular WM5 does.

bciocco · #15 06-09-2006, 11:35 AM

I really prefer the Palm OS over the Windows OS. I think it is quicker and involves fewer steps to access programs. I use Docs to Go Premium version 8 and it reads and writes all of the Microsoft formats.
I would consider a Palm OS for my PC if it were offered; with the mouse doing the touch screen stuff and a full size keyboard.