PDA Advice

[bronco]

My other half would like a PDA for next year and knows roughly what she wants, but buggered if I know what has the best reputation/reliability etc, so I come to the geeks for knowledge.

The main reason she would like a PDA is to run around and be able to easily view large PDF documents and edit the occasional Office (usually Word) file. From what I understand this is fairly standard.

She isn't the biggest person, so she doesn't want a brick, but obviously because it is more for viewing text than anything a bigger screen would be good. However if possible she would also like a phone and possibly a GPS (even if 3rd party software is required) built in.

One I've found that would seem to fit the bill (minus the GPS) is the O2 xDa Atom.

But I would be interested to see what others use/recommend.

[Buffalo]

DO NOT BY THE O2. I'm fucking serious - they are the worst piece of shit out there....Please, for the love of god!!! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.

I manage a fleet of approx 650 mobile devices of which about 150 are PDA phones (the rest are ruggedised mobile data platforms). We have O2's (Atom etc), i-Mate (Jam, K-Jam), Dopod (810, 838pro) and several Palm and Blackberry units. The only ones people hate are the O2's. We no longer offer them as an option.

They have chronic echo & feedback, lousy bluetooth support and under-performing processors. Our users tell us that they have to reset them at least twice a day.

If it's specifically a Windows Mobile device you are after, then your best bet is the HTC range. They are re-sold under the i-Mate, Dopod and HP brand names.

If easy data-entry is a high priority then I would go for the Dopod 838Pro (Also marketed as the i-Mate JasJam). I believe it is a better unit over-all, but doesn't have built in GPS. One of the nicest features is the slide-out querty keyboard, which is surprisingly easy to use.

The 838pro is the unit I am currently using, and I have to say it is the best phone/pda I have ever used. I absolutely love it. I use a separate bluetooth GPS receiver ($35 from ebay) and TOMTOM for navigation, and everything else comes standard. All data-entry on PDAs kinda sucks, but the keyboard is the best option I have found so far.

Another good alternative that people on ZGeek have been raving about is the Dopod 810 - It has all the features you mentioned, as well as built-in GPS. We have several staff using them and they seem to be well-received. It uses screen-based input (on-screen keyboard, or several writing methods) which are a pain to use for large amounts of editing. Having said that, some people prefer this to the keyboards.

Another unit which follows the same design principles as the 838pro is the iMate K-Jam. It also has a slide-out keyboard and has basically the same feature set as the 838pro, but with a less powerful CPU. It's a bit older now so it will also be significantly cheaper.

All this is just my own option, but there are a few other threads that'll give you more info.

Hope this helps!

[Marshall77]

The word feature on my Ipaq is more of an advanced text editor not a substitute for a laptop or UMPC (Ultra Mobile PC) which has a full blown version of open office or MS office installed.

I used my PDA to talk notes in pocket word (word for PDA's) The pdf support is there but its slow and you are looking at a tiny screen. You can rotate pdfs to landscape but it is still a small screen.

I agree with Buffalo. The jasjam has a nice flip out keyboard and would be great for entering text and editing spread sheets.

These guys make UMPC's which might be better for your misses but they are twice the price(+) of a PDA. You can have GPS and 3G added. pioneer computers (http://www.pioneercomputers.com.au/products/info.asp?c1=3&c2=108&id=2191)
The only reason i would suggest a UMPC over PDA is that it will run real windows software of your choice.

I find a separate phone and pda is a good thing. I have a nice small mobile i take when going out and i have the PDA for taking notes in meetings and playing video/Mp3's on the train.

[beerbaron]

Buffalo I'm looking at these for selected members of our company
http://www.asia.htc.com/asia/au/products/pda_TyTNII/pda_TyTNII_fea.html

have you had any experience with them ?

[Colonel Kurtz]

http://www.asia.htc.com/asia/products/pda_p3600i/pda_p3600i_fea.html

has GPS

also there are a range of other good devices by this mob

[stinky]

The HTC TyTN II is brilliant!

[Colonel Kurtz]

That's a pretty cool device actually. Damn, my Dopod has been surpassed

[beerbaron]

The HTC TyTN II is brilliant!


Have you got one ? care to share any feedback

[Buffalo]

We have jsut recieved several on them. We haven't had them long enough to make a definitive assesment, but so far I've recieved nothing but praise for them....

I really like the inclined screen - it has an unanticipated benefit, in that it makes it a whole lot easier to type with the keyboard, both in acuracy and comfort over time....

I'll let you know how they go longer term... :)

[Buffalo]

One quiery I've been getting over and over is how do I use the HTML-based email that is supposedly supported by Windows Mobile 6?

A: You must have an Exchange 2007-base email organisation for it to work.

[beerbaron]

Thats ok
our business is looking to move over to exchange 2007 ;)

[Buffalo]

This is kinf of a nifty idea as well - I think I want one :)

http://www.htc.com/product/03-product_htcshift.htm

[Colonel Kurtz]

HTC make all the cool toys

[beerbaron]

nice stuff they have

[beerbaron]

another question

can symbian devices run RPC over HTTPS ?