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Using A Playstation Portable As A Pda?


otterbob

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hello. i really want to start paperless caching but i am having a hard time finding a pda. there are so many out there that i am confused. i have a playstation portable game system, and i was thinking that it would be great to use for paperless caching. does anyone have any ideas if this is feasible?

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You can serve rum punch out of an old toilet bowl at your next cocktail party, but that doesn't mean it's the best tool for the job. :P Why not pick up a cheap used PDA on eBay? You can get a perfectly good one for $25. Also, is a Playstation durable enough to hold up to outdoor use?

ok spec me out one that would work for me for $25. seems like everyone i look at is missing software, cables,etc. and are uncomfirmed as to if they work. and yes, the playstation is durable enough to use. what makes you think it would be any less durable than a pda? besides, i wouldnt carry it with me into the woods. i would reference what i need from my vehicle before heading out.

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The Palm III is a good base model that will work for paperless caching and is offered for sale cheap.

 

One of the best things about the PDA is being able to pull it out of your coat pocket or pack, in order to double-check trail directions, decrypt a hint, follow the instructions for a multicache or puzzle, etc. That is hard to do if you leave everything in the car.

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The Palm III is a good base model that will work for paperless caching and is offered for sale cheap.

 

One of the best things about the PDA is being able to pull it out of your coat pocket or pack, in order to double-check trail directions, decrypt a hint, follow the instructions for a multicache or puzzle, etc. That is hard to do if you leave everything in the car.

I totally agree. I actually use an old Palm III. With Cachemate (the best el cheapo shareware I have ever paid for!) it gives me everything I want on teh trail, and if I drop it, I won't cry TOO much. I don't think the PSP will give you what you are looking for, even with a web browser. Cachemate (or whatever application you use) allows you to search for nearby caches.

 

Even if you are missing the Palm software, you can download it for free from Palm. All you need is a working Palm device and cradle or cable. The Palm software is free.

Edited by New England n00b
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The Palm route is the best way to go. Some palms you can buy for less than the memory stick.

 

Agreed. The PSP would work for viewing cached pages, and has a better display than most mobile PC devices, but:

 

- you can't make field notes.

- you can't sort caches by distance.

- there's no provision to connect your GPS directly to the PSP.

- it doesn't interface with GSAK.

- it won't run CacheMate or GPX Sonar.

- if you have to leave it in the car it's utility is limited.

- if something ever happened to it you'd never forgive yourself.

 

Compare that to the cost of a Palm III or Handspring Visor ($15 average on ebay) and I'd go with the dedicated Palm device.

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The Palm route is the best way to go. Some palms you can buy for less than the memory stick.

 

Agreed. The PSP would work for viewing cached pages, and has a better display than most mobile PC devices, but:

 

- you can't make field notes.

- you can't sort caches by distance.

- there's no provision to connect your GPS directly to the PSP.

- it doesn't interface with GSAK.

- it won't run CacheMate or GPX Sonar.

- if you have to leave it in the car it's utility is limited.

- if something ever happened to it you'd never forgive yourself.

 

Compare that to the cost of a Palm III or Handspring Visor ($15 average on ebay) and I'd go with the dedicated Palm device.

I'm in favor of going the Palm route (I use a $10 Palm IIIxe), but wanted to point out that the PSP will be getting a GPS receiver in the future.

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I have a PSP which I considered using for geocaching, but then I thought about what it would cost to replace should I drop it. I therefore decided on a second hand Palm IIIxe because of its price and flexibility. I use it with Cachemate and the GPX files from Geocaching.com. Added bonuses like the included calculator program and the like should be handy for some puzzle caches. :lol:

 

Cheers

Randal

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It works. just got my useless PSP to go paperless using GSAK.

 

Assuming you have already mastered PQ's and have GSAK up and running you can use GSAK to output all your caches as HTML files. What it actually generates is a unique page for each cache you choose to output, plus several index pages that allow you to easily navigate all those caches.

 

1. Tweak GSAK to display your choosen caches and from the menu choose File -> Export -> HTML Files.

2. Set a unique directory to output the "mess" to and choose the indices to generate. (I just generate by name and code which means the main page you load gives you those two options to find the cache page from the main index page.)

3. You will end up with is a directory full of htm files and image files. Copy the entire directory into another unique directory on your psp. (I make a "Caches" directory in the existing "PSP" directory for simplicity.)

4. After all that is transfered into your psp just start your internet browser and type in the following: file:/psp/caches/index.htm. This will pull up the main index file and give you your choice of indices to find your desired cache.

 

I had to use file:/psp/caches/_1index.htm

Edited by gdpsych
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honestly a psp could probablly hold up to out door use better then alot of pda's out there..... but that's my opinion, and i could be wrong.. wouldn't be first time....

I would have to agree that this would be a good guess. PSP is designed to put up with the abuse it might get from a teenager, and most PDAs are intended for the professional crowd. I have my PSP in the truck with me, in a Hardshell Travel Case, the big risk would be dropping it(easily solved by adding a wrist lanyard), and I think even then it will fare better than the PDA. I hope you find what you're looking for. I think they even have a GPS attachment. You could certainly find a way to save all the Cache pages you want as images, and view them as photos if nothing else comes up. I am assuming that saving a "Screenshot" puts it in am image format?

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My brother has a PSP as well and said you can surf the web with your PSP and save web pages directly. Hell, if you're caching near a wifi hotspot, you can look up the cache you're looking for and log it. :)

 

You should also be able to save .html files to it and access them that way.

 

I'm not a geek, but my daughter web surfed (Wi-Fi) on her PSP before she got a laptop. Sounds like this would be possible. I've even seen the web browser when she did it.

 

Shoot, I wonder if a PSP could run something like Delorme Topo and USB connect one of Delorme's LT type antennas? Turn the little sucker in to a GPS itself.

 

Maybe someone with more skills on this matter could chime in.

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