+alexm Posted March 31, 2002 Share Posted March 31, 2002 I'm interested in purchasing a PDA sometime in the next month or two and am looking for some suggestions. First off, I have no experience with these things. The basic things I'm looking for it to do is: Run Mapping Software (I've got streets & trips 2002, but it requires WinCE.)Expandable SD Card MemoryInternet access to check e-mail when on the road.Address Book.AvantGo for Geocache pages. I guess what I'm really looking for is testimony of WinCE vs. PalmOS vs. etc..., price, and general software availability. Thanks in advance for info! I'm sure I'll have more questions once the general range of units becomes clearer.. ... alex Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted March 31, 2002 Share Posted March 31, 2002 Sounds like you know your criteria. MapTech has a portable verion of their topo software that only runs on certain PDA's. Your critiera souds like mine. Check out Maptechs page to find their reccomendation, then go buy about the only one you can find that works. PRobably end up with an HP or Compaq. Quote Link to comment
+Ranz Posted March 31, 2002 Share Posted March 31, 2002 There are a lot of good PDA's out there right now, ranging in price from about $150.00 to $500.00. None of them have all the features you require built in. HandSpring makes some good units and offer many expansion modules for memory, camera, modem, etc. Buying one of those and the necessary add-on to get you mobile internet access is a reasonable choice if expandability is high on your list. I bought a palm for my wife's birthday last year and after doing the research I chose a Sony Clie'. It has many good features. You can expand the memory but the Clie' uses a Sony Memory Stick, not an SD card. They work great, especially if you own a Sony Digital Camera because any pictures taken are recognized by the Clie' when you transfer the card. The Clie also has both a USB and serial interface which allows you to hook it to almost any GPS unit, computer, and many cellular phones. I use a Kyocera Smartphone. The advantages there are that you can hook to the internet anytime just using your wireless plan minutes. I check my email anywhere and browse the web when necessary. The disadvantage is that the 8meg memory is not expandable. That hasn't been an issue for me though. I have many applications loaded (including Delorme's Solus 3.0) and I have never exceed the available memory. The Samsung I300 has the same advantages of the Smartphone and includes a color screen. It also has the same disadvantages. WindowsCE devices have some nice built-in features but do not have the software base available that the Palm OS units do. They are also still more expensive. Internet access on the road would require added hardware as well. I may have done more to add to your confusion than to help but these are suggestions from my experience. Quote Link to comment
+Wander Lost Posted March 31, 2002 Share Posted March 31, 2002 Stupid Computer!! I had just finished a brilliant reply when the computer dropped the connection with this site. Anyway!! I have a Handspring Visor. I originally picked it over a Palm because it was the basically the same unit but at $50.00 less. I also liked the flexability of the springboard expansion slot. You can get adaptors for the palm but the Springboard slot is really slick. You just pop out the cover and slide in the springboard module. Some modules are the same size as the module cover so it doesn't add any size to your pda. Others stick out the top, like a phone or camera attachment. But they are more integrated than the attachments for the palm. The variey of springboard modules is amazing. Check out the Handspring web site to see all the different modules they offer. Heck they even have a personal massager. I have the Magellan GPS companion right now and just ordered a SmartMedia adaptor. I'll be able to add up to 128 megs of memory using the adaptor. They also have an adaptors for other types of Flash memory depending on your preference. The only major problem with using a pda for geocaching is getting the cache info from the web site to your pda. There is another thread on this but I can't remember now where it is. Here it is. (edited to add link to thread) Over all I'm happy with my Visor and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a PDA. "No matter where you go, there you are." -- Buckaroo Banzai [This message was edited by Wander Lost on March 31, 2002 at 10:44 PM.] [This message was edited by Wander Lost on March 31, 2002 at 10:44 PM.] Quote Link to comment
+azmark Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 Palm enthusiasts will have you think there aren't many avaialble for CE....I believe the number is somewhere over 65,000 now. You get a bigger screen, much, much, much, much faster processor, and RAM and Storage out the wazzoo. You can add a 1gig HD to many and a 5gig HD to a few. When storing maps you want storage storage storage!!! Why buy someting that kinda works. Tigerdirect has the iPaqs for 299.00. Go for it! Quote Link to comment
+LoCache Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 Someone mentioned the Kyocera Smartphone 6035...I use that one, and while it doesn't match you criteria exactly, it ROCKS! I use it while caching and on MANY cache-adventures, I have been in need of a clue, or wanted to log a cache from the middle of the woods, and I can make calls, surf the net, log caches, post messages, WHATEVER all from one device and the memory has NEVER even come close to being low. I love it! Geo PS - I have even heard of deals lately where this $500 phone can be had for around $100 after rebates and such. ---------------------- http://www.geopolitan.net/geotrex Quote Link to comment
+Dan_Edwards Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 quote:Originally posted by azmark: Palm enthusiasts will have you think there aren't many avaialble for CE....I believe the number is somewhere over 65,000 now. You get a bigger screen, much, much, much, much faster processor, and RAM and Storage out the wazzoo. You can add a 1gig HD to many and a 5gig HD to a few. When storing maps you want storage storage storage!!! Why buy someting that kinda works. Tigerdirect has the iPaqs for 299.00. Go for it! Coming from someone who started with a Color Windows CE Device (HP Jornada) and was pretty disapointed with the programs available. That and the color screen was hard to use outside. I would say that I would think twice about a Pocket PC device. BUT I just went back to my old stomping grounds to see if the situation for programs had changed. IT HAS. There are a LOT more programs then when I dumped the Windows CE OS! I still could not find any that were specificly made for Geocaching. I have a few for my Handspring Visor that are made to keep track of caches found, and decrypt hints and the like. I have to agree that when your keeping maps on your handheld memory is GOD! Nothing sucks memory down like a map. That is why I just ordered a Smart memory reader for my Visor. That way I can use the memory cards that I already own with my Visor to store maps on. What I miss the most from the the Windows CE/Pocket PC world is true multitasking and fast processors. I would like to have a GPS program logging my travels AND surf the net at the same time. I would also like to leave my Yahoo IM program running while searching for a cache... Why? Because it would be cool dadgum it! If I was buying a PDA right now I don't know what I would buy. I would be torn. When I bought my Visor it was easy, Windows CE programs were inferior at best, but that situation has improved enough that I would not write off a PocketPC device, but not enough that I would not have hesitations. But on the other hand the PocketPC OS is a much better OS then the PalmOS. I am not a big fan of color screens because they suck so much power and are impossible to read in the bright sun. There are some new reflective color screens out that I really love though. I think I would buy a low end Visor and wait and see what happens. What I want is a Handspring Treo/PocketPC Phone with Bluetooth and a reflective color screen. That and a GPS with Bluetooth so they could talk to each other. But no one makes that... YET. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 You guys are living proof of why I don't have a PDA yet. They can't do it all. I'd need about 4GB of RAM since I'd plug it into my sterero and play MP3s. Not to mention maps. Portable photo album. And a ton of other things I'd want to use it for. None of them measure up yet. Quote Link to comment
+Vercingetorix Posted April 2, 2002 Share Posted April 2, 2002 quote:Originally posted by Renegade Knight: You guys are living proof of why I don't have a PDA yet. They can't do it all. I'd need about 4GB of RAM since I'd plug it into my sterero and play MP3s. Not to mention maps. Portable photo album. And a ton of other things I'd want to use it for. None of them measure up yet. An iPaq with a 5GB PCMCIA HD seems to meet all of your needs. Quote Link to comment
+mrcpu Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 SmartPhone. Awsome, simple, easy to connect to the net. Supports PQAs Rob Mobile Cache Command Quote Link to comment
+azmark Posted April 3, 2002 Share Posted April 3, 2002 With the Palmable Geoching program, you can get lots (100) caches on you iPaq with the hint decoder if you like. I've got a 128M card in my iPaq. I've got over 20 mp3's, 3 states worth of maps, the 100 caches, many programs and games, and still have over half the space left for more. You can do quite a bit of multitasking with these which is not possible with the palms, but you have to realize that maping with a GPS attached is constantly redrawing the screen and does tend to get very processor intensive. When doing the real time mapping you have to keep your multitasking to a minimum. There was rumor that topografix is coming out with a wizbang geocaching app for the iPaq, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for that one. Quote Link to comment
+TeamLabrys Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 I have a Handspring Visor and Magellan GPS Companion. I use Mapblast and Avantgo to save area maps and cache pages, and also have Marcosoft's Quo Vadis mapping software, which allows for marking the location of a cache on it's GPS enabled maps. I find in general that my Magellan GPS 315 is easier to use to get near a site because the screen on the Visor is hard to see in sunlight, but that the GPS Companion module is more accurate. I use it if I get close to a cache but can't find it. Quote Link to comment
+TeamLabrys Posted April 7, 2002 Share Posted April 7, 2002 Forgot to mention.. the Visor meets all your criteria if you add a wireless modem. I have the Omnisky Minstrel / Earthlink combo. Quote Link to comment
+alexm Posted April 21, 2002 Author Share Posted April 21, 2002 First, I'd like to thank everyone for their input in this thread. I've looked at 'em all (Palm, Visor, Jornada, iPaq, clie', )... Just about everything that I could find "off the shelf" that would power up for me. Not having much experience with these things, I figured hands-on would beat suggestions + mail order + prayer. I ended up purchasing an iPaq 3835 this week. My reasons, although rather shallow.. I like the color screen, it uses SD RAM just like my Meridian, I already own one piece of software for it (M$ Streets&Trips), and I figured out just about everything in the PocketPC 2002 OS in about 5 minutes of fondling at the store (no instructions). Haven't hooked the Meridian to it yet, though. I think this is where the fun really starts. Now I just need to figure out how to justify it to the wife. (although the palmable geocache pages are a godsend!) Thanks Again! Ale Quote Link to comment
ride_bent Posted April 21, 2002 Share Posted April 21, 2002 I salute you on your choice. I have the very same device and love it! The Compaq iPAQ is the first non-Palm device I ever considered. I was a Palm die-hard for many years and still think the Palm is best for the contacts and calendaring functions. But for more, the iPAQ with PocketPC 2002 shines. There are a nice selection of cases for the iPAQ but I think this one might be best for Geocaching in the outdoors. http://www.xyzworks.com/cases.htm Enjoy! The best things in life are not things... Quote Link to comment
+Yak Man & Yak Girl Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 quote:Originally posted by alexm: I ended up purchasing an iPaq 3835 this week. My reasons, although rather shallow.. I like the color screen, it uses SD RAM just like my Meridian, I already own one piece of software for it (M$ Streets&Trips), Ale Just a suggestion. Pick up a copy of Microsoft Mappoint. I have used the pocket pc version of streets and trips. To minimize map size in streets and trips they only send the address info on every other street. So if you use the program to look up addresses, you will quickly become dissatisfied. Mappoint does not have the same problem. Also, if you go to this site you can get an IBM 340 MB Microdrive for under $100.00 I paid a lot more. forgot to put link http://www.ssdonline.com/detail_page.cfm?productid=MD340/A&affid=A01 [This message was edited by Yak Man on April 22, 2002 at 08:36 AM.] Quote Link to comment
+the england's Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 quote:Originally posted by azmark: With the Palmable Geoching program Is there such a thing??? Have I missed something??? It's out there...let's go get it! Quote Link to comment
rghermes Posted April 22, 2002 Share Posted April 22, 2002 Shoot, just carry a laptop!! "Indecision may or may not be my problem"----J. Buffett Quote Link to comment
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