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Can you recommend a good basic PDA?


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Until the Pocket Inquiries came along I've never really saw the need for a PDA. My laptop is glued to my side most of the time. However, I've been a bit leary of hauling my $2500 Ti-book out with me when Geocaching and leaving it in my vehicle. So I'm thinking of getting a PDA so I can take the cache reports with me in ed0c form for reference in the bush.

 

So I'm looking for a basic model I guess. Hopefully with USB rather than serial connection. Any advice?

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

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I recently got a Palm m125 (for Fathers Day) intending to primarily use it for geocaching. It does that just fine. It came with a USB cradle. I imagine that the m105 would work, but it comes with the serial cradle. I have lost a good deal of cache / sleep / work time to Bejewled. If you get a palm stay away from that game it’s like crack. icon_biggrin.gif

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~whidbeywalk/

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I recently got a Palm m125 (for Fathers Day) intending to primarily use it for geocaching. It does that just fine. It came with a USB cradle. I imagine that the m105 would work, but it comes with the serial cradle. I have lost a good deal of cache / sleep / work time to Bejewled. If you get a palm stay away from that game it’s like crack. icon_biggrin.gif

 

http://home.earthlink.net/~whidbeywalk/

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quote:
Originally posted by Whidbey Walk:

I recently got a Palm m125 (for Fathers Day) intending to primarily use it for geocaching. It does that just fine. It came with a USB cradle. I imagine that the m105 would work, but it comes with the serial cradle. I have lost a good deal of cache / sleep / work time to Bejewled. If you get a palm stay away from that game it’s like crack. icon_biggrin.gif


 

I'll second the Palm suggestion. I had a Palm 3 for three years(it was stolen) and now have a Palm Vx. It withstands being bounced in purse and fanny pack and it works very well (so far) with the Pocket Queries.

 

I also downloaded and had to delete Bejeweled. It's bad enough that I can get to it on the Web....

 

--

Wendy Chatley Green

wcgreen@eudoramail.com

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quote:
Originally posted by Whidbey Walk:

I recently got a Palm m125 (for Fathers Day) intending to primarily use it for geocaching. It does that just fine. It came with a USB cradle. I imagine that the m105 would work, but it comes with the serial cradle. I have lost a good deal of cache / sleep / work time to Bejewled. If you get a palm stay away from that game it’s like crack. icon_biggrin.gif


 

I'll second the Palm suggestion. I had a Palm 3 for three years(it was stolen) and now have a Palm Vx. It withstands being bounced in purse and fanny pack and it works very well (so far) with the Pocket Queries.

 

I also downloaded and had to delete Bejeweled. It's bad enough that I can get to it on the Web....

 

--

Wendy Chatley Green

wcgreen@eudoramail.com

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I'll agree with the other posters here. The Palm OS is very reliable and stable. I would bring my IIIc with me on cache hunts, but the display is hard to read in direct sunlight. I'm looking to pick up a used III or IIIe to cache with.

 

Does anyone know if an m105 or m125 will work on the III series cradle?

 

The Church says that the Earth is flat, but I know that it is round. For I have seen the shadow on the moon and I have more faith in the Shadow than in the Church.

 

- Ferdinand Magellan

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For the same reason you're looking for one, I picked up a NEW (not refurbished) Palm m125 on eBay for about $100 - It seems to do everything I want, and more.

 

email me if you want the seller's ID... I think they sell these regularly and I received it quickly and in great condition.

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If I was to buy a new handheld right now I am not sure what I would get. But since I am thinking of going to the Mac for our next PC's I think I would stick with the PalmOS. They have a good history of supporting Mac stuff, and well Microsoft is Microsoft. Thats the reason I don't buy Microsoft Streets and Trips anymore, loved the program but it only supports PocketPC where Delorme supports both.

 

A = A

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Thanks for the advice. I went down to Best Buy today to pick up a Palm M125. As it turned out they were sold out except for a display model. I told them I'd take the display model. Kewl Beans. When she rang it up instead of charging me the 145 bucks or so it was going for the girl at the counter discounted it to 95 bucks as an "open product".

 

Played around with it this afternoon it seems to do everything I need it to. The USB cradle is a nice feature.

 

One question. I have an IR port on my Tibook and I notice the M125 has an IR port. Can I hot sync between my laptop and pda via the IR port?

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

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<>

 

Yeah, I immediately downloaded Desktop Palm for OSX when I got home and it immediately worked without a hitch using the USB cradle. Kinda funny that I finally took the plunge and got a PDA just so I could use it to take pocket querys to the field with me. But I convinced my wife I really bought it for her for her to-do lists and contact info.

 

Sort of backfired on me. She immediately grabbed it and has been inputting her information into it the last few hours.

 

Jolly R. Blackburn

http://kenzerco.com

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quote:
Originally posted by Jolly B Good:

One question. I have an IR port on my Tibook and I notice the M125 has an IR port. Can I hot sync between my laptop and pda via the IR port?


 

Maybe. You can with the Windows hotsync software; I've never tried it with the Mac software.

 

warm.gif

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I have the bare bones basic obsolete super simple Handspring Visor. It was the only one at the time which was being offered with a standard USB connectivity kit so I could use it on my iMac.

 

My first accessory was the Magellan GPS Companion which I bought at full retail in December '01. Love the thing! That's my only GPSr for geocaching, so it's very important to me. I also bought a Matchbook adapter for it so that I could use a CompactFlash card to increase it's storage (added 64 MB card).

 

I kinda went overboard recently 'cause Wal Mart and Staples are clearing out all Visor equipment.

In the last week, I bought an EyeModule2 (MSRP $199) for $39 to take pictures of my cache findings, a MemPlug that replaces the Matchbook (MSRP: $50) for $20 so that I can store all my roadmaps to find caches with, and next, I'm gonna go get a folding Targus Keyboard for $40 to type my logs in the car before I forget all my neat stories.

 

With the MemPlug and the lastest firmware upgrades, I can actually store several 'images' at a time (OS 3.1 won't let you run programs from the memory, so I can't keep everything I want in the main memory all the time). Putting together an image right now that will let me play with my GPS in flight. icon_smile.gif

 

Even though I don't have a particular business need for it, I have found SO many uses for it! From having a Bible in my pocket for Sunday School, to navigation, to caching, to bedtime entertainment (along with those - ahem - breaks during the day), this li'l piece of solder has been quite the toy.

 

My next goal is to get a Prism! icon_smile.gif

 

---------------

wavey.gif Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

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I have the bare bones basic obsolete super simple Handspring Visor. It was the only one at the time which was being offered with a standard USB connectivity kit so I could use it on my iMac.

 

My first accessory was the Magellan GPS Companion which I bought at full retail in December '01. Love the thing! That's my only GPSr for geocaching, so it's very important to me. I also bought a Matchbook adapter for it so that I could use a CompactFlash card to increase it's storage (added 64 MB card).

 

I kinda went overboard recently 'cause Wal Mart and Staples are clearing out all Visor equipment.

In the last week, I bought an EyeModule2 (MSRP $199) for $39 to take pictures of my cache findings, a MemPlug that replaces the Matchbook (MSRP: $50) for $20 so that I can store all my roadmaps to find caches with, and next, I'm gonna go get a folding Targus Keyboard for $40 to type my logs in the car before I forget all my neat stories.

 

With the MemPlug and the lastest firmware upgrades, I can actually store several 'images' at a time (OS 3.1 won't let you run programs from the memory, so I can't keep everything I want in the main memory all the time). Putting together an image right now that will let me play with my GPS in flight. icon_smile.gif

 

Even though I don't have a particular business need for it, I have found SO many uses for it! From having a Bible in my pocket for Sunday School, to navigation, to caching, to bedtime entertainment (along with those - ahem - breaks during the day), this li'l piece of solder has been quite the toy.

 

My next goal is to get a Prism! icon_smile.gif

 

---------------

wavey.gif Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

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I'd like to second VF's Visor comments.

 

The OS is pretty much the same (Handspring does add a few things). Mine and the Wife's both function the same as the palm devices we both used in the past.

 

The abality to add other items is a great treat. My Wife used hers for the digital camera and for the MP3 player, while mine houses my wireless phone attachment at all times (I own an 802.11b card for it and use it at home or work some, but still usually the phone).

 

Currently Handspring is clearing out older models, and some can be had for a very good price.

 

Not trying to sway you either way, simply stating that you should check them out as well. (again, same OS, same programs run on it).

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I'd recommend going for a Pocket PC based PDA with a color screen. The HP Jornada 525's are running about $150 in decent used shape. They also take compact flash cards so you can add memory, modems, etc. Sure it only has a serial cable instead of usb but you can get a usb-serial converter and besides, use a compact flash reader/writer for quicker transfer of data anyway.

 

-----------

Bill

Jeeps Only!

http://www.jeepsonly.com

------------------------

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I'd avoid Microsoft PocketPC. This is simply my personal opinion. I went from a Palm III, to a Casio Cassiopeia EM-500 PocketPC, to an IPAQ 3650 PocketPC, to an HP J567 PocketPC, and now back to a Sony CLIE Palm. If you have a PocketPC, you can only sync with Microsoft Windows or MAC. Some of us use open-source operating systems.

 

The screen resolution on the Sony CLIEs are twice that of any Palms on the market, and are trans-reflective displays, which means you can read the screen in ANY light condition. The PEG-T615C is being reduced in favor of the 655C, and can be had at a lower price than the 655C.

 

Besides that, it's smaller than any PocketPC or Palm on the market today.

 

"Wan't" and "differen't" are not words.

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The Palm m105 and m125 will not work with a III series cradle. All mXXX models use USB cradles, to my knowledge.

 

quote:
Originally posted by The Treasurer:

I'll agree with the other posters here. The Palm OS is very reliable and stable. I would bring my IIIc with me on cache hunts, but the display is hard to read in direct sunlight. I'm looking to pick up a used III or IIIe to cache with.

 

Does anyone know if an m105 or m125 will work on the III series cradle?

 

The Church says that the Earth is flat, but I know that it is round. For I have seen the shadow on the moon and I have more faith in the Shadow than in the Church.

 

- Ferdinand Magellan


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I would personally stay away from the Windows based handhelds simply because they require TONS more memory to operate just the OS, and then they require more battery power to operate the faster CPU etc.

 

Those are just my opionions, though, not based on actual experimentation or observation. I have a friend who has a Compaq and loves it.

 

My preferences, in order, would be a) Handspring Visor Prism (16-bit color, available at Fry's or ebay for around the $190 range). First because I already have all my peripherals (including GPS). :D Handspring Treo 90 (The new color handspring) 'cause I am a Brand loyalist. c) Palm m130 - about $30 less than the Treo.

 

Note: The older Palms (Pre 'm' and 'i') and Visors have about 3/4" larger screen. The resolution is still 160x160, but the pixels are spaces furthur apart for a slightly grainer look, but larger screen. New Handsprings and Palms are smaller screens, but sharper.

 

Of course, Sony's Clie' are the sharpest of all with 320x320 pixels.

 

---------------

wavey.gif Go! And don't be afraid to get a little wet!

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At work I checked out a Palm m515 with a Palm portable keyboard and additional hotsync cradle. "I am going to use it to store the LAN & user info and phone system info" (Yeah, right - MobiPocket here I come, heh, heh) I have one cradle at work on my computer there and one at home. I also went out to Staples and bought a aluminum case made by RhinoSkin that is only slightly larger that the Palm itself. It is padded on the inside, folds open to use the Palm without having to remove it and fits in my pants pocket. I figured that if I'm going to be carrying around a $500.00 Palm & 64MB memory chip in my pocket out geocaching, I wanted something more durable than a plastic cover or thin leather or nylon case. I would highly recommend one. BTW, I love the TFT active matrix color display on the m515. Also, the m125 uses the same connector as the m500-m515 so they use the same keyboard and hotsync cradle. They do make a serial cable that you can connect to your GPSr serial cable, but I haven't tried that out yet. I really love having up-to-date cache info and logs for all the caches around my area in one little device. Really cool. I can look up cache info, go find the cache and then type in the log for the cache all right there on the hood of the Jeep.

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It looks like you already bought one anyway, but here's my two cents: I originally picked up a Palm VIIx from TigerDirect.com for $149 with the keyboard and leather case. Totally loved it. Signed up for Palm.net and everything.

But I also had a cell phone. So now I've got two bulky gadets to tote around everywhere.

Then I kept seeing the Kyocera 6035 phone in Spring ads. It's a cell phone with the Palm OS built in. And my Verizon cell phone contract was just about up. I happened to pop into the Verizon store at my local mall to see what they had for specials when my contract was up and they sold the Kyocera. And they had it for only $100 after a $150 rebate. A little bit of a cash outlay at first, but a great price. Even the lowly 2MB Palm M100 usually sells for more than that. The Kyocera has 8 MB ram.

It's kinda big for a phone, but small for a Palm. But much easier than carrying both.

I searched around and got all the cables and adapters to hook it up to the ETrex. Now I'm just trying different mapping software.

I really love this phone and would recomment it to any other gadget geek. icon_smile.gif

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It looks like you already bought one anyway, but here's my two cents: I originally picked up a Palm VIIx from TigerDirect.com for $149 with the keyboard and leather case. Totally loved it. Signed up for Palm.net and everything.

But I also had a cell phone. So now I've got two bulky gadets to tote around everywhere.

Then I kept seeing the Kyocera 6035 phone in Spring ads. It's a cell phone with the Palm OS built in. And my Verizon cell phone contract was just about up. I happened to pop into the Verizon store at my local mall to see what they had for specials when my contract was up and they sold the Kyocera. And they had it for only $100 after a $150 rebate. A little bit of a cash outlay at first, but a great price. Even the lowly 2MB Palm M100 usually sells for more than that. The Kyocera has 8 MB ram.

It's kinda big for a phone, but small for a Palm. But much easier than carrying both.

I searched around and got all the cables and adapters to hook it up to the ETrex. Now I'm just trying different mapping software.

I really love this phone and would recomment it to any other gadget geek. icon_smile.gif

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The above Open Source/Sharp Zaurus post, notwithstanding, myself, I own a Handspring Visor Prism.

 

This unit is excellent for a wide variety of tasks, and has a slew of Springboard Expansion Modules to do just about anything you ever wanted a unit to do.

 

I am a fan of *all* handheld computing devices, be it the PalmOS/Handspring Visor combo, PocketPC devices, or Linux-based PDA's. It makes no difference to me, they're all interesting and capable. The new generation of PalmOS-based devices is just around the corner-and is going to be powered by ARM processors--the long-running standard for geodetic grade survey handheld equipment!

 

I like my visor--and I had the choice of any unit I wanted. The only problem I have is the display washed out in bright sunlight--something that is changing.

 

For geocaching, color maps can not be beat! The Visor Prism works with geodiscovery's Geode GPS Springboard Module, clearly the leader when it comes to Visor-based GPS platforms. Although not as small in comparison with the HandyGPS Pro with the Rand McNally color map database, it has a built-in electronic compass and is, perhaps, the most sensitive, signal-wise, of what is offered, and has WAAS.

 

What's more, the maps from geodiscovery.com are free--although you have to click on a street to see it's name; you can elect to keep the name up, however. My only gripe is that the maps are not in color. The lakes are hard to see without this feature.

 

There are so many good PDA's out there, that it comes down, I think, to what you're going to use one for. I like the idea of expansion modules and, at this time, the Visor Prism (et al) has the most expandability of any PDA on the market. CompactFlash ports also have their expandability, and this platform is also enjoying expanding development.

 

My summary:

 

Handspring Visor Prism: An excellent choice for a robust, Lithium-Ion rechargeable PDA with a color screen, with Springboard Expansion Module slot for many different kinds of useful gadgetry--including an MP3 player that has two MMC card slots, plus an e-book reader. Has the most GPS modules available of any handheld, with the HandyGPS Pro with built-in Rand McNally color map database, Magellan GPS Companion and mapping software (black & white I think), and the Geodiscovery Geode GPS receiver with electronic compass and WAAS.

 

PocketPC-based PDA's. These are PDA's with the scaled-down version of the Windows OS. Nothing wrong here, just different. A true OS, PocketPC 2002 is considered a "standard" by many for PDA operation. What's nice about PocketPC-run PDA's is that you dont' need external modules to do certain things--such as play .mp3 and .wav sound files; they're usually built-in with headphone jacks and voice-recording capabilities already available.

 

If you are used to Windows in any form, using PocketPC 2002--or any other CE-based OS for that matter--is very simple and highly intuitive. Mapping software is available for PocketPC-based PDA's. The availabity of GPS expansion modules is a bit sparser, as compared with the Visors. You get more raw ocmputing power with the PocketPC handhelds, but the PalmOS is still tops in speed--and needs less space for files to function. So it's really, to me, a tossup in terms of "what do you want to use it for?"

 

For me, the Handspring Visor Prism wins, hands-down. If a Sony Clie ever has GPS module capability, I might just go that route in the near-future. The displays are great from what I've heard.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Warm regards,

Firefishe

 

196939_600.gif

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My first PDA was a color Windows CE device. All other points aside I made sure that my next device was not color! The whole point to my moving to Colorado and taking up Geocaching was to get my butt outside. It worked, but I now I could not read my PDA most of the time. So even though color Palms are available I avoid them like the plague until I see more with good outdoor reflective screens. I saw one PDA that had a screen designed to work best in bright light (maybe a HP Jornada). So when those are more available, then I will get a color model.

 

A = A

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>BTW Garmin just recently announced they have licensed PalmOS. Good lord what could that possible mean as far as new gadgets? I GPSV-type of unit with a Palm built into it would be a dream come true.

 

I had read about Garmin buying the license on the PalmOS on a thread somewhere on here once, but apparently they haven't done anything with that licensing yet.

That would be the absolute ultimate if I could get phone, Palm and GPS in one unit (without 12 ft of cable dangling in between.)!

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quote:
Originally posted by Alan2:

EWhich one would anyone recommend with a qwerty keyboad and color display?

 

Tks

 

Alan


 

If your a Linux fan, I'd recommend the Sharp Zaurus. It has a qwerty keyboard with a nice color screen and runs the Linux OS. For cache runs, I basically just copy over the .html file since it comes with an html browser. Its somewhat expensive, though, and I believe sharp is discontinuing the SL-5500 model.

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I have been converted to PDA for cache pages and got rid of those papers for about 1 month now.

I got a M130 (referb) for $135, it works GREAT!

If you don't mind referbs check out this place.

http://www.consumerdepot.com/

I do not work for/with or with in 30 miles of this place. I just got a good deal and want to share. They may have something your looking for at 1/2 the price.

As for which is best? Well that is up to you...i like color and being able to put more toys on this toy.

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