Pda Vs Gps Unit

[+AmishHacker]

Should I get a PDA with a GPS unit or a 100% GPS unit........Not sure what the advantages and disadvantages are. Any Help???? You can get cheep older PDAs on Ebay

[+Stunod]

I started with a Palm m130 with a NAVMAN clip-on GPS. That setup was about twice the price on the MeriPlat I now use. And I can sleep better at night knowing I won't trash my expensive PDA on my next cache hunt. The handheld GPS units are much more durable.

[+AmishHacker]

I can get a Palm III for $10 and a few more for the GPS...is it worth it.....or a Palm V for $50-60.

 

Do they work as good

[+parkrrrr]

I used a Palm Vx and Magellan GPS Companion for a couple of years. The sad truth is that the software that comes with it sucks horribly, and the third-party software, while better, is still missing a lot of features you can get on even the most basic standalone consumer GPS receiver. You can get most of the functionality you want by combining a handful of different programs, but it doesn't match the ease-of-use you'll get from a standalone unit. The only thing the Palm gets you that the standalone GPS doesn't is paperless cache descriptions, and I don't think they're worth the tradeoff. (I carry the Palm and the GPS receiver, now. The Palm stays in my pocket while I'm on the trail, which makes it a lot less likely to get dropped or whacked by a rock.)

 

I would recommend buying the standalone GPS receiver unless you have some other reason for wanting the Palm. If you'll only ever use it for geocaching, do yourself a favor and get a dedicated GPSr instead.

[+GeckoGeek]

I can get a Palm III for $10 and a few more for the GPS...is it worth it.....or a Palm V for $50-60.

 

Do they work as good

They'll work fine for paperless caching. A combo PDA/GPS is big bucks. I think you'll be better off buying separate units. A pointed out, no PDA or PDA/GPS is a rugged as a GPS. Second, any combo unit is considerably larger then a PDA which could make it bulky for other things.

 

Don't get me wrong, a combo unit would be a cool toy to have, but I'd rather spend my meager funds somewhere else.

[+briansnat]

Palms aren't very waterproof. I've used my GPS in the rain and snow and dropped it in water. If you are geocaching, you're eventually gonna encounter bad weather and a Palm just won't cut the mustard.

 

If you're just going to use it for travel, then the Palm is fine.

[+AmishHacker]

Thank You Everyone...very helpful. I welcome any other comments.

[+KiltCacher]

The only problem I foresee is the battery dying in the PDA. If it doesn't have an expansion slot, you lose all the data on it. Not to mention the ruggedness. I've dropped my garmin over a dozen times, and it just bounces and keeps going!