Jump to content

Palm Or Pocket PC?


Recommended Posts

Ok I am looking at these things trying to sort through them. Which is better for paperless caching, Palm operating system or Pocket Pc with windows? I am sure that there are people here that are using both kinds so lets here the pros and cons for each. Not limited to but focused for paperless caching. Not limited because it will be used for work also. Thanks for the info.

Link to comment

Geez, trying to start a holy war? :mad:

 

OK, I'm a Palm guy so you know what I'm going to say. :mad:

 

I think Palm are better because:

  • Used ones are cheap. Cheaper to buy and cheaper to replace when something bad happens to it. No PDA is as rugged as a GPS, so it's best not to carry something too expensive.
  • Units with a monochrome screen have a battery life measured in weeks if not months
  • CacheMate

Edited by GeckoGeek
Link to comment

I have a Palm-powered cell phone (Samsung's I330 for Sprint). I use GPX Spinner and Plucker.

 

The combination works well for me. It's nice to have the cache pages on the PDA/phone -- in the event that I notice that I happen to be near a cache. I run a search that shows me the caches within 20 miles of my home, so if I am in an area with some time to spare, I usually have the cache page, so then I can go caching.

 

A palm-powered cell phone has another advantage. It's one less item to carry. When on a hike, I feel that a cell phone is a nice security safety net -- to call for help in an emergency. It's also good to use it to call other caching friend for a 'lifeline' on a difficult to find cache!

Edited by Brainerd
Link to comment

Palm or PocketPC? I would say the best unit is "cheap" no matter what the platform. After all when you are out geocaching and your PDA slips out of your hands into the muddy water below your feet which would you prefer to cry out: "$@%$* There goes my new $500 PDA" or "Fooey! There goes my $60 PDA, guess I will have to pick up another used one." These things aren't waterproof nor extremely rugged unlike our GPSes. Perhaps the new Garmin combination PDA/GPS unit is rugged but I have not see one in action.

Link to comment
Palm or PocketPC?  I would say the best unit is "cheap" no matter what the platform.  After all when you are out geocaching and your PDA slips out of your hands into the muddy water below your feet which would you prefer to cry out: "$@%$* There goes my new $500 PDA" or "Fooey!  There goes my $60 PDA, guess I will have to pick up another used one."  These things aren't waterproof nor extremely rugged unlike our GPSes.  Perhaps the new Garmin combination PDA/GPS unit is rugged but I have not see one in action.

This is what I would say. For paperless caching, you can PROBABLY get a Palm unit cheaper than a PocketPC. That being said, when I got my new PocketPC, a friend had gotten a new Palm so gave me his older PocketPC which I now use for paperless. It was an older model that needed an OS upgrade.

 

BOTH will work great, neither is really "better" than the other. If you plan to use it for daily activities, too, that's a different discussion and there are other forums for that. :mad:

 

edit: RPW, the iQue3600 is NOT rugged so this would be good for an urban cacher but long hikes through tough terrain would not get along well with it. It's GREAT however, for using to drive from cache site to cache site however. With this added tech benefit, you can really rack up some numbers during the day. It takes away the uncertainty of reading maps and navigating unfamiliar city streets. You can also do this with appropriate PocketPC gear and a program like Mapopolis.

Edited by mrkablooey
Link to comment
You can pick up Pocket PC based units cheap on Ebay, too. Don't buy a Palm just because a couple here said they're cheaper. They sound like more of a hassle to use for caching. Spinner AND Plucker just to view .gpx files? No thanks, I'll stick with my PPC and simply GPXSonar.

Ummm, CacheMate is available for Palm.....

 

That said, I agree with the cheap part. Whatever you can find for cheap that you won't mind dropping. I bought a Palm Zire 21 because I know someone that works for them. Figured I might as well support them. It was pretty cheap for a new unit. 95% of it's use is geocaching so it was a wise choice for me.

Link to comment
I have a Palm.  So do most of my caching friends.  One has a Sony that I've tried on a group hunt.  I don't see any real difference except my Palm was a lot cheaper.

Uhhhh, a Sony Clie is a Palm-OS device, not a PPC.

 

Ok guys thanks for the info. I am not trying to start a war. I didnt realize this was a ford and chevy thing, (dare I say Garmin and Magellan thing, no). Just trying to get a feel for them. Anybody else with ideas?

 

By in large it's preference. Palm is simple but surprisingly effective. If find it more intuitive and effective. PPC seems (to me - at least when I played with WinCE) at tad more convoluted since it's trying to take the Windows OS and put it on a handheld device. I believe the PPC has an advantage if you need tight integration with MS Office or other corporate systems.

 

I think your best bet is go to a store that has working display devices and go play with them. See which one fits you better.

 

One more thing in favor of Palms, PalmGear.com. Take a look at all the freeware/cheapware programs available. PPC may have caught up, I'll let one of them say.

Edited by GeckoGeek
Link to comment

I've played on both sides of the fence and have to say I prefer Palm. The more basic units seem to be a liitle more rugged than the high end models. I've drove off with my unit on top of my car and watched it drop/bounce/tumble in the rear view mirror at 40 mph. It only had a few dings on the corners a scrape on the back. Works fine!

Link to comment

I have a Palm m105 that I am using almost exclusively for caching these days. Once I started using Cachemate, there's no way I'll ever go back to paper.

 

The capacitor that helps it retain its memory while I'm changing batteries went out a while back (it seems that it's a common problem with the m105's). So now I have to synch before and after I change the batteries. That's when I stopped using it for important data.

 

I'll probably upgrade to an Ipaq for my work-related stuff in the very near future and continue to use this one for caching. If I drop it off of a cliff tomorrow, I won't lose too much sleep.

 

(edited to correct typos)

Edited by Wulfster
Link to comment
What do you guys think abour premium membership?

I believe it's pretty much required to make paperless work. It is the only way to get GPX files that contain all the information about a cache. The LOC files only have the location, not all the details you see on the web page. Without a GPX file, you're left to scan the actual web pages which can be time consuming and limits your options.

 

Can people fill me in as to how paperless works and that kind of stuff?

This subject is hashed and rehashed often. Take a look in the software section and look things over.

 

If you've got a Palm, CacheMate or Spinner/Plucker is the most popular methods.

Link to comment

I've had both. I have to say I like Pocket PC better. Much easier to just use gpxspinner to convert the gpx file to an html folder that you just simply drag and drop into the pda's upload folder. Use Pocket Explore to view the cache pages.

 

Besides, I like the Windows interface and availability of Pocket version of MS programs and other windows programs.

Link to comment

I have used both Palm and PocketPC and, to a large extent, they offer similar functionality. Things to consider:

 

Battery Life

This is very important. Palm devices have traditionally had better battery life, particularly the black and white models. If you're looking for a used device, then this will point you in the direction of a Palm device.

 

Backlight

Color devices tend to have pretty poor visibility when you're in the sunlight, regardless of the platform. If you plan on caching in sunny locations, then consider a black and white device.

 

Size

Can you fit the device in your pocket easily?

 

Connectivity

Will the device connect with your computer and communicate with your software? There are some issues with certain devices on each platform.

 

After that, it all boils doesn to software and taste. Good luck with your purchase.

Link to comment
I've had both. I have to say I like Pocket PC better. Much easier to just use gpxspinner to convert the gpx file to an html folder that you just simply drag and drop into the pda's upload folder. Use Pocket Explore to view the cache pages.

Why would you do that when you can just dump the GPX file into the same folder and use GPXSonar to open it? The pages will also open in PIE just you'll save the step of creating HTML files.

 

Try it... you know you want to! ;)

Edited by mrkablooey
Link to comment

I have both a palm and a pocket pc, and I feel the pocket pc is far more versatile. The palm allows you to download the pocket queries from GC.com, just like the pocket pc, but you are limited to just that.

I like to go to GC.com, and save the entire webpage. Then I have all the maps, hints, etc right there. I was stuck when I relied on the pocket query thing on a trip out of town. I had 500 caches in the pocket querie.... I could find the caches I was looking for just fine with the search tool, but I could not find the hints in the appendix. If I had just saved each cache's webpage on my pocket pc, I would have been set. I could not find a couple of caches because of this.

My palm is smaller, tho... and cheaper. (important, because I am very very hard on small electronic devices...)

To summarize:

Pocket pc=more versatile/powerful, perhaps bigger and more delicate

Palm=small, rugged, does most of what you want....most...

 

Ian5281

Link to comment
I like to go to GC.com, and save the entire webpage. Then I have all the maps, hints, etc right there. I was stuck when I relied on the pocket query thing on a trip out of town. I had 500 caches in the pocket querie.... I could find the caches I was looking for just fine with the search tool, but I could not find the hints in the appendix. If I had just saved each cache's webpage on my pocket pc, I would have been set. I could not find a couple of caches because of this.

I don't know what program you're using on your PPC, but the hints are included in the PQ data. I use GPXSonar on my Ipaq, and it decripts the hints for you. You have to be on the main cache list screen, not the individual 'cache page'. You click and hold on the cache you want the hint for, and it brings up a menu. One of the options on the menu is 'show hints'.

Link to comment
I have both a palm and a pocket pc, and I feel the pocket pc is far more versatile.  The palm allows you to download the pocket queries from GC.com, just like the pocket pc, but you are limited to just that.

  I like to go to GC.com, and save the entire webpage.  Then I have all the maps, hints, etc right there.  I was stuck when I relied on the pocket query thing on a trip out of town.  I had 500 caches in the pocket querie.... I could find the caches I was looking for just fine with the search tool, but I could not find the hints in the appendix.  If I had just saved each cache's webpage on my pocket pc, I would have been set.  I could not find a couple of caches  because of this.

  My palm is smaller, tho... and cheaper.  (important, because I am very very hard on small electronic devices...)

  To summarize:

      Pocket pc=more versatile/powerful, perhaps bigger and more delicate

      Palm=small, rugged, does most of what you want....most...

 

Ian5281

With Cachemate on my Sony SJ-22 I have everything but the maps. The hints are encoded, but can be decoded quickly.

 

Perhaps you just downloaded .loc files?

Edited by harleycache
Link to comment

If I was worried about ruggedness, Palm would be the way to go.

 

I want the easiest convenience. When the newest gpx file is received in my email, I copy it over to my sd card using my sd reader. Instantly I am ready to go caching. With the palm there is always a conversion process..blech

 

Also the PocketPC software is free.

 

Ive dropped my pocketpc (dell axim x3i) and have not caused any damage in the case.

 

Ive used both and I am in the pocketpc camp.

Edited by Volwrath
Link to comment

COKE!

 

Oh wait... wrong thread :D

 

I have been using PPC since I started paperless and love it. I know nothing else, but have a feeling it's the best way :D lol.

 

I have pocket queries in iSilo and use mapopolis for guidance. I heart Mapopolis. Never have used it on the palm, but it's a most excellent program. I also really like the voice recorder for when I'm out as an easy way to note what I did at a cache.

Link to comment

Palm is the way to go. The only reason to go with PPC is if you need tight integration with M$ Office applications.

 

The Palm OS was built from the ground up for mobile devices. It's been around a lot longer, is more mature and has countless 3rd party applications that can be used on it.

 

With PPC, M$ took a desktop operating system that was already WAY overbloated and tried to strip it down to work on a mobile device. It's still the same desktop OS at the core. There's also fewer 3rd party applications available for it.

 

People have asked why anyone would use spinner/plucker instead of just dragging/dropping the gpx file.. the answer is control. Spinner gives you a lot of control over what you see and how you see it. I don't see why one extra step in getting your cache data onto your pda should be a deciding factor in which platform to buy. Spinner/plucker works wonderfully and is very simple to use.

Link to comment

Pocket PC's have better mapping.

 

If you don't need mapping then it doesn't matter. As for 'one extra step' who needs it. Palms should have a GPXview/GPXsonar as well. I don't know why they don't.

 

Thought I would add that whichever platform if you get color you want a Transflective screen. They let you view color screens in sunlight so that they are readable. Since I've never had the 'old' screens I can't say how bad it was, but I can say it's workable now.

Edited by Renegade Knight
Link to comment
I am looking at the ipaq 2215 real hard any opinions good or bad on this particular ppc?

The iPAQs can have issues with SD cards.

 

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/...?categoryId=273

 

If you peruse the forums you will see the problem comes up quite often. It doesn't seem to be a universal problem. Just a common one. Like the garmin click stick and magellan stress cracks.

Link to comment

I have a 2215 (same as the 2210 model) and I love it. I have just finally figured out how to get GPXSonar and Mapopolis working on my GPX files and it is great!

 

Regarding the SD card problems, I looked long and hard at the Dell Axims, and followed the discussion forums on the Dell website for nearly a year after the release. In the end, after seeing all the problems (also including SD cards) people were having I decided an iPAQ would give me a much less problems - HP/Compaq have been doing this kind of thing for a lot longer than Dell.

 

Groover

Link to comment

I picked up an Ipaq 3955 with a 256mg SD card and scads of software off ebay for $200. Also has the extra battery/flash card adapter.

 

With GPXsonar I can load all the pages I could care to and still have plenty of room to run a game of golf, quake, sim city, and my family photo slide show, all while listening to a day's worth of music.

 

I use my SporTrak with Mapsend Topo loaded for all my mapping, but could get a cable and connect the two. Just seems like more trouble than I feel it's worth. But I have considered one of the flash adapter GPSr units. They seem a bit flimsy to me. I keep the Ipaq in my baq-paq until I'm at the cache or stop to refresh my mind on the description.

 

:blink: <Fatboy Slim places $0.02 on the table and smiles> :)

Link to comment
Just want I needed to see....... almost BUT could you all go one step further and list a few makes/model on the LOW end of the price range that would still do a good job of going paperless? PLEASE :blink:

Look for used Palm III series, Palm M series, or Handspring. Some models only have 2MB which is usable but may be limiting.

Link to comment
I see there's a new Palm Zire 21 for under $100 that has 8 megs of memory. How many caches could that hold?

As many as you'll need it to, and then some.

 

I have a Kyocera 6035 smartphone, which is essentially a Palm IIIxe built into a phone. The Palm IIIxe is a monochrome PDA with 8mb of memory. That 8mb is enough to handle all the phone software (web browser, instant messenger, fax system, email apps, etc), every transaction from all my bank/credit card accounts, some games, my complete contact list, a number of text notes, some utility applications and 1000 cache pages - and it still has almost a meg of free space. (Try getting all that into 8mb on a PPC :rolleyes: )

 

I'd say that 2mb would probably be enough, but you'll probably find yourself wanting to add other applications, and with used Palm devices being as cheap as they are, you may as well go for an 8mb unit.

 

Unless you want to do mapping on it, you won't likely be needing anything that takes a SD card.

Link to comment
How much memory would be recommended for a cache-only PDA? I see there's a new Palm Zire 21 for under $100 that has 8 megs of memory. How many caches could that hold?

Well, I've got over 1,000 benchmarks loaded in my Palm and it's taking less then 2MB for CacheMate and the data. Depending on how much you load up. 2MB may be somewhat limiting, but I think you'd have a hard time loading more then 8MB could handle. But once you get a palm you may want to start loading other things - then maybe you'll wish you had card expansion.

 

For for now, I think that Zire is a good price/performance to let you get into it and decide just how far you want to go. I did catch a Sony Clie SJ22 for $99 on close out. 16MB, color and expansion card - whoo hoo!

Link to comment

Not sure if this is the right thread or not. Due to the high Palm and PPC user flow through here it seemed the best chance. Here goes..

 

I have both a Palm m505 and a Dell Axim3. I am looking for a program that can display a map similar to the one on Geocaching.com. You know the one, it has the option to pan, zoom in, zoom out, and identify. I’ve always printed a copy of that map with the caches I’m hunting for identified.

 

Any help would be appreciated……

 

By the way, I prefer the PPC over the Palm…just to keep with the thread.

Link to comment

Check out www.mapopolis.com

 

For the platinum pack I think it's only $35 and will do what you want. You can also get Microsoft Streets and trips.

 

For $99 you can get Mapopolis's Navigator package that will auto-route you to waypoints with voice prompts. Very cool stuff :D I love it so much, I'm not sure i'll be able to give it up cold turkey when my 60CS arrives.

Link to comment

I have to comment on the durability of the Palm IIIC. While I was canoeing in Florida a few weeks ago. I wound up in the water with my Palm. It was completely submerged and ceased to function. That night I had the bright idea of baking it in the oven to help dry it out. :D This did nothing to help the situation and I figured it had put the last nails in the coffin. After getting home the Palm sat on my desk for a few weeks. A couple of days ago I plugged it into the charger. Imagine my surprise when it sprang to life and began charging. Amazingly it took the charge. I did have to perform a hard reset to get it working correctly. All my data was wiped out but after a hotsync everything was restored nicely. My wifes AXIM was not salvageable. Having said all this I am still envious of her new AXIM.

 

Cache ON!

 

Utahbill

Link to comment
Well it looks like I am going with the ipaq 2215 in a couple of days. So now you ppc users what software do I need for it, or rather what is your recommendation? I know there are some arguments over Mobipocket, whats the alternative to that?

Do a search here for GPXSonar :D

 

BTW, enjoy your 2215... it's a great machine. Left mine at work, and I'm bummed. B)

Edited by mrkablooey
Link to comment

2215:

What kind of keyboard?

Can I sync it with outlook?

Can I load maps and programs for autorouting?

I read somewhere that there's wireless connection to GPS. Anyone try it?

HP has refurbished units for about 320. Worth it?

Where can you get the best price from a reputable dealer?

 

Tks

 

Alan

Link to comment
How much memory would be recommended for a cache-only PDA? I see there's a new Palm Zire 21 for under $100 that has 8 megs of memory. How many caches could that hold?

Would it be better to step up to a PDA that takes memory cards?

I've got the Z21 and use it almost strictly for geocaching. I bought it only for geocaching and don't have a whole lot of use for it otherwise. I figure I could put somewhere between 4000 to 5000 cache pages on it with CacheMate. Basically, more than you would ever need in an average cache trip.

Link to comment
2215:

What kind of keyboard?

Can I sync it with outlook?

Can I load maps and programs for autorouting?

I read somewhere that there's wireless connection to GPS. Anyone try it?

HP has refurbished units for about 320. Worth it?

Where can you get the best price from a reputable dealer?

 

Tks

 

Alan

1. I use the "letter recognizer" (much like Graffiti on the Palm platform). There's also a thumb keyboard but you take the PPC out of the case to use it.

 

2. Syncs with Outlook out of the box. Includes Outlook 2002.

 

3. YES! Mapopolis is my mapping of choice. Even a free program to convert pocket queries to points of interest so you can route to all the caches. Works great and is very easy.

 

4. As long as the warranty is the same, why not? But check other places online like eCost etc, you may be able to get new for little more.

 

5. check mySimon.com

 

Two thumbs up to the 2215. Left mine at work last night and have been lost without it. Check out http://www.PocketPCThoughts.com for more great info. It's THE site for PocketPC, like gc.com to geocaching. :D

Link to comment

I use a Handspring Neo. They are extremely cheap on eBay. I've had it for a few years, so my decision to go Palm was mostly because I already had it. I paid $7 for CacheMate, and can't say enough good about it. It imports GPX files with ease, makes sorting and viewing the data simple, and its search facility is great (i.e. Give me 20 unfound multi caches to the west of these coordinates or whatever).

 

My Neo has 2mb of RAM, and it's had no problem holding around 800-900 caches, including all data and last 5 log entries.

 

My suggestion is to look at the software titles available before making your decision. The two most common solutions for palm are Plucker/Spinner (which I personally think is a bit clunky) or CacheMate. There are quite a few available for PocketPC. I'm sure screenshots and feature lists are available, so investigate the various packages first. Then take into consideration things like battery life, durability, etc.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...