Which Pda? Help!

[+Skippy and Pingu]

I'm wanting to buy a PDA which has to be able to run MemoryMap and must have WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity. I also would like to be able to plug my Etrex Summit into it so I can use it with MemoryMap whilst out and about. I've got up to about £300 to spend and I'm very very very confused on what to get . The only cable I seem to be able to find to connect my Etrex to anything is to a serial port but none of the PDA's have serial connections, they all seem to have USB . Is there a USB cable available to connect? Please help.

[oddsock]

Try here..Colin is very helpfull I bought my conecters from him to make a serial hook up between my 2210 and an etrex yellow and he also sells all the cables complete .

Dave

Edited June 1, 2005 by oddsock

[+Skippy and Pingu]

Thanks for that suggestion. He was really helpful and told me what PDA's he did cables for my GPS. So at least I know that that is possible. Now I need to understand what all the jargon is. I'm thinking about getting the HP iPAQ hx2750. Apparently I should be able to run MemoryMap on it and it does have WiFi. Any feelings, good or bad on this or any others?

[+-Phoenix-]

Whatever else you may compromise on, dont compromise on Bluetooth

 

A Bluetooth GPS can have a battery life of 20 hours, whilst a PDA is only good for 8, less if you use a GPS that slots in.

 

Using the bluetooth GPS you can leave the GPS on all day, and then only turn the PDA on when you need it, this way the GPS stays locked onto the Sats.

 

Bluetooth also allows you in the field internet connection, you can get a bluetooth network access points

[oddsock]

here is a review of the ipaq you mention it seems a bit over kill for MM but it depends what other use you have for it.I think one of my main criteria when selecting a Pda would be battery up time ,size and toughness although with the latter I don't think there are many if any at all that fit the bill I once got a tiny drop of water on my 2210 screen and it got betweem the TS screen and it stopped working I took the battery out and it took several days to dry out and start working again

Dave

 

http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:k9xsO...AQ+hx2750&hl=en

[+Skippy and Pingu]

I'm not only going to be using it for geocaching. I can spend large amounts of time out of the office and I don't always manage to get a laptop to take so I need it to handle work stuff as well, hence going for the higher security. I hadn't thought about looking at battery up time, better have a look at that. As for toughness, I did have look to see if there were any that said they were water/shower resistant but couldn't find anything. I think you're not meant to take any out in the rain!

[+Archer4]

I did have look to see if there were any that said they were water/shower resistant but couldn't find anything. I think you're not meant to take any out in the rain!

Otterboxes etc as discussed in another thread are all but bomb proof - if you just need cheap waterproofing then an Aquapac can literally go in the bath or even a day walking in the Lakes.

[+Paul G0TLG]

This gadget will turn any GPS with a serial output into a bluetooth-enabled GPS. Although it's an American company, they will ship UK orders from the UK, so the price you see really is the price you pay (and if you pay with Paypal, there seems to be some weirdness in the rate of exchange which means you pay even less!).

 

I bought one a couple of weeks ago and it seems to work a treat

[oddsock]

As for toughness, I did have look to see if there were any that said they were water/shower resistant but couldn't find anything. I think you're not meant to take any out in the rain!

 

This is why it's a good idea to have the serial connection to a hand held gps which you can follow as normal and then as Phoenix suggests take a peek at the ppc when needed I have a BT gps which is now listed on ebay item: 577618255 because could not stand the worry of protecting the ipaq when it was in my hand ,hence I bought the yellow .I keep the ipaq in my inside breast pocket with the lead inisde the sleeve to the yellow which seems to work for me!

Dave

[+Learned Gerbil]

Pc-Mobile are a Hong Kong Company - not US. Yes, they do despatch most items from Surrey for UK orders.

 

I can't speak too highly of them being very pleased with my multiple purchases from them - and most recently, next day delivery by 1st Class mail.

[+Archer4]

I can't speak too highly of them being very pleased with my multiple purchases from them - and most recently, next day delivery by 1st Class mail.

Used them a couple of times - fast, good and reliable every time (they do a 4xAA box to recharge an iPaq or run it for several hours for those embarrassing moments too )

[+John Stead]

Bluetooth also allows you in the field internet connection, you can get a bluetooth network access points

This intrigues me - is it really possible as all I've managed to do is by wifi! I am not asking for a detailed guide but if you can point me in the right direction I would be grateful. Or did you mean network access via a bluetooth mobile phone?

Edited June 2, 2005 by John Stead

[oddsock]

Bluetooth also allows you in the field internet connection, you can get a bluetooth network access points

This intrigues me - is it really possible as all I've managed to do is by wifi! I am not asking for a detailed guide but if you can point me in the right direction I would be grateful. Or did you mean network access via a bluetooth mobile phone?

Yes Iv'e never heard of this either.. I thought the only way this was possible using BT was when paired with a BT mobile phone.

Dave

[Nediam]

I bought a bluetooth "dongle" for my PC which has a range of 100 metres. This enables me to use the internet on my PDA anywhere in the house or garden and to send/receive files.

 

It's cheaper and easier to set up than WiFi although less secure. In theory anyone within a 100m radius of my house could use the bluetooth connection (with my permission), so if anyone else has a similar setup it would be possible to access the internet via bluetooth in the field near a cache. I believe it's possible to set up my connection so that I don't have to give permission, and anyone passing could freely access the net.

[+Skippy and Pingu]

Today I'm a geocacher with limited technology and lots of paper print outs but looks like in a week I'll be able to have the whole house networked with bluetooth and have a PDA and GPS and phone all talking to each other and NO paper. I didn't realise that all this was possible, will make life so much easier. Haven't managed to find a bluetooth dongle with 100m range yet, found 20m ranges though.

[Nediam]

Here you go.....link

 

Just google "bluetooth dongle 100m range" and you'll get loads

 

P.S. the link above is not the one I have.