Pocket PCs, PDAs, software, and you!

spookymuffin

Sup guys, I'm interesting in getting a "Pocket PC", which I'm assuming is the new name for PDAs. I know almost jack squat about them, but am pretty interesting in getting one for work and personal life stuffs. Can anyone help me out with what to look for and avoid, what software is good to have, and what I can do with one that I might not have thought about?

zanetheinsane

Basically, Microsoft came up with the PocketPC to compete with Palm in the PDA market. A PDA that ran Microsoft's Windows Mobile operating system was a "PocketPC".

In 2007, with the advent of Windows Mobile 6, Microsoft dropped the name Pocket PC in favor of a new naming scheme. Devices without an integrated phone are called Windows Mobile Classic instead of Pocket PC. Devices with an integrated phone and a touch screen are called Windows Mobile Professional and devices without a touch screen are called Windows Mobile Standard

So if you're in the market for a PDA, you have a lot of options. And if you've got money to spend and a PDA isn't what you're looking for you may wish to consider the UMPC (Ultra-Mobile PC).

Another option is the extremely affordable Netbook. They've come down in price and offer a lot of functionality as well as larger keyboards and more options for software.

So in all, make sure to weigh your needs and pick out the right one that does what you're looking for. It's going to be harder and harder to find a PDA that isn't also a cell phone (smartphone). Here's a really good list to start with: List of Popular PDAs. I got a chance to play around with my friends iPod Touch, and although they are expensive, they're extremely awesome.

JohnDoe

You can always get a smartphone and not use the phone capabilities. Standalone PDAs aren't that common now.

spookymuffin

I don't need a phone, I just need something small I can use to store movies, music, read pdfs, word documents, etc. I'd like something with a stylus, so I can use it to scroll around on documents. The Palm line seemed appealing, but like I said, I know next to nothing about this, so I'm asking questions. Also, the Asus P535 and similar devices are what I'm liking so far in my research.

wunderbar

spookymuffin wrote: »

I don't need a phone, I just need something small I can use to store movies, music, read pdfs, word documents, etc. I'd like something with a stylus, so I can use it to scroll around on documents. The Palm line seemed appealing, but like I said, I know next to nothing about this, so I'm asking questions. Also, the Asus P535 and similar devices are what I'm liking so far in my research.

Honestly, the market you are looking for is almost non existent now. an iPod touch is a fantastic media player, but not great for documents. If you honestly sit down and think to yourself will you *really* use a device like that for lots of document viewing, I think you'll probably find that the answer is no. There is not a single device that really handles stuff like that very well. There are lots of devices that can do it, just not great.

If you're hell bent on getting a PDA, look at the Palm TX handheld. Pretty much the last best non phone PDA device

But honestly, I would not bother at this point. I just wouldn't. I'd either get a smartphone, or a really good PMP.

Unknown

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spookymuffin

mcdermott wrote: »

If it wasn't for the fact that I've owned a Palm for almost a decade now (and I'm only on my second one, which is kinda amazing), and thus I've got a nice selection of software I'm used to having on me, I'd probably have just switched to something like an iPod Video. But if you look at the gigantic selection of software available for them (hell, even just the freeware apps), there's an amazing amount of shit you can do using it.

That's why I'm asking. I'm on the fence about getting one, and I'd like to know the neat things I can do with it besides keep my stuff, etc. One of the main reasons I want to get it is for documents. I need a lot of rules and regulations at my fingertips (I'm in the Air Force), and rather than carry around huge books of instruction, it would be a lot handier to have all that in a small device I can just Ctrl+F (or whatever) to find answers fast.

wunderbar

spookymuffin wrote: »

mcdermott wrote: »

If it wasn't for the fact that I've owned a Palm for almost a decade now (and I'm only on my second one, which is kinda amazing), and thus I've got a nice selection of software I'm used to having on me, I'd probably have just switched to something like an iPod Video. But if you look at the gigantic selection of software available for them (hell, even just the freeware apps), there's an amazing amount of shit you can do using it.

That's why I'm asking. I'm on the fence about getting one, and I'd like to know the neat things I can do with it besides keep my stuff, etc. One of the main reasons I want to get it is for documents. I need a lot of rules and regulations at my fingertips (I'm in the Air Force), and rather than carry around huge books of instruction, it would be a lot handier to have all that in a small device I can just Ctrl+F (or whatever) to find answers fast.

yea document viewing on them SUCKS. Seriously. I bought a TX because I thought I would actually use it for that. Yea I never really did after I found how crappy it actually it to look at full word documents on a screen that small.

Improvolone

Eee PCs can boot up in less than a minute, but its ultimately a two handed device.

spookymuffin

So is there anything pocket-sized that would be a better option?

DHS Odium

I bought a Dell Axim X51v off geeks.com for $200 (refurbished) a little while back. It will do everything you said you wanted to. It comes with Windows Mobile 5, but I have 6 on mine through a modified version. Googling will get you to the right place.

So it's fully updated OS wise, I've used it to read through eBooks on PDF. It has Word/Excel/Powerpoint support. Wifi and bluetooth is built in. The screen is VGA (480x640 portrait, or run it in landscape), so web pages looks decent on it as well as documents. Has touchscreen with a stylus. It also has both an SD card slot and a CF card slot, so you can buy whatever sized memory card you need for movies/music.

I've been pretty happy with it so far, I bought it as a way to hold off on a netbook, because I have a desktop, sold my laptop, and still wanted a mobile computing solution but was waiting for lower prices and higher performance on the them (netbooks).

I also happen to like Windows Mobile, I used to have a Palm Treo with WM5, and it sucked total shit, I hated it. I wrote off the OS. Then I got the deal on the Dell, figured WM6 had to be better than WM5, and it was. Not a ton of differences, maybe it was more the device I hated. Regardless, it's not a perfect OS, or even a great one, but it's highly capable in that there are apps to do whatever you want on it. It is in need of a redesign though.

As an aside, my fiance got an iPhone at the same time, which I expected to be enamored with. After using it quite a bit, I think it's a piece of trash. When the app store came, I again expected my reaction to improve with all the possibilities. Nope, most of the apps on the store are trash. Maybe the update that hit today will help, but from my experience, the iPhone (and probably iPod touch) are buggy and unpolished, and lacking in features. Yes, Safari on it gives it good mobile browsing, but with WM5/6 and either of the Opera Mobile options, I'd say you'd have an equivalent experience.

Tofystedeth

mcdermott wrote: »

I have to agree with the above. PDAs in general are going to suck for document viewing, since you're stuck with a small screen and fairly low resolution. It just doesn't work out well.

That said, I do own a Palm Tungsten E2, and I like it. I use it as an organizer, digital media player (mostly video...I have an iPod Shuffle for music), have some basic little games on it, throw some eBooks on it, and have about a half-dozen other random apps that I use constantly for it.

I got the Tungsten E2 because I decided that for $100 more I really didn't so much need wireless networking (the Tungsten TX has 802.11....b or g, forget which, for accessing the interwebs from hotspots and around the house). The Tungsten TX also has a faster processor and more flash/RAM, but again not a huge issue for me. The E2 does what I need it to do, and does it well.

Funny you should mention that Mc.
My wife recieved one of those from her school for all her nursing stuff for clinicals. She's worried she'll lose or break it. It's got the little flip cover for the screen, but would you know of a good holster or case or something that would work well with scrub type pants?

wunderbar

I have an iPod touch, and it's a fantastic PMP. That app store does have a *lot* of garbage to sift through, but there are some truly fantastic apps on it, and it's only been available for a few months.

2.1 fixed pretty much all of the gripes I've had so far.

You do not buy an iPhone/iPod Touch if you want a device that is 100% customizable and you can do whatever you want to it, you buy them to have a device with a tight, wonderful user experience that has a purpose, and does it well.

BushidoGamer

If you can wait until early 2009, Plastic Logic's reader is what you're mainly looking for in terms of handling various documents. Their portable and literally flexible e-reader is aimed specifically at replacing paper, a torrential rain in a vast desert for anyone that works in business, research and similar fields. It has a larger screen and can handle more types of documents natively than Kindle can. You can take notes on its touch screen or navigate through your files based on gestures. The legal pad sized reader is going to be priced competitively against the Kindle since their plastic is more durable and cheaper to manufacture than silicon. Plastic Logic is planning on releasing more details and a price in January after their factories in Germany start production in just two more days.

Plastic Logic is founded by Richard Friend and Henning Sirringhaus both physics professors at the University of Cambridge.

Main site: http://www.plasticlogic.com/
Preview: http://www.technologyreview.com/Nanotech/21372/

syndalis

out of all the small handhelds on the market, the iPhone/iPod Touch handles the viewing (no editing capability whatsoever) of PDFs, word docs, excel files, and powerpoint slides better than any. Email is also full HTML, and the thing can sync up with google for contacts and mail easy as pie (as well as many other providers).

Of course, all of this said... Windows Mobile is not a bad choice either. There are many more free apps out there right now due to how long it has been available. With about 100 bucks in software purchases, you can bring the calendar, contacts and email apps up to near-iPhone level through apps like Pocket Informant... and there are some things you are able to do there that you just plain cannot do on the iphone yet (flash mobile, java apps, etc).

But whoever said that Opera mobile for WM5/6 is anywhere near the same experience as Safari Mobile is full of shit. No offense to that poster, but there is absolutely no comparison, and I have been a user of Windows CE since the mid-late 90s, and experienced all of the iterations that have come out. Safari mobile is a pale shadow compared to how smooth the browsing experience is on the iPhone/touch.

DHS Odium

Re: Opera Mobile. In my post I said either of the Opera Mobiles, I wasn't sure which was which at the time. Yes, I've had issues with Opera Mobile - and no, I don't think it beats Safari, but once I got a Java applet to run Opera Mini, that is absolutely fantastic, and I prefer it over safari. It loads fast, has full page and zoom views, very clean interface, and on my 480x640 device, everything is crisp and I can see a ton. The only downside is no tabs yet.

Though I see there is a new Opera Mobile version out in Beta, looks to be rehauled, maybe it's good.

I honestly have no idea why Opera Mobile costs money when the free Opera Mini in my opinion is the better option.

For PDFs, I have to disagree with the iPhone being king of viewing, at least for large documents. Okay, only really in one instance - PDF eBooks. There were 3 great programs on my WM6 device that handled my eBooks fine, kept my places, allowed me to search and jump to pages. On my girlfriend's iPhone, the same eBooks, she had to upload to her email and view from Safari or the email app, and then places weren't saved, with the browser randomly crashing too. Once she got into the higher page numbers, before she wanted to read, she had to sit there and scroll with her thumb for 10 minutes. It was a joke and I'm surprised she continued to use the device to read.

There might be apps now to handle this, but it wasn't that long ago, just a couple of weeks.

zanetheinsane

RIM has a Blackberry that is specifically made for viewing Microsoft Office documents, as well as other formats I imagine:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E5w4yMgUIY


Or if you can afford a UMPC, here's one that doubles as a tablet PC and I imagine can be used quite easily:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT1jLxdaOWU