# Help me buy a Pocket PC **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-pocket-pc/316402 "2005-08-10T04:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-pocket-pc/316402/1 "2005-08-10T04:22:25Z")
Through med school and residency, I essentially lived off of my PDA. I started with a Handspring Visor, back when they were great, and moved on to a Sony Clie. I mostly used it for storing my schedule and phone numbers, reference materials like Epocrates and Five Minute Clinical Consult, and of course, entertainment. Working in both the office and the hospital makes some sort of PDA almost a necessity. My Clie has now developed issues, so it’s time to move up; I’ve been itching for something with wireless capability, anyway. (The Clie could not be upgraded to this capability.) I think I want to move to the Pocket PC, as the flow appears to be going in that direction. It also allows for a 1GB card, which can hold the entirety of my favorite medical reference, UpToDate. I could also do some on the fly typing with one of those nifty Bluetooth keyboards. The big players appear to be the Dell Axim and the iPaq. I have reflexively stayed away from Compaq products for years after some friends got some really crappy machines from them, but I’ve heard better things since they shacked up with HP. Similarly, I’ve always been fond of Dell products, but I’ve heard recent reports of a decline in their quality, as well. Even so, I’m leaning toward the Axim. Any PPC users out there? Any preferences? Essential accessories or software? ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-pocket-pc/316402/2 "2005-08-10T05:03:22Z")
Some good pocket pc websites with reviews and so forth… [the gadgeteer](http://www.the-gadgeteer.net) [PPC Thoughts](http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com) ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-pocket-pc/316402/3 "2005-08-10T05:04:40Z")
> [@lizardling](#): > > Some good pocket pc websites with reviews and so forth… > > [the gadgeteer](http://www.the-gadgeteer.net) > [PPC Thoughts](http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com) :smack: Let’s try the first link again… Preview is my friend, preview is my friend. [the gadgeteer](http://www.the-gadgeteer.com/) ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2005, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-buy-a-pocket-pc/316402/4 "2005-08-11T10:51:23Z")
[This Axim package](http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?c=us&cs=19&l=en&oc=X50624_HD1&s=dhs) looks attractive. The GPS add-on is something that I don’t think I could justify at the full price, but at this discounted price I probably could. The package also includes a secondary battery, making up for what the reviews seem to agree is a limitation of the Axim–short battery life. It seems to be the only consistent major criticism, though. It’s clear that the Axim is consistently quite a bit cheaper than the iPaq, and I don’t see anything to justify the difference.