Help me pick a new PDA

In My Humble Opinion
1

My beloved Visor Deluxe is on it’s last legs. It frequently dies for no good reason. Especially in the colder months, batteries can last as long as 1 month or as short as a week. And most times, I don’t even get a low battery warning, I just lose everything. I’ve become too dependent on this thing, and too lazy at syncing to risk it anymore.

I’ve poked around a bit on the web for opinions, but it’s hard to tell what’s current with such a fast changing kind of tech.

I’d like to switch to a combined phone/PDA, but I don’t think they’re quite there yet. I’m happy with Verizon as my cellphone provider, and their only choice is the Kyocera, which is slick, but has too small a screen for my taste. The Treo phones look pretty neat, but I’d have to switch to Sprint, Cingular, or Tmobile. none of which are any good in my area.

So… I’m looking to spend $200-$300. I need PalmOS, or an easy migration path for my old data to a new OS. Color would be nice and spiffy, but I could make do. Battery life is key. I regularly use my Visor for:

Schedule, Checklists/shopping lists, reminder alarms, checkbook, Calculator, Contact Info, Jotting notes/reminders, some games, and the occaisional e-book. In pretty much that order.

I don’t need mp3s or a camera. I like graffiti. A flip-cover would be good… From what I’ve seen, the Treo 90 looks pretty nice. I’d have to download the free graffiti program, but I could get used to the keyboard for most things. I’m a bit worried about Handspring’s reliability, though… since my Visor went all flaky after about 2 years.

So… suggestions?

2

My Visor Neo went out after 11 months. I went with the Sony Clié PEG SJ30, for $250. Color screen, 16 MB RAM, slightly smaller than your Visor in case size but a decent-sized screen, which takes up most of the face of the PDA. Palm OS 4.1. It’s not a flip-faced unit, though it does have a little protective cover that flips over the top to cover the screen. No MP3, no camera, no built-in keyboard. Battery is a rechargeable, non-removable type - recharge through cable/cradle. Takes Sony-type memory cards (Smart Memory?). I’ve had it for 2 months and have been very happy so far.

3

Thanks Ferret. The Clie is another good option. They look a bit fragile to me, though.

Just a little bump… anyone else?

4

I got a Palm m130 a few weeks ago and I love it!

It’s color, it has a flip-cover, it uses graffiti. There’s a $50 rebate on it right now from the Palm website. Mine was on sale for $237, so with the rebate it was $187.

It’s a rechargeable battery, just stick it in the cradle and it recharges. I find the battery indicator is pretty clear also. It comes with all the stuff you mentioned and you can also work with word and excel files on it, as well as view powerpoint files.

I did a fair amount of research online before I bought it, and most reviews of it were quite good. It doesn’t have ALL the bells and whistles of some of the more expensive models, but I would recommend it.

5

another vote for the sony clie, I have the regular screen one not color. I think the screen is much better than the palms I’ve had. Mine uses regular aaa batteries that last about a month.

6

I just bought the new Tungsten|T the last week of December, and I absolutely love the damn thing. It’s probably overkill for what you want to do, and it’s definitely out of the price range you mentioned - $499 list. I just had to mention it.

You might want to look at the m515 [the model I just upgraded from]. It has a larger screen than the m1xx series, and it’s thinner. It comes with all of the standard PIM apps, plus Docs to Go and a more advanced calculator on a “bonus” CD.

I was very happy with it.

[Disclaimer: I’ve owned Palm Inc. branded handhelds since I bought my first one in '97, so I’ll admit to being slightly biased.]

7

I just re-read Ferret Herder’s post…

Sony uses their proprietary [sort of] Memory Stick format for expansion, while the rest of the PDAs tend to be either Compact Flash or Secure Digital/MMC. It’s one of the only reasons I don’t recommend the Clies. I think the other formats beat out MS in performance, price/MB, and capacity – primarily because of competition.

8

I have a Sony Clie (T650C, it may be a Japan-specific model). I love the high-resolution display, but I really hate the tiny buttons. The up/down button is especially bad - it’s a single rocker switch instead of separate “up” and “down” buttons. I suggest you try it out before making a decision (i.e. buy at a store that has a demo unit.)

9

I’m in pretty much the same state as the OP, though my Visor Deluxe is still mostly hanging in. I’d kinda like to stay with Visor products, but I don’t really like the little keyboards on the new Treo. (I LIKE using Graffiti. You know you’ve been spending too much time on your PDA when you try to write on paper forming letters the way you do in Graffiti.)

I think I’d like the Tungsten T too. It’s got more than I need as well as a bigger price tag than I want to pay right now. I definitely want 16 meg, so it will probably be that, or a Palm 515.

BTW, Palm is coming out (next month?) with the Tungsten W. It has a little built-in keyboard like the Treos do.

10

Love my Clie T615C, color, 16mb plus a Memory Stick. I like the color because I can read it in the dark easily (makes wifecat happy when I stay up late reading). The battery is rechargeable in the cradle, and lasts about 10 hours between charges when reading. The B&W versions last much longer. You can get a portable charge cord for $20 and not really worry about it.

I’ve dropped mine and its fine, seems sturdy enough. I wouldn’t do that all the time, but…

And yes, the up/down button sucks BUT it has a jog wheel that does that funtion in most apps, so I’ve never really noticed it as a hassle.

-Tcat

11

Well, I got to try my firend’s clie this weekend, and it’s nice, but just not quite right for me. I don’t like the little buttons (although the stylus does catch them nicely). The jog wheel is way cool. But I don’t know if he’s rough on it or what, but he’s had it for like 3 months and the metal case is scratched to hell. And it still feels fragile in my hand, even if it isn’t really. And for all the talk of the “high res” screen, it didn’t seem so great to me. Better, yes, but not necessary for my needs.

BTW, Handspring has a free app available for download that lets you use graffiti on the treo.

thanks for the suggestions, everyone, I’m off to the stoere tonight to try some of them out.

12

I have a Clie 710C and LOVE it. The Hi-Res screen just Rocks. Were I to upgrade, I would probably get either a Tungten-T or a Clie NR70V. To me the removable memory is not an issue as I can use either on my PC with no problems.

Overall, I think that Sony has been doing great with their line of PDA’s and would recommend any one of them.