# Recommend a PDA!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-pda/236065>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 24, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-pda/236065 "2004-03-24T03:09:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-pda/236065/1 "2004-03-24T03:09:34Z")

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My mother and I are considering getting me a PDA to help me with my schoolwork and homework. Naturally, we would prefer a pricetag of \<$100.

Necessary Features:

1. Word Processor
2. Calendar of some sort
3. Calculator
4. Graffiti program or keyboard

Highly useful Features:

1. Web browser (probably using Bluetooth)

Desired features:  
Games!

Thanks for your help, all!

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**Author:** ![LordVor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90ced4/32.png) [@LordVor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LordVor)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-pda/236065/2 "2004-03-24T06:01:12Z")

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Well, for \<$100 you’re probably looking at a very basic entry-level PalmOs based model (Say a Zire21 for $99, or a refurbished Palm IIIxe for around $70). Built-in Bluetooth or WiFi is likely right out, that’s more like $300. I wouldn’t recommend trying to squeeze into a 2MB model, but 8MB is livable.

As well as starting at a lower price, palmOs devices have more freeware/shareware programs available. They all come in with grafiti, a basic calculator, and scheduling (calendar) applications. I’m not sure what you want out of a “word processor”, text editing on pretty much any PDA is a tough assignment, although you can get foldable, close-to-full-size keyboards to help things out. PalmOs comes with a simple text editor that’s useful for writing short notes, however.

If you want, say, Ms-Word compatibility, you’d need something like Documents To Go, which syncs between a word document on your computer and a version of it that’s compressed and viewable on the pda screen. Don’t know how well it runs on a lower-end PDA, though.

There’s a ton of games availabe, freeware, shareware, and commercial. But you won’t have a color screen at that price.

-lv

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**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-pda/236065/3 "2004-03-24T11:16:57Z")

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The [Palm Zire 21](http://www.palmone.com/us/products/handhelds/zire21/) is one of the best options under US$100, although it has a monochrome screen.

The [Treo 270/300](http://www.handspring.com/products/communicators/treo_overview.jhtml) is another option, tagged at US$99 - but it might turn out more expensive when you pay for the phone subscription as well.

Bluetooth is practically out at that range.

Here is a comparison of other Palm models and features:

[http://www.palmone.com/us/products/compare/](http://www.palmone.com/us/products/compare/)

1. Word Processor:

[http://www.dataviz.com/](http://www.dataviz.com/)

[http://www.mobl.com/software/quickoffice\_premier/](http://www.mobl.com/software/quickoffice_premier/)

1. Calendar - inbuilt.

2. Calculator - inbuilt. Complex scientific calculators downloadable.

3. Graffiti - inbuilt in the Zire 21. Treo 270/300 has Graffiti as well as an inbuilt thumb keyboard.

Web Browser:

[http://www.avantgo.com](http://www.avantgo.com)

> **[The Eudora™ Email Client Source Code - CHM](https://computerhistory.org/blog/the-eudora-email-client-source-code/)**
>
> Electronic mail is one of “killer apps” of networked computing. The ability to quickly send and receive messages without having to be online at the same time created a new form of human communication. By now billions of people have used email.

Additional software:

> **[Gadget and Gear Reviews - PalmGear 2021](https://www.palmgear.com/)**
>
> Reviews Of Every Gear and Gadget

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2004, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-pda/236065/4 "2004-03-24T11:28:15Z")

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Also, Sony has some brilliant products if you’re willing to spend a bit more.

[http://sonyelectronics.sonystyle.com/micros/clie/](http://sonyelectronics.sonystyle.com/micros/clie/)

The PEG-TJ27 has a digital camera, 320x320 Hi-Res Color Display, 23MB usable memory, for US$200.

[http://sonyelectronics.sonystyle.com/micros/clie/models/tj27.html](http://sonyelectronics.sonystyle.com/micros/clie/models/tj27.html)