Haven’t decided between Palm and PocketPC, though will probably stick w/ Palm due to lower prices.
For now, I mainly need it for organizing - schedules, addresses, etc. But want to be able to expand to other potential needs.
So, like the thread says, tell me how you like yours. Do you wish it had additional features; did you ‘overbuy’; what’s cool and what’s not cool, etc.
I bought a Palm m515 and I love it. I use it as my alarm clock in the morning. I use it to record my expenses and synchronize them with Microsoft Money (third party software required). I use it to keep track of my Weight Watchers points. I use it for games (the m515 has a color screen) and to keep track of my appointments. I use it for notetaking and as my phone/address book.
So far, I have yet to find a real problem with it.
Zev Steinhardt
Here’s the thread I made when picking my recent one:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=156415
Some good advice there. I eventually went with the Handspring Treo 90, and I’m very satisfied. The keyboard is so useful you’ll wonder how you got along without it.
I picked up a Handspring Visor Deluxe (8MB, monochrome) for about $100 eighteen months ago. Even though it’s a bit dated, it handles my address book and calendar, synchronizes perfectly with Outlook, and lasts about a month on a set of rechargeable AAA batteries.
In addition to the built-in software, I use a freeware flight planning package called Copilot, a real-time star charting program called Planetarium, and text-based adventure game interpreter called Frotz.
I bought a Palm V about 3 years ago. Other then the fact that it’s gathering dust on my shelf I love it. Seriously, I used it for awhile, but the basic functionality of my cell phones (just got a new one) seemed to catch up to it pretty quickly.
I have the same Palm zev has, and I don’t know how I managed before I had it. One feature I especially like about this Palm is that it doesn’t need to have batteries replaced - it’s rechargeable. The synching is nice, because I can type more quickly on my computer, then just have everything transferred into the Palm in one quick operation. I use the datebook, the phone book, the to-do-list, the memo pad and the games programs most - it is possible to keep expenses and stuff on it, but I can’t even keep track of my checkbook, so I haven’t tried using that. The games come in handy because I spend a lot of time in hospital waiting rooms or in my car waiting to collect children from school and activities. The alarms are nice - and you can set them WAY in advance when you need to remember something. Also, you can set “repeats” on your datebook, so you only have to enter your Aunt’s birthday once, rather than remembering to transfer everything onto next year’s calendar.
I don’t use the email feature - partly because I haven’t taken the time to figure out how, and partly because I don’t get any emails that are THAT urgent. The only thing I’d really like to have on my Palm that I don’t have is some kind of e-book thing - again, because I haven’t taken the time to figure that out yet.
Good luck finding the one for you!
Cool, thanks. Don’t suppose anyone’s tried any PocketPCs - especially the new ViewSonic V35? For $260 it looks almost too good to be true.
gonzoron thanks for the link
Just MHO, but I love love love love love the Palm operating system. You can do a TON of stuff with just 8 M (not so with Pocket PC). There’s tons of good software available for not many $$.
I currently have an older Handspring Visor Deluxe. I call it my Auxiliary Memory Storage Device. I keep everything important in it. I read books on it, and I can (with option module) listen to audio books on it, as well as keeping up with appointments, addresses and expenses.
I don’t care about wireless at this point (I don’t even have a cellphone) and I don’t do web-clipping or email on it, so I can’t comment on those applications.
I’m probably going to upgrade to either a Palm 515 or a Palm Tungsten T soon. I’d really like to stay with Handspring (I’m a loyal customer) but I don’t need the keyboard that comes on the Treos. I like using Graffiti! And I wouldn’t worry about upgrading, except that for reading ebooks, I’m starting to need more memory. Right now, I can only load my French-English dictionary, and I’d also like to be able to load my English-French dictionary! (Mobipocket Reader has a great feature that lets you highlight words in a French text and look them up and come right back to the text. I love modern technology.)
I don’t love Microsoft stuff, though I use it, so you should consider this a somewhat* biased report.
Archergal, almost to 200 posts!
*Okay, more than somewhat biased.
I use the Palm m130 and find it adequate for my needs. Other than the different model my post could be exactly like zev’s.
I’m buying one as a gift and I’m going with the m515 just because I think he might actually need more memory.
I have a Sony Clié, with which I am very pleased; people often say that colour is frivolous on a PalmOS device, but I think that is no longer really the case.
The Palm Tungsten looks nice.
Hey Archergal, Handspring has a free download on their website for Treo owners that lets you do graffiti on the Treo. It’s really nice. (You write directly on the screen, so you can see the lines as you draw them. Makes stuff like G’s, Y’s and Q’s easier.) But after a few weeks, I barely used it because the keyboard is so much faster for most things.
Oops, I see I already told you the same thing in my thread, Archergal. Nevermind. 
I’ve had a Palm III for about two years. It does everything I need it to (task lists, synchronize with Outlook Calender, address book, note-jotter) with out of the box software, and I’ve added a ton of game freeware (despite the B&W screen) as well as an ascii table (never know when that’s going to come in handy), a loan payment calculator (for figuring out how good a ‘deal’ you’re getting when financing things in the store, there’s nothing quite like the look on a salesman’s face when you punch in a few numbers and say, “That’s 19% interest”), and a utility that tells me the optimal way of cutting a piece of stock wood to get the pieces I need for a project. I like being able to replace the batteries with new, fresh ones the instant they die, instead of having to wait for a battery pack to recharge before I can use it again.
It doesn’t do things that I don’t want to do. i don’t want to look at web pages on a palm-sized device. I don’t want to edit Word documents on a palm-sized device. I don’t want to use my palm as an mp3 player.
What it comes down to is “Don’t pay more for features you won’t use. Do pay more for features you will.”
-lv
Palm Vx. Small & tough (made of aluminum), I carry it around instead of a wallet everywhere I go. Anything larger or flimsier and I wouldn’t always carry it, which would make it useless.
Journada 568. Very nice (and of course I got it from a non-techy guy at work for $400 CAN new…sells online $399 at least US).
I like the Pocket PC OS more than the Palm one because it’s easier to get used to. I can run my MP3s on windows media player like I normally would. I can even run video (although it’s shrunk). MS outlook is easily transfered back and forth so I don’t need to convert anything.
It fits in perfectly with my notebook with the infra-red connection and has excellent battery life.
Now if I could afford a sierra wireless PC card…
14 posts and no jokes on Public Diplays of Affection? What is the world coming to?!
Palm Vx. I like it, but it’s monochrome and unexpandable. I’m able to get accessories (like my folding keyboard) for it, but I really wish I’d gotten something in the 515 series that’s color and has an expansion slot.
Another vote for the Sony Clié (615 I think?). Very nice.
I had a palm IIIxe. It had an encounter with my car, and lost. I loved that thing…
I’ve now an m515. (wonderful thing about them, everything that was on the IIIxe is now on the m515 - and all I had to do to get it there was push a little button. That’s it.) It’s smaller and lighter (but not much) than the old one - which is supposedly a major selling point. Sadly, I cannot seem to find the zippered leather case in stores. I really want one. (One thing, Palm wants you to upgrade. They do discontinue their products and accessories and make it hard to find things like cables for older palms). It’s also color (which I can take or leave) but otherwise pretty much the same.
I use it all the time. Anywhere from really boring meetings, to quickly jotting down numbers, addresses, directions (especially directions). I’m horrible at scheduling things, so I don’t use that as much, but I have used it as an alarm clock when away from home.
I’ve got the database program which I from time to time use for WW, or for to do lists, (and I know you can use it for grocery shopping comparisons, if you like doing that sort of thing.)
User of Palm & PocketPC chiming in …
I have been using several PalmOS devices over the last few years (Palm III, IIIx, IIIxe and Handspring Visor Edge). I have also bought a Dell Axim PocketPC recently, because I wanted to have something with colour to look at pictures from my digicam.
Users of Palm and PocketPCs often tend to get quite religious about their OS of choice. Until recently the decision was quite easy: if you want multimedia and have money to spare, get a PPC. If you want a good organizer for under 200 bucks, get a Palm.
Nowadays, it’s not that easy anymore. There are now several PalmOS PDAs that have Hi-Res displays, stereo sound, MP3, can play videos etc. (Palm Tungsten T, Sony Clie …). However, these cost as much as a midrange PPC. There are also PPCs now that “only” cost as much as a midrange Palm (Dell Axim, Yakumo Delta. …)
My take on the Palm vs. PPC battle is that Palm still rules because of its stability and simplicity and the sheer number of free or cheap applications available. Palms also use less battery power, so the built-in rechargeables last longer. PPC has more power if you want stuff like WLAN, Bluetooth, GPS, real internet surfing etc. However, the borders between the 2 OS are not as sharp as they used to be.
Although the new additions add to the confusion of the buyers, more choice is good for the consumer. And in the end it still boils down to 2 things: what do you want the PDA to do (must-haves and nice-to-haves) and how much can you spend?
All PalmOS and PPC devices can do the following out-of-the-box:
PPCs tend to have more preinstalled software. However, PalmOS 3rd party software is a lot cheaper and there is more freeware out there.
Some other things you can do with a PDA (using preinstalled software or free add-on software):
Now for the multimedia stuff that not every Palm (but every PPC) can do:
If you want to do that, you will need an upscale Palm or a PocketPC.
Some other things to consider before buying:
My personal recommendations:
if you don’t really need colour or multimedia, go for a Visor Edge. They recently stopped making them, so you should get a good deal. There are also hardware add-ons available called “springboard modules”. Since these also went out of production a little while ago, more good deals may be available. There is a phone add-on, memory cards, etc. The Visor Edge is a sleek and fast Palm device
if you want colour but don’t want to spend a lot, go for ther Palm m130. Very nice crisp display and SD-Card slot
if you want a bit more muscle multimedia-wise, go for a Sony Clie (several models available at different prices) or a Dell Axim. There are more expensive PPCs out there that have built-in WLAN or Bluetooth. If you must have that, you have to shell out more money.
Have fun shopping and get back with more questions if you want to!
Regards,
Myriam