Stumped! Pocket PC (iPaq 4150) vs. Palm (Tungsten 3). Any opinions?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Finally biting the bullet and getting a PDA. Done quite a bit of research, and have narrowed down the two potential ones I’d purchase. But at a roadblock - can’t decide if ultimately Pocket PC (Windows) or Palm (Palm OS) is a better bet.

As mentioned in title, the two I’m looking at are the HP iPaq 4150/4155 or the Palm Tungsten 3

What I’m curious about are people’s opinions on PPC vs Palm in general, or actual experience with either of these two machines.

My immediate needs are the basic calendaring and contacts, but I foresee using the PDA for more things down the road (carrying around Excel docs). I also would really like WiFi.

The Tungsten 3 has an awesome screen - expandable and with landscape view option. Palm in general has a ton more software add-ons. Apparently Documents to Go actually handles Excel/Word/etc better than Microsoft’s own Pocket editions of the same. However, the T3 has a very poor battery. Furthermore, no WiFi, and no external adapters for such available either.

The iPaq is a sweet little machine, although the screen isn’t anywhere near the T3’s (that being said, the fact that Pocket PCs support ClearType means they are easier to read for some people). It does have WiFi built in. Battery is ok. I like the fact that Pocket PC’s can multitask. Have heard reports that the Outlook conduit for iPaqs drop info occasionally.

So that’s it. I’m stuck. Looking for anything to tip the balance. :slight_smile:

2

I should also add this:

Playing mp3s is NOT that big a deal for me.

Playing videos may be - company I work for makes digital videos occassionally, and be nice to be able to show clients.

Also - ability to play Flash files would be a MAJOR plus.

As far as Internet, which has the better browser?

3

Long time Palm user checking in. I’ve been very pleased with my T3. I do use the MP3 feature quite a bit on airplanes, and use Documents to Go pretty heavily. I also use the web browser and mail client a bit whan I’m on the road, but for now I still primarily use a laptop for those functions. A Wi-Fi card might change that.

The voice recorder is handy, and actually works quite well. I’ve used it to record public meetings, and the recording is quite clear.

I also use a Canon SD100 digital elph camera, which records to SD media. I can take pictures on my camera, put the SD card in the T3, and view them on the nice large screen with the built in software. Absolutely no hoops to jump through, no software to install, no special proceedures. I just put in the card and it worked.

I haven’t had trouble with the battery; I just charge it a couple of times a week, or nightly if I’ve been using it really heavily (like playing games on a plane, or typing with the external keyboard). Either way, the Palm battery outlasts the laptop, hands down.

I really like being able to customize the buttons on the Palm, and on the T3, I can even customize the four icons surrounding the graffiti area at the bottom. Another nice feature they’ve added on the T3 only is when you’re writing with the stylus. the palm traces what you’re writing, one letter at a time, until the letter is recognized. I found this really helped my recognition.

I haven’t tried the built-in Bluetooth yet, but I have hopes that it will integrate with my next cell phone. If you know someone else that has a T3, you can instant message between the two devices, using the bluetooth.

The down side is no current WiFi card. Sandisk makes one that fits into the SD slot, but there are no Palm OS drivers available yet. They’re promising one Real Soon Now, but I’m not holding my breath.

Beyond the calendar, address book, to do list and memo pad, the apps I use the most are:
Documents to Go
RealOne MP3 player
Photos
Converter (units converter)
American Airlines interactive timetable (United and Delta, too, but I usually fly American)
World Clock
Rt Back Up (Makes a complete backup of your Palm to an SD card)
Games:
Spades
Bounce Out
Frobnitz (an Infocom engine - plays Zork, etc.)

Hopes this helps; I’ve never used a Pocket PC device, so I don’t really have anything to offer on that platform.

4

Another long time Palm user checking in here. I have a T3 and absolutely love it. Adding to what SuperNelson said, I’ve had absolutely no problems with the T3 battery. I can go about a week without it dying on me.
Speaking totally without bias here, I am curious why multitasking is important to you in a pda? On a Palm unit it’s totally irrelevent. On a T3, you can run a program, and then switch to another one almost instantly. When you leave the 1st program, it pretty much saves where you were at and takes you there when you go back.

The only downside I’ve seen (and miss) on my Palm T3 is the ability to run Shockwave Flash files.

5

Having not used a PDA in probably 4 years, i’m not sure. From my reading, I can see the need for, say, copying and pasting from a word doc into an email or into an Excel file, or surfing/IMing at the same time, and didn’t get impression the Palm OS handled it that well. But these are not deal-breakers, they’re more “nice to haves”. For all I know, I’ll never use it for more than contacts and calendaring :slight_smile:

6

I’ve had several PDA’s over the last few years (Handspring prisim, Treo 300, and now a Toshiba E355). Here is what I’ve learned:

I’m not too specific about the OS. Having used both Palm OS and Pocket PC I don’t prefer one above another. Palm OS is a little more minimalistic, but also has a large number of free/inexpensive programs available. Pocket PC is a little more difficult to browse, but its not a huge deal.

Pocket PC does have a few more options on the handwriting recognition, so if the Palm OS grafitte isin’t your style Pocket PC gives you a choice. I have not used a device with bluetooth or WiFi, but I would imigian it would be nice.

On a side note – The Treo absolutely is my Fav. Combo PDA/Cellphone is the way to go. I just acquired a Samsung SPH-I500 so I’ll let you guys know how I like it.

7

If, like me, you are the sort to hash out “what if’s” in Excel, you’ll love Documents to go. I create simple spreadsheets all the time on my Palm. Half the time, I don’t even save them – I just use them as scratch sheets and delete them when I’m done.

Case in point, I just came back from the bank. SuperWife and I are in the midst of refinancing our house, and I was able to use the Excel sheet I had created to see how our monthly payment and total cost of financing would be affected by different rates and terms. It was a truly enlightening experience to see how much more we would pay in interest for a 20 year note than a 15 year note.

I looked at the treo, but finally decided I have enough trouble convincing the flight attendants that my headphones aren’t electronic devices if they aren’t plugged in (I use them as earplugs). I’d hate to try to convince them that I’m really allowed to use what looks like my cell phone while in flight.

8

Dell X5 (pocket PC and it’s cheap!).

Unclviny

9

I have owned a Palm-based Visor deluxe/Visorphone combo for the past three years. It pioneered the current Treo models. I am partial to the Palm OS because the interface seems to better fit the context of using the small devises. PPC rings of Microsoft’s typical overengineering approach–it works but few really enjoy the experience.

That being said, I have two peers at work who have the HP models you are considering. The devices are wonderful–great screen color, a good size factor, nice functions in the software. The Wi-Fi sounds wonderful; however my friends are not allowed to use it on our worksite due to security concerns–something that may or may not be relevant to you. I only wish they has a phone too.

I have found that Palm software seems to handle MS Office documents a little better than the PPC applications do. Strange but true. On current Palms, the handwriting software is very tailorable-- it’s not graffitti-based but Jot which I also use on my Visor.

I also have a friend with a new Treo 600. The screen on the HP is better, but the size of the Treo is nice–I am not thrilled with the weight and the wedge-like thickness.

Finally, you will still find a larger more vital Palm based shareware community. That may change with time.

10

If WiFi is important, why not go with the Tungsten W? I picked one up last month, and love it. I thought I’d be a grafiti-man forever, but the little keyboard has won me over.

-lv

11

rexnervous, what you are going to find is that like computers and other products, there are people who will absolutely love their type of PDA. I admit that I will probably never (in the near future anyways) move to a MS Windows mobile device because I like the Palm OS way too much. It’s really a personal preference thing. You will find people that are the same way about Windows Mobile devices. In the grand scheme of things, they all do pretty much the same thing.

You will really have to do your own research and look into what features you really would like. Check out the pda reviews at www.cnet.com. Overall they were the most helpful for me in selecting my Palm T-T3. I was looking for something that had a voice recorder, larger screen, color, and lots of internal memory. Researching myself helped me to make my decision (Though I knew it would be a Palm OS device… I just had to figure out which one. :wink: )