# What is a good PDA as laptop/tablet alternative?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-pda-as-laptop-tablet-alternative/790266>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 1, 2017, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-pda-as-laptop-tablet-alternative/790266 "2017-07-01T10:03:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![dude\_robert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8e7dd6/32.png) [@dude\_robert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dude_robert)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-pda-as-laptop-tablet-alternative/790266/1 "2017-07-01T10:03:27Z")

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So, what are some decent PDAs that can replace laptops and tablets today? I want one that is heavy, has a long battery life, thick and durable, has a screen of at least 800x600 resolutions, has modern hardware that supports all the latest stuff, has a full QWERTY keyboard, and preferably has the function using either a stylus (touchscreen) OR using navigation buttons mounted near the screen to scroll through the device. It of course needs to have the other functions as a laptop as well.

I first found out about PDAs after I played DOOM 3 which is a great game where the main character is a marine with a PDA. He runs around a big abandoned building and collects memory cards that have been strewn around the place for some reason. There are also mutated rats that occasionally appear to fight you. I thought the novel idea of a mobile personal computing device was actually well-done in the game and looked it up.

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**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-pda-as-laptop-tablet-alternative/790266/2 "2017-07-01T10:18:19Z")

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[Try](https://www.ruggedtabletpc.com/category/tablets/ultra-rugged-tablets) [these](http://www.computerworld.com/article/2882568/tablets/break-me-if-you-can-4-rugged-tablets-put-to-the-test.html).

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**Author:** ![ZonexandScout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zonexandscout/32/544_2.png) [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)\
**Post date:** [July 1, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-good-pda-as-laptop-tablet-alternative/790266/3 "2017-07-01T15:53:19Z")

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Um, a cell phone?

I’m not sure exactly what features you’re describing. For example, do you mean a physical QWERTY keyboard, or a virtual one on the touchscreen? And what do you mean by “the other functions” of a laptop? USB ports for external devices? Internal SSD with significant storage space?

I don’t play video games and have no idea what the device in Doom 3 looks like or what it does, so I’m sort of in the dark.