Which PDA?

[deanpaddock]

Which is the best high end PDA?

[MacGyver]

Palm M505 if you're looking for something with a Palm OS. 65000 colors, two expansion slots, same form factor as the Palm V.

If you're looking for PocketPC based units, the iPAQ from Compaq comes to mind.

Both are top of the line models that will make anyone who sees it green with envy.

[cyberhh]

I would also encourage looking into the Handspring line of PDA's they run the Palm OS and have an upgrade board, in my experience I have enjoyed the Handspring a little better than the Palm.

Also the PocketPC is neat - but I have never regretted a tech toy purchase as much as choosing a pocket pc over a palm - the palm seems to be more intuitive, have better application support, has a Linux client, and is more widely used, an advantage when data exchange becomes an option, and has more free mobile books written for it that the Pocket PC ever will (mobibook.com)

[ZeroCool]

Here we are using 2 model of Pocket PC PDA
The Compaq IPaq and the HP Jornada and my opinion is that the IPAQ is neat but the Jornada is more robust especialy the cradel that break easily on the IPAQ but not on the Jornada.

I hope i've been of help

[http://forums.windrivers.com/cgi-bin/forum1/noncgi]

I've heard the cradle for the Jornada described as "a new weapon in the board game Clue", they are so solidly built. Too bad the hinge on the Jornada is so flimsy. :P

I've got a Cassiopeia E-125. It's a brick, but the screen is fantastic. It's reasonably fast too, and can handle large images fairly well.

I've never been very impressed with the Palm platform. Although they are smaller and there are more apps available, they have such tiny memory capacities (8M compared to 64M on the newest iPaq), and if they have an expansion slot at all, it's proprietary. I love having 32M of RAM for storing all sorts of often needed data, and CF RAM cards are extremely cheep (~$70 for 64M) compared to Springboard ($140 for 16M) or Memory Stick ($110 for 64M), and if I wanted to go nuts, I could pop in a 1G CF hard drive.

[sennister]

The Compaq IPaq I love it.

[cyberhh]

You never did tell us what you were going to use it for...

[JungleMan1]

All right here's the deal:

If you want a professional tool which is going to organize your life without a bunch of **** in the way, get a Palm.

If you want a little mini-laptop which has a few organizational features but is basically a multimedia toy with about 2 hours of battery life, get a Pocket PC.

The Pocket PC is a great machine, but it's not what the average Joe who just wants to get organized is looking for. The Palm has a longer-lasting battery, simpler interface, plus some basic extras (a few simple games, even wireless). Choose your weapon.

[Triumph]

There is a new handheld from TRG that looks like a silver Palm IIIx and it has 8 megs of RAM , a COmpact FLash slot that accepts the IBM 1 gig drive (sadly it won't run software from any compact flash cards) and has a 320 by 200 pixel black and white screen (twice Palm). IT isn't on their website and I forogt the name of it but it looks great

[http://forums.windrivers.com/cgi-bin/forum1/noncgi]

I dunno, I get about 4 hours of use out of my Cassiopeia. Playing MP3's in the car on the way to and from work (about 2 hours) only drains about 1/2 the battery.

[JungleMan1]

Originally posted by Triumph:
There is a new handheld from TRG that looks like a silver Palm IIIx and it has 8 megs of RAM , a COmpact FLash slot that accepts the IBM 1 gig drive (sadly it won't run software from any compact flash cards) and has a 320 by 200 pixel black and white screen (twice Palm). IT isn't on their website and I forogt the name of it but it looks great

Handera

Originally posted by Captain Packrat:
I dunno, I get about 4 hours of use out of my Cassiopeia. Playing MP3's in the car on the way to and from work (about 2 hours) only drains about 1/2 the battery.

4 hours don't cut it around here. That's about 2 hours of organizational power? I don't think so...Pocket PC is a nice machine but don't mistake it with an organizer.

[Triumph]

I liked my E115 by Casio but after I went to Dalecoffing.com and built the battery buddy, I love my Casio because I can go for 14+hours on a set of D cells

[JungleMan1]

Originally posted by Triumph:
I liked my E115 by Casio but after I went to Dalecoffing.com and built the battery buddy, I love my Casio because I can go for 14+hours on a set of D cells

D-cell batteries attached to an organizer. So now it is, what, a mid-sized laptop?

[SubZero]

If you're just wanting an electronic Planner, go with Palm.

[crcrouch]

So far I have had a Windows CE 2.0, Monochrome Palm, Color Palm, and now a Pocket PC (Windows CE 3.0), so I am not partial to any one OS. Here is the deal between them.

The average person who wants a PDA does not need major multimedia functions, they only need your basic PIM (Personal Information Management) tools. Address Book, Calendar, To Do List, Memo Pad. For these basic functions and a few games, Palm OS is your choice by far. It handles all of your basic functions, with ease. I would recommend staying away from the Palm PDA brand though. If you want monochrome, check out the Sony Clié, if you want 16-bit color, check out the Handspring Visor Prism. The Palm devices are usually cheaper in cost

Now if you are reading this, you are not just an average Joe. You are a tech guru. And for you, Pocket PC is definitely the way to go. Granted, the Palm OS does have a little bit more support than Pocket PC, but Pocket PC is steadily growing. Anything you can do on a Palm you can do on a Pocket PC. This is true in every sense since recently a Palm OS emulator was released for the Pocket PC. Pocket PC’s have processing power from 133mhz to 206mhz. This is compared to the 33mhz processor in most Palms. If you want games, Pocket PC has Palm beat inside and out. With Pocket DOOM, PocketHexen, GameBoy emulators with full color and sound, and many numerous beautifully designed games, you will catch yourself playing on this more than your Desktop PC. The two major drawbacks for Pocket PC’s are price and battery life. The average battery life for a pocket pc is about 8 hours with an average backlit display. Of the 3 Pocket PC manufacturers, (Compaq, Hewlet Packard, and Casio) only the Casio products allow you to replace the battery yourself. Price is also a major issue. Ranging from <font color=red>$400-$650</font> for a Pocket PC you will have to shell out some cash.

Best Picks:
Palm OS Monochrome: Sony Clié
Palm Os Color: Handspring Visor Prism
<font color=blue>Pocket PC: Casio Cassiopeia E-125</font>