PDA purchase advice

[pmetal]

Howdy all,

I'm considering buying a PDA for my wife for her birthday, but I don't know a whole lot about them.

Don't want to spend too much on one; around $350 or so would be the max I'd like to spend.

Any suggestions?


Thanks in advance!

[MacGyver]

Can't go wrong with a Dell Axim. Basically does anything a laptop can. You can only order them direct from www.dell.com

[BrunDMC]

If she doesn't need all the expansion capabilities I would recommend the Ipaq 1910. They do well in everything but expandability.

[Stalemate]

You mention PDA and not PocketPC, so I'd recommend the Sony Clié from the SJ series here.

You can even try to color match it to your wife's accessories, which will score you some major points.

[BrunDMC]

The SJ/22 for $199 is great if she doesn't need multimedia capabilities. And the SJ/33 for $299 has the multimedia capabilities. I owned the SJ/33 for a week and liked it. It was the best palm I ever used but the Pocket PC's won me over with better handwriting recognition. Graffitti just couldn't compare anymore.

[pmetal]

Thanks for the input guys. I checked out the Dell Axims, not too bad. Got a little high when I started to configure it the way I would want it. But a good start.

Will look at the ipaq and Clie's as well.

Which would you say is easier to learn/use: Palm OS or Pocet PC OS?

thanks again

[TechieChick]

I just bought in Nov. a Handspring Treo 300 and it is sweet!

It's my PDA, my phone, my pager, and wireless internet access. This thing rocks!
On the PDA side it uses the palm OS, color touch screen, 16MB memory, and a full keyboard.

Handspring Treo 300

Only $399 after rebates. The cell phone plans are very reasonable too.
Give this a look! You won't be disappointed!

[Todo]

You've got my vote on the Dell Axim. I'm using the cheaper model, 300 mhz, 32 MB and paid $250 and I'm still waiting on the $50 rebate. I don't know how many hardware accessories are out on the market yet, since this was just introduced in November I believe. But for the price, I definately think its a great buy!

[ben_341]

I work with these things and I've got to say that the Compaq Ipaq's have my vote. I've got an HP Jornada 980 here but the built-in phone is awful, and its more sluggish than the Ipaq. I'm currently using an Ipaq 3970, its the works as far as pocket pc's go, but there are cheaper Ipaq's out there that are just as good for everything except perhaps bluetooth and some of the more advanced multimedia features.

Not used a Dell Axiom yet but I have one comming my way!

Lately I've been using a nokia communcator 9210i a lot recently, but only because I have to. I'm not a great fan of it, or the symbian os, it isn't as compatible with Windows desktop apps as a pocket pc would be, infact, its easier to create docs and synch e-mail and my calendar on my smartphone than it is on the Nokia!.

I didn't ever really know how handy a PDA would be until I became surrounded by them, the Ipaq is great though, though it keeps bleeping at me to remind me of my appointments this afternoon!.

Gone are the days I could waste whole days at work by browsing the Windrivers forums!

[davepoet]

I use the Toshiba e335/e330 model myself. The thing that drew me to it was its size & feel without having to really sacrifice too much speed.

The HP IPAQ is the only PDA (PPC2002) that is lighter and thinner but it is also far less powerful.

I use mine for just about everything out there that you can use a PDA for. The only way I would go higher is if I were downloading and watching a LOT of MPEG movie files. But this is rarely needed since I can use the WinXP Movie Maker to convert any MPEG file into a more compatible video file for it.

My best recommendation is to just take your spouse down to like a Best Buy or what not and let her pick. PDA's are kind of like cars, you have to try them and buy what you feel is best for you. I think the varying recommendations so far is some proof of that.

I will say that so far, I have liked EVERY PPC2002 device that I have used. I dont think there is a lemon unit out there yet.

[hudsonsmith]

I have been using the Toshiba e310 for the past year and have been extremely happy with it. It is smaller than virtually every pocket pc out there. The new models (e330/335) share the same design but have more memory and a faster cpu.

[pmetal]

Well, I went with the Dell Axim Advanced. A friend at work had one and he liked it, as did I. Also played with a high-end iPaq, which was also nice. But in the end, I went with the Dell.

Thanks again for all of your input and advice. As always, ya'll are on the ball and very helpful.

Thanks