PDAs forum: Palm TX, Axim x51v, or iPaq rx1950 for busy college student?

No print formatting, etc. Some think they can use a PDA to replace a laptop and are ... not happy.

Bob

Another area that I found the new PDA owner to soon give up on the PDA.

"What do you mean by no print formatting?"

In Word for instance, many are used to seeing a WYSIWYG of what they put in. Since there are no printer drivers, printing, then there is no way to show how it will look. Others find that pocket word may strip their formatting. Some scream over that.

Bob

Here are some answers and comments you may find helpful:

* The VGA screen is quite nice, but a luxury. If you want a nice balance of quality and price, the Palm TX is the way to go.

* The major downside to the HP iPaq rx1950 is the 90-day warrenty compared to the standard 1-year warrenty of other PDAs.

* All of the PDAs you've selected can accomplish the basics you've set out to do.

* All of the PDAs you've selected are capable of using IM programs, though you have to download them yourself. (With the exception of MSN messenger that comes preinstalled on all PocketPCs.) These apps have not been updated since 2003, so I recommend going for free third-party clients that have picked up the slack.

* Both the PocketPC and Palm can act as mini TVs, though third-party support is a requirement.

* When it comes to 'tweakability,' the PocketPC has a lot more options, but the Palm is still in it. For example, I've customized my Dell Axim X30 to look like the upcoming Windows Vista, Mac OS X, etc...that's something you can't really do (to my knowledge) with the Palm. You can still change the Palm's logon screen and other factors, though.

* Every PocketPC running WindowsMobile 2003SE or higher supports landscape mode, so the iPaq 1950 and the Axim X51v, running WindowsMobile 5.0 both can. The Palm TX is just the second Palm with this ability...the LifeDrive was the first.

* The PocketPC uses Internet Explorer, which should, in itself, explain the complaints. However, there are third-party browsers, both free and paid, that can take care of that. Personally I havent's had a problem with it though, and actually feel it's better than most of the alternatives.

* The PocketPC uses Windows Media Player, which is somewhat limited, though not buggy in my experience. However, like with everything else, there are plenty of free alternatives.

* Like with everything else, WindowsMobile does have its bugs. In the case of the PDA's OS, Microsoft is NOT responsible for updates, patches, or support of any kind. That is left up to the PDA's manufacturer, who usually customizes the OS for their needs anyways. Dell's support is pretty good, with them releasing ROM updates faster than most others. In comparison, WindowsMobile is much more stable than Windows and comparable to Palm OS, and I have encountered few problems that were not a result of my own actions.

* I've heard rumors that the Palm OS is coming to an end, but no official statement or hints have been made. The only thing I can think of that comes close to supporting that is the new Palm Treo 700w running WindowsMobile 5.0, the first time a Palm has done so. Palm's share is decreasing, but I don't think they're going to fold anytime soon. And, if the Palm OS does go down the drain there's no fear...Palm split into two seperate parts, so if the software dies you'll still find support from Palm Inc, the hardware division.

* Third-party software for the Palm OS is plentiful, so even if they stopped immediately after the Palm OS advancement ended, which they wouldn't, there would still be a huge selection available that would continue to be supported.

* It would not be possible to go from Palm OS to Windows Mobile for the simple fact of hardware support and a por business decision...they would have to spend too much time and money on hardware support and making the 'upgrades' available.

* Continuing on the rumor mill, some believe Dell may be getting out of the PDA business due to the limited profit margin, so the X51 may be their last line. So far there has been no official comment.

* Fact: HP is currently purging their lineup to make room for a new line of PDAs coming out in the next month or two.
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Honestly, it's not possible to say one OS is better than the other. Palm OS is easier to use, while WindowsMobile is more customizable and geared more towards the power user. The choice is up to you. I'd suggest going to Best Buy, Circuit City, or another electronics store and trying out the two OSes and see which one you prefer. Only first-hand experience can help you make the correct decision.

The Axim is the best PDA of the three, though if money is an issue may not be the best option. In that case it would be the TX vs the 1950. The Palm wins spec-wise since it has a higher-quality display and 4 times the ROM for storage. However, the decision is up to you.

If you would like any other input or questions answered, feel free to ask. Also, once you make a decsion come on back for software options and possible customization. Between Bob (a Palm developer) and myself (convert from the Palm OS) we should be able to handle anything you throw at us.

Hope this helps,
John

* For TV software, I was initially referring to something along the lines of MobiTV, which lets you access TV stations on the go via WiFi. If you've recorded the TV shows yourself already, you just need a multimedia plaer that handles video. (I thought Pocket-Tunes only handled audio.)

* For a previous discussion on the topic of security software for the Palm, click here. So far there isn't much available because there are only a handful of malware apps that target handhelds, which is a good thing.

Hope this helps,
John

with the psp you can check the internet, use chat (developers still have a little ways to go, the screen is beautiful for movies, and of course if you're a gamer- it's more powerful than the ps2 for video games and will be a companion to the ps3 (location free tv included w/ ps3 would be great too). Of course a huge downfall is the lack of keyboard.... lately there's rumors that Sony has axed third party companies from developing these, but if a keyboard was ever released for note taking ability, i would say this would fit all your needs. another downfall is the lack of internal memory, although sony will most likely release a version with 8 gigs built in later this year. one more thing- pro duo memory sticks are dropping in price rapidly- you can now get a 2gb card for around 120 if you look in the right places. just a crazy alternative if you've ever considered getting one for entertainment value too.

PPC maybe more customizable than pOS overall, but pOS is quite customizable. There are many 3rd party apps out there to replace what's bundled (Office apps, the basic PIMs like addressbook, phone book, etc.) and what's NOT bundled (IM app, references, databases, etc.). Good selection of both freeware and shareware. As for the OS itself, pOS has ZLauncher which lets you customize the interface of pOS, while skinUI and PalmRevolt let you tweak the colors and buttons of the OS. The latter has OSX, winXP, and linux themes. Win Vista may be available as an addon. As far as sound schemes go, not too many. Altho Palm's have mp3 players that play through the speakers, many of the sounds and alarms for Palm handhelds are still midi and bland sounding. They do their jobs tho. If you're the type of person who has R2D2 chime everytime you open a folder in winXP and must do the same for your PDA, then you may wanna go PPC here as i think u'll be able to do that there.

Palm definately has some AIM programs or its equivalent. I can't comment on how well they work though as I've never used them.

Honestly, I don't believe there's a "single answer" for which one is more stable. I myself have heard.... ppl saying that pOS (Palm OS) never forced them into any soft resets (PC equivalent of rebooting), has caused some forced soft resets and even forced hard resets (delete all data and restore to factory settings), and ditto with both ends of PPC as well.

Who's right? Some of these critics may be biased, but another thing to consider is usage. Some ppl may have defective units, while others load play with soo much 3rd party apps that they're bound to run into software that's not as well tested.

Personally, I use a Tungsten T3 (came out in 2001, bought mine 1.5 years ago) and soft resets are unusual. Some of them are in Palm's own apps which may sound bad, but I at least know where they are to avoid them, and keep in mind that M$'s software for PC and PPC are far from perfect. Other caess it's trying out more "dubious" software or system utilities. I find my T|T3 Palm to be reliable and stable enough for often usage.

As far as another pOS device after the T|X, my observation is that there will be more pOS PDAs after that. Keep in mind the tr700w came out as an attempt for Palm to grab more marketshare. That marketshare is for smartphones or converged PDA+cellphone devices, which is quite different in some ways to stand alone PDAs. There's no solid indication that Palm is gonna abandon pOS yet. I'd be surprised if it does happen, but I'm not gonna say it can't.

For medical software and references, It was reported years ago that even though PPC was trailing Palm here, they're catching up. I never did follow up to see if PPC did catch up and surpass Palm, but I do know palm has alot of these. Not being in the industry, all i can think of the top of my head is Epocrates (Epocrotes?). I don't know if they've been coming out with new software, but I presume new medical apps and updates have been released. I would also recommend checking out this board, as it's the only Palm OS forum I know of that has a board just for those in the medical industry:
http://discussion.brighthand.com/palmhandhelds/forumdisplay.php?s=6ed9243093400be62fdfd4b365e24fae&forumid=83
Alternatively, go to Brighthand.com --> click Forums on lefthand side --> Palm towards the top --> and Medicine scrolling down

As far as which OS is actually better, 1000 ppl could ask which car is better, a Toyota or a Ford. I could say Toyota, plain and simple, but that sure as heck wouldn't be the right answer for everyone. Some among the 1000 ppl could've gone either way, others would thank for for recommending a Toyota, while while others may curse me for making such a suggestion. The fact that Toyota seems to be doing better than Ford may be of some basis for suggestion, but it doesn't help those who would've been better off buying a Ford. My suggestion is to try out the hardware in a retail store, ask around for software availability (try stand alone PDA forums where surely they'll have more info by industry and fuction), and make sure there's a suitiable return if you're still unsure.

As far as the T|X being outdated... that's a relative term. Using a PC example, a PC bought in 2003 may be outdated, but wouldn't necessarily be useless. You got a PC with a 2.6GHz processor, 128MB video card, and 1GB of RAM. That can handle all your basic tasks, online activities, and play all the latest games, albeit not at the highest settings. A T|X with its 300 something MHz processor and wifi can handle all basic tasks well enough. Music and video may be improved with a faster processor and graphics accelorater, pics better with a larger, higher-res screen, but what it has now will work. Also, jacking those specs up may hit battery life down to unacceptable levels. Ditto with the OS. Windows has came out with some major revisions, while Palm keeps releasing minor updates. It may be due for a major update, but I'm certain what's there now would suit your needs

As far as converting pOS to PPC, I'm assumming you mean either transfering the OS to a PPC handheld or just the software and data to a new PPC. That wouldn't work out either way. For the former, you're better off just buying a new handheld. For the latter, PIMs could be transferred over. They have online guides of how to do this. Otherwise, software won't work as they're written for the OS they were intended for.

Finally, the bad Cnet reviews for some PPCs. Keep in mind that a 6.0 isn't necessarily 'bad'. 6 out of 10 may be a 'D' and cause for concern in college (assuming there's no massive curve coming your way) and school, but Cnet's rating goes something in the lines of 10=perfect, 9=spectacular, 8=excellent, 7=very good, 6=good, 5=average, 4=mediocre, so on. A 6 rated handheld may actually be up your alley if it does what you want (e.g. medical stuff), may have other features that you prefer (e.g. better than average batt life), and it's weaknesses don't concern you (e.g. for me, the T|T3's noticeable weakness was poor battery and no integrated wifi. I'm always near a charger at the office or home, travel very little, and would rather do internet on a desktop).

Hope this info gives you and others more insight to help you choose