PDAs forum: Suggestions on good PDA or PDA like device

I definitely don't want to go the used route, I really want something up-to-date and modern and most importantly, new.

As far as my Blackberry, it isn't really that it is insufficient for what I need, however, I'm looking for something to stay organized when I'm not using my Blackberry. The Blackberry works great as a PDA, but I don't carry it with me on weekends and things like that, so more than anything I'm just looking for something that I can use as a PDA when I don't have my Blackberry with me. Since the things being scheduled will be completely different between the devices, it isn't important that I be able to sync them or anything like that.

Thanks again for your reply!

Thanks for letting me know. I guess the iPod Touch will be a good choice after all. I was just thinking I was missing something.

Thanks again!

I know it may sound silly, but I used a Palm m130 for years! Then in 2005, it was stolen out of my purse. I was lost without it. (Fortunately I had synched the handheld with my computer that same week.) I had tried a couple of different PDA's including Blackberry and a few others, only to find that I didn't like any of them as much as my m130.

Then two months ago I found one posted on Craigslist - $30 - imagine my luck! I picked it up and it was just like a glove! So, I know it's an older PDA, but it's got everything you need and it's fabulous. So, my advice is that if you want a good PDA, I wouldn't be so worried about all the newest, latest and greatest gadgets with big names - the Palm Pilot really is a great product.

Sure, it's a great PDA but Palm have left their users in the lurch by not upgrading their replication program to work on 64-bit PCs. And they apparently have no plans to upgrade. I wouldn't buy another product from Palm for fear of being abandoned in the future.

Ms. Gadgettes -- I just wanted to mention that I seem to be in a very similar situation. I use my cell phone for only five minutes each month (sometimes less), so that's why I went to TracFone. Therefore, getting a phone or phone plan just to obtain a suitable PDA would make no sense for me.

However, I have an old HandSpring PDA that still works PERFECTLY, but once Vista came along, I found my options for the Palm Desktop software became very limited. In fact, although the program works well on Vista, trying to sync with my HandSpring PDA gives me a BSOD more than half the time. I've researched this, but none of the fixes seems to work. So now, although I enjoy being able to maintain my PDA data on my computer, I haven't been able to get much use out of the PDA.

I'd be even willing to purchase a new Palm PDA in order to become compatible with Vista or Windows 7, but PDA-only units seem to have fallen out of favor.

So, if someone's got a suggestion for a new PDA, I'd like to hear it. If not, then I just wanted Ms. Gadgettes to know she's not alone.

Tony M.

Bob ... Thanks for your thorough reply. I'd like to make sure I understand the general idea of your suggestion, please.

Instead of looking for a replacement PDA, it seems you're suggesting one of the five Windows Mobile devices you mentioned, that I'm presuming can run the same (or similar) Palm Desktop Software that I use on my PC. So, instead of having just a PDA, I'd essentially have a mini-PC running a duplicate copy of my Palm Desktop data. Is that about right?

And if I were willing to spend a little more, would a "netbook" be the next type of device to consider? I realize most netbooks are more costly than the Dell Pharos you mentioned.

Thanks in advance for your help with this.
Tony

WindowsMobile devices cannot use the Palm Desktop, which is designed solely for devices running Palm's own OS. WindowsMobile uses ActiveSync/Windows Mobile Device Center, which syncs your data with other Windows applications. However, there are applications that can bridge the gap, moving you from the Palm ecosystem to Windows'.

John


P.S. WindowsMobile devices are still PDAs, just like the Palm PDAs you have used in the past, but they run a different operating system and different software, and they are generally far more powerful than Palm PDAs of years past.