Handheld Reviews

Though the LV55 is advertised as having a 5" screen, the actual viewable screen size is 4.8" diagonal, with a 16:9 width-to-height ratio just like a widescreen TV. There are several "display modes" that let you change the image size. One of them lets you enlarge a non-anamorphic image so it will fill the whole screen (albeit resulting in a more pixellated, less sharp display). One of the display modes turns off the display, so that you can save battery power while playing audio CDs.

The LV55 has a screen resolution of 280,000 pixels, which comes to about 700x400 pixels. This is less than the 720x480 resolution that a DVD is able to deliver, but it is enough to give a clear, sharp picture.

This player only lets you adjust color saturation and brightness, and not hue and contrast. Using "Video Essentials" and "Avia Guide to Home Theater" to test the display, I find that the display has a slight over-saturation of red, and cannot display certain grey scales (which could cause "dithering" in playing black-and-white movies). Also, the player has some built-in edge enhancement that strikes me as rather excessive, resulting in "halos" appearing around borders.

The display also has the common overscan problem, which results in a little bit of picture cut off from the left and right sides of the image. Overscanning is common on most consumer CRT and LCD displays.

The built-in speakers produce expectedly tinny sound, considering the player only uses 13 watts of power. A good pair of earphones or headphones is a must, but even so, the advantage of a 5.1 soundtrack is totally lost without 5.1 speakers. There is a "dialog enhancer" feature that raises the volume of the center channel sound, which is useful in a noisy environment. There is also a "dynamic range compression" feature that lowers the volume of loud sound if you feel the soundtrack is too overwhelming.

The LV55 is able to play DVD-Video discs with Dolby Digital or DTS sound, audio CDs, and Video CDs (VCDs). Although the manual says it does not play CD-R discs, it does play CD-R discs that are copied from audio CDs and VCDs.

The player can also send Dolby Digital or DTS signal to an external DD/DTS decoder's optical input, although you need to obtain a miniplug-to-Toslink cable yourself. It can send its video signal (via RCA or S-Video cable) to an external monitor. It can also receive video from, say, a camcorder, so you can view it on the display.

With the battery pack attached, the LV55 weighs 2 pounds and is 1.5 inches thick, which is a little too bulky for me. But I do like the fact that the screen can be flipped open to an almost 180-degree angle, and that the playback is not affected even if I don't hold the player horizontally; that gives me great flexibility in viewing positions.

This little unit, while being on the small side in terms of screen size, is great. I travel cross-country on planes at least twice/week and have never been able to sleep while sitting in the ever-shrinking, upright, rigid airline seats; this device has made these sardine-can trips bearable!

Pros: better than expected sound out of little speakers; ease of hookup to full size monitor; easy-to-operate controls on both remote and unit top; bright picture, even in bright light conditions; electronic brightness and color adjustment controls; battery life (3.5 hours with a "0" brightness setting on a -5 to 5 scale) that averages better than listed in the specifications (2.5-3 hours); stands up to jostling and bumping of airline travel well (skip-free play sideways and inverted); extended electronic sound processing features (simulates theatre surround modes while using headset); healthy substitute for full-size DVD player in the home

Cons: battery cannot charge while unit is plugged in and in use (i.e., must be turned off to charge); remote cannot be used while unit is operating on battery power; manual is poorly organized, but after a couple of times through, the technically-challenged can operate this unit; no carrying case or headphones packaged with unit; lack of dynamic range dampening feature requires a quick finger on the volume control when using a headset; (not completely sure about this but) optical output jack on the back of the unit is not truly optical-cable compatible

Suggestions: for successful audio during air travel, get a noise-dampening headset that either covers the ear completely or some headphones/earbuds that insert into the ear canal; if you connect to external monitors routinely, invest in an S-video cable as well (not included with model, but RCA style video and audio cables are).

I compared this 5" model to the larger screen Panasonic model and found that the extra money for the latter wasn't warranted. With this unit roughly 15 inches from my eyes, the picture is crisp, but not too grainy ("liney") and I have yet to come across a movie where something wasn't resolved well enough on the screen to see it.

I give it 5 stars for overall quality and ease of use minus a star for not including a case and headphones. Bottom line: pros far outweigh cons, great bang for the buck.

I bought this to entertain the kids during a cross-country drive. The picture is amazingly clear and the sound generally good (a little tinny on the high notes of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang). During the highway drive, I received no complaints of skipping. I was surprised to find out after I bought it, though, that the manual forbids use of a car power adapter. On calling their 800#, they recommended a $99.95 adapter made by another company. The battery is long lasting, but the drive was longer. I would also suggest that they include ear phones and, because it's a delicate piece of machinery, a carrying case. All of these things can be bought elsewhere, but I didn't figure in these costs when shopping for the DVD itself.

The people who made this were thinking. It's got a better user interface than the handspring modem, it's smaller, lighter weight, doesn't use it's own batteries, upgradable, and it works just as well. I'd definately reccommed it, and the stowaway keyboard for travelers. Plus you can get free internet access from nearly anywhere in the nation...just don't install the program they give you on your desktop or you'll regret it. Happy visor surfing.

I also have a Visor Deluxe which I have used with a Targus Stowaway Keyboard. The modem connection while seated on the Stowaway Keyboard allowed me to review emails and respond to them without disconnecting either the modem or the keyboard. This combination relieved me of the burden of a laptop while traveling. Unload the prepackaged software (the email program is only a demo and requires a fee for use) and use the 500K storage for something else, which is a plus. Eudora Internet Suite is free. I received an email from technical support that the upgrade to V.90 will include fax support (the current version does not permit faxing through the ThinModem). The battery meter dips during use but restores, for the most part, after turning it off. ThinModem comes with a male telephone jack (about 36 inches) which works well in airport telephones that offer a female connection. For about $5, get the female jack (about 4 inches)which works better with connections will working at a desk. One negative is the current lack of a gadget to connect to a cell phone to turn the Visor into a wireless, but that may come, I hope.

I was really suprised that this little gadgit works so well.Plug it into your handpring(prism)hook it to your phone jack and your online.I use csmail with it and it works great.D.Whaley

I got tired of packing my USB cradle with my laptop and Visor Deluxe everytime so I got the USB hotsync cable.

It is easy to use and attaches to the Visor securely. Unlike the cradle, the cable does not have a hotsync button. To hotsync, you just go to the hotsync application on the Visor itself and hit "local hotsync". I had no trouble with the hotsync if I moved/lifted the Visor. The cable stays in place. To release it, you have to press two buttons at the sides of this adapter.

My one complaint is that the cable is too long (about 6 ft) and this adds to its size, not to mention the hassle of having to uncoil/coil 6 ft. of cable everytime you pack it. If this was designed for use with a laptop 18 inches to 2 ft. would have been the ideal length. After all, you need both the computer and the Visor close together to hotsync.

I just got the Handspring Deluxe (Ice) and it is absolutely great. I have had it for about 3 days now and I can't get off it. Anyways, I never had alot of room for the big cradle that the handspring came with. So i decided to order this. In my laptop case I could easily fit this in with all my other junk. The cradle took up too much room. This USB Cable is also very easy to hook up. I give this 5 stars because its quick, easy to use, and very portable!

Excellent service...excellent value. THis product works as advertised!.

The Handspring Visor Stylus Rainbow Pack is the stylus that should have come with the Handspring Visor Deluxe.

It comes in five colours to fit any Visor of any colour.

The advantage these styli have over the standard stock stylus that comes with the Visor is that they are made of metal and have a nice heft to it when you write.

The coolest thing about the Rainbow styli is that they all have a reset pin integrated into the stylus body (something glaringly missing in the stock stylus. Just unscrew the writing tip and there it is. This is about the most important part of the stylus and will save you when your Visor hangs on you.

A surprise is that when you unscrew the other end of the stylus, you get a very nice Philips screwdriver that can be used to open your Visor, if necessary. I found that the screwdriver also works really well for tightening the screws on my glasses! :)

I didn't even have my Handspring Visor for a week before I lost my stylus. I didn't want to pay the shipping fee from Handspring's Website .... Then I found out that Amazon sold Handspring stuff. I would much rather pay the Amazon shipping fee ... than I would the Handspring fee.

I also like the colors. I was expecting to get a yellow stylus in the pack, but in the place of the yellow one, there was an orange one, which is great because my Visor is Orange!

Also, the reset button that unscrews from the tip and the mini philips screwdriver that unscrews from the top of the stylus are wonderful (no more hunting for a paper clip!).

I highly recommend this product if you need extra styli and are scared off by Handspring's high shipping cost.

Just like the one your handspring came with but,In five different colors.Nice

I have been using this unit for 7 months now and it does more than I expected for the money. It doesn't have a lot of the frills like other more expensive models but does a lot of the same and great for geocaching! I have purchased a mount to secure it to my mountain bike and it tells me my speed, direction, altitude, and tracks my path where I go so I can backtrack. It does lots of other things also. Bottom line...it's a great buy!

I have been thinking of buing a GPS for over 3 years, after I heard about Geocaching a couple weeks ago it was enough to make be jump to get one. Did not know much about them in the beginning and I guess I am still learning. I paid ... for mine last week and this week it is less,... it really is quite a deal.

I like that it is small, light and compact...it seems smaller than some of the other magellans that I have seen others with. The screen is good size and the menus have been pretty simple to get around with. My 9 year old picked it up in about 15 minutes and my 5 year old used it to create a breadtrail.

Yesterday I used it for the first time geocaching and it took me within 8 feet of the cache box each time. Features it does not have is average speed and more memory would be nice.

Nice unit for the money

Back in March/2004, I was looking for a cheap/quality GPS that used alkaline batteries, a monochrome display, and could be used out of the box, without connecting the unit to a PC. Well this GPS was my answer! It took me sometime to find it, but the wait was well worth it! I remember stopping by Fry's, Best Buy and a number of other electronic stores and being told that I would not be sold a GPS that did not offer a monochrome display, and worst of all would not be sold a GPS under $400! I do not understand why so many people using electronics feel they need a Bazooka to kill a rabbit. Shouldn't sales people understand that not everyone needs a powerful device, and some people just need a simple unit? Well I only needed a pistol for the job and found it at Radio Shack.
Well the Magellan SporTrak Map GPS has 2MB of built in maps, which entails interstates, freeways, and highways, not to disclude airports and other points of interest. For me, I do not expect a GPS to replace a regular map, but just to be a strong add on, which will tell me my exact location when I'm traveling. This GPS unit has 6MB of free memory for detailed street maps, but the only catch is the price of the MapSend CD-ROM, which is highly overpriced. So, I do not expect to add on any detailed maps to my GPS anytime soon. I recommend this GPS to all users wanting a simple monochrome GPS unit with great battery life (15+ hours) and only need a GPS for freeway, interstate, and highway navigation. Oh one more thing for the best battery life use the Energizer Titanium cells.

I was a bit skeptical in buying this, as many people complainedthat it would add bulk and reduce battery life, but for [the cost], Ithought it would be worth it. It was.

Anyone that says it makes theiPaq a lot bulkier is either weak or full of it. The picture does notdo it justice--it is no different from the 'shell-case' that comeswith your iPaq, save for an extra 1/8" thickness at the top forthe CF card. For those of you without a CF case that don't use yourempty shell, I'd recommend it as extra protection for your iPaq.Bottom line: I notice no weight or size difference using Compaq's ownCF slot. I have seen the PC Card expansion pack, and that isdefinitely a lot bigger.

Having a CF slot is great. I have 2cards. One is the FREE expansion pack... The other is a 340 mb IBMMicrodrive. For those of you considering the Microdrive, it is aterrific add-on. I have 75 mp3's, plus a ton of maps for the PocketStreets and a lot of free books from MS Reader. More power to you ifyou want to store anything else, but I was happy spending 150 on the340 mb MD than 500 on the 1 gb MD.

The only problem I have is thatit definitely eats up your battery--I now get just 2-3 hours from myiPaq when I play the mp3's. The solution to this is to get the PCCard expansion case, as it has its own power source...but the tradeoff is definitely weight and size. For this reason, I'm glad Compaqdidn't build-in one or the other (CF or PC slot), because they'reletting us choose which trade-off we'd like. Either way, the iPaqoffers far more flexibility than any other PDA, and the CF Expansioncase definitely adds to it.

Good luck,

--JN

...but that goes to show how great this expansion pack is! I just got mine, and I tell you it really is a dream. The added dimensions and weight really are a small price to pay for the added convenience of using CF cards. In fact, I like how it fits in my hand better now with the expansion card - it's firmer, and doesn't give the feeling that it may slip out of my hand. The Fun Pack (available free from Microsoft upon purchase of the iPaq) card slipped right in and works great. I just ordered extra RAM cards for MP3s and other storage, and just ordered the a modem. This CF Expansion Pack truly makes the iPaq a Pocket *PC* with all you'd expect (more, even!). This is an accessory you can't refuse!

I recommend buying this and an IBM microdrive to really get the most out of your iPaq. You can then listen to hours of music or even watch movies!

Almost every plugin for the iPaq uses the CF2 standard, so unless you just want a simple PDA, buy this. Of course you don't, otherwise you would have bought a Palm, right?

I ll be short. I am really tired of explaining in details what i HATE about Axim X5, and how I regret that I was on a cheap side and bought this monster. I noticed that some of the happy Dell customers are happy for the first couple of months. Wait till your warranty expires!!! This axim x5 is good only for 6-7 months then its good for hammering nails. I am sure that nobody is happy about an idea of buying a new Pda from Dell every 8-10 months, except for Michael Dell.
So quality is bad, and I am really surprised as they do pretty good laptops and desk tops.
Customer service: God!! Send some mercy!!! Listen, I speak with an accent, I live in New York, I got used to dozens of accents. But I refuse to understand this ridiculous mumbling, robot's phrases,like "Or Mister Smith, I understand your frustration". Yeah right... But what kills me the most is the fact thaty they LIE to you. "Did you sent my axim 5 back???" "Yes we did!!" 3 weeks later no results!!!

I am tired of dell,

This is the first PDA that I've bought, but when this gets old I'll definately buy another Dell if they continue to make them. The pre-installed Pocket PC 2002 is perfect for writing Word documents and Excel spreadsheets, or just viewing them. There are 3 different methods to input letters including a handwriting transcriber that you can personalize to fit the way you write. It took me about 2 minutes to set up my computer so that I could share files between the two of them. You can view all types of pictures on your Axim with the awesome colored screen. The operating system's name says it all, this is definately a Pocket PC because of all of the things you can do with it.

I purchased my 300 MHz Axim X5 from Dell in mid December and it arrived about 2 weeks later. This is my very first pocket PC, although I did have a Palm V about 2 years ago. This thing just amazes me. The screen is nice and bright... the style is very comfortable to hold (rubber sides).

My choices for pocket PCs were the Toshiba e740, the HP IPAQ 1910, and the Dell Axim X5 - mainly because they were all under $... after rebates. The 300 MHz Axim is by far the cheapest and the best value since it has dual expansion slots (SD and CF). I am currently using a Netgear CF Wireless adaper card to surf the internet anywhere in my home.

Bottom line... the Axim is the best PDA for the best price. I love mine!

Well OK, there are some nice things about this gadget. I find it very compact and I like the keyboard and the fact that it has a word processor and spread sheet. However, after endless amount of time writing to Sonic Blue (the staff were incredibly unhelpful and didn't seem to care about my problem at all), consulting with friends etc, my Diamond Mako still does not talk to my computer (my operating system is Windows 98). BIG PROBLEM!

(...)Most people are probably wondering what makes this better than a palm or visor. First, the mako has a whopping 16 MB of memory. The only visor or palm that can match that is the Visor Pro. All those others have a mediocre 8 megs. Next, how many palm or visor handhelds do you know of that have a built-in keyboard? I certainly cant think of any. It is rather small, so you cant touchtype, but if graffiti annoys you, then this is the cure. It is easy and can still write about 3-5 times faster than graffiti. Oh, man ths thing must be huge! But its not. It can easily fit in your pocket or the palm of your hand. What else? How about a word prosessor AND spreadsheet. NO palm or visor has that. Also, unlike most of the palm speadsheet apps (which you must buy) do not have the ability to produce graphs from the spreadsheet. Also, the shape of the mako makes wod prosesing sooo much easier than palm. The wider than tall screen make typing docs much more natural. Not enough? The graph from sreadsheet can be transferred to your word docs. How about online capibilitis? Try the OperaO web browser. If the horribly limited "web-clippings" for the palm handhelds erks you, you will luv the Opera's ability to access virtually any website available. STILL not enough? Software you say? How about the most amazing selection of free software available. (...)

The software on this system is easily better than anything PalmOS supports, especially the included word processor and spreadsheet (not to mention the excellent day-planner/to-do program). Trust me: I tried switching to Palm and came back. And unlike the bloated, flaky Windows software on PocketPC units, the EPOC OS on this is rock-solid and doesn't chew up batteries like breath mints. Combine that with an actual keyboard rather than trying to scribble on the screen, and there really isn't much of a contest.

I highly recommend the 76s for anyone who is spending time in the remote, trackless outdoors. I've become lost a few times in southern Utah, perhaps the most difficult backcountry region in the world. I bought the 76s to record routes in case I need to backtrack to extricate myself from the canyon country, and I've been very impressed with how easy this system is to use. I only have two complaints: I have not been able to get near the 16 hours of battery life that Garmin advertises, even with the backlight off; and I can't get an accurate reading inside my truck, which at times has been more than a headache. Inside my truck the compass tends to freewheel and my route readings become useless. I have attempted to get information from Garmin, but they respond with more questions, and haven't been of much help so far. There are rooftop antenas available for other models, but I don't know of one for the 76s, and Garmin has yet to respond to that query. Overall, I'm happy with what is obviously a well-designed and usable receiver, and just wish that I could get some answers to my technical questions. Another note to drivers: the compass works only when the unit is held almost dead level. Try to find a place in your vehicle to mount the unit so that it is simultaneously level and visable from the driver's seat. I haven't found a good spot yet.

The unit is very solidly built, durable, and has survived two falls already. Garmin says it's waterproof, but Utah isn't a good test for this feature.

I would appreciate any accurate feedback on whether or not a rooftop antena will imrove the compass function...is the compass magnetic, or does it use sattelite data to get oriented? Garmin hasn't answered this question.

This is my third GPS unit, and it is by far the best. I tried the Garmin eTrex Vista and had problems with sensitivity to tree cover. I live near Sequoia National Park and routinely use the GPS units around "large" trees. I found that the eTrex Vista would lose the signal, or not acquire a signal to begin with, even in fairly large clearings.

In comparison, the antenna in the GPSMAP 76S is much less affected by tree cover. The unit and its software are also much more sophisticated than the eTrex. Also, the function keys on the face of the 76S are easier to use in the field than the ClickStick on the Vista. The latter works o.k. when you are sitting at home, learning to use the machine. However, I found it frustrating to try to use the ClickStick while hiking: The darn thing often wouldn't "go" where I wanted it to on the screen, and the screen areas are fairly small and hard to see in sunlight.

Again, the screen and accessibility are much better on the 76S. The memory (24MB) is the same for both units. In summary, the eTrex wins the "cute" award, but the GPSMAP 76S is a much better piece of equipment and it is easily worth the higher initial cost.

.
This is Garmin's latest GPS unit. A friend got the Garmin eTrex Vista at the same time I purchased the 76S. The main differences between the two: the 76S has a larger screen, has buttons on the front where they're easy to see and use, and has proximity alarms (to let you know audibly when you're offcourse or arriving at your destination). The eTrex Vista has buttons hidden along the edges of the unit and it has a smaller screen; it also has a calendar and a calculator.

I used to think that GPS's were nothing but expensive toys. However, when I had to use it to find a trailhead at night, it proved itself to me. This unit is great. Get the best...get the Garmin GPSMAP 76S.

While you're at it, buy the Garmin MapSource Topo software and a carrying case. Be sure to go to the Garmin website for software updates for the 76S as well as MapSource....

I recently bought the Viewsonic V36 as a Christmas gift. Although this is easily the least expensive PDA at this processor/memory level (Intel 300MHz XScale processor, 64MB RAM, 32MB ROM), it performs extremely well and is very well designed. I originally intended to purchase the HP IPAQ 1945 which has very similar specs to the V36 but was sold on the Viewsonic with the $100 lower price tag (the actual cost is $299 less a $100 mail-in rebate; the HP is $299 with no rebate). The HP 1945 has integrated Bluetooth which the V36 lacks but the V36 has a nice integrated 300KP camera which is not available on the HP (the camera works quite nicely in well-lit conditions and can take both still and moving images). (Note: If you need WiFi capability, there is an optional 802.11b SDIO card available for the V36 for $129 that plugs into the sole SD card expansion port.) Also, the V36 will accept a standard headphone plug for listening to MP3s while the HP requires an adapter for its miniplug. The 3.5" screen is clear and bright and identical in quality to the HP. All other hardware/software specs for the HP 1945 and V36 are identical (well, okay the HP is a half inch shorter and half an ounce lighter but that's not really worth the hundred bucks price difference to me).

Setup of the unit is a breeze (you'll barely need the included manual) and synchronizing the unit with a PC is fast and effortless. Everything you need to get up and running is included in the box (USB adapter cable, power cable, companion CD with MS ActiveSync and MS Outlook 2002, and a carry case). I highly recommend the Viewsonic V36 PDA.

I purchased my V36 in Dec. 2003, and absolutely "Love" it. My purchasing criteria was; great price,lots of extras, Color Screen & Camera. The other brands had those options, but charged extra for them, sometimes $100 - $200 dollars more. The ViewSonic V36 came standard with a camera, 64K Memory, lots of software & a $100 rebate as well. Hands down the best deal for my money.I have a small business, and I keep all my personal & business data on my Viewsonic V36 Pocket PC with plenty of memory to spare. Although Amazon's editorials don't tell you this, the ViewSonic V36 does come with a small pocket case, a stylus, charging adapter, & USB Sync cord. I highly suggest you purchase the sync & charging craddle. If you are prone to dropping things like I am, you might want to buy the optional Viewsonic carrying case, that alone has saved my Pocket PC from destruction, a few times already. And unfortunately, NO.... they are not paying me for this review. LOL

Best PocketPC for the price!
I researched a LOT of PocketPC's before I buy VeiwSonic V36 and I love it!
MP3s, Videos, Voice, Photos, MS Compatibility,
Definately the best PocketPC for the price! No problems so far - I am very pleased - I recommend this model to all.