Handheld Reviews

Great PDA, I'm a medschool student and it helps a lot in the hospital and in the classrooms. A lot of free medical software to download from the web. The camera it's awesome, it has a slow shutter function that allows you to take pictures even in dark rooms; the resolution (1.3MP) it's good and I can take pictures of patients, X ray films, CT scans and more with nice quality.
The battery lasts for at least 5 hours of continuous work, and the integrated keyboard helps a lot when you're tired of using the stylus. The internal memory it's quite short, but I bought a 256 MB Lexar MS (not too expensive) and don't have any problem.
I do recomend this PDA for medschool students because it's a helpful tool in the hospital (specially the camera). The free software I found on the web includes drug guides, medical calculators, diagnostic and tratment tools, medical news software, etc, etc, etc.

I Heard Of This PDA In Circuit City. Everytime I Go There, I Practice Graffiti On The PDAs All The Time. When I Went There With My Mom, I Took A Picture Of Her With The Built-In Digital Camera That's Included On The PDA. I Heard About The Highest Resolution It Goes: 1,280 x 960 Pixels. When I Bring It With Me Everyday To School, I Can Take Pictures Of My Friends That Are Girls. I Also Heard This Has A Built-In MP3 Player. Then I Be Able To Listen To Music On This Thing. Then I Have Both iPod And Sony NX80V To Listen To Music To. But I Have To Store My Music On A Memory Stick. But The Memory Sticks Are Kind Of Expensive. But, I Still Can Afford The Memory Sticks In The Store. I Don't Know You Can Carry Around Your Neck If It's 8.0 Ounces.

This is my third PDA, the priors were Palm IIIvx, Sony Clie 610C. I really use my PDA all day, so I could justify paying a bit more for a nicer PDA. I have friends with CE based machines and they really don't use them nearly as much as I use mine.

Pros:
Too many to mention all of them, but the all add up to great usability. I really used a lot of the features that I thought were just bells and whistles. The flip display is great because you don't need a case unless you are trying to keep the unit pretty. The camera was a life-saver for shooting white boards before they get erased and showing tech support problems that were hard to describe over the phone/email without a picture. The voice memo took excellent notes even at conference meetings (much better than my friend's Palm Tungsten 2). Additional apps such as a mileage log (Trip) have been so important to me that I replaced the hard-wired button for notes with it. The Silk Launcher has a mode that adds more app buttons to the graffiti area.

Battery life is very good. I would often go for 3 or 4 days between charges, regardless of the display brightness. If I reduced the brightness, I could go for a week of light use between charges.

Cons:
A tad big. Too heavy to tote around for MP3s at the gym.
After well over a year of heavy use, the Power/Hold slider button died, making the unit unusable (Fortunately, I sync'd up just a few hours before it broke!).

Decision Time:
Sony want's $150 to fix it. For double that, I can get a new one, and since no other PDA surpasses the UX80V, I think I will do that. I have been very rough on my Clie, but it really is a workhorse for me.

I bought the unit in January 2002. By design or bad luck, the unit froze. I bought it from [a department store] and they offered no extended warranty.

I called Sony two days ago. They have the most impressive and accurate voice messaging system I have ever heard. After a lengthy, but clever, screening, I managed to hear human voices. Very kind, obviously reading scripts from screens. I could not distinguish the electronic voice system from actual real people. They were following a coreographed procedure. Did you reset? Yes. Did you recharge? Yes. After repeating about 3 times, I was told to ship the unit for repair. The cost [is] mind boggling... After only 14 months since new. This is the end of the script of Sony Clie Service.

I just want to warn the potential buyers. Sony charges the PDA consumer hidden costs tha annoy and make an otherwise a loyal owner very disappointed.

I spent months deciding which PDA to get. I wanted to see the second-gen Pocket PCs before I did anything.

Ultimately it came down to reliability, bells & whistles, and cost. I'm the first to admit I love gadgets. So I was mightily tempted by the current crop of PocketPCs, particularly for their gaming ability. Face it: this generation of Palm PDAs--even the ones with the Dragonball 33 mhz processor like the Clie--can't compare to the 206 mhz 32-bit StrongARM-powered PocketPCs when it comes to animated gaming. The Clie's 33 mhz 16-bit CPU simply lacks the horsepower for realistic animation. The same goes for video. So if it's important to you to be able to play action games on your handheld or watch movies on a tiny screen, by all means get a Pocket PC.

If you want to use your PDA for business, understand that Pocket PCs are still toys for adults. Business users should get a Palm OS PDA. And if you're going to get a Palm OS PDA, the Clie 610c (or 760c) is the way to go.

This may sound like blasphemy to Clie fans--Sony is trying to position the Clie 6-and 7-series PDAs as multimedia machines to compete with Pocket PC. But they really can't compare in that regard for the reason I noted above. (You can listen to music on your 760c, though.)

So why the Clie, with its Palm OS, instead of Pocket PC for business? After all, Pocket PCs will sync with your Windows apps, right? Pocket Outlook, Pocket Word, etc must be a more seamless match than Palm's 3rd party apps, right? Wrong. Pocket Outlook is a brain-damaged version of the real thing. Just try sync-ing subfolders. It's not gonna happen. Same with Pocket Word. You lose all your formatting. Meanwhile Palm OS has 3-4 different 3d party apps that sync with each program, and allow you to retain your subfolders and formatting. And these are just examples. The Palm business apps really are better--for now.

Then there's reliability. The dreaded Blue Screen of Death should be all-too familiar to all Windows users. Guess what? Now you can have the Blue Screen of Death right in your Pocket. Imagine how much fun you'll have when you're on the road and your Pocket PC requires a hard reset and you lose ALL YOUR DATA and you can't restore it from your desktop because you're, as I said, ON THE ROAD. Pocket PC's are as unstable as their pre-Windows XP big brothers. In my view, they are not stable enough for serious business use. Palm OS, by contrast, is rock-solid.

Cost is also a factor. Personally I can easily afford the [the price] of a 2nd-gen Pocket PC, but for what purpose? I would have a very expensive Gameboy Advance, and I would still need a REAL PDA for work.

What really sets the Sonys apart from the crowd of Palm OS PDAs is their incomparable screens. The Clie 610c and 760c use the same screen technology as the Compaq Ipaqs--universally cited as the best in the Pocket PC world. And the Sonys posess even higher resolution than PocketPCs (320 x 320 vs 320 x 240). All the other Palm PDAs are still stuck with relatively dim 160 x 160 displays (OK, the Handspring Prism isn't dim, but it is still low-res). But the numbers don't begin to tell the real story. The 610c's display is bright with 64K colors, readable in daylight, and razor-sharp . You will never go back to a monochrome unit once you've used the Clie.

Clie also has a jog-dial. It sounded handy before I tried it, but after using it: big deal. A non-issue. Clie also looks cooler than other Palm PDAs, but that's just my opinion.

As for support, I confess to being among the very first PEG 415 users, as I ordered one direct from Sony the day it came out. The 415 has a 320 x 320 16-shade grayscale screen in a beautiful brushed aluminum body that is a bit over 1/2 as thick as a 6- or 7-series Clie. Unfortunately, the 415's screen is so dim it is almost unreadable in ordinary light, even with the (weak) blue-green backlight on. (...)

As for expandability: you're pretty much limited to the memory stick. There is an MP3 player add-on for the 610c, but if you wanted MP3 you would have bought a 760c in the first place. The memory stick itself is excellent, and cost is now comparable to other flash memory. But if you want a GPS unit or some other specialized add-on, you'd better go with a Handspring.

Battery life on the Clie 610c is excellent, particularly compared to Pocket PCs. I routinely use it for 2-3 days without charging it, and the battery life has always remained above 3/4. It would probably last over a week with a single charge.

Construction is very sturdy. I haven't had a problem with dust under the screen as reported by some Ipaq users.

The bottom line is, the Clie PEG 610c's multimedia abilities are oversold, but its beautiful display, Palm OS and apps, and compact size make it the best choice for a business user. Pocket PCs are undeniably better at multimedia, but they still aren't reliable enough for business use. My suggestion: give Microsoft a pass this time and check back in a year or two. By then Pocket PCs may be ready for prime time, or Palm may well have overburdened its simple, stable OS with a plethora of features in an effort to match Microsoft, making Palm OS just as unstable as Pocket PC. Either way, you'll be ready for a new machine by then, anyway. For now, though, Palm OS is the only real choice for business, and the Clie 610c is the best Palm OS PDA out there.

I have a PEG-N710C, which is the same as this model, but includes the MP3 player functionality, which can be added to this one as an option. This is a wonderful PDA. The resolution is amazing and much better than its Palm or Handspring competitors. Photos can be downloaded and viewed with brilliant clarity. The memory stick slot is very handy for storing applications, MP3 files, or pictures. Memory sticks can be shared between the PDA and other Sony electronics. I have a Sony digital camera as well and it is very helpful to be able to use my memory sticks in both the camera and the PDA. Applications cannot be run directly from the memory stick but pictures and MP3 files can be directly accessed. The processor is fast, the UI is great, the unit is lightweight, and I have had nothing but good experiences with Sony support.

Lightweight, portable and simple. These words describe both the HotSync cradle that came with my Palm IIIx and this cable which I just purchased. However, if you travel a lot, and sync to a laptop or second computer, this cable is the way to go.

I takes up virtually no room in a laptop bag, and can fit in virtually any luggage pocket (and also a suit pocket).

There is no other software to install. Just pull the cable out of the bag, attach to your PC and Palm and sync using the HotSync icon on the Palm itself.

One way that it could be improved would be with a button on the cable end itself which would trigger the HotSync. This would most likely make the cable more expensive and possibly less reliable over the long term, however. All in all, a well-designed and utterly useful product.

Though the Palm IIIxe comes standard with a HotSync cradle, that isn't something you want to carry in your pocket. This cable is the ideal solution if you travel or if you need to sync with more than one PC. The generous 3' cable length is perfect - better a long cable than one that's too short.

Keep in mind that this is NOT a USB sync cable, it's a practical serial device for the Palm III & VII, along with some of the older models.

Read the other reviews here and you'll find other creative uses for this cable, so I won't repeat them here. You'll also see that most of the owners who needed a serial sync cable agree - get this and you won't be sorry.

If you have a laptop and travel, or you move from home and office with your Palm, this is an essential to keeping your data in synch. Period!

I bought a TRENDnet 10/100 Mbps PCMCIA Fast Ethernet Card to use it with a Compaq Notebook. Can I use this card with the Compaq iPAQ PC Card Expansion Pack in a pocket PC iPAQ 3630?

This expansion pack for the Compaq iPAQ Pocket PC will extend the features of your iPAQ -- taking it from the toy catetory to a productivity tool.

You will need this accessory if you want to:

- Use the PC Cards you currently own, such as a modem, ethernet card, wireless card, cell phone modem, barcode scanner, etc.

- Have the only device currently available that includes additional battery power. The iPAQ has a non-removable battery. This is the only way to add battery to the iPAQ, short of building your own batter extender and lugging it around. The extra battery is required to support the power needs of a PC Card.

This expansion pack is bigger than the compact flash expansion pack -- it adds 3.5cm thickness and 132 grams of weight to your iPAQ, more than doubling its thickness.

You want this if you currently have PC cards that you'd like to use with or iPAQ or if there is a card that you want to use (such as a wireless one) that is not available in Compact Flash format.

This sleeve is bulky. There are reasons though. For one, you get a battery built-in that powers the adapters or storage devices without draining the main iPAQ battery source. This pack also has a power port that allows you to plug-in and charge the PDA battery and its own.

I bought this expansion pack to run the Compaq WL110 wireless LAN adapter, so I am a bit envious of the Toshiba e740 Pocket PC that has wireless built-in. Even the latest iPAQ does not come standard with wireless built-in. I suppose Compaq wants to continue the Expansion Pack sales.

There is a wide variety of Compaq Flash Card adapters. I would consider getting the CF card sleeve over this one if I had the choice over. The reasons would be the smaller size of the adapter cards, the standard CF memory cards which I use for a number of reasons such as digital photos and file storage, would fit natively without a CF card to PCMCIA adapter. Compaq makes a dual PCMCIA and CF card Expansion Pack. If you have the dough, that is the probably the ideal way to go.

For 40 bucks, you can't really go wrong, or can you.....

Listen, if you are using this just for the purpose of backing up files, go with it, but if you are going to be using this very often i recommend the pc card one. Of course it's a little bigger, but if you are going to add to the size anyway for the compact flash card slot, you might as well go for the pc card. The battery helps a lot and I can usually get 3 to 4 hours of use out of my PDA. 8-9 hours for mp3's. This is a good product, but by no means the best.

I bought this Expansion pack when i bought my new Compaq Ipaq 3765. I have used it for about a month now and i really like it. The Ipaq fits in it very well and it does make the Ipaq easier to hold when i am walking around the office or at home answering email or surfing the net. I use a Linksys compact flash 802.11b card plugged into this sleeve to connect to my company's intranet I do have a problem with the size in that none of the cases will hold the Ipaq with the expansion slot on. This makes it a little hard because when i leave the office i have to take the sleeve off to put the unit in its case for the trip home, or take the chance of scratching the face of the Ipaq. I am kind of worried about how long the connector will last with this kind of use.
Over all it is a very good product. I have not had any problems with this piece and for the price it is worth it... you won't go wrong.

I bought this for my iPaq 3650. It works great but it adds a lot of bulk. As most of iPaq owners know, the iPaq is slitly bulky by itself, so when you add the CF Exp. Pack it's even bulkier. It is a great acessory, it has lots of advanteages (especially if you use your iPaq as an MP3 player a lot) It makes life easier! The only con is the bulkyness.

The Jornada 690 is a great palmtop with all you need in it. You can answer all your e-mails in the comfort of your home and all you do when you get back to work is plug it in its cradle and voilá, all your messages are sent. The Windows interface and complete compatibility is also a plus since 90% of the world's computers are based on this operating system. I recommend this buy to people like me, who enjoy life at its best and believe that time is money

I have had the HP Jornada 690 for several months now. I havent seen any regrets for my purchase. I bought it because I like the idea of having a keyboard and i dont like the look of the Palm Pilots. This unit is a bit heavier than its previous versions, however you get so much more for your $. Its ability to connect to the internet and SYNC with your computer are Headache free to say the least. I previously owned a Compaq handheld, I have since found it a new home. I would recomend this unit to anyone interested in purchasing a Handheld PC. It is worth every bit of the money you spend on it.

I have been using this handheld PC for over two years. HP invented a wonderful product! It handles my daily PIM, note-taking and even PowerPoint presentation (with VGA-out card). It can also do wireless. Another big advantage is its long battery life. The high-capacity battery has tested well over 12 hours. I was sad why most manufacturers discontinued their Handheld PC product line (except NEC-MobilePro 900, DoCoMo Sigmarion III) and embraced Pocket PC (has size advantage but without keyboard). The pre-installed Internet Explorer is kind of outdated so I cannot get access to some websites (ironically, Microsoft's own hotmail.com!!). No doubt, I will continue using this handheld PC! Highly recommended!

Ok...I admit. I'm a brand new PDA user. I came into some money, and bought myself a Handspring Visor Platinum. And I love it.

While I won't say, "I can't figure out how I lived without it." I admit it is great.

I have owned it a week. It took me 20 minutes from walking into my house to entering data in the address book, and most of that time was spent unpacking the box.

Good points: Large memory. 8 megs is a lot. I am a law student and have downloaded alot of the laws that I work with in my classes. I have downloaded a free image viewer and a couple of images. I have 3 or 4 games and other utilities that are just for fun. And I still have about 6 megs of memory left.

Speed. I can't say much to Handspring's claim of "twice as fast as the Deluxe", but it is fast.

Quality. The thing feels good. It has a solid feel, and it has taken a week of my beating on it. The stylus is a joy, although I will get a full sized pen stylus. It would be nice if the plastic cover was a flip cover, but I can take it off the front, and put it on the back of the Platinum.

Springboard. While I haven't gotten to use it, I think it looks like a good idea.

PalmOS. Enough said.

Bad Points: Battery Power. The battery life in the batteries that came with it are probably only going to last another week or week and a half. A rechargable battery would have been a nice addition.

Leather Case. Its good leather, but kinda cheap in its design. I'm buying a new one soon.

No flash ROM. Realistically, I don't think this will be a problem. I talked to a number of PalmOS users who really don't do much upgrading of software, and software patches work well enough. But I figured that for the sake of completeness I'd add this.

I bought the Handspring instead of the Palm models because of the Springboard module. I bought the Platinum for looks and speed. I know, speed isn't so important yet, but I suspect it will be.

Overall, I am now officially addicted to PDAs, PalmOS, and Handspring products. I will never go without one again. :)

As a long-time user of PDA's (circa 1989), I must admit that the VPL, next to the Newton MessagePad, is quite affordable and versatile. And with the inclusion of the VisorPhone, I now carry only one device. Comparing the VPL to a Pocket PC is similar to comparing a Honda with a Lexus. Sure, both will perform the same function of getting from A to B, and the Lexus will carry one in style, but the Honda is more practical and less expensive to own and maintain. That's how I view the VPL. For what I want to do, the VPL does it, plain and simple. Heck, my life is in it: checkbook (Accounts & Loans), budget (QuikBudget), database (ThinkDB), eBooks and newspapers (PalmReader and AvantGo), daily notes (DayNotez), life organizer (LifeBalance and DateBk4), outlining thoughts (ShadowPlan), my office (QuickOffice), email and casual web browsing. While the VPL can do all this, not everyone would want to necessarily. The fact is, it's affordable and versatile. I can't wait for the next PDA incarnation!

Everyone should be lucky enough to own this PDA. Keeps my (...) straight!!!

Ok...I admit. I'm a brand new PDA user. I came into some money, and bought myself a Handspring Visor Platinum. And I love it.

While I won't say, "I can't figure out how I lived without it." I admit it is great.

I have owned it a week. It took me 20 minutes from walking into my house to entering data in the address book, and most of that time was spent unpacking the box.

Good points: Large memory. 8 megs is a lot. I am a law student and have downloaded alot of the laws that I work with in my classes. I have downloaded a free image viewer and a couple of images. I have 3 or 4 games and other utilities that are just for fun. And I still have about 6 megs of memory left.

Speed. I can't say much to Handspring's claim of "twice as fast as the Deluxe", but it is fast.

Quality. The thing feels good. It has a solid feel, and it has taken a week of my beating on it. The stylus is a joy, although I will get a full sized pen stylus. It would be nice if the plastic cover was a flip cover, but I can take it off the front, and put it on the back of the Platinum.

Springboard. While I haven't gotten to use it, I think it looks like a good idea.

PalmOS. Enough said.

Bad Points: Battery Power. The battery life in the batteries that came with it are probably only going to last another week or week and a half. A rechargable battery would have been a nice addition.

Leather Case. Its good leather, but kinda cheap in its design. I'm buying a new one soon.

No flash ROM. Realistically, I don't think this will be a problem. I talked to a number of PalmOS users who really don't do much upgrading of software, and software patches work well enough. But I figured that for the sake of completeness I'd add this.

I bought the Handspring instead of the Palm models because of the Springboard module. I bought the Platinum for looks and speed. I know, speed isn't so important yet, but I suspect it will be.

Overall, I am now officially addicted to PDAs, PalmOS, and Handspring products. I will never go without one again. :)

As a long-time user of PDA's (circa 1989), I must admit that the VPL, next to the Newton MessagePad, is quite affordable and versatile. And with the inclusion of the VisorPhone, I now carry only one device. Comparing the VPL to a Pocket PC is similar to comparing a Honda with a Lexus. Sure, both will perform the same function of getting from A to B, and the Lexus will carry one in style, but the Honda is more practical and less expensive to own and maintain. That's how I view the VPL. For what I want to do, the VPL does it, plain and simple. Heck, my life is in it: checkbook (Accounts & Loans), budget (QuikBudget), database (ThinkDB), eBooks and newspapers (PalmReader and AvantGo), daily notes (DayNotez), life organizer (LifeBalance and DateBk4), outlining thoughts (ShadowPlan), my office (QuickOffice), email and casual web browsing. While the VPL can do all this, not everyone would want to necessarily. The fact is, it's affordable and versatile. I can't wait for the next PDA incarnation!

Everyone should be lucky enough to own this PDA. Keeps my (...) straight!!!

Ok...I admit. I'm a brand new PDA user. I came into some money, and bought myself a Handspring Visor Platinum. And I love it.

While I won't say, "I can't figure out how I lived without it." I admit it is great.

I have owned it a week. It took me 20 minutes from walking into my house to entering data in the address book, and most of that time was spent unpacking the box.

Good points: Large memory. 8 megs is a lot. I am a law student and have downloaded alot of the laws that I work with in my classes. I have downloaded a free image viewer and a couple of images. I have 3 or 4 games and other utilities that are just for fun. And I still have about 6 megs of memory left.

Speed. I can't say much to Handspring's claim of "twice as fast as the Deluxe", but it is fast.

Quality. The thing feels good. It has a solid feel, and it has taken a week of my beating on it. The stylus is a joy, although I will get a full sized pen stylus. It would be nice if the plastic cover was a flip cover, but I can take it off the front, and put it on the back of the Platinum.

Springboard. While I haven't gotten to use it, I think it looks like a good idea.

PalmOS. Enough said.

Bad Points: Battery Power. The battery life in the batteries that came with it are probably only going to last another week or week and a half. A rechargable battery would have been a nice addition.

Leather Case. Its good leather, but kinda cheap in its design. I'm buying a new one soon.

No flash ROM. Realistically, I don't think this will be a problem. I talked to a number of PalmOS users who really don't do much upgrading of software, and software patches work well enough. But I figured that for the sake of completeness I'd add this.

I bought the Handspring instead of the Palm models because of the Springboard module. I bought the Platinum for looks and speed. I know, speed isn't so important yet, but I suspect it will be.

Overall, I am now officially addicted to PDAs, PalmOS, and Handspring products. I will never go without one again. :)

As a long-time user of PDA's (circa 1989), I must admit that the VPL, next to the Newton MessagePad, is quite affordable and versatile. And with the inclusion of the VisorPhone, I now carry only one device. Comparing the VPL to a Pocket PC is similar to comparing a Honda with a Lexus. Sure, both will perform the same function of getting from A to B, and the Lexus will carry one in style, but the Honda is more practical and less expensive to own and maintain. That's how I view the VPL. For what I want to do, the VPL does it, plain and simple. Heck, my life is in it: checkbook (Accounts & Loans), budget (QuikBudget), database (ThinkDB), eBooks and newspapers (PalmReader and AvantGo), daily notes (DayNotez), life organizer (LifeBalance and DateBk4), outlining thoughts (ShadowPlan), my office (QuickOffice), email and casual web browsing. While the VPL can do all this, not everyone would want to necessarily. The fact is, it's affordable and versatile. I can't wait for the next PDA incarnation!

Everyone should be lucky enough to own this PDA. Keeps my (...) straight!!!

I have had a Pretec modem,which by the way I never could get to work,and now I have a Targus. Targus is much smaller,and I had it working in 10 Minutes. A very simple setup makes it easy to get online. I played with it till the early hours,accessing all my favorite websites.I paid a little more, but it was worth it. I am using a Jornada 545 with the Targus 56k modem,and the addition of the modem has changed my whole view of the possibilities of my pocket pc.I strongly encourage any Jornada user to try the Targus 56k modem.

This is an outstanding compact flash modem for pocket or handheld PC's running Windows CE version 2.0 or higher. With the Targus Compact Flash 56k v.90 Pocket Modem there is no need to set it up, just plug it in, create a connection profile and you are set and ready to browse the Web. I bought it for my Cassiopeia E-125 (perfectly compatible)and I have been surfing the net with speed and easiness. The small dimensions of the modem allow you to carry it on your own pocket or in your pocket PC Case since it is also very slim. This excellent modem is a little bit expensive yet. Anyway, and in spite of the price, this is a must if you want to stay connected to the internet with your pocket pc wherever you are.

i need it, but i not sure if this will work with my HP 1945... somebody help me!!!!! please!!! Thanks .Mara