Handheld Reviews

I realize there's a learning curve involved but here are a few thoughts on the Garmin V (my first GPS).

So far it's a good compass and speedometer, but it thought I was on a parallel road to the freeway for a half-hour during my test trip this morning. Maybe the accuracy level can be set somehow but between the six manuals that come with the system haven't stumbled upon this item yet.

The 4 street maps I downloaded from the CD disappeared when I changed batteries. Warning! Make sure your unit runs out of juice while you're in your car (while running) and the unit still plugged into the lighter. This is the only way to avoid re-downloading maps.

It takes forever to punch in letters/numbers under "find." You can't delete elevation numbers (no delete button)

The backlight goes off, but hopefully stays on when dark.

I'm sure a lot of my complaint is due to my own impatience, but this attribute is what gets me lost in the first place! GPS should be designed for stressed people with a short attention span.

For anyone who wrote a not so great review of the previous GPS V product, Garmin has just released the deluxe version of the GPS V. You get an unlock code for the entire country now (previously you only got to unlock certain areas and had to pay get additonal unlock codes).

I have found the 19mb memory to be more than sufficient for holding maps. I live near Washington DC and can fit the whole area into the unit. For long trips, you don't need to download detailed maps of your entire route. The base map built into the GPS V deluxe is plenty good for navigating major interstates, exits, and services. You only need a detailed map(s) of your destination areas or specific areas where you will be travelling local secondary roads (like neighborhood streets or rural roads).

I recently took a 600 mile trip down to Georgia and all I needed were a few maps of my destination. All major roads and highways are included in the built in base map (a lot of people seem to not know this). I was able to navigate all of my gas, food, and logding stops along the way without detailed maps. The base map worked fine. No need for a detailed map just to make quick stop for gas and bite to eat.

There is a slight learning curve when using the GPS V Deluxe. But once you figure out all of the "bells and whistles" it's easy to use. I am new to using a GPS and after purchasing this unit I am very satisfied. If you are the type of person who can't find their way out of a paper bag - this unit is for you.

The included pc cable and software are pretty much idiot proof. I'm no pc whiz and didn't need to be. Downloading maps is as simple as clicking the area you want to download and clicking the "download" icon. The GPS does the rest.

The unit works great in the car and while hiking. It also has a backlit screen for night use which is nice. Battery life is about 20 hrs (pretty good). Also comes with cigarette lighter car adapter.

I did have to purchase the "beanbag holder" for my dash since the included dash mount wouldn't sit right on my SUV dash. So far, it hasn't moved even on sharp turns.

All in all, this is an excellent GPS and has many added features that most cheaper units do not have. The autorouting feature is great and has saved me more than once late at night when I have been lost. Just tell the GPS where you want to go and it will start navigating you there with turn by turn directions, distance to the next turn, time to the next turn, etc.

Also, I never really knew how fast I was travelling in my SUV since I added larger off-road tires. The GPS now accurately calculates my true speed and I was able to get the dealer to adjust my spedometer (I was going way faster than what the spedometer in my dash said I was).

For many years I have run around with a GPS 12 strapped to my dash. It has never failed me and I have come to rely on it. I had seen many people use the Garmin V and knew that someday I would have to take a closer look.

Finally I purchased the Garmin V and was not disappointed. In addition to all of the capabilities of the GPS 12 that I have become so fond, the G-V added several new capabilities to the formula.

The "FIND" or Auto-Routing has been a terrific bonus. I recently located a piece of property that was listed for sale. It was tucked away in a very obscure part of the area, and would have been nearly impossible to locate with "turn by the blue house; go straight until you reach the tree" kind of "human" directions that it would have required. Instead, we drove confidently to the location, knowing where we were every step of the way.

We also love looking up Points of Interest (Restaurants, Shopping, etc.) - it has enhanced our travels by encouraging us to take the road less traveled knowing that at least we can find our way in and back out!

Adding the external antenna greatly increased the reception quality of the unit. We routinely get accuracy reported to within 15 feet!

The unit is compatible with other Garmin accessories I already own, is feature-rich yet intuitive for users like me. I have already been able to convert and use several of the hundreds of tracks I recorded with my GPS 12.

Combine this unit with City Select and Topo and you have a combination that will take you to some of the most interesting (and sometimes well hidden) places on the planet. You will know what time you can expect to arrive, find a place to get a meal, and even get some fishing tips if that's your fancy. Tonight we wanted to check a restaurant for specials and waiting times. I looked it up on the GPS on the way to the location and called ahead for the answer to all my questions!

For the price of this unit and the map software, you can hardly go wrong. If you want to reach a new level of freedom, take a good look at the Garmin V!

If you are like me, and basically just need to be better organized without having all the fancy "web-surfing, camera connecting, etc" capabilities of the more expensive organizers out there, then the Casio PV-S400 Plus is a sure thing for you!
This little sleek & stylish organizer comes with most everything you will need! And if you feel like you need to add in a few things to expand, then you can easily do so by downloading free software available on the internet and uploading it to your unit! It's as easy as that! It comes with a nice, very bright backlight to access information in total darkness, and the overall ease of use is quite good. The PC-Sync software is adequate and makes it easy to transfer information from your PC to the unit. The only draw back is that it's 4MB of memory are not expandable. If you are a first time buyer looking for an inexpensive pocket organizer, I recommend this one. It's a great buy!!

If you're looking for an inexpensive PDA to help organize your life, and don't need things like full color screens and wireless e-mail, look no further. I wanted a something to help keep me organized, but didn't want to spend hundreds on a bunch of high-tech toys I didn't need. The Cassiopeia PV-S400Plus Pocket Viewer is simple to use and a great value for the money. I read some reviews here complaining of it using up batteries quickly. I don't know where they're getting that. I bought one of these seven months ago and haven't had to change the batteries once. Highly recommended to anyone who needs an inexpensive, no bells and whistles organizer.

Three months ago, I went out and bought an expensive PDA. I returned it after one week because I did not find it to be a very good value. I found the PV-S400Plus on sale for peanuts just recently. It is a VERY good value and I have only had it for less than 48 hours. I'm considering getting a few more as a gift for my family. Here is what I like about it:

1)Syncs very well with Outlook (contacts, calendar, to-do)
2)Nice text sync program
3)The finance program looks simple and efficient (although I don't use it)
4)Pocket sheet is supposed to sync with excel although I still have not gotten that to work.
5)Cool Chess program and other games!

For what you are paying, and the value this delivers, you should have no complaints. You could pay 20 times more for something with better connectivity, storage capacity, and features, but that's what desktops are for. This device is small and synchronizes well with Outlook and Act! Buy one of these and take your desktop with you.

If you already know how to set up a dial-up connection on your Windows 9x machine, then connecting to the Internet with your PocketPC using this modem is a no-brainer; you'll be up and running within 5-10 minutes of taking it out of the box.

I orginally bought this modem to use with my Cassiopeia E-105, I have used it many times on my freind's Cassiopeia E-115, and now I use it regularly on my Cassiopeia E-125. Despite some of the other customer reviews for this product, please note:

THIS MODEM WORKS PERFECTLY ON THE CASSIOPEIA E-105, E-115 AND E-125.

If you have one of the units mentioned above and you can't get this modem to work, something is wrong: either you received a defective modem, a defective PDA, or you have some program installed on your PocketPC that is preventing the modem from working correctly.

I agree that the manual that comes with the modem is pretty spare, but I didn't need it to use this modem. The modem itself is a no-brainer, just plug it in. It's PocketPC Dial-up Networking that's the hard part, and if you already know how to do it on your Windows 9x system, then it's a piece of cake.

The modem is hot swappable, meaning that you don't need to do anything special before using it each time. Just open up the compact flash port on your device, remove any other devices or cards you have plugged into the port (if any), plug this modem into the port, open up your ISP connection and hit connect. You don't even need to turn the device off and on or anything like that.

I travel frequently on business and used to take along my 7.1 lb Dell laptop. In general, however, when on the road I really only need e-mail access and light word processing. When I recently upgraded from an old Palm III to the Compaq iPAQ pocket pc, I picked up the Pretec modem as well. It is tiny, so that it fits easily into a small case that also carries the AC adapter and a few other odds and ends. But it works great. I have had no difficulty accessing my AOL e-mail, using the AOL Anywhere software. I had a bit more trouble configuring the software to get access to my network, but that is up and running too now. Granted, the manual didn't help much. But the software is pretty intuitive and any Windows 9x user who set up dial-up networking on their PC will have no trouble setting up dial-up networking on their Pocket PC.

The Pretec is remarkably tough. I have dropped it 3 feet onto a hardwood floor, banged it into a wall, and generally abused it. No problems. Like the old Time watch ads...it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Download speed is great. The only major problem is that it is a real power hog. Keep that AC adapter handy. Recommended.

I use it on the road with my Cassiopeia and it has worked in every hotel room, giving me internet access on my PDA. I do wish it would make some noise while trying to connect however since I can never tell if it dialed out of the hotel correctly.

My main complaint about the 950 seems trivial, but is actually pretty important. I absolutely refuse to wear this thing on my belt, so I keep it in my handbag. Well, the holster is not rigid enough, so the device turns itself on when I'm not paying attention and eats up batteries like you wouldn't believe. Now it seems like every time I pick it up the battery is dead. The device is almost worthless to me at this point. I wish I'd purchased the 957 instead. At least it is rechargable.

I like to refer to devices that help people to communicate with each other as 'enabling' devices. The Blackberry is one such device and it does a great job at it. It's worth it's weight in gold and then some!

The RIM 957 just works well, period. It does what it's supposed to and does it well. And it doesn't try to do everything. For instance, it's not really a good subsitute for a PDA. It's address book is more useful to store emails and the calendar does not compare to Palm's. I had previously tried the Palm i705 and had a terrible time with it, despite the fact that it includes other non wireless PDA functionality. The Palm service coverage kept dropping out and it was not reliable. The Blackberry on the other hand is wonderfully reliable and proven. It has a better screen than the i705, and has a built-in small QWERTY keyboard that is a joy to use. It's quick to type on and all functions are very user intuitive-a great design.

It's difficult to put a monetary value on something that enables me to be in email contact all the time wherever I am. The unit is like a pager and stays on all the time and I can read and write emails with ease. I also opted for the web browsing option through my service provider and although it can really only browse WML (WAP) websites, the screen holds a lot of text and it is quite useful for both emailing and browsing.

The way the Blackberry service works, is that you forward your home email to your Blackberry email address. Most ISPs support this, and you can even opt to also have the emails left on your ISPs server so that they are also downloaded to your home computer. When you use the Blackberry to send or respond to an email, it is setup so that emails come from your home email address. In this way, people do not even know that I am using a wireless device to send them email!

Now I don't have to be tied to my home or office computer to be in contact. In fact, I find myself not turning on my home computer as much. It's really cool to be able to do email without a computer.

I got mine through Earthlink, ... Granted, the device is a bit expensive but more so is the service. To me it's totally worth it and is still less then my monthly cable TV bill, yet is so much more useful!

I have had a 957 Blackberry for about 5 months, and it has changed the way that I stay connected. No more dialing in to get e-mails, no more Palm mail synchronization woes. With a Blackberry you are connected 24x7 and if you purchase the optional MS Exchange server software you don't ever have to worry about leaving your computer on to forward messages from your desktop.

The small thumb keyboard took a while to get used to, but after a couple of weeks, I can safely say I was able to type messages and notes faster than on my Palm. The small trackwheel is intuitive and easy to use, and the 5MB of RAM have proven to be more than sufficient for several weeks worth of mail, notes, address book, etc.

I also purchased GoAmerica's web service and although it can sometimes take a few seconds to access, it is well integrated with the rest of the functionality of the Blackberry and offers extensive web coverage.

The screen for the 957 is large enough for email and web browsing, and it's also well lit with a back light for "night" reading.

My only complaint is the lack of coverage on non-large metropolitan areas--RIM has little to do with this, but one gets so used to the full time connectivity and reliability of this device that it is frustrating to travel somewhere and find yourself out of reach.

I strongly recommend this product.

My main complaint about the 950 seems trivial, but is actually pretty important. I absolutely refuse to wear this thing on my belt, so I keep it in my handbag. Well, the holster is not rigid enough, so the device turns itself on when I'm not paying attention and eats up batteries like you wouldn't believe. Now it seems like every time I pick it up the battery is dead. The device is almost worthless to me at this point. I wish I'd purchased the 957 instead. At least it is rechargable.

I like to refer to devices that help people to communicate with each other as 'enabling' devices. The Blackberry is one such device and it does a great job at it. It's worth it's weight in gold and then some!

The RIM 957 just works well, period. It does what it's supposed to and does it well. And it doesn't try to do everything. For instance, it's not really a good subsitute for a PDA. It's address book is more useful to store emails and the calendar does not compare to Palm's. I had previously tried the Palm i705 and had a terrible time with it, despite the fact that it includes other non wireless PDA functionality. The Palm service coverage kept dropping out and it was not reliable. The Blackberry on the other hand is wonderfully reliable and proven. It has a better screen than the i705, and has a built-in small QWERTY keyboard that is a joy to use. It's quick to type on and all functions are very user intuitive-a great design.

It's difficult to put a monetary value on something that enables me to be in email contact all the time wherever I am. The unit is like a pager and stays on all the time and I can read and write emails with ease. I also opted for the web browsing option through my service provider and although it can really only browse WML (WAP) websites, the screen holds a lot of text and it is quite useful for both emailing and browsing.

The way the Blackberry service works, is that you forward your home email to your Blackberry email address. Most ISPs support this, and you can even opt to also have the emails left on your ISPs server so that they are also downloaded to your home computer. When you use the Blackberry to send or respond to an email, it is setup so that emails come from your home email address. In this way, people do not even know that I am using a wireless device to send them email!

Now I don't have to be tied to my home or office computer to be in contact. In fact, I find myself not turning on my home computer as much. It's really cool to be able to do email without a computer.

I got mine through Earthlink, ... Granted, the device is a bit expensive but more so is the service. To me it's totally worth it and is still less then my monthly cable TV bill, yet is so much more useful!

I have had a 957 Blackberry for about 5 months, and it has changed the way that I stay connected. No more dialing in to get e-mails, no more Palm mail synchronization woes. With a Blackberry you are connected 24x7 and if you purchase the optional MS Exchange server software you don't ever have to worry about leaving your computer on to forward messages from your desktop.

The small thumb keyboard took a while to get used to, but after a couple of weeks, I can safely say I was able to type messages and notes faster than on my Palm. The small trackwheel is intuitive and easy to use, and the 5MB of RAM have proven to be more than sufficient for several weeks worth of mail, notes, address book, etc.

I also purchased GoAmerica's web service and although it can sometimes take a few seconds to access, it is well integrated with the rest of the functionality of the Blackberry and offers extensive web coverage.

The screen for the 957 is large enough for email and web browsing, and it's also well lit with a back light for "night" reading.

My only complaint is the lack of coverage on non-large metropolitan areas--RIM has little to do with this, but one gets so used to the full time connectivity and reliability of this device that it is frustrating to travel somewhere and find yourself out of reach.

I strongly recommend this product.

Leave it to Sony to design the best PDAs! Based on the Palm OS, the CLIE PEG-NR70V is easy to use and easy to look at. Beautiful display, clear crips colors, built-in MP3 and built-in camera. The camera is more for the "cool" effect rather than being that useful, but worth the extra $100 or so for the fun of it.

This is larger than some PDAs, so if a tiny PDA is your thing -- this isn't for you. But with the size you get a real QWERTY keyboard, digital camera, LARGE color swivel screen, MP3 player, and much more.

I can't recommend this item enough -- enjoy!!

I've been a big fan of Sony's Palm devices since the 710C came out...truly a superb device that I've enjoyed for a long time. Now that the NR70V can be found for less than it was originally released for, I decided to try it out. And I haven't been disappointed in the least! This is truly a head-turning PDA. Let's look at some highlights:

1. Awesome screen. No device of any kind can rival the 320x480 screen of this Clie. Colors are vivid and bright. One issue is the shading at the top of the screen, particularly noticeable when you first get it. Not so bad once you are used to it.

2. Virtual graffiti. The first color Palm to feature this. Very nicely implemented, shows your graffiti strokes as you write. Even better, you can customize the graffiti area with other skins. I love the Fitaly keyboard and use this. The negative is that Sony did not upgrade the standard apps to allow for fullscreen. However, a lot of add-on applications do make use of this capability now, and it is really awesome to see. Full screen launchers, datebooks, file managers, games, image viewers, ebook readers, and more are available.

3. Built-in camera. The resolution is not the best, but what a great feature to have! I look forward to new Clies that have even better cameras, but for the price, I'm not complaining at all about this one. It allows you to save the photos to the memory stick, and you can save in either the PictureGear format, or as a jpg (my preference).

4. MP3 player. Again, something that is not easy to find on Palms. I had this on my 710C and it really was pretty good. Turn off the screen, and enjoy! I just wish it would handle WMAs as well as MP3s.

5. Add-on software. Some really nice additional software. The remote control software is great, I was able to set up most of my devices without a hitch (would like to have a Tivo control as well though). Gmovie is kind of [bad], I'd recommend getting Kinoma player instead. The sound utility program does the job. Did I mention the improved sound on this device is awesome?! Much better than the typical Palm bleeps and blips.

6. Flip Screen. Takes a little getting used to. Not sure how much I will use the extra keyboard, and the keys are not the best... but overall did not have too much problem with it. Again, it's a real head-turner when people see it and the design is what allows for that large, lovely screen.

7. Memory. 16 Meg of Ram (15 available) is very nice to have. Don't be fooled by PPCs that have more, 15 meg on a Palm lets you add a TON of stuff! Add a 128 meg memory stick (or 2 or 3) and you can load up on Palms apps and games till the cows come home. I'd prefer SD cards since they go higher than 128 meg and are more compact, but if using this nice machine means being stuck with Sony's [bad] MS, I can live with that. I would like more Flash memory free, although there are programs that let you free some up (somewhat dangerous and voids the warranty).

8. Speed. Twice as fast as other OS 4 Palm devices with decent battery life still. You won't be waiting for stuff to happen on this one!

9. OS 4. Okay, the OS 5 devices are out, and the new Sonys look very cool, the Tungsten too. But you won't have any compatibility problems on this one. And you won't pay as much. I personally prefer to wait and let other people be the beta testers for OS 5 and wait for the next round of devices, and give developers time to upgrade their applications.

Overall, this is truly a ground-breaking device, not just for
Palms, but all PDAs. The design, the built-in camera, sounds, speed, lots of memory all make it well worth considering.

I just bought this PDA and it is everything I could hope for. Sony struck a pot of gold with this one. Get a memory card (128 mb maybe) and you have enough memory for thousands of applications. I had trouble with Sonic Stage, but I am assuming I can figure it out. The camera works great. The keyboard is not good with numbers, but you can use the on screen one for that. If you have any further questions e-mail me at ryanj0@belleville.k12.wi.us

I have had my Neo for about 6 months now and use it several times an hour as I am a therapist trying to keep up with appointments and phone numbers all day in and out of the office. This thing had become like my right hand until last week when the batteries went dead. As before, I fetched some new batteries, put them in the back, closed the compartment, but...no power. Tried several other sets of batteries, still no power. My heart sank, considering all my appointments for the day (not to mention the month and previous few months) were in there and I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing that afternoon. After several attempts, the Neo powered back on but guess what? ALL MY INFORMATION WAS ERASED. Thankfully, I had hotsynched about 2 weeks before this event but not often enough to retrieve any information for the last two weeks or the following month. I have spent a solid week recompiling my appointments and phone numbers but, even so, all the phone numbers have my fax number in parenthesis before the actual number. I don't understand that, but whatever, it was easy to erase all that. Lesson learned here: if you purchase one of these, hotsynch daily and be careful of technical glitches in the programming. Myself, I am returning this and shopping for a color PDA NOT made by Handspring.

The Visor NEO is practically identical to the Visor Deluxe, except it comes with a processor that is twice as fast. Because the Palm software is so efficient, that speed is rarely an issue, and you can save a bit by getting the cheaper Deluxe.

All Handspring models run variations of the Palm operating system, and have all of the PALM functions people have come to know and love -- addresses, to-do lists, and access to downloadable features like Avantgo (a free service that allows you to download publications like the New York Times, CNN, Sports Illustrated onto your Palm).
I've even put a free map of my county on my PDA from Mapopolis.com (a must if you haven't tried it! Streets are searchable). Also, make sure you add Vindigo, a city guide that gives restaurant and movie reviews and showtimes.

The Handspring models have the best features for the money. They have a noticeably larger screen than the m105 (which I returned after a week), expandability (which I have yet to use, although I long for the GPS attachment from Magellan -- maybe when it goes on clearance?)
These models only get four stars, however, because they do have two significant shortcomings.
One is bulk. The low-end Deluxe and Neo are significantly larger than the Palm V, which is significantly more expensive.
The PDA still fits in my chest pocket, though.
Also, unlike the Palm V, 500 and 505, the Deluxe and Neo require new batteries after about two weeks of relatively heavy usage. That can amount to $20 a year or so on batteries alone. The Palm V has a lithium rechargeable, and the new Palm 500 has an even better battery, but I can't justify paying that kind of money for what is still basically, at heart, an appointment calendar.

BTW, I am a newspaper reporter who previously had four Rolodexes on my desk. No longer. No longer do I misplace names, numbers, or dates. This thing has changed and organized my life in ways I didn't expect -- just ask my wife.

It's basically an extension of your brain -- now isn't that worth a couple hundred smackers?

If You Have A Passion For Ebooks - especially the classics, there is no better ebook reader than the Visor Neo or Deluxe. As an avid publisher and reader, over the past years I've tried most handhelds available.

The Handspring Visor Neo and it's still available predecessor, the Deluxe are the handheld hands down winners!

Why?
1. They run on 2 AAA batteries. Experience has shown that, surprisingly, AAA battery power is overall the best way to go over the long term and very simple and hassle free.
2. HotSynching with the USB cradle and Palm software is painless!
3. Sorry PocketPC, but you just cannot beat the efficiency of the Palm Operating System. In the Palm doc format, huge books take up amazingly little space. The Visor Neo and Deluxe offer plenty of room as an ebook reader - especially if you don't care about using the other features (though they take up only a small space also).
4. If you really want to "load it up" with a major library of books, add the Memplug Springboard module and a smartmedia card very inexpensively.
5. Add the best freeware ebook reader, CSpotRun, get the freeware program, MakeDoc, to quickly convert and synch text files to your Visor Neo or Deluxe and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
6. Good screens. Since the Neo is the new Deluxe it has a newer version of the Palm OS and better screen ... however, they are both excellent values for the money.

I have had my Neo for about 6 months now and use it several times an hour as I am a therapist trying to keep up with appointments and phone numbers all day in and out of the office. This thing had become like my right hand until last week when the batteries went dead. As before, I fetched some new batteries, put them in the back, closed the compartment, but...no power. Tried several other sets of batteries, still no power. My heart sank, considering all my appointments for the day (not to mention the month and previous few months) were in there and I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing that afternoon. After several attempts, the Neo powered back on but guess what? ALL MY INFORMATION WAS ERASED. Thankfully, I had hotsynched about 2 weeks before this event but not often enough to retrieve any information for the last two weeks or the following month. I have spent a solid week recompiling my appointments and phone numbers but, even so, all the phone numbers have my fax number in parenthesis before the actual number. I don't understand that, but whatever, it was easy to erase all that. Lesson learned here: if you purchase one of these, hotsynch daily and be careful of technical glitches in the programming. Myself, I am returning this and shopping for a color PDA NOT made by Handspring.

The Visor NEO is practically identical to the Visor Deluxe, except it comes with a processor that is twice as fast. Because the Palm software is so efficient, that speed is rarely an issue, and you can save a bit by getting the cheaper Deluxe.

All Handspring models run variations of the Palm operating system, and have all of the PALM functions people have come to know and love -- addresses, to-do lists, and access to downloadable features like Avantgo (a free service that allows you to download publications like the New York Times, CNN, Sports Illustrated onto your Palm).
I've even put a free map of my county on my PDA from Mapopolis.com (a must if you haven't tried it! Streets are searchable). Also, make sure you add Vindigo, a city guide that gives restaurant and movie reviews and showtimes.

The Handspring models have the best features for the money. They have a noticeably larger screen than the m105 (which I returned after a week), expandability (which I have yet to use, although I long for the GPS attachment from Magellan -- maybe when it goes on clearance?)
These models only get four stars, however, because they do have two significant shortcomings.
One is bulk. The low-end Deluxe and Neo are significantly larger than the Palm V, which is significantly more expensive.
The PDA still fits in my chest pocket, though.
Also, unlike the Palm V, 500 and 505, the Deluxe and Neo require new batteries after about two weeks of relatively heavy usage. That can amount to $20 a year or so on batteries alone. The Palm V has a lithium rechargeable, and the new Palm 500 has an even better battery, but I can't justify paying that kind of money for what is still basically, at heart, an appointment calendar.

BTW, I am a newspaper reporter who previously had four Rolodexes on my desk. No longer. No longer do I misplace names, numbers, or dates. This thing has changed and organized my life in ways I didn't expect -- just ask my wife.

It's basically an extension of your brain -- now isn't that worth a couple hundred smackers?

If You Have A Passion For Ebooks - especially the classics, there is no better ebook reader than the Visor Neo or Deluxe. As an avid publisher and reader, over the past years I've tried most handhelds available.

The Handspring Visor Neo and it's still available predecessor, the Deluxe are the handheld hands down winners!

Why?
1. They run on 2 AAA batteries. Experience has shown that, surprisingly, AAA battery power is overall the best way to go over the long term and very simple and hassle free.
2. HotSynching with the USB cradle and Palm software is painless!
3. Sorry PocketPC, but you just cannot beat the efficiency of the Palm Operating System. In the Palm doc format, huge books take up amazingly little space. The Visor Neo and Deluxe offer plenty of room as an ebook reader - especially if you don't care about using the other features (though they take up only a small space also).
4. If you really want to "load it up" with a major library of books, add the Memplug Springboard module and a smartmedia card very inexpensively.
5. Add the best freeware ebook reader, CSpotRun, get the freeware program, MakeDoc, to quickly convert and synch text files to your Visor Neo or Deluxe and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy.
6. Good screens. Since the Neo is the new Deluxe it has a newer version of the Palm OS and better screen ... however, they are both excellent values for the money.

I purchased the RipFlash MP3 play to work out to and not for the digital voice recording features. This is my first MP3 player so I have no point of reference compared to other MP3 players. Given that, here are my experiences so far.

Pros:

- very good sound - especially with the equalizer
- fast transfer rate from my PC - 30 songs in less than 5 min
- very lightweight

Cons:

- no software for ripping CDs. I had to buy some but found a good one called MP3 Workshop...

- can only read MP3 format. Would have been nice if it could read WMA format. Then I could have used the Windows Media Player to rip the CDs.
- earplug earphone sounds good but had trouble keeping them in my ears.

Things you should know:

- If you do want to add a SmartMedia card, the songs on the card will be played separately from the ones in the built-in Flash memory. (this may be important if you want to play randomly)
- The display is small and somewhat hard to read, but did not bother me.
- I haven't tried to Rip CDs with the line-in but I think it is a useful feature.
- Would have been nice to have a belt clip for working out.

Overall, very good player. As I said, I like it very much, but it does have a few minor flaws. I can live with them for working out and would buy it again.

I bought this mostly to record lectures digitaly for pesonal use and public distribution. The sound quality is excellent, even recording at 32 kbs in a conference room, it sounds like a sound studio. At this recording rate an hour takes about 14M, or 50 hours worth on a 700M CD.The size is great, the fact that it records directly to mp3 format is very convenient, and it is easy to convert old tapes to mp3. It also runs fine on rechargeable batteries. I would give it five stars if it included two things, a bookmark feature (if you leave off in the middle of a one hour lecture you have to remember where you left off and then fast foreward to get back) and if it included some kind of mp3 editing software. But if you are in the business of distributing lectures this is an excellent product.

After having done a month search, i think it will be fair to add one more star to it!

Original I wanted to buy a good music player for my husband, in addition to it, I could record lecture three times a week. RipFlash's metal look makes it a winner. The review mentions about the wrist band, but mine did not come with one. I had Archos Jukebox Recorder 10 and RipFlash 128mb Digital Recorder.

Software Problems:

RipFlash's software is very basic. Installation was easy. I could drag songs directly from the MP3 manager software when it was first installed. But on the next day, this function was not working. Furthermore, when I disconnected the USB from the computer, the devise still has the 'pc usb' signal on. Meaning? i have no way to play it until and unless i take out the battaries and reinsert it. It happens very often.

Neither Archos Jukebox Recorder nor Ripflash software is a good file organizer. The Archos Jukebox has one more problem than the Ripflash. When i closed the MusicBox software and disconnected the protable device, an error message saying improper disconnection will cause pc hardware problems..... I guess no one would expect to see such a message after having done everything in great care. In fact, it crashed my computer more than twice. I had to reboot my computer. I gave up, and returned it

As the RipFlash player does not display title, i have to guess what is coming next. I bought a SM card for extra memory, the eject 'button' is difficult to use. It seems i have to push the card out myself.

Voice recording

I have to admit that the voice recording function is very easy to use and very sensitive, compare to my Archos Jukebox Recorder. Unlike the Archos Jukebox, the Ripflash allocates a new file for voice recording automatically. The Archos one asks for a new name everytime. Otherwise it will either replace your existing 'new song' file or refuse to record. I missed almost 10 minutes lecture because of setting up the Archos. And the battaries ran out within an hour. I was caught in the middle for recording exam tips! Definetly I will not recommend the Archos Jukebox Recorder for reporters or students alike. As a matter of fact, the RipFlash recorder is a very eligant and handy devise for recorders or students.

Final conclusion: there is no prefect mp3 player!
With almost 90 bucks more, why should i buy Archose Jukebox Recorder10 instead of Archose Jukebox 10 or other Jukebox? I am still considing whether to keep RipFlash because of the unreliable software.

A month later, i had returned the ripflash and the Archose. I did a lot of research, it seems no mp3 can fit in my need. Hey i have to trade off. Pal, if you are looking for something to convert your old plastic disks into good digital songs, the Ripflash series seem to be the solution. PoGo has some improved products. check out its website.

This would be a really great product if it didnt continually need to be re-set. Its annoying because it resets for seemingly no reason at all, and I lose all my information, and then have to re-synch with Outlook, which defeats the whole point of having the unit. Im trying to find an answer from Tohiba, or to find out if I have the biggest lemon in the world

This is a great PDA if you know your tech stuff and don't mind soft resetting the unit often.

1. WiFi works great even with WAP encryption tunred on. However, setting up wireless ActiveSync was painful even for someone who is familiar with networking. The configuration just isn't intuitive at all and is scattered in many different places.

2. The extra large screen is a big plus. 3.8 inch vs 3.5.

3. Media player works fine. I am able to stream live TV program to this unit without skipping frames. This is a pleasant surprise.

4. I was able to get ActiveSync to work with Outlook after several tries. I havn't tried synching with Exchange Server. Again, if you are none technical, you will most likely run into problems.

5. The built-in speaker sucks. Most other PDAs have better speakers.

6. Soft Reset will be your daily activity. I don't believe Toshiba is at fault. It is a built-in Microsoft "FEATURE".

7. There is no COM port built-in. If you want to use serial GPS, you will need to get the software driver that turns USB into simulated COM port. Even then, it is painful to use and requires lots of resets.

8. 32MB build-in extra FLASH storage means you probably don't need memory card soon.

9. No Bluetooth

10. The manual is pretty much useless except for telling you how to soft reset the unit.

11. Be careful with hard reset. You DO lose everything that's not in the flash memory.

Upgraded from a Jornada 548, and very glad I did.

Pros: Processor is very fast; moving between programs and views is a breeze; screen redraws almost instantaneous; screen is bright and text clear; 3.8" screen vs. the usual 3.5" is nice; WiFi is a nice feature; has tons of memory--96MB RAM, CF and SD. Also nice to have a switch to turn the battery off completely.

Cons: comparatively minor for what you get w/ the 755, particularly at the Amazon price. The record button is located on the upper left side of the unit about where I put my hand to remove it from the docking station, inadvertently engaging the record function, so I disabled it. Not quite as easy to insert and remove from docking station as some units, such as the HP Jornada, but again minor stuff; WiFi switch a bit difficult to switch on/off. Manual doesn't have an index.

Great out-of-the-box experience. Purposely did not read the directions; took only a couple of minutes to set up the PDA (select proper time zone, align screen) and then I flipped the WiFi switch and 20 seconds later I was connected to my wireless home network. Wireless syncing is a bit more difficult to negotiate though--still working on that. And while some find the Toshiba design uninspiring, it has nice clean lines I would term as simple sophistication.

While some improvements come with the new MS OS, you'll still want to download the now standard plug-ins for the Today screen. Pleasant surprise: handwriting recognition appears improved from the 2002 version. Have tested it numerous times and it has worked near flwlessly--I might actually use this feature now. All in all, a great unit--if I had it to do again, I'd make this purchase again.