Handheld Reviews

How much can it really cost to make these things? They work just fone, but they seem expensive. This may be partly to blame on me LOOSING them too often!

It is a very good sylus. It has a reset pin on it so,it is easy to reset it without getting a paper clip to reset it.It is heavier than the m100 series stylus, and makes it feel more like a pen.

I just got my Smartpad 2 the other day, and today was the first day I used it in my classes. It is very impressive and has several distinct advantages compared to normal pen and paper note taking. You have a digital copy on your PDA, and your computer, and if something goes wrong with these then you have a hard copy. I also have hand pain and can't always take my own notes, so I can have a friend take theirs on my Smartpad and keep the hard copy. No more trips to the copy center to copy notes. My biggest problem/dislike about this product is the limitation of an 8' by 5' sheet of paper! I have to flip pages constantly. In my calculus class I can't fit an entire problem and its derivative on one page with the notes that go along telling you how to do the problem in the first place. This can be VERY confusing. Also, don't plan on viewing your notes on your PDA with much success. Magnifies up to 4x, but mine didn't come with the software to do this, and I can't find it on the website, so it's almost impossible to view at the 2x level. I have a Palm IIIc now, but I'm upgrading to an iPaq or similar device this summer, I think I might also opt to upgrade to the Seiko Ink Link. I wish I'd seen the Ink Link before I purchased the Smartpad 2. With the Ink Link you hook up the unit to a legal pad and it captures what you write to your PDA or computer. You don't have the page size limitation with the Ink Link that you do with the Smartpad.

This device isn't for everyone, but it fits my needs perfectly. It represents my third attempt to find an affordable, easy-to-use solution to getting scribbled meeting and design notes and drawings into my computer for quick dissemination to interested parties and stakeholders. I've previously tried the A.T. Cross-Pad (no longer made) and the Logitech IO Personal Digital Pen (ASIN B00006JP23), each of which fell short for various reasons.

Here is how I use it - during meetings I take notes, do sketches (user interfaces, high-level system design diagrams, etc.), and list follow-up items. This material is automatically beamed to my Palm Vx as pictures of the sketches and/or notes. I upload these to my PC and email them as attachments. This gets information out quickly, which can be followed up later with more refined notes transcribed into a word processor (by hand) or better drawings (I use Visio).

It does one thing only - captures pictures of what you write on plain paper - and it does that exceptionally well.

I liked the easy set-up, the fact that it comes with a QWERTY tap keyboard (it's under the pad), and performs as advertised. If your needs are similar to mine stated above and you have either a Palm or Pocket PC PDA you will probably love this notepad. However, it does not perform optical character recognition, so it that is what you're seeking you need to keep looking.

The Sony 2.5 in. Handheld Color TV (FDL-252T) isn't a terrible buy. The price is good, and the screen is not that small. Yet, there are many bad qualities to the TV.
Pros: Good 2.5 inch screen, nice sleek design,
and good price.

Cons: Bad sound quality, hard to get good picture
reception, and it doesn't come with a case or adapter.

All in all this product isn't one of sony's best, but it fits most needs.

(...) It had a good picture once you adjusted the bright. Sound quality is good. The folding makes it compact and the antenna in the strap really works, you just have to position yourself to get the best reception. (...)

After going through the NYC blackout, unamused, I decided never again. There was no access to news, unless you had the right radio. Bought this little portable TV as backup. It runs on 3 AA's. Also invested in a kodak rechargeable battery system from [the website], since it was highly recommended by other users, and even got a solar-powered battery charger. The screen of this TV is small. But it does hook up to an external tv antenna, to get local broadcast. The adaptor is at any Radio Shack. Also discovered it works with the cable and VCR. For cable TV, you just hook up to the box and the TV will hunt for the right channel to broadcast from. For VCR, use channel 4, for signals, since there's no channel 3 on the TV. In the blackout, the cable company did not go down. The screen is small but the broadcasts clear, and larger TVs will consume larger and more batteries....

this is mini tv i got as a gift. it's made by sony, so you know it will be a good product. one of the innovative features of this product is the "straptenna", that is, the antenna and the neck strap are one and the same. this makes for touchy reception somtimes (you need to not move around a lot) in low reception areas. it also comes with an external antenna jack so you can put a big powerfull antenna on it. i am currently looking for an antenna that will fit it, and i don't think sony actually makes one. i am gonna take it down to Radio Shack soon and see if they can help me.

an excellent watch that could use some downsizing, but its size gives the advantage of an easily readible face. could use a mineral crystal lens...even though plastic and inset, ...but the best feature is the fact that the easily obtainable battery is so easy to replace that the wearer is not discouraged from using the features as often as necessary. Unlike many other digital watches, the band still fits my 6 inch wrist with holes to spare. Although the operational functions are laid out well, I was lost in trying to remember how to operate the watch after storing it away for several months...after all, to download the manual is 50 odd pages. Still I think this is an excellent product that could be made better with the additions I mentioned.

This watch has many great features, and few shortcomings. The bad first, and then the good: First; It is quite big. At first it seems like a hockey puck has been strapped to your wrist. Second; it uses a barometer to guage altitude, and therefore it requires some study, attention to detail, and monitoring and adjustment to get the most out of it.

Now the mitigating factors on these shortcomings: First (large size); while it is a bit large on your wrist, it is quite lightweight, and after a while, you get used to it. Overall, it is quite comforable to wear. The large control buttons are easy to use in winter with gloves on. And, the large display makes the data easy to digest. Second (barometer-based altimeter); all the other altimeter watches on the market work in much the same way, so this shortcoming should not disqualify this watch in comparison to other climbing/skiing watches.

Now the good: First; it has the features you need and not a lot of others you don't. Timekeeping, altitude, barometer. That's it. No other gadgets to confuse and add to the cost. Second; it's very rugged. I've abused mine heartily and it's stood up very well. Third; the features it does have are comprehensive and well executed. Fourth; assuming you master the arcane science of tracking altitude with a barometer -based altimeter, this one is quite accurate compared to some others I've tried (like the casio models).

Quick summary of features: the basic timekeeping functions are great! Time, date, multiple alarms, countdown timer, stopwatch, dual time zone -- all work easily and intuitively.

In Altimeter mode, the main display gives you your current altitude and a quick display of your recent trend. After this, it get complicated. The feature set is robust, and you'll have to spend some time with the manual to master it. It will measure just about anything related to going up or down a mountain that you could ever think of. It can also log these things and remember them for your future use. It can be changed from measuring feet per minute skied (for example) to feet per hour climbed. You name it, this thing can record and measure it.

What I use it for mostly, is just to show me where I am on the mountain in terms of altitude. To do this, you'll need to know what the actual altitude is where you start (parking lot, for example) and use that to set the altimeter. From there, the watch will keep an extremely accurate account of where you go from there. The only problem will be if a new weather pattern moves in. This will cause a change of barometric pressure and will affect the accuracy of the altitude reading.

In barometer mode, this watch will also give you a very accurate warning of a new weather pattern moving in -- as long as you are not changing your altitude substantially. As with the altitude mode, you can ask it to log data into memory to see trends and keep track of pressure over time.

In summary, it is an excellent tool for mountaineers and skiers. Used properly, it is a very accurate tool for navigation and weather forecasting. However, expect to spend some time with the user manual to master the features before you ask it to help save your life. I've tried several of the other watches on the market (Casio, Avocet, Nike) with similar features and this is the best of the bunch.

I really love it, I know it's expensive but it worth it,
I am PreSale Support, so I need to give several presetantion in the client office's and I really love to give my presetation with my PDA. it is easy and fast.
You can Download the presetation software for FREE in the Toshiba Technical Support Center

also the USB port OK, practically you can connect any USB appliance, like a Mouse, keyboard, USB flash memry, printer, modem, network card, USB Hub etc..
I own a USB flash memory, and it is really usefull to share documents with any PC with out Active Sync, using this USB Storage Flash Memory.

I give 4 stara instead of 5 because it really consume battery life and finding drivers for the USB appliance is dificult, I have not jet found a good Mouse Driver.

but I really like my expansion pack
the best part is that I bouth this Item in my vacation in Spain, and the price tag was mistake and was only €20

The expansion pack adds USB and VGA out to the e740 Pocket PC. Perfect for presentations, and is small enough that it won't get in the way. Hook up a monitor and a mouse and you have a full scale PC ! Great addition to an already usefull tool.

I have found this keyboard to be exellent. At first, I felt it to be rather large, and most certainly not worth carrying around. However, after getting tired of using the various methods of entering information into my Toshiba E355 (including using the USB host adapter and a full keyboard at work), I decided to try carrying it with me. Since then, I have never left it at home. It does work with the e355, although, it is not fully functional. The function and arrow keys do not work, however on my brother's e335 it works fully. I consider this to be an invaluable tool for those who regularly have to enter alot of information into their e330/335/740's. I can say that it is somewhat frustrating that so much of the functionality of the keyboard is lost on the e355, which is essentually a e335 updated. Overall, I can recommend this product to those of us who want a nice compact keyboard to carry on the go.

Since there are very few cases that fit iPAQ PDAs, I recommend you get this one. Depending on type of your iPAQ (1900 series vs 3000 series), you might have varying degrees of comfort trying to shove your PDA into the case. Once you're done, however, it's very easy to use and carry. It comes with a belt clip that you may or may not use. The case itself is slim enough to fit snugly in your pocket, unlike so many other cases. The obvious disadvantage is that if you drop it on a hard surface, this case won't provide much in a way of side protection (klutzes be warned). The leather feels surprisingly good, almost a lambskin kind of quality. The credit card space is not very useful, but you can shove a couple of business cards in there. A solid 4 stars until anything better becomes available.

Belkin's a good name. Their stuff is reliable and cost effective. But this keyboard isn't as compact as some competitors. You may want to shop around a bit more.

I purchased this item before taking a trip to North Pole. Some how I ended up at the South Pole.

Just kidding it is a great compass and has all the features that one would need for all out-door activities.