Handheld Reviews

This Pocket PC is great.It eats Palms for breakfast.When I hold the iPAQ in my hand, I am holding a 205 MHz "computer." I say computer because it can do most things computers can do and more- it can play Media Files, such as MP3's and MPEG's, it has more organization tools, and a little bit more power than my laptop.It has so many applications and tools it is amazing...you can download many programs such as the AOL program for Pocket PC and AOL Instant Messager.Once a connection with your ISP has been set, Pocket Internet Explorer shines. Pocket Internet Explorer gives you access to the web, any web site. Just make sure your ISP supports the format- this was a problem for me. Some people say they've had problems with it, flickering screen, etc. Well, those are some unlucky people all the people I know have had no problems. The Compaq people are working on these bugs and have fixed some.And Compaq technical service is there 24 hours a day...so it really ok.The only thing to complain about is that dust accumulates rapidly on the screen.So, I suggest the buyer buy some PDA screen wipes.A definite buy if you're looking for e-mail,the internet,productivity and organization all in the palm of your hand.

I purchased the Compaq Ipaq not out of dire necessity, but mostly because of the many features it has:

One, it looks the best out of all of the PDA's. It has a sleek, futuristic, design, unlike the Jornada, for example, which is just plain black.

Two, the stylus can store inside of the body, so there is less of a chance of losing it and you don't have to carry it around separately.

Three, It has an Mp3 player, which is one of the main reasons I picked it over the Palm and Visor, in which an Mp3 expansion costs as much as the PDA itself.

Four, the writing area is retractable and there is an on-screen keyboard; the Palm and Visor don't have the keyboard, and the writing area takes up precious screen space.

Five, the processor is an Intel Strong ARM 206MHz; the other pocket PC's only have 133MHz or lower, and they're not Intel, which is the best and most reliable processor.

Six, it doubles as an E-book, you can read books on your iPaq with Microsoft Reader and download them from numerous websites, even a thesaurus and dictionary; the Palm doesn't have this feature and the Visor expansion is expensive and you can only choose from a selection of four books.

Seven, one of the most important factors in my buying the iPaq is the color screen; the resolution is the best out there, especially compared to the color Palm and Visor PDA's, which are expensive and have very low resolution. Not much of an improvement from a Game Boy.

I went through excruciating research on the other PDA's before I decided on the iPaq, visiting Casio, HP, Visor, Palm, and Compaq. The Palm and Visor I ruled out immediately after seeing the capability of the Pocket PC's. I looked at CNET, Epinions, and PDA Buzz, and went to my local Best Buy, CompUSA, and Circuit City. I saw that it got high praise from many electronics and technology magazines, such as Best of the Year from Popular Science.

It took me 2 weeks before my final decision. That was two weeks too late, into the middle of the Christmas shopping frenzy. Almost every retailer was out because of the popularity of the iPaq and on eBay, it cost around $600-$700. I finally snagged it at a Brandsmart USA, it was the last one.

A very useful feature is AvantGo, which is included. You can load your favorite web site onto your iPaq for viewing anywhere. Also, you can read the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, USAToday, you can play Jeopardy from SonyStation, you can access Yahoo(with movies, news, sports, stocks, etc.), and thousands of other sites.

There are many games and lots of software that you can download for it, like Flight Simulator.

I am very happy with my iPaq, and I would suggest it to anyone. It's good for the music lover, disorganized person, businessman, etc.

The Compaq iPAQ H3660 is a high-end palmtop device for both personal and professional applications. With its integrated comfportably sized memory of 64MB it stands out above many of its competitors (newer models available with even more memory) and can also be easily expanded using appropriate memory cards.

The brilliant and well-lighted TFT display is easily read under any cirmcumstances (even bright daylight), and the touch screen and stylus pen make standard (short) input hassle-free. Handwriting recognition is very good, can be adapted to your personal hand. For more significant amounts of text, a fold-up keyboard should be used (but for serious word-processing, better use a full-fledged notebook instead).

Not only windows can be run on this little machine, it is also LINUX compatible and can be used for serious UNIX Systems Administration using wireless add-ons.

Special Linux version available: best of them, LISA Systems' iPAQ that comes pre-installed with mLinux 1.0 for advanced users. A highly interesting special for System Developers and IT pros. ... The free Open Source LINUX Operating System is now available to palmtop computers!

iPAQ with Windows integrates easily with MS-Outlook. The LINUX version supports synchronisation with appropriate LINUX applications. Either way, you get a highly professional palmtop computer connecting to your desktop and existing infrastructure.

These thin, plastic sheets are cut to fit the screen of your Palm perfectly, are self-adhesive and remove easily. The problem is that the texturing, which is supposed to reduce glare and make writing easier, also reduces screen visability.

Another problem with this product is getting these sheets to lay down smoothly without any air pockets. You are supplied with a credit card-like applicator, but if not applied perfectly the first time, you can go over and over the thing and the bubbles still remain.

There is no doubt in my mind that this product will protect the Palm's fragile screen from scratches, but if you can't read the screen, what's the point? I discovered, however, it's very easy to cut the sheets so they just cover the graffiti portion of the screen, and this is the part of the screen that takes the most abuse from your stylus. Using it this way, you get the advantage of a textured writing surface (very nice) yet you can still easily view the screen. Furthermore, you'll get three of these mini protectors from each single sheet.

Keep in mind that if you choose to use the method of only covering the graffiti portion of the screen, and a coin or some other object gets lodged between the case and the screen, these protectors will do little to keep the rest of the screen from being scratched.

I think the textured writing surface makes this product a good bet for most users, and you can start with the entire screen covered and see if you can live with it. If not, cut the sheets (as described above) and I think you'll be happy.

Although the visibility is hurt a little bit by the sheets the protection is well worth the minor loss in image. I really like the feel that the sheets add. I find myself looking down less when I am taking quick notes because of the better texture. I would like to see the price go down a bit but...[it's] a lot better than replacing a screen

I recently purchased a Palm Vx and I bought this product along with it. I was warned that the Writerights would make my screen blurry, but the Palm Vx is supposed to have a better resolution that some of the other PDA's so I didn't really care much. Since I'm rough on electronics I felt that a little blurriness was worth the peace of mind. I put the Writeright on immediately after buying my Palm and have never used my Palm w/o the Writeright. So if there is any blurriness, I don't really notice the difference, and that's exactly how I wanted it! But it seems fine. The display is pretty sharp and I use the smallest font and play games on it and I've had absolutely no problem with it. My palm has already taken several tumbles both with and without its hard case on, and the screen is still as perfect as the day I bought it. I think the product is overpriced though. It probably costs Fellowes less than 5 cents to make a 100 of these things, but they do last longer than a month and you can easily get a pack to stretch out longer than a year. So for $20, it's not that bad. If you've already had your Palm for some time, you might want to get the cleaning wipes to go with this to use before you put on the Writerights. I can just imagine that if a little particle of dust or sand got caught under that piece of plastic it might cause a little gouge or scratch. Once you do apply the Writeright, there are quite a few bubbles that are noticeable, but you can carefully push them out, or if you just leave them, they'll come out by themselves within a few days. The bottom line is that $20 is a small price to pay to protect a $500 investment.

Not as light, not as sharp, not as fast, and not as powerful as some other devices out there, this version of the Toshiba Pocket PC takes the features out there and combines them into a package that actually is better than the sum of its parts.

It's got the latest CPU and OS which, while promising a lot, are actually slower and less capable than they ought to be. It's got a new screen, while bigger and brighter than its e740 predecessor, is not as bright and sharp as other devices such as the Sony Clie.

It IS quite expandable what with its SD AND CF slots (important for someone who already has several CF devices and memory from other PDAs and cameras!) Not to mention the built in Wi-Fi which means I no longer need to carry a CF network card.

Only issues I have are that I also bought a couple SanDisk 256MB SD cards which seem to be incompatible with this device for some reason and Toshiba merely said to check the SanDisk site for compatibility. Seems that SanDisk doesn't certify this combination so be aware of that. Also this device still has a one touch record button that always gets pushed accidentally keeping the device on and taking up memory with nothing. They really ought to remove that.

Otherwise, it's probably the best Pocket PC out there.

(Note: The only difference between the Toshiba e750 and e755 is that the latter e755 comes with a photo viewer software title on the companion CD. In fact, the machine in the e755 packaging says "e750".)

Featuring a new mobile processor, the most internal memory of any PDA, built-in wi-fi, dual CF/SDIO slots, and good battery life, the e750/e755 is close to being perfect. The compact and attractive form factor is a huge plus, as well. The new Intel processor is the star of the line-up. It's an updated version of the Xscalar processor, which wasn't getting good reviews due to lack of optimization options. The e750/e755 allows you to switch between two speeds, hence you can choose between higher speed or better battery life. Even at the lower speed, PPC apps feel quick and responsive. The battery is also user replaceable. What's left to improve for Toshiba is their lackluster customer support. Because their PPCs are made by an OEM in Taiwan rather than in their own plants in Japan, the build quality is still a bit lacking, but the e750/e755 seems to be better made than the e740, which was getting a lot of complaints.

See my e750 review for more updated details. [...]

Toshiba are the industry leader. This machine is fast, the screen is great, and the memory is completely serviceable. It gets an enum failure error which requires a soft restart from time to time, but it is fully functional, top-of-the-line. I will be upgrading to the 805.

I was disappointed that "Viking" would not honor the rebate as they said I did not send the UPC code from the package. I felt that I sent all they needed with the Amazon bill? I sent the cut out from the wrapping with a UPC code?

My Magellan Meridian Platinum came with software V3.08 so I checked the Magellan website and downloaded software V3.12 and installed it (you will require the Magellen Meridian PC serial cable). Installed the Viking SD128M card and it worked like a dream - no problems. The Meridian User Manual doesn't explain how to check your card but you will find it in the gps menu easy enough. Purchased this SD128M card for about the same price as a Magellan SD64M card would have cost - so I've doubled my memory for my money. Happy Hiking.

I use the SD Card in my Compaq Ipaq. It gives you 118mb of storage and if you're machine is calibrated to accept cards automatically, there's no setup required. I am currently storing several MP3's on mine (used to convert my Ipaq to an MP3 player as well). I would say this is a great card (so far, had it about 2 weeks) and it's cheap compared to the others, although you get 10mb's less, that didn't bother me.

The games themselves are interesting and fun to play; not all of them are outstanding, but they're all at least pretty good. I found Zap!2016 to be a lot of fun, Bubblet addictive, and SimCity really well done. The card is easy to use, although there is a slight delay when loading the menu in Apps or loading a game - normal when accessing a card.

But potential buyers should be aware that there are problems with the software on the card that need to be resolved if the games are to work properly. Zap!2016 can eat up your main memory, and Vegas Slots and Klondike can stop functioning altogether. See the Palm web site for details and solutions. Fortunately these problems are fixable, but I wish that these games had been tested more thoroughly before this card was released. The patch for Zap!2016 takes up 124 KB of your handheld's main memory, which undermines one of the chief advantages of this product, namely, that it frees up handheld RAM.

I would also have liked more games on the card. The card itself is a 16 MB MultiMediaCard, of which the games take up only 1.6 MB. The selection of games seems a little light and could be a problem if, for example, a buyer doesn't much care for a couple of games, such as the Vegas-style gambling games or the card games, and ends up using only a few games on the card. I personally would have liked a strategy game in the mix; others may find other reasons to quibble about the selection. Still, why so few games? Would more have pushed the price higher?

In sum, this game card is satisfying - I do use it quite often - but I'm not entirely sure it's worth what it costs.

I think that this was a good choice, because you can erase games of your Palm and free space. Remember, Palm is not a toy. You will not have a Gameboy Advance in your hands if you purchase this Game Card. But I am sure that this can keep you entertained in your free time.

The majority of the games are absolutely great. There are few that are dated, but the card is definately worth the price. Great way to pass the time.

I purchased a case for my Visor Platinum to protect it from my tendency to drop it. I had already replaced one and was not in the mood to replace another. Little did I know that the case itself could damage the finish on my PDA. Although it it only cosmetic, it is damage none the less. The finish on the Visor emblem has rubbed off as well as a spot on the top front panel. Most of the damage appears to have been caused by the included paper pad. The paper also seems to have left a residue all over the leather interior of the case. Another dislike is that the case looks old and worn with very little use. I am currently looking to replace this case with a RhinoSkin Ti Slider for Handspring Visor which has a soft interior. The better to protect you from damage my pretty.

The Handspring leather case will keep your palm pilot secure in the case and will not wiggle loose. You just snap it in (holes on the bottom of your palm will fit easily into the two bumps and the top just snaps back for a tight fit) The leather look is sleek and the case closes with a push of the velco

It does has some flaws how ever. When your opened and trying to use it, the strap to keep it close gets in the way, this can be solved by poking the strap between the palm and case. Also the pockets inside aren't big enough to fit much of anything. But if you got a small paper like a list of things you need to get when your out, it fit in nicely.

Overall this item is very useful because it could cost you lots of money and time if you drop and break your palm but consider the flaws before buying.

Handspring has succeeded so brilliantly in large part because of their engineering prowess. Their design of the Visor and its cases is truly superb.

The bifold case is padded enough to keep your visor safe from the occasional light drop, and let's face it, gravity will eventually exert its effects, no matter how careful you are. The case also contains a small pad, which is ideal for giving a small note to a non-Palm associate. PDAs are great, but they don't print--yet.

Perhaps the best selling point, though, is it's size. It's large enough for the pad, some business cards, ID cards, credit card-sized cards, etc, and large enough so you don't lose it by forgetting it (I've seen people forget smaller devices). It's not too large, though, to tote around all day or pack quickly. In fact, it even fits comfortably in my chinos.

I've seen a number of Visor cases, and while others certainly have merit, this is by far my favorite "everyday" case.

Although the NINO 510 lacks 'stereo' mp3 for example, it is still the best bet out there.

When the NINO first came out,it was a dramaticaly different palm size pc and it was widely accepted as the best. Now most Palm-pc manufacturers have copied Philips success.

First off, the NINO is ergonomic. I did the review for the 312 and the same goes here, it is easy to hold and access information with ONE HAND. Compared to others (like the stupid Compaq 2150 I have) that are trying to copy the 3Com Palms. You can scroll, enter and exit with one hand and access your favorite applications as well with one hand!

The 510 includes the latest software package for the NINO series and if you look at the reviews from the major magazines and online computer sites they love it because it is HIGH END software. (even the voice recognition software which is fun to use, but you'll be quicker using the buttons).

The color ppcs are nice, however most windows ce basic applications don't really use it, it's still mostly gray. However add on packs and software are using it and when you want to view pictures (I have all my pictures on my ppc instead of in a wallet) you can pop it on and show your friends...they love it because they are seeing it on a ppc.

Final word, you'll love the NINO 510. Philips provides great customer service (I used them before and they were very quick in helping me out) and they are sturdy. I used my NINO in a hectic retail environment for months where it got banged around, stuck it in my BACK POCKET, dropped it, etc. It only gave out when I hit the screen with a metal beam (which would kill virtually anything anyways.). It actually still did work after that with the big crack in the screen but I couldn't use it because the touch screen was damaged...talk about takes a licking and keeps on ticking! Get extra insurance or extended warranty though because the screen is your most expensive part of the ppc.

There is a new windows ce 'active sync' which is what you use to connect your ppc to your computer. It works great (version3)

You'll find plenty of places on the net to sync your ppc and computer such as yahoo!, etc. where you can maintain your address book, calendar,tasks, etc. Place PCS cell phone notification like I do and even when you don't have your ppc you'll be notified! Connect a palm pc modem to your NINO 510 (get it before january 2000...50 buck special offer from microsoft also on the windows ce website) and you'll be surfing the web.

There is no way Palm operating system pcs can match what windows ce can do. Windows CE operates just like windows so there is a 0 learning curve...besides, there is more flexibility and tons of future add ons that only windows ce can offer that the palm os lacks. Palm pcs are ok if you want a bland, 'basic', palm size pc. If you want the best, stick WindowsCE though.

They are sturdy little machines and are truely fun to have!

This is the best handheld pc out there. For a mere $ you can do anything that you can on a more expensive brand. It comes with 16 megs of memory, and a touch color screen. For another brand, you would have to spend at least $ more. Philips also uses many programs that are not on the other handhelds, such as the caligrapher, or voice recognition. Yes, I've tried many of these things on a desktop computer, and none of them worked, but on the Nino, they all seem to magically work! The only problem is that if you have terrible writing, the calligrapher is not for you. The only downside to this is that you cannot get email through a wireless network, but for about $ you can buy a modem and access your ISP from any phone line, as long as it's not aol, a basic ISP that you can use microsoft outlook with. Using this handheld pc is so easy that even if you can't handle a desktop pc, you will be able to easily learn how-to on this contraption. Any bad stories about this product are not actually about this product, they are about people who cannot use a handheld pc properly... basically they would have the same problems with any handheld pc. I hope you enjoy your Nino, I sure am! If you have any questions about this product, or about this post, feel free to email me, my address is listed above!

Excellent PDA, I got much use out of it. The price for these is amazing... you wont find a cheaper, color, internet ready PDA on the market. THis thing is excellent!

The camera will not take an acceptable picture under incandescent lighting - it will generate a very red image. Even out of doors, the image is badly blurred around the edges; only the middle half of the image is sharp. The "preview image" (ie the viewfinder) is very blocky and in grey only, making it hard to recognize where the camera is pointing. The display of images after they have been taken uses a very poor color mapping - much worse than what the Palm IIIc is capable of.

Sure, you can buy a much higher quality camera, but not one that weighs 1.5 ounces and extends the Palm's length less than 2 inches.

I have a Palm IIIxe and run everything on it. I'm overclocking it with afterburner, I'm running half a dozen hackmaster hacks and this camera STILL works perfectly. As one reviewer stated earlier, It DOES take a few seconds to adjust to the light - especially if it's extremely dark or light - but then it performs wonderfully. I have personally gotten much higher quality pictures when I'm not trying to work in very low-light conditions. I agree that using the screen as a viewfinder isn't much better than a framing tool, but then, I don't use the 1-square-inch display on the digital camera we have at the office to display images for people either. The Palm isn't much on displaying these pictures because of its grey scale limitations. For the price and convenience, I am perfectly content with the quality and very good color accuracy of the pictures. I have not had a single problem with the camera or hot synching the pictures to the PC. (Hey, It's a LOT faster than transferring a few web pages with AvantGo)

I have a keyboard and a modem for my Palm so this was just another extension to increase it's functionality. It won't take up much space or add much weight to my briefcase and the batteries last a long time. And, since they are the same size as the Palm uses, I don't have to stock several sizes.

This camera works really well with a Palm IIIc. It was on salefor only ... as Deal of the Day at ... so I picked it up and then came back to Amazon for a Palm IIIc with ... off and no tax.

Since this is a low price "fun camera" which doesn't have all the fancy features like other higher priced ones, there are several things you need to know in order to get the optimum quality.

1. Download the latest driver from Kodak. Don't use the one that came with the camera which is probably the outdated v1.00 or v1.20. By using the latest driver, your picture and preview quality does improve.

2. Obviously, it doesn't provide flash. Don't try to take a picture in the dark unless you have abundant light source or if the object itself provides extremely high luminance that brightens up the entire area (for example: movie screen, monitor, outdoor fireworks, etc). Daytime especially noon when the sun's out provides the best natural lighting.

3. Always use 640x480. Never use 320x240 and don't bother with the 2x zoom feature. The 2x zooming simply crops the center part of the screen and shows it to you at 320x240. For a nice close up view, just walk closer to the object but no closer than 4 feet away. Otherwise, it might look blurry.

4. Take still shots. Make sure no objects are moving and keep your arms still. You can tell if you'll get a nice shot by observing changes in pixels on your preview screen. When you've reached the point where you can hardly see movement in pixels, that's when you take the shot. Keep it still after you press the Date Book button until the preview screen sharpens up and Palm starts saving.

5. Use an 8 meg Palm. Each 640x480 jpeg requires roughly 200k of free space. If you have about 4 megs of free space like my Palm IIIc does, you'll have room for saving at least 20 pics. On my Palm m100, I have only 500-600k left so that gives me say...3 pics? If you're using Palm m100 which only has 2 megs, I really wouldn't recommend getting the m100 version of the PalmPix.

6. After you sync your Palm, edit the pics by resampling it to 320x240 or 50% of the original resolution for highest quality and save it in 16.7 million color .bmp or use the lowest compression in jpeg. A "sharpen" filter might also enhance the photo depending on the type of object in the pic. For printing, keep it at 640x480 and use 300 dpi to get a nice print out sized roughly 2.1"x1.6". It's perfect for a personal portrait.

Overall, this is an excellent little gadget for capturing images to be used on a website or emailed to family and friends. The hardware itself is very limited but you CAN produce quality pics if you learn to work with it. PalmPix is by far the best digital camera I've seen that retails for under ....

I rarely use this product because it seldom worked when it did work. Most of the time when pushing on the power button via the keypad my handspring would enter into hotsync mode. Now, even with the updated driver, the Thumboard just fails to work! Ive called Seiko-Austin in the past and they told me it was just a fault with their product and nothing they could do about it. The nerve of some people! Ive emailed Amazon but sadly the return date under their policy has expired. I now keep the ThumBoard handy as a cautionary reminder which effectively prevents me from engaging in impulsive online shopping.

1. Love the design. It doesn't add to the size of the Visor, since it envelops the bottom half of the PDA. There are buttons on the top of the ThumBoard that let you hit the "menu" "calc" and other functions down in the graffiti area. Also, it naturally sits in your hand and is easy to type on.

2. Very odd glitch that on occasion it will attempt to do a sync instead of turn on/off.

3. Mine did not work. I've got 5 computers in my apt (5 PCs, 1 Mac) and know how to use my Palm very well. The ThumBoard simply refused to work...it only wanted to sync. After a total of about 4-5 hours over 2 days of working on it (between myself, my boyfriend, and techsupport @ Seiko) it simply did not want to work. I could not get the Visor to recognize it. I realize this may be one faulty unit - but when the only place I can seem to find it is online, that is too much hassle to exchange items and hope that it works.

From what I've seen online, people love the design of this keyboard. If it works, you'll love it. If you can't get it to work (or it constantly syncs), you're just better off using Graffiti or upgrading to a PDA with a built in keyboard (Treo or Clie).

I purchased this keyboard last January. I could live without it, but I've found that it makes entering text a lot easier. I have had some of the same problems that others have had with it. I've found that if you wiggle the keyboard while its connected to your visor, and the visor is on, then problems with hotsync are more likely.

My biggest issue with this product is that I couldn't ship it outside USA. I had to ship it to a US address and then get it forwarded to Canada. Well I have it now, and you can't have it back.

Palm is now selling the 11th edition of Merriam Webster dictionary, and with rebate, the cost is less than this one. It might even be in color.

It's slow to use, but is miles ahead of any alternative I've found. If it's thorough content you're after, it's hard to beat ~500,000 headwords (if I remember correctly) with complete definitions, pronunciations & etymologies. I got it on a lark & have been amazed at how handy it is to always have the complete M-W Collegiate dictionary in my pocket -- I use it constantly.

Other than a 15 second start-up time, and an interface designed more for a novel than a dictionary/thesaurus (though still full-featured), the only other complaint I have is an undocumented (as fas as I've found) requirement that there be somewhere around 600K of free memory in the device. Otherwise it dumps you unceremoniously back into whatever app you used last.

I'm planning to get a Sony Clie, and the only thing holding me back is the lack of dictionaries as thorough as this one that don't require SD/MMC slots.

You'll never believe how often this comes in handy. I use this all the time to get the correct spelling of a word or to look up a definition. I got if for only occasional reference but ended up using it much, much more than I thought I would. It's so fast and easy! Definitely one to keep with you all the time.