PDA Reviews

Blue Mist is a nice color for the new palm, but the only setback is the price. Only a few would want to buy each cover individually, just to costomize their m100. Palm should sell them as a set for $10.00 more.

At least, thats what I think.

i like the new palm, it is a good device with a handsome, contemporary design that appeals to the younger and techno-illeterate buying market. Today, people have money to throw away, and this is something to throw away into.

Ruby Pearl is a nice color for the new palm, but the only setback is the price. Only a few would want to buy each cover individually, just to costomize their m100. Palm should sell them as a set for $10.00 more.

At least, thats what I think.

i like the new palm, it is a good device with a handsome, contemporary design that appeals to the younger and techno-illeterate buying market. Today, people have money to throw away, and this is something to throw away into.

I got a whole set of these because the original one that my Palm came with was getting kind of boring. I like being able to change it whenever I like. The first couple of times, I had trouble getting the cover off, but once I got the hang of it, it was easy.

Blue Mist is a nice color for the new palm, but the only setback is the price. Only a few would want to buy each cover individually, just to costomize their m100. Palm should sell them as a set for $10.00 more.

At least, thats what I think.

i like the new palm, it is a good device with a handsome, contemporary design that appeals to the younger and techno-illeterate buying market. Today, people have money to throw away, and this is something to throw away into.

Ruby Pearl is a nice color for the new palm, but the only setback is the price. Only a few would want to buy each cover individually, just to costomize their m100. Palm should sell them as a set for $10.00 more.

At least, thats what I think.

i like the new palm, it is a good device with a handsome, contemporary design that appeals to the younger and techno-illeterate buying market. Today, people have money to throw away, and this is something to throw away into.

I got a whole set of these because the original one that my Palm came with was getting kind of boring. I like being able to change it whenever I like. The first couple of times, I had trouble getting the cover off, but once I got the hang of it, it was easy.

Blue Mist is a nice color for the new palm, but the only setback is the price. Only a few would want to buy each cover individually, just to costomize their m100. Palm should sell them as a set for $10.00 more.

At least, thats what I think.

i like the new palm, it is a good device with a handsome, contemporary design that appeals to the younger and techno-illeterate buying market. Today, people have money to throw away, and this is something to throw away into.

Ruby Pearl is a nice color for the new palm, but the only setback is the price. Only a few would want to buy each cover individually, just to costomize their m100. Palm should sell them as a set for $10.00 more.

At least, thats what I think.

i like the new palm, it is a good device with a handsome, contemporary design that appeals to the younger and techno-illeterate buying market. Today, people have money to throw away, and this is something to throw away into.

I got a whole set of these because the original one that my Palm came with was getting kind of boring. I like being able to change it whenever I like. The first couple of times, I had trouble getting the cover off, but once I got the hang of it, it was easy.

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This device works MUCH faster than connecting your camera directly to the laptop. For that reason alone its worth the price, but there's more...

I use this to allow me to take unlimited pictures when I'm on a trip. Fill up my CF card, copy all the images to the laptop, delete all the images from the CF card and start taking pictures again. When the card is full, I repeat the process - unlimited pictures! Why buy a larger capacity CF card when you can get this adapter for much less?

Another thing: Images from a camera are just computer files. I've used this adapter to turn my 32 MB compact flash card into a "disk drive". Once you put this CF card and adapter into the laptop's card slot, it shows up just like any other "disk drive".

So you can put the CF card/adapter in your home or offece desktop computer's card reader, use Windows Explorer to copy files (Word documents, spreadsheets, image files, or whatever) to the card, take the CF card out and move it over to the laptop - using this adapter. It makes the compact flash card act just like a high capacity disk drive! You can bring files home from work the same way, and the CF card fits in your wallet...
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I plugged this adapter into my new Dell Laptop and it brought up my CompactFlash card as an additional hard drive in Windows 2000, no software or additional drivers required.

I was then able to browse and even edit pictures on the card as if it were a disk drive. Truly amazing. All peripherals should be this easy to install and intuitive to use.

I use this product to move pictures from my camera to my computer. My primary purpose was to save my battery since it requires my camera to be on when downloading shots and I have a 256MB Compact Flash card.

Not only does it save my battery power by allowing me to put the CF card into my computer, but it downloads very quickly. I have had no problems with the unit and received the adapter from Viking earlier than I expected.

First things first, this thing is huge! I'm used to carrying around the Clie-N760 in the front pocket of my scrubs. Great for quick and easy access, however, the Clie-NX70 feels heavy and uncomfortable.

In addition to the size and weight, the clamshell design (which seems kind of cool at first and offers those grafitti illiterates a keyboard) slows you down by hiding your quick buttons.

Another negative is the co$t. If you have any experience with handhelds you know that they just don't last, so it's hard to justify spending a large amount on what is basically a disposable item. Don't expect to get more than a year or two out of any of these devices if you use them regularly.

My last complaint is that there is only a minor memory boost; only 11mb (available) memory!

On the plus side, the large footprint does give you a great big screen, and the slide away graffiti area is functional and slick.

Sony throws in some cute things like a .3 camera (very poor performance), a voice recorder, and some software freebies like Documents to Go, and Clie memo which is a sort of post-it-notes free writing program.

The only thing I noticed about OS5 was that standard JPEG pictures can be read.

The major fix for me is that audio can now be played in the background; you can listen to your mp3's while clicking around on this and that =)!!! You can also change your playlist on the memory card.

Although the tried and true palm interface is still there, out of the box it defaults to the new Clie launcher. It looks cool and after a week or so of tinkering with it I have found that it not only looks refreshingly new but that it is just as quick if you can use your thumb on the jog dial and the back button to navigate.

Battery life seems spectacular. Click around all day with little loss of power.

I only give it 3 stars because even though it is great and cool and one heck of a handheld, for me it is too big and heavy and the clam shell/keyboard design is cumbersome and frankly unnecessary. When something like my Clie N760 gets OS5 I will be back adding it to my shopping cart.

The Clie NX70 is a bigger (320x480), brighter palm-OS based PDA with a lot more -- exactly what you'd expect from a Sony. Navigation among applications can be done with the traditional touch interface, pull downs, buttons directly to core functions or with the selector wheel.

Data input is done through graffiti or the built-in keyboard. I found the keyboard somewhat useful for quick jobs, especially while I've been learning the weirder letters in "graffiti," but any time I had to do upper case, punctuation or numbers, it's a pain because there are odd key combinations or locations.

The audio player works well, but you really need additional memory, otherwise you're limited to one mp3. Memory expansion is through Sony's memory stick format, which is unfortunately limited to 128Mb (compared compact flash, which can go higher). There is an additional compact flash slot, but it only supports Sony's network card.

The camera is a novelty and, in my opinion, not worth the additional 100 bucks over the NX60 model. Pictures max out at 640x400 and require perfect lighting. Any movement and you get blur.

The remote control is truly cool and supports Sony and select non-Sony TVs, stereos, DVD players and VCRs. It was really easy to set this up to control my hodge-podge entertainment center with a 12-year old RCA TV and a 8-year old Magnavox VCR.

The biggest weakness is in the PC software supplied. The installation program is a demo sheild front-end, and presents you with over two dozen things you can install on the CLIE or your PC. It's really confusing and requires administrative priveleges on your Windows box -- this presents some difficulty in an environment where my IT department has things locked down.

Installation of the core Palm desktop on Windows XP directed me to Sony's site for an unspecific patch that I never could find. (Indeed, finding software updates was at least a half dozen clicks away.)

After the Palm desktop was installed, I was faced with a laundry list of additional options, with no guide as to what was important. For example, a really important one: Windows XP also needed the memory stick driver operating so it would recognize the stick as removable storage when the Clie was connected. On the other hand, there was also a lot of clutter like "8 ways to relieve stress."

I think it's pointless to go on and on when writing a review so I'm gonna keep this short:
The Sony clie peg-nx70v is one wonderful piece of equipment.
I found that I extremely liked some of it's features like the compact design with the rotating screen, the thumb keyboard, the icon lay out, the camera/video recorder, and the voice recorder.
However, I rate it only good not great because of the annoying weight, how prone it is to being damaged, it's batery which tends to die rather quickly, and it's price.

Overall, I recomend the Sony clie peg-nx70v to most anybody!

I use this wallet with my Handspring Visor and it works great. Nothing fancy here, but hey, it's cheap. Black leather looks nice and is supple enough to fold in half backwards. Little elastic loops hold two spare AAA batteries so there's no excuse to get caught with dead ones. The wallet also has a handy stash for business cards, receipts, etc. The only drawback I've found is that, without the Visor hardcover, it's possible to turn the power on and drain your battery. My solution was to put the velcro on the front of my Visor's hardover and have it held in place by the wallet. This allows the Visor to be held in the wallet screen up or screen down. All in all, a great buy.

Summary: I bought this case for my Palm Vx and love it! I admit I was skeptical -- but for the price I figured I didn't have much to lose. I'd seen other cases at prices between $... and $..., and I just didn't want to spend that much unless I was convinced I was really getting value for my money. Although not the ultimate PDA case by any means, the Sumdex offers a great combination of usefulness and style at an unbeatable price.

Features: Very good quality leather, zipper and stitching. Compact design still allows room for credit cards, small memo pad, folding green. Velcro strip (included) securely attaches PDA to case. Clean, unobtrusive exterior with subtle Sumdex logo. Elastic battery holders also fit compact pens/pencils.

Drawbacks: Compact design will not hold checkbook or larger memo pad and may not be suitable for larger PDAs (verify dimensions before purchasing). Not reversible -- PDA must be placed on right side of interior. No choice of color (black only). No dedicated window for business cards or other owner information.

General comments: Overall, a great value in a stylish, well-designed case. Recommended.

Chances are, if you are reading this review, you are looking to see if this is the case for your PDA. I say it is! I have a Palm Zire Handheld, and was worried that the [EXTREMELY] flimsy plastic flip top would not protect the screen from scratches. I shopped for a good case that was small, had a wallet, inexpensive, and would protect my Zire. This is great on all counts! I got it on sale here on Amazon.com for about ten dollars.

This case has:

All leather construction
A couple of elastic loops for batteries (which I use for a pen, since my Zire is rechargeable)
Velcro to hold your PDA in place
Pockets for cash, credit cards, buisness cards, memory cards, etc. (One large and two small)
Zipper Closure

On the box it came in, it shows a list of PDAs that it will most definitely fit (and any other one that you may have will most likely fit). Here is what is guaranteed to fit:

Palm Zire
Palm Zire 21
Palm Zire 71
Palm Tungsten C
Sony NX series
Sony TG50
Visor Platinum
IPaq h1900 Series
IPaq h3900 Series
IPaq h5400 Series
Toshiba e750
Dell Axium
ViewSonic V35

My favorite part? The ease of getting to the charger. My Zire has the charger cable and Mini USB ports on top, so I just move the zipper a little and plug it in!

I hope this helps you!

I have used PDAs for a few years, starting with a basic Palm 100. I received my Sony Clie as a gift for Christmas 2002. During the first year, the cable started to fail to charge up the device and I sent it away to the Sony workshop. It was fixed on the second attempt under warranty (apparently it needed welding and I was not impressed with the service). However, the same fault has recurred and I gave up and bought another PDA, chancing another Sony with a 2-year guarantee. Guess what? The new cable charges up the old PDA no problem. Also, I wonder if anyone else has a problem with displaying pictures from a Sony memory stick - my PDA shows a pixillated mess!

The Sony is a great value for those who don't need all the fancy bells and whistles. Think about what you really need in a PDA. Do you really want [an expensive] address book?

Pro's: Clear, crisp color screen, small size, stylish, Palm OS, rechargeable batteries, durable feel

Con's: Slightly thicker than other PDA's, significantly shorter battery life than advertised (need to charge about every other day, depending on use), cradle sold separately

Recommendations: get a PDA case - the protective cover doesn't stay put, remember to register with Sony to get the 1 year warranty

Overall: great mid-priced model, best display out there

Why I bought this PDA?
1.This is smaal and attractive. looks better than any other PDA. made with unbrackable plastic.
2.Screen is superb. in my opinion best..just best.
3.Best battery life(this is my third PDA. I have used T615c, and T665c. But I can say that the battery life in SJ30 is superb. I was really upset with my T665c.
4.My friends told me that I should have waited till last of October, becoz now OS 5 is ready to be launch. But in my opinion this OS is enough for my use. processor is 33mhz....good enough. sony drops their model easily...and I found that this was the model, I was looking for. I like clean shapes, that's why I bought GRX series sony laptop. and that is why i bought SJ30 too.
Now read my viwe in detai and i'm sure after reading this you will love SJ30.
MY DETAIL OPINION-
This is a real winner from Sony; it's color screen is clearly the best in the industry. Why? Sony supplies the LCD screen to palm, handspring, HP, Compaq (now HP), Toshiba, etc and of course has reserve the best screens to use in its own organizers. This is easily verified by comparing units in Best Buy, CompUSA, etc. Make no mistake, if you want a pure productivity tool; this is one of the best Palms (in this case I am using Palm to decsribe all PDAs including units that use PalmOS, Pocket PC, Psion, etc) you can get. It is very fast in all day to day usage (please ignore the 33MHz to 206MHz comparison of some Pocket PC troll; the Audiovox Maestro he mentioned may have a faster chip but when it comes to real program switching for example, it is painfully slow. Don't take my word for it either, try it out in a store for yourself. I must admit though that the 206MHz chip processes audio and video files properly and that's why listening to music or watching video is possible on a Audiovox Maestro. However, battery life is then naturally shortened and who wants to watch a 2 hour movie on a 3.5" screen?) Backl to the review; it's true that Sony has cut some corners in making this unit; the body is made of plastic but I find it of high quality and will stand up to good use. The short lenght of the unit makes using the scroll wheel a little difficult for me and I also find the scroll wheel slightly difficult stiff. However, I expect this stiffness to go away with time. The datebook, todo list, address book are simple to use for most computer illiterate; for the advanced users there exist Datebk5, Supernames shareware programs that you can install that will let you customize to your heart's content. All in all this is a great organizer. I suggest that is you want to buy it to test drive it in your local store and at leat compare it with a few other models. As of now (Sep 26,2002) the Sony T615 and T665 are still available for comparable prices so you may want to check those out too..but remember battery life in both the models are really bad.

If you compare the Dell Axim to other Pocket PCs and as well as to the entire handheld market, you will find that nothing else can top it. I bought my Axim X5 400mhz a couple of months ago and still have yet to wipe the grin off my face whenever I use it or even think of using it. Here are some things you can do if you have one:

1. Organize your life. The calendar, tasks, and email program as well as supplemental programs you can find for FREE on the Internet keep you on track whether you're a business person or a student (like me!). I have entered my class schedule into my Axim and it lists which classes and the times I have to take them every day (Pocket PC 2002 is smart enough to let you repeat items. For example, you can tell indicate that you have Roman Civilization every Tues. and Thurs. from 2:00-3:30PM from April 1st to June 10, and it will mark your calendar for you and remind you on each occurance if you'd like).

2. Entertainment. Buy a Secure Digital or Compact Flash card and you've got a working entertainment system. With the help of a program called Pocket MVP as well as the standard Pocket Windows Media Player, I have been able to listen to MP3s and watch Divx/AVI movies and trailers on my Axim. There are also many, many Pocket PC games you can buy online and many you can find for free.

3. Surf the Internet. Buy a wireless compact flash card (and you can find these for really cheap prices if you look for deals online) and find a wireless portal or use your home wireless router to do everything online that you can do on a PC. You can also download instant message programs to chat and IM with other people online.

The Axim lets you do this and more. It looks stylish and is a great toy and tool that you won't get tired of.

I forever shopped for a pocket PC. Never owned a palm, all I knew was that I wanted a color pocket PC. The price originally won me over compared against the IPAQ. However, with the advent of the HP IPAQ 1910 at [amount], the same price of the AXIM after rebate, I was torn. The IPAQ is incredibly small and light and has a slightly larger screen. However the process is half of the Dell and the battery life is not great from what I have read. I realize the Dell in larger in size, but I really had nothing to compare it to. The HP is so small that I am sure I would drop it. The HP also has less with it. For roughly the same price, the Dell is fully loaded with software, comes with a case, and includes a very slick and modern docking station. I even bought the extra battery just in case but that ended up being a waste money since battery life is so good!

I am very happy with this product as a new user. Overall design, price and performance cannot be beat. Enjoy!

This is a great pocket PC. I am not a hard core techie like my husband and I find it easy to use. It synches with outlook, which was key for me. Also, there is plenty of good software to download for it. I like Avant-go and e-wallet. The buttons are programmable so you can use your downloaded software with ease. For example, my home button now simply brings me the news. I do reccommend getting more memory if you want to store photos or video clips, etc...

I cannot understand the few comments I've heard about poor screen brightness. I compared the screen side-by-side with other makes / models and the Jornada's was by far the best. I use MS Reader and am halfway through a novel and have had no problems reading the screen for extended times.

Windows for Pocket PC 2002 is a very nice OS. Lots of functionality. Very smooth syncronization with Outlook (included). I like the Pocket versions of Word and Excel. Especially like the note function - I don't have to take paper into meetings any more.

If you use your Pocket PC at home and work (like me), you will probably want to buy a second cradle and power adapter. Battery life is good compared to other Pocket PCs, but not nearly as good as Palm units. I expect to be buying an extra standard or extended battery in coming weeks.

Although I still don't have a modem or ethernet card for mine, I like using AvantGo to get web clips during sync to my desktop. Very nice feature.

Overall very pleased. Better than a laptop / notebook computer (except for screen size).

This is a great PDA. It runs Windows 2002 Pocket PC Edition very well. I can play MP3's, use Pocket Word, and synchronize with Microsoft Outlook without a problem.

The only reason I gave it 4 out of 5 stars is that the screen scratches amazingly easy. I always keep the thing in a soft case, and it's already scratched up pretty good. I have no idea how these little blemishes got there, but it is very annoying when the light is just right and they stand out.

First, it has a built-in Type Ie Compact Flash (CF) card slot. Type Ie means Type I extended. It refers to the removable door behind the slot, allowing bulkier peripherals to plug into the slot. Cards that come in Type II that WILL NOT work include the IBM Microdrive. Also, there is no built-in Secure Digital (SD) card slot like some of the other Pocket PC 2002 PDAs. HP will be releasing an expansion sled that has an SD/MMC slot (more on expansion later). Personally, I'd rather have the CF slot over the SD slot since I use the slot primarily for memory expansion and CF cards come in larger capacities (currently up to 512MB) for less dollars.

Other features: The flip cover (it's removable) helps protect the screen when not in use. It doesn't naturally flip open to 180 degrees or flush with the back. You could force it but I wouldn't risk damage. The sides have a rubberized grip for a secure hold. There is an up/down rocker button on the thumb side (if you hold the PDA in your left hand) that is nice for one-handed scrolling. Below the rocker button is the record button which is nice for recording voice notes or for using the bundled Mobile Conversay speech recognition software. This software allows you to use a basic voice calendar as well as query the date/time, battery level, and open applications. The recognition quality is actually pretty good. The four "hot" keys (HP home menu, calendar, contacts, and tasks) can be mapped to four additional functions using a press-and-hold. For example, two of the keys can be mapped such that pressing and holding would bring up 4 volume profiles and 4 brightness profiles.

The 56x is slim and light. It is about the same size as a naked iPaq (without expansion sleeve). It feels very comfortable in hand. It's light and slim enough to be truly carried in one's cargo pants pocket without the feeling it's pulling your pants down.

The biggest advantage is the battery (rated 14 hours). Compared with the older iPaq's (36xx series), the 56x battery runs almost twice as long. The best part is that the battery is removable. So, you could carry two standard batteries for extended use. HP will also release an extended battery sled that is rated at 28 hours, according to their website. The battery slot also serves as an expansion slot. Other planned expansion choices, all due within the next 3 months, include a standard battery with a built-in SD/MMC slot and a PC card sled with battery and SD/MMC slot. There is also a backup battery that comes with the 56x for retaining your data in the event the standard battery is removed. So, you won't have to worry about losing your data if the main battery gets totally drained.

Gripes: The stylus is a cheap, flimsy plastic stylus. I would prefer they use a heavier weight stylus. The screen is smaller than the iPaq's. However, the screen is the same resolution (320x240 pixels), so images will appear tighter in the smaller screen. There has also been a big stink over dust creeping underneath the screen. So, if you view something with a dark background, you could see dust particles that make the 56x look like it has a dandruff problem. HP is aware of this problem (since so many people have complained about it) and assures that those devices made in November on will have better sealed screens. If you want to know when your 56x was manufactured, check the serial number written inside the main battery slot. The number begins with SGXYY... X is the year (1 = 2001). YY is the week of the year. So, SG144 and later devices should have the dust problem remedied. Mine has not had a dust problem, so I consider myself lucky.

Like it's Pocket PC 2002 cohorts, it sports a 206MHz StrongARM processor, 64K colors, and the full Pocket PC 2002 OS. Since PPC2002 only uses about 24MB of the 32MB ROM, there is 8MB available for storage (called HP Safe Store) on top of the 32MB/64MB RAM. This is a nice place to install essential applications you want to keep even if you have to hard reset the device or for backing up your contacts and calendar info.

Overall, this is a wonderful PDA that is very well designed. Definitely a serious competitor with the iPaq.

I got a really good deal on my III, and I'm happy I bought it. However, the Palm V would fit my (and most people's) style better due to its size. 2 meg is plenty of memory, unless your outlook contacts measure in the 5 figures and you must have 50 different applications.

Graffitti is fine once you learn it, which isn't hard. But while the recognition is light years ahead of that Apple piece of junk that I was stupid enough to buy a few years ago (I had to have something), you can't write things down on the fly and expect the system to convert to text. Although I don't have one, I believe there are digital ink applications there which allows one to scribble notes in whatever handwriting you have. As long as you can read it, that's fine.

I have no idea whether Palm compares favorably to Windows CE, but if you judge by sales, Palm runs away with it. The battery life is not what I would like, but its adequate. But if you want a shirt pocket PDA, the Palm V is the only solution.

I'll be the first to say it - I love my pilot. I take it everywhere & it has saved me driving to the office on numerous weekends. I had the Palm Professional too, and have since upgraded to the Palm III. My Palm Professional was dropped numerous times, with minimal damage. I've had my new Palm III for 3 months. I dropped it - for the first time - this morning. It fell a distance of no more than 5 inches to a tile floor and cracked the screen. When I called Support - they informed me that they could a) send out a reconditioned model that I could keep but send my own in return, or b) they would send out an empty box w/a prepaid airbill to return my device for repairs. This would cost me $100 either way. Now, I'm a reasonable person, but paying 25-30% of the original cost for a cracked screen seems a bit high. Seeing as they are the only folks able to repair these things, it looks more like a nice after market than anything else. The support rep mentioned that 60-70% of their calls are for cracked screens. Pilot should re-evaluate the amount of money they charge for repairs of this type - especially if they are so numerous. I haven't decided whether I want to go ahead and spend the money to have it repaired or put that $100 toward another PDA - from another manufacturer. Its a great tool - and if you buy it you'll love it. But be prepared to never, EVER drop it. ;-)

I have been having my PALM II for more or less 1 year and am very happy with it. The handling of directions, appointments, alarms, to-do's, cocktails, even TV-shows is excellent.
The memory capacity is something limiting when you begin to use 3rd-apps (Irda Remote Control emulation, DocuemntsToGo,etc). The back-light is very shining, and its consumption of batteries (alkalines) is fair (1 pair every month).
I bought this one from a friend that boght it from another friend. i'm the 3d owner, but even so, keeps totally useful, no scratchs and good-looking.
It's some heavy and big (it's not a ZIRE!) but for the beginner that wants to wipe out all the papers and the phone book, it's perfect!
A point important to consider is the size of the screen, in my opnion, is a bit greater than the rest, so the fonts appear more clear and you read them easier.
And finally, the price: It's an old model (it's a Classic!) therefore if you can get one of this, just do it!, it's very cheap for their services.
Come to the Palm world = )