PDA Reviews

I wanted a case which didn't involve either velcro or animal skin, so this seemed like a good option. however, it's very difficult to open the first week or so of use, after which it starts to loosen up to the point that it opens when you don't want it to. it's thin and light, yes-but be careful; it's so thin that I actually nearly cut myself on the edges a couple times. I'm seriously thinking of taking mine back and shelling out the extra [money] for the palm brand one.

I bought the RhinoSkin Aluminum Slider Hardcase to protect
my Visor Pro. The sturdy aluminum construction is rather
attractive and does protect the PDA exceptionally well, but
at number of disadvantages. First, it is boxy and does not
fit comfortably into pants pockets. So, if you buy this case
expect to keep it in a larger coat pocket or to carry it by
hand. Second, the slider emits a rather annoying squeaking
sound which I can only liken to fingernails on a chalk
board. Third, it is not comfortable to use the PDA while still in
the case. I just remove it from the case when I want to use
it for extended periods of time. Finally, when it arrived
case the edges on the metal where sharp and required a
polishing with a Drummel tool to get to a point where I
would not fear cutting myself or ripping pockets on the
corners of the box. I paid (price) for this? Well... besides
its cost and having to polish the edges before using it, its
really not that bad and YES it really does protect the PDA
exceptionally well. I've mistakenly dropped it now three
times since I've bought it(once from a height of over 5
feet) and no damage. So, in a sense maybe it is worth the
cost given that buying a new Visor Pro would be much more
expensive. I just wish someone would make a more functional
metal case for a PDA this size.

The new molded case for m500 just came out from rhinoskin, which has a nicer design and less bulky appearance. I couldn't wait so I bought the slider a month ago and overall it's been a good case. It passed the drop test once on a ceramic floor, so I feel somewhat qualified to write a review. The advantage of the slider is that you can fold the cover back 360 degrees, it makes a noise but it's not exceedingly annoying. The palm rests in the slider a little less snug than preferred, but it stays intact and it's very easy to disengage the palm from the case to hotsync. The aluminum cover scratches easily if you put keys in the same pocket. Big minuses are its bulk, looks and price tag, but I bought it for the peace of mind.

I wanted a case which didn't involve either velcro or animal skin, so this seemed like a good option. however, it's very difficult to open the first week or so of use, after which it starts to loosen up to the point that it opens when you don't want it to. it's thin and light, yes-but be careful; it's so thin that I actually nearly cut myself on the edges a couple times. I'm seriously thinking of taking mine back and shelling out the extra [money] for the palm brand one.

I bought the RhinoSkin Aluminum Slider Hardcase to protect
my Visor Pro. The sturdy aluminum construction is rather
attractive and does protect the PDA exceptionally well, but
at number of disadvantages. First, it is boxy and does not
fit comfortably into pants pockets. So, if you buy this case
expect to keep it in a larger coat pocket or to carry it by
hand. Second, the slider emits a rather annoying squeaking
sound which I can only liken to fingernails on a chalk
board. Third, it is not comfortable to use the PDA while still in
the case. I just remove it from the case when I want to use
it for extended periods of time. Finally, when it arrived
case the edges on the metal where sharp and required a
polishing with a Drummel tool to get to a point where I
would not fear cutting myself or ripping pockets on the
corners of the box. I paid (price) for this? Well... besides
its cost and having to polish the edges before using it, its
really not that bad and YES it really does protect the PDA
exceptionally well. I've mistakenly dropped it now three
times since I've bought it(once from a height of over 5
feet) and no damage. So, in a sense maybe it is worth the
cost given that buying a new Visor Pro would be much more
expensive. I just wish someone would make a more functional
metal case for a PDA this size.

The new molded case for m500 just came out from rhinoskin, which has a nicer design and less bulky appearance. I couldn't wait so I bought the slider a month ago and overall it's been a good case. It passed the drop test once on a ceramic floor, so I feel somewhat qualified to write a review. The advantage of the slider is that you can fold the cover back 360 degrees, it makes a noise but it's not exceedingly annoying. The palm rests in the slider a little less snug than preferred, but it stays intact and it's very easy to disengage the palm from the case to hotsync. The aluminum cover scratches easily if you put keys in the same pocket. Big minuses are its bulk, looks and price tag, but I bought it for the peace of mind.

I compare my experience with the one of my co-worker with a Pharos PK012 Pocket GPS Navigator Kit for iPAQ.

The Pharos seems to be faster with the position update. The Pharos cannot work with batteries and comes with a cigarette lighter adapter. If you want to use your GPS outdoors or on a motorcycle the Magellan for Palm will have a little advantage. Otherwise the Pharos has an advantage.

I agree with many about the software from Rand McNally. I just don't like it. Even comparing it with the "no brand name" Ostia software, included with the Pharos, the Rand McNally immediately looks slower, harder to use and with way less features.
With Ostia you can invert the route, select origin and destination from your contacts, recalculate a route on the fly!
With the Rand McNally you have to prepare the route from your PC. The Ostia had a better way to display map and directions at the same time too (different ways to split the screen). Maps looks more readable on the Ostia.

I noticed that using the Rand McNally software and relative maps from the internal memory produced better results than software and maps on SD card. I will pretty soon try to have software on internal memory and maps on SD card.
My SD card is a Lexar 256Mb: does anybody know if maps will perform better on an original Palm SD card?

I also did the mistake of syncing and opening on the Palm a bigger map of metro Philly and got stuck 10 minutes to wait the high level map to load... and I did not sync any POI (point of interest)!!!!

The StreetFinder software tends to have a problem when you have a large SD card attached (512MB - Even without map on it!) When you select the changing map option, the StreetFinder goes into la, la land (I only waited 5 min & soft reset). But if you pop out the SD card it will function normal again.

I'll try a 128MB card with 60x write speed. Probably not going to make much difference. Anyone knows a work around on this?

With the right software, (Quo Vadis, Fugawi, GeoNiche) this item works great.

Rand McNally software works fine for directions on a PC, but the maps are too large and clunky when downloaded to the palm. Built-in GPS tools are very limited in the software as well.

Really like how versitile my Palm515 has become.

For 80 bucks (plus other software) you can have a pretty good GPS.

Don't drop it though.

I have been using it for 6 months and it works fine. It is the first pen I ever bought for which I had to read instructions, though... I couldn't figure out how it worked on my own, so after 1 minute, I quit and salvaged the package from the trash can... But once you know it's easy, and pretty reliable.
The only inconvenient thing about a 4 in 1 combo pen with stylus is that you have to make sure you do not forget to put it in the stylus mode after using the black or red ink, or you will scratch the display of your PDA. It happened to me a few times...

I purchased this pen for my PDA. It is fantastic! It comes with four different settings, a black pen, mechanical pencil, stylus and red pen. Anything and everything you'll need for your PDA. It also has an eraser under the cap. I have had no problems. It's the perfect combination. Highly reccommended for those who use more than one pen.

I have just bought this pen,stylus and pencil and I REALY
like it . The writng is so smooth and very reliable.The way it function is raely intresting and very easy.The metal touch gives it a realy professional look and style
I would recommened this one for every one with a PDA and need a pen and pencil Plus Astylus

KEYBOARD DOES NOT WORK WITH MAC 0S 9.2.2 AND BOTH WEBSITES THAT SUPPOSEDLY PROVIDE DRIVER FOR KEYBOARD ARE HORRIBLE. SO NO SUPPORT. I WASTED 37 DOLLARS FOR NOTHING. ICONCEPTS CEO MUST BE HAPPY.

Very disappointed in this product. I have a Palm M130. The keyboard works, but you have to type very slowly and press the keys hard. Basically you can only type with one finger. I had in the past the Targus keyboard for a different Palm model, and although bulkier, it worked great compared to this. Since this is one of the cheapest portable keyboard, I'm reminded of the saying, "you get what you pay for".

I love the keyboard and the ease of use.
One flaw is that you can not find the software support that is needed. My disk was broken and I can not find the software to download.

I bought mine in Jan. 2004 at $300 Canadian.The protective cover on mine wouldn't stay on. Kept coming off in my pocket. 3 months later the Clie fell to the floor and sustained a small crack in the touch screen. End of Clie
Cost of repair would of been $200 Canadian.
I maintain if the protective cover stayed on as supposed to, it probably wouldn't have broken.
Sony didn't support their product. End of Sony in my future.

(...)
Sony seems to pump out Palm-based PDAs as if its factory is about to be taken away by some off-world daemon and its contents vapourised. Hardly a month goes by without a new device appearing; recently we've had the ultra high-end PEG UX50, this rather more sedate entry-level machine and a less well-specified variant on this review model, the PEG TJ25.

Sony has come up with yet another new hardware design for the Clié PEG TJ35, the key feature of which is a roller positioned underneath the screen. This is the vertical movement interface, and to its left and right are tiny buttons which are used for movement across the horizontal plane.

It is a bit fiddly, but it is all you get, as Sony has abandoned its jog-dial wheel this time around. Instead of having said wheel on the left edge of the casing there are hooks for a removable flip-over screen protector, which is surprisingly robust.

The right edge of the casing has a dual-function 'Power and Hold' button. The 'Hold' feature is useful, as this PDA is supplied with Palm's own audio player. The 'Hold' function means that when listening to music with the Clié in a bag or pocket you aren't going to accidentally tap the screen and do goodness knows what to the data and files stored on the device.

There is 32MB of RAM but only 23MB of that is available to the user for applications and software; the rest is set aside for some of the army of free applications Sony pre-installs to complement what comes as part of Palm OS 5.2.

These include CLIE Launcher (a replacement for the usual Palm application launcher), CLIE Viewer (digital image viewer), CLIE Files (file manager), CLIE Memo (write notes to the screen), the Picsel Viewer (read documents in various format), and Decuma (for handwriting recognition). If you want more storage space - for example, for music files - you will need to invest in Memory Sticks, as this is Sony's memory format of choice.

The processor is not one we have come across before, an i.MXL from Motorola. We found it coped with the demands we placed on it without breaking down. The battery did irritate us a little though. We ran a benchamarking tool at both its Full Power and its Normal Use settings. In the former case we got nearly two and a half hours from the battery, in the latter four hours ten minutes. Heavy audio-visual users might want to consider a machine with more stored 'oomph.'

The Clié PEG TJ35 is both relatively small (110 x 75 x 12 mm) and light (140g) which means it is easy to carry around, and its 320 x 320 pixel screen delivers the goods nicely. You don't get a docking cradle - instead a cable does the job of synchronising and charging.

Verdict: Sony's Clié PEG TJ35 is a likeable PDA if you are nimble-fingered enough to cope with the navigator wheel, and the large bundle of software Sony supplies make it an appealing choice for those looking for a versatile 'out of the box' experience. This is a busy price-point, though, so be aware that there may be other PDAs that meet your needs for the same amount of cash.

I've had the TJ35 for almost a month, and it has been mostly outstanding (I used a Palm Vx before). Although I didn't have the backlight problem-- yet-- my unit is one of the ones on recall by Sony to have the flaw fixed, so it is about to be sent to Sony (using a prepaid fedex mailer they sent me when I signed in on the backlight problem website). The unit is very convenient. The size is right for a shirtpocket, Graffiti2 is easy once you know how -- it's OK to take 2 strokes to make t's and k's because you don't have to shift up to make capitals anymore. Decuma is not really that helpful-- the learning curve isn't worth the effort and I don't use it. The only problems I have noticed have been: (1) The Intellisync software that comes with it for syncing with Outlook refused to install properly, but I didn't mind that because I use Chapura's KeySuite instead (and it works fine); and (2) on rare occasions, HotSync doesn't work without rebooting my laptop. I use WinXP, but the laptop is normally connected to a port replicator and the Clie cradle is connected to a USB port on the port replicator. Sony's literature says this can be a problem with HotSync (i.e., that you should connect directly to the root USB port), but I had noticed no difficulty until the past couple of days. The display is easy to see (especially compared to the "old" Palm Vx). All in all, if the backlight problem is a thing of the past, and the HotSync issue doesn't recur much, it's a nice little unit.

When I got the case I thought it was a poor design that the snap would repeatedly drag over the top of the IR port. Then one day while putting the Ipaq in, the clip just broke off entirely! An extremely disappointing product.

This case is just a tiny step up from the simple black sleeve that comes with the iPaq. I might even end up going back to the old sleeve, because it's slimmer.
The case has a hole in the clip where you're supposed to be able to attach the USB cable, but the cable head doesn't fit so it's always coming out. So to synch the iPaq with my PC, I have to remove it from its case.
The case looks cool, but that's about all it does. I'm wishing I'd gone for the leather case, and I don't recommend this one.

This case is way too small for anything. It will only hold your 'naked' iPAQ, and maybe a credit card or two. Is useless if you have any expansion packs. Would not buy again, but if I had to, I would go straight to Compaq, and get it for less.

When I got the case I thought it was a poor design that the snap would repeatedly drag over the top of the IR port. Then one day while putting the Ipaq in, the clip just broke off entirely! An extremely disappointing product.

This case is just a tiny step up from the simple black sleeve that comes with the iPaq. I might even end up going back to the old sleeve, because it's slimmer.
The case has a hole in the clip where you're supposed to be able to attach the USB cable, but the cable head doesn't fit so it's always coming out. So to synch the iPaq with my PC, I have to remove it from its case.
The case looks cool, but that's about all it does. I'm wishing I'd gone for the leather case, and I don't recommend this one.

This case is way too small for anything. It will only hold your 'naked' iPAQ, and maybe a credit card or two. Is useless if you have any expansion packs. Would not buy again, but if I had to, I would go straight to Compaq, and get it for less.

When I got the case I thought it was a poor design that the snap would repeatedly drag over the top of the IR port. Then one day while putting the Ipaq in, the clip just broke off entirely! An extremely disappointing product.

This case is just a tiny step up from the simple black sleeve that comes with the iPaq. I might even end up going back to the old sleeve, because it's slimmer.
The case has a hole in the clip where you're supposed to be able to attach the USB cable, but the cable head doesn't fit so it's always coming out. So to synch the iPaq with my PC, I have to remove it from its case.
The case looks cool, but that's about all it does. I'm wishing I'd gone for the leather case, and I don't recommend this one.

This case is way too small for anything. It will only hold your 'naked' iPAQ, and maybe a credit card or two. Is useless if you have any expansion packs. Would not buy again, but if I had to, I would go straight to Compaq, and get it for less.

When I got the case I thought it was a poor design that the snap would repeatedly drag over the top of the IR port. Then one day while putting the Ipaq in, the clip just broke off entirely! An extremely disappointing product.

This case is just a tiny step up from the simple black sleeve that comes with the iPaq. I might even end up going back to the old sleeve, because it's slimmer.
The case has a hole in the clip where you're supposed to be able to attach the USB cable, but the cable head doesn't fit so it's always coming out. So to synch the iPaq with my PC, I have to remove it from its case.
The case looks cool, but that's about all it does. I'm wishing I'd gone for the leather case, and I don't recommend this one.

This case is way too small for anything. It will only hold your 'naked' iPAQ, and maybe a credit card or two. Is useless if you have any expansion packs. Would not buy again, but if I had to, I would go straight to Compaq, and get it for less.