PDA Reviews

The iPaq's been out since June and I happened to be one of the first on hand when CompUsa had it on the shelf so I eagerly snatched it up. I can use the USB at home but I also needed the serial cradles for NT at work. Yet here it is October and the serial port still isn't available! Three months and all I've got is a $500 digital grocery list. And what's with CE ver 3? No close button on the applications! I don't even use it now, what a waste of money. Should've been smart and returned it within 14 days. I still drool over the display of accessories for every other hand held out there...

While it is a bummer that Compaq does not have any serial cradles available yet for NT4.0 users who don't have USB support, I bought a serial cable and it works just fine. I had no trouble getting it to synchronize with my workstation running Windows NT, although it's slower than USB, I guess. You can get the cable right here from Amazon.

I have iPAQ and Windows NT 4 at work and the workaround is to email to my home Windows 98 machine (that supports the iPAQ USB connection) items I wish to download - It works fantastic until I get my hands on a serial connection. I downloaded all my contact information directly via infrared from old Casio Windows CE device - if you have Palm (or PocketPC) get PEACEMAKER software to communication with CE (or Palm) devices.

The missing driver that makes this piece of work, well, work on Mac OS X 10.2.+ can be found here:
http://www.sakarhelp.com/support/select.php?step=3&category_id=2&subcategory_id=8&product_id=60446

This adapter works pretty much like every other serial-to-USB device,the driver installs a new COM port that works through the USB bus. You just plug the cable from the cradle into the iConcepts USB Adapter and then plug the USB adapter into a USB port on your computer. You'll have to reconfigure Hot Sync to use the new COM port after installation, but other than that, installation was easy and the device is transparent to the user. I am really satisfied with this product and I have purchased 2 of them and been using it for over a month now with no problems, It works on my MAC and also works with Windows XP, I got the XP Drivers from the fellow over at iConcepts whom was very helpful. There Phone# is 800 637 1090 and ask for customer service(very informative) I'm really not sure why reviewers of other similar devices are so upset that they all work this way, given that the Palm must connect via a serial port.

Switching over to Mac OS X (10.2) from OS 9 was fearful because I thought there was no GPS supported mapping application in OS X.

Well, to my complete surprise, with the eTrex GPS connected to the iConcepts USB-Serial adapter, Street Atlas 6.0 running in Classic mode found the GPS and is more stable than in OS 9.2.2!
I am not sure which driver is being used - the native OS X driver or the OS 9 Extension - I am guessing it is the OS X (10.2) native driver since I have extensions turned off for Classic.

The adapter is smaller in profile than others and is much cheaper - so buy a couple.

Shortly after I purchased this keyboard I installed it and used it briefly. The next time I tried to use it it failed to work, and when I try to use the "keyboard.exe" to initialize it fails to recognize it and it generates an error. When it worked it was too small for normal typing but a lot better than the on-screen keyboard. I can't even remove the drivers for it.

The keyboard was a dissapointment. The iPAQ PDA fits the keyboard but not with an expansion pack installed so it can't be used with accessories like a modem or network adapter. It can't be used for email in a hotel room. I had to take it back.

not bad, although not for touch typists. Biggest failing is inability to connect ipaq with expansion sleeve connected, as per other reviewer. Just has to go back to the store for that reason. I thought I might be able to 'adjust' it, but nothing doing.... Shame really 'cause for the price against the Targus, it could be a great alternative

This appeared to be an ideal convertor tool from smart media to CF. However, having purchased one, I find from consultation with Pretec that it is limited to a max of 32Mb smart media card - hardly sufficient for many peoples needs today. In addition this is not mentioned on the Amazon description - in fact the implication is that it can support 64Mb cards.

A product I wish I had not bought!

Wish I'd read the other reviews.

This is a nice device as long as you only have 32mb or smaller SmartMedia cards. It won't read anything larger. I had hoped to use it with 64mb cards (perfect size to hold a CD worth of MPEGs on), but no luck. Don't believe the technical data provided by Amazon on this one. Pretec says in big red letters that 32mb is the largest card it's been able to translate so far. They'll get there someday, hopefully soon.

With some of the negative reviews, I thought I'd add one for the positive. It works just fine. I'm using a 32M Smartmedia card from my digital camera. I can easily view images taken with my digital camera as well as using the Smartmedia for extra storage. The form factor isn't a big deal to me. So what if it sticks out an inch or so. If you want smaller, then go buy compactflash and sacrifice the ability to swap media. The only real negative was the lack of documentation.

first, the salesperson told me it will work with my new ipaq 2215 running pocket PC2003, so i gave it a try. but i should have read these amazon comments before i do this!

Guess what, no, it doesn't work. it only work immediately after a soft reset, and only under its special "keyboard setting" screen, not in word documents, notes, emails, not anywhere else. then, after i ran some other programs, it just stop working altogether.

okay, maybe it works fine for ipaq 3800/3900, but get this: i tried to go to their website for update drivers for the new OS. Their website: ... (a taiwanese company) is no longer in service! So, even if I had a 3800/3900, i'll think twice before getting this product.

This is not worth your time or money. The keyboard is horrible, the installation instructions impossible to understand, the setup procedure does not work well. I purchased two of these, returned one immediately and found the other defective. ...

This product is worthless. I returned it as soon as I saw how the product was designed. Everything about this product is poor; from keys that are difficult to press, to a space bar that is split, to the hinge in the middle of the keyboard that acts like a barrier to fingers that might try to cross it. Save the frustration.

This product doesn't work with Apple OS X 10.1.
Amazon and Belkin's manual say it needs Mac OS 8.6 and above.
On the back of package say Mac OS 8.6 - 9.x
I tried to find a drive for OS X on Belkin's web site, but none is available.
I am returning the product.

I could not even get the Targus drivers to install on my Windows XP Home Laptop--had to return product because it did not work.

Belkin has beta drivers for Mac OS X 10.1 and 10.2 at http://www.belkin.com/beta/#1 ... I think the trick (stupid though it is) is to disable HotSync in the HotSync Manager and then re-enable it, after having selected the USB seria port as the desired connection. From what I've seen, you don't even need to quit HotSync Manager between disabling and re-enabling the HotSync.

I had a Handspring Visor with the Handspring billfold case for 2 years. It was an awesome combination. The Treo 90 Leather flip case is about next to useless. It barely holds anything (2 credit cards, 4 if you really want to cram them in, a few business cards and 2 dollars bills if you fold them up real small) and it about triples the thickness of the Treo. The billfold case for the Visor did the same thing but it would at least hold 9+ credit cards and a bunch of cash and papers in the money section. The Treo 90 Leather Flip Case is not worth it. The problem is, there really isn't anything else available as of this date (10/2002) that can used as an alternative.

The wallet adds girth to the handheld, which takes away from the best feature of the treo 90 - its puny size. It's a good case to store the handheld in for a backpack, or a briefcase, and it has spaces for credit cards and memory cards, but you have to remove the protective cover to use the wallet. The buttons, which are usually protected from being pressed, are not protected in this wallet. The flap folds down over the screen, but it's not a great design. I own this and also the sports case and I usually only use the sportscase. Althought the sportscase is too large to keep it housed in and fit into your frontpocket, I just carry around my Treo90 out of its case as it's so small anyway and is protected by its cover window. When I return it to my backpack, I keep it in the sportscase. I wouldn't recommend this wallet.

I bought this product regardless of the poor reviews it received. I have not had any problems with the case fitting. My treo 90 fits snugly in the carrier and snaps easily. You can shake it or whatever and it stays in place. The plastic cover must be removed before using it in the leather case, but the cover isn't necessary once the treo is in the leather case. I'm not sure if Handspring has improved the case since the other reviewers bought one, but I did not experience any of the same problems they had. I highly recommend this product to anyone who wants to protect their treo 90 with a compact, high quality case.

I received the 00R model last year and while it's a very cheap PDA, you get what you pay for. Royal barely supports their PDAs at all, not having released any OS or link upgrades in over a year, the things fall a part on you (my cover especially) and worst of all, despite what it says on the box, you can't install new software on it. There's no way!

My advice, shell out 20 bucks more and get a real PDA, not this over-priced organizer.

What a mess. Subject to breakdowns, can't use all the memory claimed in any reasonable way, no applications, no expectation of any applications, tiny individual note storage space of a few characters(no warning at limit), unbelievably poor support, long litany of complaints on Web bulletin boards (...), flimsy, faulty, embarassing product that is not of a quality that should be sold to the public.

Initially, I really enjoyed using my DV3. But I didn't get the keyboard, and it was difficult suffering through the hunt-and-peck method of touch-screen writing. Although I wasn't unhappy with this product, it ended up dying out on me one day. I had only used it about 3-4 weeks before the PDA died and lost ALL my information -- there was no low-battery warning or anything of the sort, because if there were I would have changed batteries and not have had to throw it in the back of my drawer, where it still sits today.

I liked the PC version, but the handheld version is expensive, hard to use and not that much value. When compared to MS Streets and Maps it is not even in the same league. The Bluetooth feature is problematic and the tech support is poor. In both versions there seems to be a bug that introduces a position error of about 200 feet. This seems to be problem for both the hand held and PC editions. If this keeps up I expect DeLorme to be out of business within 2 years. Too bad---It has the potential to be world class.

Xmap version 1.3 keeps causing 'Fatal Errors' and 'Memory Chunk' errors on my m125 running PalmOS 4.0.1. Delorme states this may happen with routes but I'm only using it to see their 'Sample' map that came with the product. I loaded their downloadable fixed version 1.4 but it has the same result.
I live in the Dallas, Texas area and would like a map of Dallas and Fort Worth. Unfortunately, the program locks up my computer every time I try to create a map of that area. I then followed the procedure Delorme recommends to prevent so called 'other background software' from halting their product. Guess what? That procedure made no difference. The program usually locks up at more than 50% of creating the map. Once it got all the way to 84% before it halted. At that time, the file was well over 9 MB!!! I'm not sure I need THAT much data. I just want the streets. Rand McNally's Streetfinder does this same area in about 2MB but it has MAJOR DEFECTS also and I definitely don't recommend it (see my other review).
I have been using Mapopolis with some maps I downloaded a couple of years ago, but the price now is a little prohibitive since I need maps for spur of the moment travel somewhat infrequently and don't always have time or access to the web to download them. I can't afford to download maps for all places I MIGHT go. Mapopolis works perfectly, even with memory cards, and I recommend it if you can afford the maps. I guess I will continue to use my laptop until something better comes along. I write software. It is a shame I don't know more about map databases so I could develop my own program and tell these guys where to go.

This program is awesome!!! You install the software on your PC and choose how much you want to sync to your PDA. You can sync detailed maps or just highways and interstates. My wife works at a flower shop and sometimes delivers. Type in the address and it will take you their.
Syncing the the maps can be a little difficult the first time but I didn't even need to look at the instructions. I highly recomend this product.

I unfortunately purchased the Delorme USA 2004 Handheld Street Atlas. I can't believe Delorme would release such a third rate product.

What is good. The maps are ok, some pretty good POI, but I found them to not be placed correctly on the maps, in some cases up to a mile off.

What is bad. Quite a bit. The maps are slow to load, you can't re-calculate a route if you take a wrong turn (which makes the program pretty much completely worthless), Locations can't be saved on the PDA, so you need to re-type them every time you want to make a route, the app does not take advantage of the Clie long screen. Street level detail is lacking when zoomed in at the lowest level - simple things like street names. When traveling, the cursor that indicates your location is usually off - this once again depends on finding the correct zoom level.

Door to Door directions is a bit misleading if you ask me. Searching is horrendous. It does not allow for saved searches, so once again, you need to type stuff over again and again.

I hope the 30 day guarantee still applies. I wish I read these reviews before I bought this.

I'm returning this product. I couldn't get out the starting gate because of poor documentation. It was very unclear how to transfer maps from a PC to a Palm T3 SD Card. Other reviewers point out that you can't do address lookups on the PDA which limits the usefullness of this package. I was planning to use this software with Delorme's Earthmate GPS receiver. I'm now looking at the TomTom T3 GPS offering instead.

This is the second mapping software I bought. The first one is Pharos GPS for pocket pc, it was a waste of money, very hard to use and the map disappears on its own. This one is not much better either. I'm returning it.