You CAN Afford a PDA!
Sep 28 '00 (Updated Dec 23 '00)
I am fortunate enough to have access to many PDAs and other electronic gadgets and assist in the training of salespeople in the finer points of each item so they can better assist their customers (not to mention increase their commissions!)
My profile page will have links to my reviews for most of the PDAs currently on the market. In addition, if you go to the PDA section in the Computer and Internet area there are many, many PDA reviews by lots of fine writers here at Epinions. As the reviews carry the writers opinions, I encourage you to read a half dozen or more reviews by different writers on each PDA that you are considering for purchase. This will give you a more well rounded feeling for each as different PDA features are more important to one reviewer than to another.
First of all, you aren’t necessarily stuck with junk when you purchase a lower priced PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). PDA’s generally run from $100 to $600. What you are generally sacrificing by buying in the $100 to $300 range are:
1) A Color Screen. Color adds roughly $200 to the price. While the color screen looks prettier it does nothing to assist you in organizing your life with a PDA. If you are willing to accept a monochrome screen (most PDAs sold have monochrome screens) you’ve already made a decision that will allow most people to afford a decent unit. Granted, a color television looks nicer than a black & white one but a television’s primary job is entertainment. A PDA's job is, first and foremost, to assist you in organizing your life. A color screen is an unnecessary luxury that you can easily live without.
2) A Fancier Case and Smaller Unit. The only differences between the Palm IIIxe at $250 and the Palm Vx at $400, for instance, are the smaller size, prettier case, rechargeable battery (vs. disposable in the IIIxe) and $150. Easy sacrifices when price is an issue.
3) “Doo-dads” Do you really need MP3 and video players built into your PDA when all you need is a scheduler and address book? With a color screen and options like these you can easily pay $600.
4) Upgradeability. This and the next item are the two I suggest that you DO spend the money on if at all possible. You don’t want to buy a PDA and then a few months later find that the OS (Operating System) has been updated making you feel left behind or without a valuable feature or two. Always ask about this before buying. Better yet, go to the manufacturer's web site and look under the specifications section.
5) Memory. For the most part, in the Palm line you get either 2MB or 8MB of memory in the units still being actively marketed. (The Palm IIIx has 4MB which is a nice compromise but otherwise uncommon) In the Pocket PC OS PDAs you generally get 16MB or 32MB but the memory on these (in my experience) is not as efficient as the smaller MB Palms.
Buy as much memory as you can afford. You may find yourself using this more than you think and adding numerous programs that slurp up memory. Frankly, 4MB is plenty but 2MB is a little skimpy.
I can’t give you a mini review of each PDA here. What I can do is make my recommendations below and then suggest that you read my full reviews (go to my profile page) and the reviews of at least several other writers. As I noted above, these are opinions and it’s important to read differing viewpoints. I will tell you up front that my personal bias is toward the Palm OS but feel the hardware on some of the Pocket PCs is far superior to any that’s wrapped around any of the Palms.
Be wary of anyone who tells you that “all others are garbage” or some such language. I haven’t found a really bad PDA yet and I’ve used dozens. The question is what is suitable for your needs while keeping to your budget.
Next, you’ll want to visit the manufacturer’s web sites. While these are glossy and marketing oriented they will give you all the hard and fast specifications.
Here’s what I suggest you consider in order of preference using $275 as the maximum price:
1) Palm IIIxe, $250, 8MB, Palm OS – you can’t go wrong.
2) Handspring Visor Deluxe, $250, Palm OS
3) Palm IIIe, $150, Palm OS
4) Handspring Visor, $150, Palm OS
5) Palm m100, $150, Palm OS
6) Compaq Aero 1550, $275 Pocket PC OS
7) Royal daVinci Organizer, $100, daVinci OS
If you can find room in your budget Consider the Palm V or Vx, or the Compaq iPaq H3650.
Good luck in your PDA hunt! If you have any questions, please email me – I’d be happy to help.
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Epinions.com ID:
RichBoston
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Member: Rich
Location: Boston, MA
Reviews written: 92
Trusted by: 134 members
About Me:
I live for the latest gizmos and doo-dads!
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