iPAQ has new competition
Written: Sep 21 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: TFT 65536 color display, USB, nice case
Cons: Too large for a pocket, limited expansion with MMC cards
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| bitbank's Full Review: Casio Cassiopeia EM-500 Pocket PC |
I am a software developer and wrote the PacMan emulator for Microsoft's PocketPC release in April. Being a software developer working with Microsoft, I have owned and/or tested every HPC/PPC/PocketPC device and so far, the Compaq iPAQ and the EM500 are tied for my favorite PDAs.
It does not score a perfect 10 on all points, but overall it is a great PocketPC. Let's not bring the Windows CE operating system into this opinion since I am aiming to compare this hardware with similar functioning devices. Currently available devices to directly compare with the EM-500 are:
1) Casio E115
2) HP Jornada 54X
3) Compaq Aero 21xx
4) Compaq Aero 15xx
5) Compaq iPAQ (H3600)
The characteristics most important to me about the hardware are the following:
1) Size/Weight
2) Display readability and responsiveness
3) Battery Life
4) Buttons
5) PC Interface
6) Speed
The size/weight of EM-500 is similar to the HP Jornada, but not as slim nor light as the Compaq iPAQ or Aero 1550. Overall it feels good in the hand - the texture and shape are appealing. The EM500 is basically the same size as the E115, but is a few mm slimmer and a bit lighter. It almost fits comfortably in a shirt pocket, but is just a little too big.
There is a debate now as to whether the display of the iPAQ is superior or inferior to that of the Casio E115/EM-500. In a way it is both superior and inferior at the same time. The iPAQ uses a TFT (active matrix) reflective display with side lighting. This allows it to be used indoors and in direct sunlight. The EM500 uses a backlit TFT lcd with 65536 colors. I prefer the look of the EM500/E115 display. Rich, bright colors and fast response times. I use it mostly indoors, so having a reflective display is not a priority.
The EM500 comes with a replaceable Li-Ion battery pack that can supposedly go for up to 6 hours. I've had about that time on it, but one night it seemed to die much quicker. It may be because I was docked and that drains the battery faster.
The EM500 uses a new type of memory expansion port called a "MultiMediaCard" or MMC. This is similar to CompactFlash, but smaller and uses less power. There are not many options for this interface at the moment besides memory, but I'm confident we will see Ethernet and Modem cards available in the near future. There is also a question as to whether or not this supports the new SDMMC (secure cards). I can't answer that, but people on the net are speculating that it does because of the 9 pin connector versus 7 for a plain MMC card. If you have lots of CompactFlash cards and need a unit which supports them, then you should probably opt for the E125 (a faster version of the E115 + USB).
The button layout of the EM500 is intelligent and includes a 'game-pad' with 4-directions and 3 app buttons nearby. This is very similar to the Casio E115 and superior to the other devices. The 'action' on the gamepad is a little better than the E115 and much better than the iPAQ. The buttons were designed properly for gaming so that multiple buttons can be pressed simultaneously and detected. There is a scroll wheel on the side which is great for reading books/text and is sorely missing on the iPAQ. For some reason, the "windows menu" button has been removed (compared to the E115).
The EM500 comes standard with a USB cable. The data transfer rate is faster than a RS232 interface, but does not appear to run at the USB max rate. The iPAQ's USB interface is measurably faster than the EM500, but the EM500 does a reasonable job. There is an optional RS232 cable and you can also use the E1XX cradle since the connector on the bottom of the EM500 is the same as that on the E115.
The CPU in the EM500 runs at 150Mhz and is an improvement over the E115, but does not approach the speed of the iPAQ. Casio also sped up the memory bus, so programs do run measurably quicker on the EM500 compared to the E115 (maybe 20-30%), but it is no speed demon. Unfortunately Casio only put 16MB of RAM in the EM500 which may limit its usefullness. Apparently there are 32MB versions sold in other parts of the world so it is likely that Casio will release a "EM505" version here in the near future.
Overall the EM500 is a great PDA because of its beautiful display, size, weight, removeable battery, speed, USB interface and case. If you have to choose between the iPAQ and the EM500 you will need to think very carefully about what features are important in a PDA. I am very picky about the display; I think the EM500's display looks nicer than the iPAQ's. Also, I use the PocketPC's for game development, so the buttons on the EM500 are much better than the iPAQ.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
bitbank
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Member: Larry Bank
Location: Coral Springs, Florida
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 9 members
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