not bad, but some problems
Written: Jul 09 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: modern, color, easy to use
Cons: i've been having minor problems...
The Bottom Line: The EM-500 is great! Although I'm having slight problems with mine, I'm sure there is a common sense explanation.
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| blacksheep's Full Review: Casio Cassiopeia EM-500 Pocket PC |
I actually received a Casio EM-500 under special conditions, and it's surpassed my expectations. I had a Compaq, but the plastic of the push-pin battery compartment opening mechanism broke, and the battery compartment would no longer close. Noticing that my wisely purchased two year store warranty was about to run out, I brought my Compaq back to the store. Unfortunately, the only PDAs on display used the Palm operating system, which I was not comfortable with. The store's staff, trying to please me (the valued customer), found an unopened EM500 in the back room. They offered it to me as an exchange, although my Compaq had cost half as much! I was really lucky.
The reason I told this story was to illustrate the fact that, no matter what the new device does, I am be pretty happy to have gotten it more or less for nothing.
I am very pleased with the unit itself. It is a lot thicker than my Compaq was, but has features that the latter lacked, namely color and light. (My Compaq display was more like a calculator screen, whereas this is more like a computer screen).
The programs that come with the device are great; it is easy to find others on the web or obtain a free software CD from Microsoft. I especially love Microsoft Reader, which I use to read novels. Due to the great design, it is no problem to read with one hand on the bus or train!
I have, however, had small problems. One is that the device freezes relatively often. For example, sometimes I will open a reader document, and the machine never stops working. I have also had battery problems. At first, I think I was not aware that my permanent battery was out, perhaps due to being on the shelf for a while. For some reason, I had confused the two kinds of battery, and thought that the shortage shown was of the rechargeable battery. So, I kept losing all of my memory.
Then, I figured out my problem, but somehow still kept losing power when I least expected it. I'm still not positive what's wrong. When I put my device in my bag, the batteries are full - but when I'm ready to use it, it won't turn on. Although the memory does not erase, it won't turn on until I plug it in for a long time. I think that maybe this is due to alarms I don't realize are set, or to the device accidentally turning on. But, as it is set to turn off after 2 minutes on battery power, I'm still not sure what's wrong. It is generally good, however, and this only happens once in a while.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299 trade
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Epinions.com ID:
blacksheep
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Member: Stephanie Obodda
Location: NJ, USA
Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 2 members
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