Beware the "non-current product"
Written: Dec 22 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Cheap - inexpensive Pocket PC
Cons: CHEAP - not a quality product and even less quality with "support"
The Bottom Line: Buggy, no access to accessories, no support. If you can afford it, take a pass on this PPC.
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| chauliodes's Full Review: ViewSonic V36 Pocket PC |
A co-worker of mine and I each purchased the V36 about 10 months ago. I wanted a Pocket PC for the functionality of MS Outlook, Word, and Excel, but I didn't want to spend a bundle. I guess you get what you pay for. We have both had the same experience with this PPC. They have been rather handy but buggy. They do mainly what you need them to do, but have required many soft resets and a few hard resets. They repeatedly give a low back-up battery warning even though the battery is fine. The camera isn't great, but it's OK in a pinch. Hardware buttons are sub-par but functional. Sound is very sub-standard. "Clicks" and "snaps" from the speaker or headphones are common. The stylus is held in with a cheap plastic tab that doesn't last very long. Upon losing the stylus, I found that finding accessories is nearly impossible even from the ViewSonic Store. There also appears to be a non-functional pixel on my screen. I would have liked to have had this issue addressed, but...
The biggest issue - an almost complete lack of customer service. My first experience was regarding the low-battery warning. A reply e-mail from their "customer service" told me that they were aware of the problem, but there was no resolution as of yet. They promised to contact me with a resolution in March, but I have never heard from them again. In addition, it doesn't appear that they are offering many of the accessories for this PPC any longer. This really surprised me considering it was a "new" item less than a year ago. The ViewSonic Store only shows accessories under their "non-current products." All other retailers say that the item is out of stock or discontinued. I still can't find a stylus. I have been interested in purchasing a docking cradle, but I am cautious. When contacting sales support, I received an "out of office" e-mail, and I don't expect to hear back from them since I don't intend to spend a lot.
In short, it is a mediocre product AT BEST. If you're unfortunate enough to have problems with it, it's not even mediocre. I would suggest spending a little extra for a higher-end PPC. In fact, after witnessing their "customer service," I intend to avoid ViewSonic altogether.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 200
Recommended for: Beginners - Simple and Easy to Use
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Epinions.com ID:
chauliodes
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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