PDA Recommendation
 

I'm in the market for a new PDA (my old Palm has finally died), and I'm dejected...Palm seems to be focusing on nothing but SmartPhones now, and I do not want a smart phone. I want a phone that is a great phone and a PDA that is a great PDA and the option to leave one or the other at home.

So I just need a PDA. Unfortunately, it seems like few retailers are even stocking them any more, so it's hard to get my hands on one to test. I know there are still Palm devices available, but they are now something like 2 years old...is that still state of the art, or should I be looking at windows devices? Any recommendations?

Stick with what you know. Palm still has some models, and while they may not be the most up to date it doesn't really make much sense to switch platforms unless you are looking for specific features. There are not many non smartphone PDA's out there nowadays anyway.

Palm has a factory outlet here: http://store.palm.com/sm-factory-out...i-1179667.html

You other option would be something on WindowsMobile, and HP is pretty much the only one that still makes normal PDA's. You'll find them here:

http://www.shopping.hp.com/webapp/sh...me=storefronts

You will get more options with one of these over a Palm, but it's a steep learning curve if you are experienced in using your Palm. The iPaq 111 can be found for around $280 on Amazon. Advantages over palm are better multimedia, WiFi and more programs available.

Thanks, Scott! The iPAQ 111 is the one of the others I've "looked at" but I can't find it anywhere to actually play with it. I'd like to have the WiFi and the audio recording functionality, but it's $100 more than a Palm and I'd want to see it in person before spending the extra money.

I don't really know of any nationwide brick and mortar retailer with the iPaq in stock. BestBuy used to have them, CompUSA is mostly gone so all that is really left is Microcenter, they DO carry it (and I think I've seen it in their store) or Fry's (who has it on their website, but I don't recall seeing it instore). Of course, none of these stores help if you don't have one close to you.

Circuit City does carry it, but not instore (it's on sale this week for the same price as Amazon).

You could always purchase it from Amazon and return it if it doesn't suit you, but may get slapped with a restocking fee :(

I wouldn't recommend anything that didn't have at least

• Bluetooth
• Windows Mobile 5
• QVGA (320x240) touch screen
• Lots of memory options (SDIO, CF)
• Field-swappable battery

for both backward and forward compatibility. The rest (phone, GPS, WiFi) can be added Ad libitum. Many brand-new but superannuated iPAQs are being offered on eBay from dealers who get pallet-loads of last year's Cingular (or whose-ever) offering for pennies, then resell them - usually in the original packaging. Search for ipaq brand new, then sort them according to descending price.

Fwiw; I noticed that Fry's DOES carry the ipaq 111, so if you have one nearby you could see it for real.

If you are very proficient with the Palm OS, I would NEVER go to Windows Mobile. I've had a Palm since the mid-'90s but had a Windows device for a few months in there and hated it.

i know you want to keep phone separate.. but once you use a blackberry, you may never know how you lived without it... esp for sync with outlook and email.. a little more involved than a pda of course

Would the iTouch be an option? My BF got one for Christmas and WiFi connection seems easy, web browsing very nice, and it does the calendar/contacts stuff. It's essentially an iPhone without the phone.

I'm avoiding the Blackberry like the plague. :) I don't want to be that in touch. Sometimes I regret having a cell phone - if my e-mail was always at my side? I know I would love it, but I'm trying hard not to be a slave to communication.

There's a Fry's about an hour away, but it might be worth the trip - I do fear that I will hate the Windows Mobile platform...

I would agree and I love Windows Mobile. In my experience the one thing that WM does way better than Palm is mail. But since the OP doesnt want that I would really stick with Palm OS.

office
 

the retailers like Staples and OFfice depot, at least here in the Bay Area carry the ipaq models that are currently for sale.

Lots of people with cell phones DO have their email with them - on any of the carriers that I know of, you can buy a mnimal WAP service that includes such sites as http://m.gmail.com and http://m.yahoo.com - usually unlimited for a small monthly fee.

I disagree

Swap:

WM5 for Symbian or WM6
QVGA for Wi-Fi

And that's the beauty of TT - there's the right 'phone for everyone...