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PDAStreet.com > Features > Wi-Fi Choices for Pocket PC & Palm OS Handhelds

Wi-Fi Choices for Pocket PC & Palm OS Handhelds

By James Miller
May 16, 2003

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Pocket PC
Currently, there are two Pocket PCs that include W-iFi internally, Hewlett-Packard's iPAQ h5455 ($699), which has an even higher-end sequel, the h5555 (listed for $650 by Best Buy), possibly slated to be available sometime this summer), and Toshiba's e750 ($599), the follow-up to the e740, the first PDA to integrate 802.11b.

iPAQ h5450
The sleek iPAQ h5450 features almost everything a road warrior might need in a PDA, including advanced biometric fingerprint security, W-iFi, a lot of memory and integrated Bluetooth, which provides short range wireless communication between the handheld and Bluetooth enabled peripherals, such as mobile phones, printers and PCs.

The handheld features a transflective color 3.8-inch TFT that supports a resolution of 320x240 pixels and 65,000 colors. This type of display is among the best currently available for handhelds. It also has a 400MHz Intel XScale CPU, 64MB of RAM and 48MB or ROM. The device measures 5.43 x 3.3 x 0.63 inches and weighs 7.26 ounces. For memory expansion, it includes a Secure Digital slot and is compatible with iPAQ expansion sleeves that add CompactFlash compatibility among other features. It also has a built-in mic and headphone jack.

Toshiba e750
Essentially, the Toshiba e750 is the sequel to the e740, as it also has built-in W-iFi (802.11b) and measures the same 4.9 x 3.1 x 0.6 inches, a bit smaller than the iPAQ h5450. It is also lighter at 6.9 ounces. The e750's features the new Intel XScale PXA255 at 400 MHz processor, which promises better performance over the previous generation of XScale CPUs because of a 200 MHz system bus. The older PXA250 processors support a 100 MHz system bus. The e750 comes with 64MB of RAM and 32MB of flash memory.

Unlike the iPAQ, the unit also includes dual expansion with CompactFlash and Secure Digital slots. It also promises to have an improved display over the earlier e740 with a 3.8 inch transflective screen that supports 320x240 pixels and 65,000 colors like the iPAQ.

Another model called the e755 is the same as the e750 except it also bundles ArcSoft's PhotoBase software for editing images. Unlike the iPAQ, the e750/e755's lithium-ion battery is removable. An important feature for a 802.11(b) device, as W-iFi is a notorious power hog.

Pocket PC W-iFi Add-On Options
The main way to add W-iFi to other types of Pocket PCs is to get a CompactFlash W-iFi card, as most Pocket PC's feature a CompactFlash slot. We've listed a few of the many available on the next page.

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