I'm looking for an organizer. No bells or whistles

[boyblue1914]

I am about to buy my first PDA. I’ve done a lot of research and given it some thought. These are the features that I must have.
1. Compact & Light
2. Task/To Do/Calendar
3. Color display
4. Voice recording/playback
5. Alarm (vibrating if it’s not to much trouble)
6. Handwriting capability
7. Infrared and USB synchronization (dock if it’s not too much trouble)

I would like a built in keyboard but I don’t think I need one; 85% of all PDA owners use handwriting or the on-screen keyboard w/stylus for data entry anyway. Money management software and an Ebook reader would be nice though.

Where I live the phone company (yes there is only one) won’t offer wireless technology for another 3 years. So I really just need the best no frills organizer out there unless you call voice recording capability a frill.

I’m leaning towards one of the Axim X5’s but comments like…

“Well, I gave my iPAQ back to work. So I guess in all in all, I just sort of "rented" it from them. I'm glad =) As much as the Pocket PC is revolutionizing handheld PDA's, I just really, really, really love the Palm OS. So sue me.”

Are just too hard to ignore. Why do rational people pay more (Palm OS) for the same if not less? Ergonomics? I don’t know.

Well…until Michael Dell buys Palm and starts giving us value for money I guess I will be torn.

[AnswerDude]

You put compact and light as your #1 requirement, take a look at the new hp ipaq 1940, it is one of the smallest ppc around:
dimensions
4.46 x 2.75 x 0.5 in (1133 x 69.8 x 12.8 mm)
weight
4.37 oz (124 g)
The price is less than $300.
There's a review here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4505-3128_7-30419924.html?tag=6014-8-21293345-1.mp
You can also use coupon Code #SV7095 to get $30 off and free shipping if you order from HP
http://www.hpshopping.com

[PREVOST]

Your needs tell me you'll be better on a Palm than on anything else ;) (sorry I know this is a Pocket PC thread!)

To me, a handheld is a working tool more than an entertainment center. Here my personal reasons I am on PalmOS and not PPC:
1. Working a lot in Word, I need Word functionality and no format loss. I can ONLY get it with PalmOS, not PPC pocketWord (sounds funny, but it's a fact)
2. Now that there is a very good CAD program for PalmOS, PPC had lost the only thing that could make me lean towards it!
3. I absolutely NEED stability and reliability. PPC is not doing good in this sense so far, at least not as good as PalmOS (I am tired of reading about how many times people have to reset a PocketPC. That is something that almost never happens in PalmOS realm) Also, as I have read many times, information loss on synchronization is frequent on PPC. Not on PalmOS this on my own experience.
4. It is my calculator replacement (although I dont know if you can also on PPC)
5. If I ever want or need to perform a simple structural calc, I can, using spreadsheet software that also have Excel compatibility and functionality way beyond Pocket PC offers (again, nuts but true)
6. Down to earth simplicity.
7. Long battery life.

This is value for money!

If you add speed, weight, size (with the very exception of iPAQ's 19xx and 22xx) and ease to use organizer and tasks built in appliccations, I think you will understand those of us that keep hooked on PalmOS :D . And I do not have it just as an organizer, but as the main working tool in the field for a civil engineer; you could think something better addressed with PocketPC. I am sure it won't.

I own a Palm m515: metal casing, color screen, as thin and light as the iPAQ 1940 AnswerDude just recommended...a very good device. There are some other offerings, like Palm Zire 71 (transflective wow! screen as iPAQ) and integrated camera (I think I am to buy one!) and the Sony SJ33 I found interesting. In fact, you can also go to www.cnet.com and find reviews of almost every device in the market.

Oh! And if you really want it to be compact and light, I dont really think Axim is to please you...:D there are many better in this (iPAQ 1940, 2210, all Palms, most of Sonys)

[boyblue1914]

An audible alarm & voice recording. If I'm not mistaken Palm Tungsten T is the only Palm device with these features. The Sonys have it but they are overweight.

I really want to go with the palm but don't you think there should be more than one to choose from?

[PREVOST]

Probably. My Palm m515 has alarm and vibrating alert but no voice recording. Also I am not really sure if there are other devices from Palm or Sony with voice recording.

In my case, as I wrote before, the priorities are different so I have never cared about voice recording.

If you do not find that capability in any Palm or Sony, I would tell you go for the iPAQ 1940 if it has it. Again, if oversize matters for you as it looks like, I dont think the Dell will make you happy.

I want to make clear that I have nothing against Pocket PC. As a fact, externally they look better in my opinion. But what's inside is in the end more important. Perhaps one day I will buy one...once they fix what I feel is working bad.

Happy trails!

[dwinget]

The iPAQ 2210 is not much bigger than the Tungsten T with its slider in the closed position. The thickness is almost the same. The Tungsten is actually a little wider than the iPAQ 2210. I love the built-in organizing features on the Palm OS devices. However, the iPAQ 2210 has more than one card slot. This means you can still have access to a memory card if you are using a wireless lan or a camera card. On Palm OS devices, you can't use more than one card at a time, unless you have the upper-end Sony devices. If you need to use more than one card at a time, the iPAQ 2210 would be a great choice. I would be careful about choosing an iPAQ 19xx series device, because the SD slots on some of the models do not include the SDIO capabilities.

To answer your question about using a Pocket PC as a calculator, there are several calculator programs available for the Pocket PC. Some of them are very advanced and are state-of-the art.

http://www.infinitysw.com

http://www.poliplus.com/ipaqf1.htm

http://www.3grtech.com/product.asp

http://ravend.com/

http://www.hcrburk.de/qcalc.html


There are also CAD programs designed for the Pocket PC.

[PREVOST]

What keeps me annoyed is...
1. Palm has what I need and do it fine, but ergonomics and form factors do not excite me, and
2. Like a lot iPAQ2215 form factor and ergonomics but still consider PPC OS as no reliable, and the programs I need are not better than those for Palm.

Take for example CAD programs. How is it possible that ZipCAD for PalmOS has all hard keys navigation funcionality, while the few available for Pocket PC, being around from before, only have limited funcionality on hard keys?

I will continue on Palm for the programs available and its stability and reliability in info transfer, but form factor (and now Graffiti 2) is for sure to make me feel incomplete.

But returning to boyblue needs, I think he said he would not need wireless capabilities, so having 2 slots won't be a factor for him. Anyway it is good to have it.

As I stated in another thread, I wish I make my choice in terms of form factor and ergonomics (like when buying a shirt) and not on funcionality or features. Sadly, Palm has a good OS that works good so far but avoid building in all features they could in every handheld.