I'm thinking of buying a Tungsten

[Random]

I have been using a Windows CE on Jornada 548 for the last two years. I am thinking of buying a new PDA. Due to eye problems I am very attracted to the Tungsten because of the excellent display. The display appears to be the best of the all the PDA's, Palm and Windows CE. I looked at Sony and Compaq and Tungsten appears to be the best. Any comments on that would be much appreciated.

Second of all, I have a few other questions that I would appreciate any input on. How do you feel about personal informatin management (PIM) on the Palm OS? On the Windows CE OS there are software developers who sell PIM software to add on to the PDA. The on board programs are so bad that many users purchase additional software for there appointments, contact information, task lists. How good is the built in software on the Tungsten and if you feel more is necessary what have you bought to add on.

If I move over to the Palm OS and the Tungsten all the software on my Windows CE device will be of no good and I am wondering how much money I will need to spend to get a PDA with great functionality. I know that the Tungsten does not have an MP3 player on it, so eventualy that is something that I will to buy but is there anything else that you feel is necessary on this PDA for it to be useful like a PIM?

Thank you very much for any info you can provide.

Random

[OldBlue]

Random

My friend bought a Jornada 547 shortly after I bought my m505 in mid-2001. In the office, his screen was far brighter and clearer than mine. Outdoors or in a bright sunlit room, his display was unreadable. My Tungsten's screen is a joy. It's bright (and variable), clear (i.e. high resolution), and can be used in all lighting conditions. The Tungsten displays a nice white background, compared to the bluish or yellowish tints in other displays. BTW, the tints are not noticeable until you hold the PDAs side by side and compare.

Most PIMs are Palm compatable. I use Maximizer (by MultiActive) on my PC for my contact management application. They offer Maximizer Link as a free download, which syncs data between the PC and the Palm. I know that ACT! offers "Act! For Palm OS" and "Act! Link" for syncing. Goldmine and Lotus Organizer also have syncing to Palm PDAs.

You're correct that your Windows CE software will not work on the Palm. Palm includes with the Tungsten a CD full of bonus software, including DocumentsToGo, which will allow you to view, edit, and create MS Word documents, Excel spreadsheets and charts/graphs, and PowerPoint presentations. Also included are applications for displaying photos, for web browsing, for WAP browsing, SMS, email w/ attachments, games, etc. Also, you'll find that there is a lot of great freeware written for the Palm.

The MP3 player is supposed to be released this month and will be a free download on Palm's website. Here's a link to an article about that:

http://www.palminfocenter.com/view_story.asp?ID=4613

Hope I've answered your questions. Feel free to send me a PM if I can provide any more information.

OldBlue

[plyte]

With the software included the TT should be ready to use. It's the first Palm that has that many apps on it. And the MP3 Player will be added in a few day for free - they promised. I'm also definitely getting one in a short time.

I'm a long time Palm user (505). What I wanted to ask you as a WIN CE user is: what about the handwriting recognition on your CE device. Is it easy and secure, or does it hazzle a bit, do you have to repeat some entries of letters?

A short reply would be nice.

Plyte
Germany

[Random]

Thanks for this.

I bought a program off th Handago website that is a great hand writing program. It is called Calligrapher. It is trainable and works all right. I am not really a big fan of any hand writing program. I want to get a foldable keyboard and the tungsten has the ultra thin which works with it. Staples tells me that any M series keyboard will work with the Tungsten.

Is Maximizer a full PIM? Appointments and task management as well as contacts?

Thanks

[plyte]

I never heard about Maximizer. But there are lots of good similar apps, I guess. Try the build in Palm apps. Then look elsewhere.

Plyte.

[The Nush]

My conversion from Pocket PC's is now compete with the TT. As far as I see it, there's no comaprison with speed of PIM entry and simplicity of the OS between the Palm platform and my IPAQ's. I also use "actioneer" to speed my appt/to-do entries, which is incredibly fast....a single step to write it down. Stopped at a traffic light, at times, I run off a quick to-do, etc. with time to spare. I used Pocket Informant on the IPAQ..a very fine, comprehensive PIM program... but entries took several steps. I don't know about your experience on PPC's, but mine also tended to freeze up....something quite rare on my Palm system devices. As you indicate, the screen quality and size was a very big draw to the IPAQ. The TT's screen is just as good as advertised...thought it IS still smaller than my IPAQ's. It's crystal clear and bright in all conditions. As many others on this message board have stated, it's a matter of matching your needs with the device for you. The way the first post in this thread sounded, it is someone very similar to me...try the TT.

[plyte]

I back that thought. Everyone has needs. Do you switch to a woman that can't cook, but is really pretty? Perhaps. It's up to you.

Plyte

[OldBlue]

plyte

I am surprised you have never heard of Maximizer. It has been around for years and years and is currently developed and distributed by MultiActive Software in Canada. They market Maximizer in Europe and in Asia, as well as the Americas. It's a great CRM/Contact Management application, similar to Act! and Goldmine. If you do not use contact management software, then that may explain your lack of familiarity with the product. Here are some links for you to check if you're interested:

http://www.maximizer.com/
http://www.multiactive.com/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,640909,00.asp

If you're in sales, marketing, customer relations, sales force automation, etc., etc., Maximizer is a great tool.

OldBlue

[Random]

I'm really skiddish about software after having a PPC for so long. Enormous problem with compatiblity across different chips.

Are all the programs writen for other versions of the Palm OS compatible to the TT? I went through a lot of the programs this afternoon and in number there is ton more available for the Palm

If compatibility is not an issue, I think I will leap.

Thanks
Random

[OldBlue]

Random

When I switched from my m505 using OS4.0 to the Tungsten using Palm OS5, almost all of my applications worked. The only ones that did not were 2 programs (which have been upgraded and now work OK) and my hacks, of which I used two. Afterburner, which I no longer needed because of the TT's considerably greater speed, and PopUp Calc, which I miss because of the convenience it afforded.

All other applications that I had been using were compatable, were upgraded for OS5 by the developers, or have been replaced by similar applications. There is a wealth of software available for the Palm OS PDAs. Click "Software" (right under "Developers") at www.palmgear.com and you'll see the many categories of applications and files written for Palm OS. Also, Palm has on its website an applications compatability list. Here's the link:

http://www.palm.com/support/tungstent/compatibility.html

Hope this info is helpful to you.

OldBlue

[Random]

With much thanks!

[Kasia]

Random,

I totally agree with Old Blue - I switched from an M505 a month ago & have had no problems. All my apps were compatible or upgraded except for one, which is a special schedule program used by my school. The developers are working with me to make it compatible with OS5.

There isn't anything I miss from my M505 - the Tungsten does it faster & with a much better display.