So does anyone know of a PDA that's compatible with macs. I've been looking at the sony clie's but I looked at the system requirements and it seems to be all PC requirements. Is there even one out there compatible with macs? 😕
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PDA?
- Thread starter johng723
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johng723 said:
Sony has recently ended American distribution of Clies, so it's probably not worth getting one anyways--there won't be any support for it. Albeit, the NZ-90 is a damn sweet handheld. The OS on the Clies is Palm--Palm devices sync the best with Macs. So I suggest you get a pda that runs Palm OS, but that you'd probably be better off getting an actual Palm, instead of one from a company licensing the OS like Sony did.
Personally, I use a Sharp Zaurus 5600. Syncing can be problematic, but since it runs Linux, I just ftp things I need. IMO, syncing is overrated: I can't think of a time when I'd want to see my schedule without having my pda near-at-hand, and when I need to edit my schedule, it's usually when my laptop is far away or asleep--PDAs still wake from sleep a lot faster than laptops, since they're entirely solid-state.
FYI, ever since the original Palm Pilot, there's been a healthy number of third-party syncing solutions for pretty much ever handheld out there. PDA makers tend to do a nasty job porting their syncing software to Mac, but there are always independent 3rd party developers to pick up the slack...
You can generally sync any Palm OS device with a Mac. I have personally used a wide variety of (now defunct) Handspring devices and Palm devices (505, Zire 72, Zire 71, Zire 31, Tungsten E, etc etc). My boss uses a Treo with her iBook.
I agree with the previous poster that you should stay away from Sony. It's a dead end.
I agree with the previous poster that you should stay away from Sony. It's a dead end.
When I got my Tungsten C (from the local Apple Store) I was running a G3 iMac with OS 9, something I didn't notice before I bought it, the box said no support for OS 9. Updated the Palm desktop at their site, and I was in business. Dataviz Documents to Go, increases compatibility with Office documents.
question fear
macrumors 68020
Sony is not out of the box syncable with macs. they have proprietary sync procedures for storage cards, etc that are incompatible.
Palm (now palmone) is your best choice in mac compatibility. its mostly plug in and sync, no issues, and easy to install.
if you are familiar with linux/unix go with the zaurus...i always drool over them but they are out of my price range.
but palm is a good choice.
zire 71 is nice, its what i have...but i use it so little im probably going to sell it for a real digicam soon...but if you are a palm newbie the zire line is perfect.
Palm (now palmone) is your best choice in mac compatibility. its mostly plug in and sync, no issues, and easy to install.
if you are familiar with linux/unix go with the zaurus...i always drool over them but they are out of my price range.
but palm is a good choice.
zire 71 is nice, its what i have...but i use it so little im probably going to sell it for a real digicam soon...but if you are a palm newbie the zire line is perfect.
HP h2215
This HP unit with BT and WiFi works great with my Ibook. I had to buy the thurd party SW but it works great. Only problem is a never use it. Wanna buy it I will make you a deal.
p1vue@yahoo.com
Dual 1.25
12"Ibook G-4
Lime Imac
This HP unit with BT and WiFi works great with my Ibook. I had to buy the thurd party SW but it works great. Only problem is a never use it. Wanna buy it I will make you a deal.
p1vue@yahoo.com
Dual 1.25
12"Ibook G-4
Lime Imac
question fear
macrumors 68020
ozone said:
pocket mac when it first came out was very very buggy...it really screwed up a lot of computers from what i remember (and this was a while ago, so im fuzzy on the details.)
sooo....mark/space is probably your best bet. go to brighthand.com and check around on their forums (lots of mac users there).
-carly
ps: pocket pc and palm are very different machines (in terms of user experience and feel), so your best bet is to go to staples, best buy, anywhere and try out both...because either one is an investment and you want to make the right choice and not have to ebay it after a few months.
Check out Palms for out-of-the-box sync-ability with Macs. You can sync Sonys and Windows handhelds, but you need third-party software to do it.
I agree with "question fear" that you should go to a store with a good selection of PDAs and play with them. The experience of using a PDA depends so much on the physical interface, input methods, and display quality that you don't get much meaningful information about PDAs from the specifications sheet. Try 'em and choose the one you like the best.
That said, the Zire 21 is crazy cheap, the Tungsten E is a good deal with good functionality, and the Tungsten T3 is expensive but pretty cool.
Good luck!
Crikey
PS: The latest reviews claim Pocket Mac is really, really cool. I have a Palm, so I wouldn't know.
I agree with "question fear" that you should go to a store with a good selection of PDAs and play with them. The experience of using a PDA depends so much on the physical interface, input methods, and display quality that you don't get much meaningful information about PDAs from the specifications sheet. Try 'em and choose the one you like the best.
That said, the Zire 21 is crazy cheap, the Tungsten E is a good deal with good functionality, and the Tungsten T3 is expensive but pretty cool.
Good luck!
Crikey
PS: The latest reviews claim Pocket Mac is really, really cool. I have a Palm, so I wouldn't know.
flyfish29
macrumors 68020
Crikey said:
Beware of the Zire 21. check out Amazon's reviews for why. Basically if you have it within 3 feet of your cell you may lose all your data. Palm has not done a recall on these machines (only 21 is affected it looks like) and they simply say keep it three feet away. I have to ask...how the hell do you get your phone and your palm to your car keeping them three feet apart without making two trips? 😡
I am actually going to post a new thread about my wife's specific palm needs (she has one but it is a refurb and very very old an is not reliable at all. I want to get feedback as to reliability of a new PDA or palm with her iBook and iCal, etc so you might look for that in the forums in a few days.