to PDA or not to PDA, that is the question.

Try this:
http://www.apple.com/isync/devices.html

For Pocket PCs
http://www.pocketmac.net/

matthutch said:

I was wondering if anyone would be able to tell me if any of the current PDA's will sync with ical and address book?

i was looking at getting a palm tungsten t3, or possibly one of the pocket pc range as they have built in wifi, where as the palm doesnt.

If anyone has either tungsten t3 or a pocket pc, would you be able to let me know 1. how you find them, in relation to the actual unit. 2. can you sync it with ical, address book etc. and if so how easy is it?

thanks heaps, any feedback would be greatl appreciated

matt

Click to expand...

my zire 72 syncs with ical and adressbook via bluetooth quite nicely. just make sure to download the isync conduit application from the apple website! the isync thats on your computer is not enough. i'm here at work on a peecee so i can't forward you the link but the palm website and the apple site have infos. a google search also will find links to that isync conduit.

andi

go with the palm, much easier interface and compatibility with mac than the pocket PC!!!

I just went through the whole Palm vs. Pocket PC agony myself and in the end I just couldn't justify spending much more on the Palm with it being less functional. I was looking at the Tungsten C (built-in keyboard and WiFi, no bluetooth) or the Tungsten T5 (builtin bluetooth but no WiFi) where I wanted both bluetooth and WiFi.

I was a bit iffy on they built-in keyboard of the C so I was looking at the T5 but that would mean an extra $129 on a WiFi card and assumedly the loss of the SD slot for anything else like storage bringing the price up to around $530, which is a lot for a PDA IMHO.

So I started looking at Pocket PC's instead and ended up on one of Ipaqs the RX3115 for $349, which is part of their Home Media Companion line as they are officially meant to be used as a remote control for home media centers and allow you to watch streaming video & music from them on your PDA. I wasn't too interested in that BS although the built-in long range IR is kinda cool with the included software for a universal remote control but this unit also has built-in WiFi and bluetooth so it had what I wanted.

I haven't done a direct feature comparison but I think the RX3115 isn't as highly specced as the T5 (slower processor, less RAM + the T5 has built in flash memory and I'm not sure about the screen resolution) but the RX3115 does what I want and having to put up with Windows Mobile 2003 isn't quite so bad.

I can sync it fine with my powerbook over bluetooth (after an initial sync with the USB cradle to setup some partnership or something) using the Missing Sync software that I bought.

Why oh why can't Palm bring out some models that have the features people want at reasonable prices? 🙁 I was agonizing deciding on the Pocket PC but having said that so far I am quite happy with it.

to pda or not

i went with the T3 and love it. the fact that you can change the landscape to me is important as to I use the excel docs all the time and with bluetooth can surf ebay looking for stuff when i am out at estate sales and auctions. as far as 400 its fine for most stuff sinc eyou are just using as a extra not your main puter. not sure on Pocket PC but i love the Palm and the apps are great for it. i have always heard use something that is made for it not a patch like a pocket pc would have.
trey kirby
800-880-3366

2 Powerbooks 1.5 and a 1.
1 dual pro 1.25 g4
and 4 other various g4's
have had mac since apple 2c
owned over 12 macs since they have been out
up grade every year.

I have a Tungsten|T and I have to say, its great. The BT built in allows me to sync to my computer, long battery life, and with an SD card I can play mp3s nicely. It is a great PDA for what it does, and thats everything I need it to. My laptop takes care of the wardriving-- I mean, WiFi. 😛

I have used an iPaq for several years and you couldn't pry it from my hands. Unfortunately, if I want to sync it to my mac, I have to buy the 'missing sync' program or pocketmac. I haven't used either one, but several threads have referenced these programs. I hear that they will also sync itunes with it. The other reason I don't use it is because I don't have Office so I don't have entourage. The main reason for syncing the pda for me. I believe either program is in the $50 range.

About this time last year, I was researching PDA's like mad, because I thought I want to buy one. I loved the form factor of the Tungsten T3, but I found the hardware and OS behind PocketPC to be more up to date and "PC-like". The way I see it, Palms are more of PDA's, and PocketPC's are more like a PC in the palm of your hand. And I wanted a PDA to compliment my computer, so I was leaning towards the Tungsten T3.

But nonetheless, I decided not to buy a PDA, after some thought I decided it's a waste of money for a gadget I'd play with for a while, then toss aside like a kid's toy 😀

Pocket PC all the way. I've had both the original Palm Tungsten T, and the Dell Axim X30. I know they are a few years apart, but even a T|3 or T|5 is relatively similar to my original T|T. Palm (both PalmOne and PalmSource) just don't get it. With a Pocket PC, you get Bluetooth, WiFi (a must, really), more expandability options...the list goes on.

Like several previous posters have said, a Palm is just an organizer, with barely any multimedia capabilities. A Pocket PC is genuinely a pocket sized computer. I know MS gets flak for Windows on the desktop, but I think they've done a great job with Windows Mobile (and that's saying something, since I'm a Mac bigot!)

Palm has dropped the ball. None of their current PDA's include built-in WiFi. This was really the deal breaker for me. WiFi is everywhere! They want to charge you $350-$400 for a PDA, then charge you an additional $120 for a WiFi card? That's absurd. Granted, the screen resolution on the T|3 and T|5 is better than the standard Pocket PC resolution, but that's just not enough to warrant the higher price and less features. (You can now get VGA resolution on Pocket PC's too.)

You can get a 624 MHz Dell Axim X30 (which I had and was very pleased with), with built-in Bluetooth and WiFi, plus excellent multimedia/internet features, for under $300. You can't get many of those features on any Palm, at any price. The $400 T|5 doesn't even have a voice recorder.

I also purchased Mark/Space's Missing Sync, which works great. You can sync over WiFi, which is much faster than Bluetooth. All you do is press one button on the Pocket PC, and without even touching your Mac, or launching the Missing Sync program, your Pocket PC shows up as a network drive on your desktop and iSync launches and syncs. Works really well. Only hitch is that some programs require you to run an .exe to install it onto the Pocket PC. If you don't have access to a PC or VirtualPC, you're out of luck.

In conclusion, you get so much more with Pocket PC. I don't see how Palm can compete. And, on the same lines, this year was the first year where Pocket PC shipments exceeded Palm shipments.

Didnt you guys look at the sony Clie? I got one about a year ago. Wi-Fi , camera , Palm 5.0 (1?) . Plays mp3s, slot for a memory stick. Can play video clips. Comes with a good web browser. Easy to find free mail programs for POP boxes. I can get the name of the program if anyone is interested. With VNC I can connect wirelessly to my laptop in my office and use it like I was in front of it.

$239 at CompUSA as described.

Arcus said:

Didnt you guys look at the sony Clie? I got one about a year ago. Wi-Fi , camera , Palm 5.0 (1?) . Plays mp3s, slot for a memory stick. Can play video clips. Comes with a good web browser. Easy to find free mail programs for POP boxes. I can get the name of the program if anyone is interested. With VNC I can connect wirelessly to my laptop in my office and use it like I was in front of it.

$239 at CompUSA as described.

Click to expand...

Yeah, well, the CLIE is dead. Sony released the last CLIE PDA back in September.

Raven VII said:

Yeah, well, the CLIE is dead. Sony released the last CLIE PDA back in September.

Click to expand...

Uhhh..Whoops...