[Shady]

Hi chaps

The good lady has dropped a few hints regarding PDA's and Christmas (put the two together...). Now, I am new to this game and so I am looking for advice as to the products in the market.

She would only use it to replace her filofax and diary, so a basic address book, diary / calender and financial / expenses features would be all that is required.

We have seen a Palm Pilot which seems to fit the bill at around £50, but I am unsure as to how expandable this would be. I am quite interested in getting her one of the small iPaq's as this would provide connectivity to the PC and operates a Windows type interface with mini Office products she is used to using.

Has anyone any experience with these devices ? What products would be suitable and what software is bundled ? And finally, where are the best places to order them from and what are the typical prices (bearing in mind I am not looking to break the bank) ?

I have looked at a number of sites and there is iPaq h1910 device which appears to be OK. Has anyone any experience of this particular model ?

As always, any help would be appreciated.


Cheers

[Zef]

the compaq 1910 looks like it fits the bill perfectly, the next step up would be to have bluetooth and wireless for connectivity to mobile phones and networks but it doesnt look like your wife needs it. my advice is to stick to a microsoft powered machine as its easier platform to merge into.

I have an iPAQ 1910 and would definately recommend it. As Zef has said it is a great entry level pocketPC and is only let down by its lack of support for SDIO (being able to add wireless/bluetooth cards). If your wife is not bothered about the extra connectivity its certainly an excellent choice and can be had for under £200 easily (I got mine from comet for £180).

[shoehorn]

Agreed... I first got a Sony Clie SJ22... and one of my colleagues got an IPAQ 1910....
I ended up getting a 1910 as well... it was the interface was so much easier to get to grips with, as it had that "used-it-before" feel.....
I've no doubt Palm owners disagree though - it seems to me to be the same sort of way that MAC and PC owners do.... (or should that be do not?)

[Shady]

Thanks for the replies so far chaps.

One more question, what software comes with it ? Do you get Pocket Excel, Word etc or are these extra, and if so, how much and how are they loaded ? Is it supplied on a card or do you load it into a PC and download via cable.

My apologies for the newbie questions - but if in doubt, ask those who know....

cheers

[Shady]

I have been doing a little more digging about and have found the Toshiba e330 may fir the bill even better, due to the infra red comms facility.

Again, has anyone any experience of this product ? I have seen it advertised at expansys.co.uk - again, anyone any experience of this e-retailer or any suggestions of other sites / stores ?

Also, how easy is it to set up the web access ? Is it a simple matter of configuring the PDA as you would any normal dial up connection and dialling the number of the ISP ?

Many thanks for any info - I need to get my skates on if she wants it in her stocking this Christmas...

hi mate, the iPAQ has an IR port too, and I'd say it's better, nicer screen, smaller and better looking

[Shady]

Chaps - I need some help

I have been trawling through various websites and reviews and both the HP Ipaq H1910 and the Toshiba e330 seem to fit the bill. I can get both for approximately the same price. Both get equally good reviews, both seem to come with the same software.

Which should I go for ?

Simple question - just need guidance from those who may have one.


Thanks

well having seen the e330 in the shop when i got my iPAQ i can definately say that the iPAQ is better, its got a nicer screen, a smaller body and is much sexier.

[Shady]

That sounds like the missus - I'll go for that one then...

Thanks to you all for your replies.


Cheers

[The Ironduke]

Tungsten T3 owns you all

Remember everytime someone buys a PocketPC god Kills a Kitten

[Shady]

...also getting on for twice the price...

Remember, it's for the missus to store the hairdressers phone number



Just to let you all know, I have jumped in and bought the H1910 from Digital Depot.

This is the first time I have used this company and credit where credits due - ordered the pda at around 6.30 Monday evening, arrived on my desk at work yesterday (Wednesday) morning.

Apart from the box being packed out with an old copy of the Sun newspaper - perfect. Exactly what you want from an on-line retailer.

Well done Digital Depot.

[Shady]

Hi chaps, hope you all had a good Christmas.

Well, the good lady is chuffed with her ipaq h1910 and has been busy filling it full of contacts and such like - anyway, we were looking at setting up the IR link to her Sony Ericsson t68i to access the web / e-mail etc.

I have turned on the IR on the phone and have created a new connection using my existing internet access (username, password and dial up phone numbers) - but what else ? The pda tells me it is dialling, but there is no response from the phone and a message is displayed stating that the number is not responding.

What am I doing wrong ? Do I need to install ActiveSync (which we have not yet done) ?

Any advice would be appreciated, as ever.


Cheers

[tonyb]

I'm not 100% certain about this but.....

You may need to contact your mobile phone provider to have data services activated on your account. When I did this a while back on O2, I was assigned another number to use for data services.

Can't remember if this is only for incoming data calls, or for outgoing as well - haven't used this feature in ages.


The other, and more likely, problem might be that you have to activate the modem on the T68i.

Like I say, I'm not certain about either of these possibilities, but it could be step in the right direction!

Tony

[woody67]

You don't need active sync to connect to the phone.

Have you made sure that the ipaq is actually connecting to the phone (both should confirm a link) and that the telephone number and account details have been entered on the ipaq correctly? Is the phone actually dialling?

If you can connect to your isp via the pc, the the same settings should work for the ipaq. Is it just the normal peak time traffic that prevents you logging on?

Orange have a small download file on their website that will set up your phone and ipaq - but you will need to connect the ipaq to your pc and install via activesync.

I have never had to contact orange or O2 to activate data, but you could check with your provider.

[geeWcee]

I remember I used to have to 'activate' IR mode on my mobile phone first. It would then look for any IR device nearby (i.e. your PDA). It would then confirm it had connected and then you could dial out.
Maybe you have to activate IR mode on your phone first. It normally stays active for around 30 secs until it finds something.

[spiderman999]

MIO A701 PDA

Dear All,

I am keen to get the MIO A701 PDA. But am somewhat confused by the massive price difference between one bought in the UK or one purchased on the web and imported. Is their something to be wary of with the possible cheaper copies?

Regards