VashtheStampede

Alright folks, the Palm m505 just came out. I've read online that there were some bad reviews on the color screen of the Palm m505. I'm debating between the iPaq 3600s or the Palm m505.

Problem 1: m505 has around 64000 colors, but the iPac only has around 4000. However, the iPac looks a lot better b/c of higher resolution.

Problem 2: Window CE....

Problem 3: iPaq is more expensive but has cooler gadgets like MP3 player, speakers, etc.

Problem 4: 12 hr battery life for iPaq

Input much appreciated from anyone who owns either of these PDAs!!! and if not.. I'd still like to hear what you think. Thanks.

Put the PDA you want as subject and let know which one you would pick and why.

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LOVE & PEACE!!!

Mezpin

64,000 vs 4,000 colors isn't a big deal. Neither of these devices is a photo studio. The extra colors won't benefit you much given what you can do on either of them. The iPaq screen is definitely much sharper and you can see a lot more information at any given time. Both screens are side lit (instead of backlit) so daytime visibility is better than you would expect.

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Problem 2: Window CE....

PocketPC has come along way since older versions of CE. You can multitask, play MP3s and movie files, write Word and Excel documents natively, use Microsoft Money, and even read eBooks. I think PocketPC has a lot over the Palm OS.

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Problem 3: iPaq is more expensive but has cooler gadgets like MP3 player, speakers, etc.

If you bought those same gadgets for the Palm, you'd be around the same place. But this is very true. PocketPC pricing STARTS where the Palm pricing about tops out.

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Problem 4: 12 hr battery life for iPaq

It's a rechargeable battery. It's not a new battery you buy every 12 hours of use. Most people use PDAs for very short spurts at a time; you check a phone number and you're done. I sync my PDA every morning. Battery life isn't a problem since it always gets recharged.

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Input much appreciated from anyone who owns either of these PDAs!!! and if not.. I'd still like to hear what you think. Thanks. Put the PDA you want as subject and let know which one you would pick and why.

I currently use an HP Jornada 540, so I'm in the PocketPC camp. I've owned 2 Palms in my life and I switched to Windows this past November and I couldn't even think of going back. I have 16MB built-in plus 128MB CF card...that's 144MB! I have hours of music on my HP; just plug in my headphones and walk all over campus. I have South Park: The Spirit of Christmas that I like to watch every once in awhile. I play Doom when I get bored. I can take notes without using graffiti and the like. With Microsoft Transcriber, I write normally and it translates what I write into text; it's very impressive. I can record things with the microphone; great for snagging movie quotes and playing them back on the fly. I took a Shakespeare class, and I downloaded the eBooks to read and never had to buy a single book. Most importantly, my life is a lot more organized now. I know where I'm going, what I'm supposed to do, and when I'm free in the future. I'm very happy with my choice.

My gripes with PocketPCs: They're big! Even the iPaq is a monster compared to the very slim M500 series. They crash sometimes. It's not often, and all you gotta do is stick your stylus through a little opening in the back. I lose a whole 3 seconds on the reboot, but it's still occassionally annoying. It can be a little sluggish if you have a lot of things open. But then again, I can listen to MP3s while I play a game or work out my schedule. Finally, Palm still has a better application base. But that's a minor griple, because I can't think of any applications I need that I don't already have.

I'd probably go for the iPaq if money was not an object. But after Compaq's recent price gouging, don't rule out the other PocketPCs. However, the iPaq is probably still the best in its class.

If you just need to put your life together, you'd be fine with a Palm. If you think you'll use all the extra features or that they'll motivate you to use your PDA more, than a PocketPC could be a better investment. If you think a slimmer model, like the Palm, would get more use because you could carry it in a shirt pocket or something, then maybe that's a good buy. After all, the money's wasted if you don't use what you buy. The MP3s motivate me to keep my Jornada on me at all times.

Those are my thoughts. Just keep in mind I may be a little biased since I have to justify the money I pumped into my Jornada.

Holy wow, that was long... dammit, why didn't you guys stop me?!

Mezpin

If you are looking for competition against pocketpc in a palm os pda, look for the new sony clie n710c coming out in june (i believe). it reportedly has a better color screen, a built in music player and some cool accesories in the works. i have seen a tiny modem, a radio, tiny little camera and even a tv. the screen is supposed to be one of the best screens ever for a pda. i believe the price is also in the same range as the m505. this isnt a palm pilot for everyone, but i for one have been happy with my sony pda and i hope to get the new one soon. i also like my pda's to be small and easily portable. my sony is even sometimes too big for me and is one of the smaller current palm os pdas. so i dont think i will be switching wince pdas any time soon because the size is just too big for me and i have been able to do everything with it that a pocketpc can do.

Apex

Well, I personally would go for the iPaq. This is because I'm inept at learning the "grafitti" that the Palm OS uses. I simply suck at it.

A few things to consider before you jump in though:

1. The 3635 and 3650 have 32mb of ram, 16mb rom, and an Intel StrongArm 206mhz processor.

2. The 3670 has 64mb of ram, 16mb rom, and an Intel StrongArm 206Mhz processor.

3. Rumored to come out in July or so is the next generation iPaq. Rumored specs are: Intel XScale 412Mhz CPU, WinCE4, and 64-128mb of ram.

Jeffbx

I'm also in the iPaq camp. I got my first Palm about 3 years back, went through two of them, and then upgraded to the iPaq. I won't even consider going back to Palm. Everyone gripes about CE, but I've never had a problem with it. The screen is beautiful - it's larger than the Palm, & I love being able to whip it out & show off a movie trailer or music video. I'm a big geek, so the 'wow' factor is important.

I also have it connected to my wireless network so I can surf the Internet & watch streaming video. And at the end of the day it's a damn nice PDA.

Now, there are two big drawbacks to the iPaq -

1. Cost - these puppies are expensive! My employer paid for mine, thank goodness. All told, with the PC Card jacket, a 64MB CF card, and a wireless NIC, it was close to $900.
2. Availability - good luck finding one. If you do find one, you'll be lucky if they're selling it for retail price and not above.

VashtheStampede

Thanks for the input.

I know some of you have brought it up ealier, but

WHICH DISPLAY LOOKS BETTER?? the new m505 or the iPAQs???

Thats basically the most important thing to me.

Which one looks better and by how much??? I'm leaning toward the IPaq if it looks significantly better and if the difference is not great, I'll probably go with the m505.

I haven't actually seen a m505 live yet but I saw the pictures online and the display colors looks dulle and basically it looks like a washed out Color Gameboy. 64,000 colors?? where'd they use them?? geez.

However, the iPaq, I've actually seen does pretty well with its measely 4k colors.

can anyone tell me?? how does the m505 colors and display compare to that of the ipaq or other pocketpcs with colors.

Mezpin

The m505 is a product that still hasn't been released. No one other than a reviewer with an advanced copy could tell you first hand.

And calm down.

Mezpin

Chinpoko_Mon

a writer? wow, cool. So what do you write? books? scripts? what?

Apex

Every single review I've read, when the author was able to review both units, whether it was on a standard magazine or PDA focused site (ie. pdabuzz.com), said that the 240x320 4k colors iPaq screen was far superior to the Palm's ghetto fabulous 160x160 resolution at highcolor.

Another problem is the Palm M505's inability to change brightness contrast. Thus, it tends to be a bit dull, milky, and washed out. There's a hack for the ones made in hungary, but that's a risk because you can seriously screw up your palm. The screen is great in bright sunlight though, for what it's worth.

hapoo

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VashtheStampede

Wow, thanks for the screenshots hapoo.

Well, the m505 just came out yesterday and is now in stock at fry's and other local electronics store. Most stores don't have them on display b/c they're selling like hotcakes.


Hey hapoo.. or anyone else... are there screenshots of the m505 besides the default page?? thats the only page I've seen on the web. I'm just curious to know how the palm would look in applications like the planner, addy book and stuff.