PDA's

[J-Man5]

ISilo also has a desktop version. And it has a IE plugin that lets you convert while viewing a page and a GUI coverter version and a command line version that lets you schedule page conversions. I use Isilo quite a bit.

Plus it has more OS versions than most e-book readers.

I have been investigating plucker for PPC.

J-Man5

[Taltos]

hmm, ms reader never crashed while i read through the honor harrington books (all 14(?) of them). unfortunately, several times the battery of my pda was depleted, and so all the memory was wiped (since not being static like in new models), requiring reinstalling/registering of ms reader..

[Spec8472]

hmm, ms reader never crashed while i read through the honor harrington books (all 14(?) of them). unfortunately, several times the battery of my pda was depleted, and so all the memory was wiped (since not being static like in new models), requiring reinstalling/registering of ms reader..

MS Reader itself never caused a lockup on either my iPaq 3630 or Dell Axim X5 (lost in Cologne last month).

However plenty of other things I've done have caused a lockup. Mainly to do with either running apps that were buggy (VLC + Big movies, Minimo, etc), or dodgey wireless cards.

Got a new Dell Axim X51V arriving sometime today (hopefully), and fully intend to use MS Reader on it

[Fawks]

Maybe it was just me then. I have noticed lately that my x51 will not accept any commands, for about a minute, just after I turn it on. I wish now that I had ordered the x51v instead of the 512mhz model.

I do enjoy reading with it. I have downloaded a lot of free books from Project Gutenberg, thru the MobiPocket Desktop bookstore browser. I have converted over 200 stories from Storiesonline. I also have downloaded a bunch of the Baen books. I'm definatly hooked on the Honor series there. I even purchased the hardback version of the last Honor book out.

All told I believe I have over one thousand stories/books on my pda. Mobipocket does not handle directories that large very well though.

[Spec8472]

Maybe it was just me then. I have noticed lately that my x51 will not accept any commands, for about a minute, just after I turn it on. I wish now that I had ordered the x51v instead of the 512mhz model.

I do enjoy reading with it. I have downloaded a lot of free books from Project Gutenberg, thru the MobiPocket Desktop bookstore browser. I have converted over 200 stories from Storiesonline. I also have downloaded a bunch of the Baen books. I'm definatly hooked on the Honor series there. I even purchased the hardback version of the last Honor book out.

All told I believe I have over one thousand stories/books on my pda. Mobipocket does not handle directories that large very well though.

Just got the X51V about 30 minutes ago.

It takes about 10-15 seconds to start up from a reboot, pretty quick responding after that.

I would have told you how fast it was to read the Baen Free Library's .LIT collection, but it looks like I deleted that from my portable HDD, so that'll have to wait until this afternoon some time.

Edit: Damn, just noticed it doesn't have that little scroller-nubbin on the left hand side like the X5 did, that was cool for browsing and reading :/
Oh, and MS Reader isn't pre-installed... damnit. I guess having the onboard 256MB storage compensates for that (~190MB free)

[montie1123]

Hay all im looking into getting my self a PDA, as i am sick of my old pen and paper personal organizer. I want one for keep my info for dates and times and work, with the added plus of keeping books and other stories on it to kill time with. Let me know what you all like or have got and hated and why please.

[Spec8472]

Hay all im looking into getting my self a PDA, as i am sick of my old pen and paper personal organizer. I want one for keep my info for dates and times and work, with the added plus of keeping books and other stories on it to kill time with. Let me know what you all like or have got and hated and why please.

1) What OS is your home and work computers? (Windows/Linux/OSX/...?)
2) What calendar software do you use at work? (Outlook...?)
3) How much money (and in what currency) do you have to spend?

I'm liking my Dell X51v overall, but there are a few things that bug me about it.

Main Gripes:
* Inbuilt 802.11b doesn't have a very sensitive receiver.
* It's difficult to get a CF card out
* You can't get the SD card out without removing the CF card or the placeholder. (The old Dells had a push-in/spring-loaded thingy to eject the SD card)

Main Benefits:
* It's fast... REALLY fast.
* It's stable as anything (with the A12 ROM update)
* It's got heaps of built in storage.
* It's got great audio quality (I'm known for being picky about audio quality, nothing but praise for it here)

[montie1123]

ok to answer the above questions.

1) Home and work both use windows
2) outlook for work type things both email and date planer, hotmail for home person email.
3) i would like to keep it under 500 usd(thats for the pda and the extras i would like, like extra stroage cards and case and so on)

Anymore info would be great thanks all!

[J-Man5]

Where in the world are you located? I love my cingular 8125 (aka HTC Wizard) Many love the HTC Universal. This gives me combo phone/pda with internet everywehre and since my office runs Exchange 2003 I get push email to my phone along with updates to my calendar and contacts.

I have had a Dell Axim x50v and loved it too. My wife has it now. Though when her phone goes I'm getting here a 8125 too. My dad will then get the Axim. We have a family recycling plan for old phones and pda's.

J-Man5

[montie1123]

Im in maryland right now but will be moving to souther californa some time next year.

[Spec8472]

ok to answer the above questions.

1) Home and work both use windows
2) outlook for work type things both email and date planer, hotmail for home person email.
3) i would like to keep it under 500 usd(thats for the pda and the extras i would like, like extra stroage cards and case and so on)

Anymore info would be great thanks all!

If you want to go the Dell route:

According to Dell.com (US Version), you can pick up an Axim X51v for USD$374.

(Optional) You should be able to pick up a 2GB SD card for under USD$60 (use http://www.pricewatch.com or eBay), or get one for USD$66 from Dell.

I found the slip-case that came with it better than the leather executive case (slimmer, less bulky, easier access).

I recommend picking up a pack of the screen protectors, and the spare styluses. (USD$40) - the screen protectors are a must, imo.


Note: The difference between the X51v and the X50v is:
- X51v Has 256MB Non-Volatile Storage (as opposed to just 64MB RAM)

- X51v Has No Backup battery (If you open battery cover, or the battery goes flat, any unsaved data will be lost - it's just like doing a reset)

- X51v performs _slightly_ slower immediately after a reboot than a X50v (it takes a little longer to cache all the values from the storage)

Other brands are out there - and if you want a PDA+Phone (Smartphone), then the Cingular route might be a good way to go.

[montie1123]

A smartphone does look like it would be a nice item to have, my olf LG cellphone is a few years old. I want to replace it so i can get something with bluetooth i hate HATE HATE having a wire run down my neck to have a headset on. Anyone have any pro/cons on smartphones for me to look over?

[Fawks]

I'm liking my Dell X51v overall, but there are a few things that bug me about it. ...
...
Main Benefits:
* It's fast... REALLY fast.
* It's stable as anything (with the A12 ROM update)
* It's got heaps of built in storage.
* It's got great audio quality (I'm known for being picky about audio quality, nothing but praise for it here)

Umm..... ROM update??? I have the 512Mhz x51. Where do I get more stability? Mine seems to crash a lot, and crawls when turning on from a reset or soft poweron. So, now when I leave for work, I have it set to stay on permantly. The battery is still over 60% 8+ hours later when I get off work. (Granted, the screen is on low power for 90% of that time.)


Fawks

[J-Man5]

Fawks,
check out the discussion board for axims at http://www.aximsite.com

I even saw this as a news item a while back on http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com and http://www.brighthand.com and http://www.engadget.com

It was big news for axim owners. But alas Dell has forgotten forever the x50 owners.

J-Man5

[Were_Fan]

A smartphone does look like it would be a nice item to have, my olf LG cellphone is a few years old. I want to replace it so i can get something with bluetooth i hate HATE HATE having a wire run down my neck to have a headset on. Anyone have any pro/cons on smartphones for me to look over?

Whatever PDA or phone you decide to get, don't forget to backup the data. Even with non-volatile flash card storage, your PDA can get stolen, lost or destroyed with your data. A malfunction could also erase the data.

Here's a bit of history. A guy at work had a battery die on an early model PDA with volatile battery backed memory. He never bought the $30 cable to backup to a computer. I told him "Poof! Data is gone!" He asked me about getting his data back. I told him again the data was gone. He asked if the could send the PDA to the factory to get the data. After I told him the third time there was no way to get the data back, he realized the data was gone forever and ever.