Which do you think is the best handheld these days? Price vs. performance and available apps + utility?

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Steve Johnston
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Palm is still ahead of Pocket PC in my book, especially with the new Palm OS 5 devices. More fields in the address book for better Outlook synching, Tungsten line ships with Docs to Go for reading/editing Word/Excel/PowerPoint on the handheld, and good multimedia apps. Device sizes are still smaller and battery life (while definitely reduced with the new, gorgeous color screens) is also still better. This is one area where you can buy from someone other than Bill with confidence.

I replaced an old Handspring Visor Deluxe (Palm OS device) with a Palm Tungsten E in December. Tungsten E is a great value - $200 for all the above in an attractive, slim case. If you need or want extras like wireless of one flavor or another (Tungsten line has wifi, Bluetooth and GSM/GPRS editions), a camera, or whatnot, you need to go with a more expensive version; the specific downside to Tugsten E is the lack of the Palm Universal Connector - so no accessories, though they have come out with a keyboard that works through the IR port. General complaints from veteran Palm users about Graffiti 2, but if you're new to Palm, you won't miss the old Graffiti. I think I'm going to convince my boss to get a Tungsten W instead of a Blackberry, as she's already a Palm user and used to the organizer apps - I've heard that while the e-mail functionality is great with the Blackberry, the organizer apps are not nearly as robust as Palm or Pocket PC. And even their color screens are pretty low-res.

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Thomas Taylor

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depends on what you want. I think the best ppc right now ( or soon) is the Asus A730 running the new Windows Mobile Software. Runs at 520 mhz, 128MB, thin, sleek, great resolution, etc.

What about SONy? Blackberry?

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Steve Johnston
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Sony Clies are Palm OS devices, and they definitely helped push Palm OS into some of the space that had been occupied exclusively by Pocket PCs - those looking for a device that was part portable entertainment center, part handheld computer or PDA. They led the way on high-res color screens for Palm OS. I think they're definitely still an active player in the market, and if I was looking for a device in the Palm Zire line, I would also consider Sonys. But on wireless, which is clearly the next big thing for handhelds, they've not been very aggressive - they've only offered WiFi and now a WiFi/Bluetooth device; I think that the longer range wireless technologies (GSM/GPRS, CDMA, etc) are really where it's at.


Still the ruler of the mobile e-mail market, for sure. My boss, a current Palm user, wants one. But even their brand new devices, not yet available, have a lower screen res than the current Palms and PPCs. I've read poor reviews of the non-email standard applications (address book, calendar, etc). I think I'm going to try to sell her on a Palm W, and then she can just access her e-mail by POP or IMAP.

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Thomas Taylor

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I currently use a Blackberry 6710 and love it. I know there are color models out with speakerphones, but I like the size of my display and the clarity it provides. Instant email and calendar rocks.



I also use a T-Mobile Pocket PC Phone. Personally, this is my favorite device since the OS allows great application flexibility than the Blackberry (I have a GPS module and software that use in my car). The current version of the phone is being replaced by the second generation version, which has a faster processor, more internal memory, built-in Bluetooth and SDIO for a wireless card.



I just ordered a SPV e200 Smartphone with the latest Smartphone 2003 OS. This phone will not be available in the US for a while, so I purchased a UK version that I will unlock for any GSM network. The specs look great and it's a lot smaller than my Pocket PC Phone waffel.

here'e teh Asus, so far their products have been impressive. Personally, their motherboards are always top notch.
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/4756.html

this looks pretty itneresting
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/4815.html

and this one:
http://www.infosyncworld.com/news/n/4760.html

This one looks pretty cool to me:
http://www.myzaurus.com/

So your employer has the Blackberry server app for Exchange or Lotus Notes installed right? My understanding is that you can only do wireless calendar updates with that (rather expensive) app.

Will the smartphone replace the PPC for you? And which of the two/three do you use as your primary tool for traditional PIM apps? Do you sync both the RIM and the PPC to your desktop?

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Thomas Taylor

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Yes. We use Blackberry Enterprise Server for Microsoft Exchange.

I hope the Smartphone will replace my Pocket PC Phone. I use my Blackberry for instant email access since our company does not support wireless ActiveSync via a PPC. Since there are usability issues with the Blackberry (in my opinion), I would ultimately like to use Windows Mobile 2003 as my primary OS to access instant email, calendar and contacts.

I am eagerly awaiting the new Blackberry PPC application to allow PPC access to BES. Since they announced this a few months ago, I am sure we are a ways away from the final version.

I do sync both on my desktop with no issues so far.