Which PDA to read threaded forums?

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I'm about to buy my first PDA (in 11 years!) and among the things I want to be able to do, I want to be able to read and post to forums such as this. I guess this determines the type of display and type of browser? Other features I want are Bluetooth, WiFi, an Outlook-compatible mail application webcam, microphone (i.e. fully Skype compatible), word processor compatible with Word documents, possibility to connect remote keyboard, USB port that will accept a hub are also key features. I don't need a GPS as I already have dedicated land and marine hardware and software. Probably the most important thing for me is a display that is kind on my eyes, in daylight and artificial light.

I will need to run it from the boat supply but am happy to use it via my inverter or buy a 12V manufacturer's 'lead', if available.

Many thanks for your help.
 
I use a HP iPAQ but hardly ever use it for email or internet (iPAQ's come with Outlook and IE) - I find the screen just too small and fiddly so as I always have a notebook with me when traveling or on the boat I use that.

For my main uses, appointments, management of my client billing hours, mileage and business expenses (those using applications I developed to suit my own exact needs), ebooks, music, secure password files, tides and astro it is great. I just go for a lowish end one so not painful if gets dropped or lost (that never happened though) and my current one is getting long in the tooth.

I sometimes use it for SMS (a bit easier than tapping out on a phone keyboard) but again a notebook is far better. Never use Word or Excel on it, absolute waste of time - mainly because of screen size and no keyboard (or else very small one on some - if planning on carrying the extra attachable keyboard, in my view one may as well use a notebook which is zillion times better).

Use it alot for ebooks, and if into the out of copyright classics, etc (basically more than 50 years old) all available then big free treasure trove out there on the internet. Alot more easily got in txt files or downloadable HTML however if using Pocket PC then easily converted to MS Reader .lit format using a microsoft's plugin for MSWord which makes them flow better plus gives bookmarks, etc. Some things are mainly available as PDF's and PDF's do not work well on PDA's as screen size is small - so pays to go to as big a screen as practicable for those at least.

I use it alot for music when travelling long distance on aircraft and while stuck in hotels and like but never do movies on it (notebook is much better). Music and ebooks are on memory cards (SD in my case) - I find it handy if ones notebook has a card reader built in, in my case for both the PDA's and camera's cards

As far as I know the all (most anyway?) come with microphone for speech notes but whether that gets into a Skype application I would not know.

I carry two batteries (which taking out sleep, eating etc time will get me from NZ to East coast of USA no problem for ebooks, and will do me for music on an around 6-7 hour flight taking out odd time for meals, etc. On the boat I just charge it from the inverter (modified sine wave /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

I operate the following way in order to keep things in order between PDA and PC -

I have one master PC at home, and all email goes through that no matter where I am - it is left running all the time when I am away. When I am away it forwards a copy of all email to another email account which I work from either by POP by plugging into clients' internet if overseas, or IMAP (downloading headers) if in my home country and access via GPRS (although GPRS costs now mean that POP is not of cost concern unless lots of unexpected big files). I blind copy a copy of every email I send back to the master PC (using an alias so it doesn't get reforwarded into an infinite loop).

My notebook and the master PC each have one drive sychronised as between them, so all data, email, files etc are same or available on both machines at time of synchronisation and the PDA sychronised with them both except for email which is sync of the master.

As is probably clear from all that, I use a PDA alot, but do not find it a substitute for a notebook, rather complements it for the small tasks and things where screen size/crippled keyboarding is not an impediment.

John
 
Many thanks, that is very useful. Particularly, for me, your comments about e-books. I have had the mobi reader on my laptop for a year or so but seldom use it (little gems like how to dissect dead bodies are on my hard drive but I've yet to get around to reading them /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). I am looking at the Palm TX which looks very wifi/Bluetooth enabled but as you suggest, the keyboard looks like the downside. As a touch-typist, I would be lost with a tiddly keyboard, and that looks like being the problem. Thanks again for your helpful post.

David
 
Vodafone V1605, Does pretty much everthing you ask for and has a QWERTY keyboard too. Has MS Internet Explorer and Outlook Express.
I use it to browse and post on the forum too.
A few of us in the Lounge use them.

Cheers

Al.
 
Thanks for the reply, but I can't find them on the Vodafone uk site or by a Google search. Could you check that part number? Maybe it has been superceded? Do you know the manufacturer? Many thanks.
 
Have got the v1605 - great bit of kit. will do just about everything if you take the time to read the manual!
Best bit is its wifi so when you have a signel it switches over from GPRS to wifi.
 
Thanks and have looked at the lounge thread. Being in Spain, I keep a UK PAYG Orange SIM that I use when back in the UK and a Movistar SIM in Spain. Will buy other SIMs as we move about. So what I don't really want is yet another telephone account but that is no prob provided the phone is 'open' and not locked to Vodafone, or whoever. I am perfectly happy to pay for the device - I accept that when you get a handset in a contract it is coasted over the life of the contract which is fair but in the past I've noticed that you can't get the better phones PAYG.

I suppose I'll have to spend some time in a Vodafone shop when we are back in the UK. Is there an alternative supplier, one who would not lock the device, do you know?
 
Wow! Thanks, Richard. Looks good but the Palm without the phone is £207 which seems more reasonable and I don't have to worry about contracts. I'd like to buy here in Spain but things like that are expensive here and I don't speak quite enough Spanish (yet). David
 
[ QUOTE ]
Vodafone V1605, Does pretty much everthing you ask for and has a QWERTY keyboard too. Has MS Internet Explorer and Outlook Express.
I use it to browse and post on the forum too.
A few of us in the Lounge use them.

Cheers

Al.

[/ QUOTE ]

Does it browse the internet just like a PC, or does it only allow you to view sites that you can get on a normal mobile phone?

The reason I ask is that I have a Samsung D600 which tells me that some sites are too big to view.

Cheers

Richard
 
It will view all sites that I have tried, BBC weather, shipping forcast ,naxtex messages etc.
Sites with big pics are harded to see but not impossible.
They go on ebay around £300 also see the Qtek 9100 which is the same model.
 
Yes, it will view all www sites.
I have mine set not too show images, to save on download time and money, most pages load within a few seconds, if there is a pic you want to see, you just click on it.

Al.
 
[ QUOTE ]
They go on ebay around £300 also see the Qtek 9100 which is the same model.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Qtek 9100, is not the same phone, i have both the Qtek 9100 and the v1605, The qtek is basically the older model, it doesn't have 3G and software is a bit older.
The v1605 is bang up to date, and with the 3G video calling is good and the pages load twice as fast.

Both about the same sort of size, and both very good phones.

Cheers

Al.
 
Qtek 9600 seems to be the same model?

Anyway... I'm seriously considering one of these to use with a T-Mobile PAYG SIM cause you get unlimited 3G web for £1 a day, (but you cant use the phone as a modem for PC connection, and I'm guessing you cant use it in a datacard either... if they detect this kind of use, they say they will ban you).

My question is... is it possible to link it to a TV, or a PC/laptop screen... wothout actually using the PC to do the connecting and surfing?

I wonder if the manual is on the web?

Many Thanks

Richard
 
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