Hi all,

I have owned several PDAs and now I'm on a Samsung Omnia which is my
cellphone as well.

However I've found that I would really like to have a PDA for reading
eBooks and PDF documents, and also for the occasional web browsing.
Therefore I decided it might be a nice thing to have something
separate from my Omnia something with a much larger screen that I can
use for reading mostly.

So I need a recommendation because it has been years since I owned a
PDA that was not also my cellphone.

Here are my preferences:
1. LARGEST screen possible. I cannot over-state this it is #1
preference as large a screen because I'll be doing LOTS of reading on
it.
2. FAST CPU... my friend recently got a used ipaq - I used to own an
ipaq as well, and though I'd been happy with them, he seems to have
trouble he says it is quite slow. Since my current phone/pda is a very
recent model I'm very used to FAST performance. I'd like something
with a really good CPU.
3. Good battery life. I'll be spending probably 80% reading pdf files
and maybe 20% using my wifi connection. I am fully aware that wifi is
a battery killer and I know that from many other products I've
experienced it with. So given that I know that already, I want a
product with a really good battery life to accomodate this occasional
wifi use.

Aside from those preferences in terms of what is important to me, it
MUST be windows mobile and I should at least be able to use version 5
or 6. I know from experience quite a few of the units I've owned have
been upgradable to newer versions of winmo so even if the product
originally had something a bit older, as long as it will run a recent
version like 5 or 6, I don't mind doing an upgrade.

Again, of utmost importance is a really nice screen size.

Recommendations are appreciated.
I am fond of manufacturers like Asus, I am indifferent about HP, and I
hate Sony products so that might give you an idea of my preference in
terms of reliability of manufacturer.

Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.

A net book without a hard drive and using Linux will have a 9 hour battery
live.
The price would be about the same as a pda.
--
Ron Sommer

"Gabriel Knight" <someone@who.hates.junkmail> wrote in message
news:cb1r2512ajuh167406uetu0fj4n09n52tl@4ax.com...
> Hi all,
>
> I have owned several PDAs and now I'm on a Samsung Omnia which is my
> cellphone as well.
>
> However I've found that I would really like to have a PDA for reading
> eBooks and PDF documents, and also for the occasional web browsing.
> Therefore I decided it might be a nice thing to have something
> separate from my Omnia something with a much larger screen that I can
> use for reading mostly.
>
> So I need a recommendation because it has been years since I owned a
> PDA that was not also my cellphone.
>
> Here are my preferences:
> 1. LARGEST screen possible. I cannot over-state this it is #1
> preference as large a screen because I'll be doing LOTS of reading on
> it.
> 2. FAST CPU... my friend recently got a used ipaq - I used to own an
> ipaq as well, and though I'd been happy with them, he seems to have
> trouble he says it is quite slow. Since my current phone/pda is a very
> recent model I'm very used to FAST performance. I'd like something
> with a really good CPU.
> 3. Good battery life. I'll be spending probably 80% reading pdf files
> and maybe 20% using my wifi connection. I am fully aware that wifi is
> a battery killer and I know that from many other products I've
> experienced it with. So given that I know that already, I want a
> product with a really good battery life to accomodate this occasional
> wifi use.
>
> Aside from those preferences in terms of what is important to me, it
> MUST be windows mobile and I should at least be able to use version 5
> or 6. I know from experience quite a few of the units I've owned have
> been upgradable to newer versions of winmo so even if the product
> originally had something a bit older, as long as it will run a recent
> version like 5 or 6, I don't mind doing an upgrade.
>
> Again, of utmost importance is a really nice screen size.
>
> Recommendations are appreciated.
> I am fond of manufacturers like Asus, I am indifferent about HP, and I
> hate Sony products so that might give you an idea of my preference in
> terms of reliability of manufacturer.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.
>

On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 17:54:50 -0500, "Ron Sommer"
<rsommer@nospam.ktis.net> wrote:

>A net book without a hard drive and using Linux will have a 9 hour battery
>live.
>The price would be about the same as a pda.

I actually have an Asus eee 900 I'm quite happy with it, but I really
want something even smaller. Something I can just hold in one hand to
read with, and turn on and off in only a second. I really need
something like a PDA.

On Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:06:48 -0400, Gabriel Knight wrote:

> On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 17:54:50 -0500, "Ron Sommer"
> <rsommer@nospam.ktis.net> wrote:
>
>>A net book without a hard drive and using Linux will have a 9 hour battery
>>live.
>>The price would be about the same as a pda.
>
> I actually have an Asus eee 900 I'm quite happy with it, but I really
> want something even smaller. Something I can just hold in one hand to
> read with, and turn on and off in only a second. I really need
> something like a PDA.

I love my iPaq 211.

"Strongbox" <strongbox@no.mail> wrote in message
news:8wdk3e3kpz8p$.1xv5g3pmpms76.dlg@40tude.net...
> On Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:06:48 -0400, Gabriel Knight wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 17:54:50 -0500, "Ron Sommer"
> > <rsommer@nospam.ktis.net> wrote:
> >
> >>A net book without a hard drive and using Linux will have a 9 hour
battery
> >>live.
> >>The price would be about the same as a pda.
> >
> > I actually have an Asus eee 900 I'm quite happy with it, but I really
> > want something even smaller. Something I can just hold in one hand to
> > read with, and turn on and off in only a second. I really need
> > something like a PDA.
>
> I love my iPaq 211.

I loved my iPaq 211 until HTC came out with phones that have a VGA (640x480)
screen. Now I hardly ever use my 211.

FYI the HTC phones have a 2.8 inch VGA screen where the iPaq 211 has a 4"
VGA screen so it is easier to read the iPaq.

And the 211 powers up and powers down pretty fast because it doesn't power
off just powers down.

Plus the 211 has two memory slots so you can easily put in over 16 Gig of
memory.

But the iPaq 211 has a few drawbacks too like it uses WM6 instead of WM6.1
and it's screen requires more pressure than an average touch screen.

Thanks for both of your comments on the iPaq 211. It looks like quite
a good unit, I'm thinking about that product. A bit pricey for what I
need it to do, but since my needs are limited, most things would be
pricey no matter what.

Thanks, I'm going to keep my eyes open and research a bit more.

On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 22:44:17 -0600, "Roger 2008" <rwpcs@att.net> wrote:

>
>"Strongbox" <strongbox@no.mail> wrote in message
>news:8wdk3e3kpz8p$.1xv5g3pmpms76.dlg@40tude.net.. .
>> On Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:06:48 -0400, Gabriel Knight wrote:
>>
>> > On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 17:54:50 -0500, "Ron Sommer"
>> > <rsommer@nospam.ktis.net> wrote:
>> >
>> >>A net book without a hard drive and using Linux will have a 9 hour
>battery
>> >>live.
>> >>The price would be about the same as a pda.
>> >
>> > I actually have an Asus eee 900 I'm quite happy with it, but I really
>> > want something even smaller. Something I can just hold in one hand to
>> > read with, and turn on and off in only a second. I really need
>> > something like a PDA.
>>
>> I love my iPaq 211.
>
>I loved my iPaq 211 until HTC came out with phones that have a VGA (640x480)
>screen. Now I hardly ever use my 211.
>
>FYI the HTC phones have a 2.8 inch VGA screen where the iPaq 211 has a 4"
>VGA screen so it is easier to read the iPaq.
>
>And the 211 powers up and powers down pretty fast because it doesn't power
>off just powers down.
>
>Plus the 211 has two memory slots so you can easily put in over 16 Gig of
>memory.
>
>But the iPaq 211 has a few drawbacks too like it uses WM6 instead of WM6.1
>and it's screen requires more pressure than an average touch screen.
>

A quick note: the highest resolution you can have is 800*480 (and the iPhone
210 is "only" VGA). In addition, PDA rendering can be pretty slow on WinMo
(particularly if the doc you read has a lot of highly complicated compound
images).

Are you sure you don't want to go for a tablet instead - for example, a
TC1100? It only weighs in 1.4kg and is far-far better suited for PDF
reading. In addition, it's dirt cheap nowadays; so are brand new batteries
for it off eBay.

--


--
Werner "Menneisyys" Ruotsalainen - Microsoft MVP - Windows - Mobile Devices
Please see the Pocket PC Mag Expert Blog (including mine) at
http://www.pocketpcmag.com/blogs/ - you will definitely like it.


"Gabriel Knight" <someone@who.hates.junkmail> wrote in message
news:qtos259r77pss744h4cjmt6oddv3vbh5ih@4ax.com...
> Thanks for both of your comments on the iPaq 211. It looks like quite
> a good unit, I'm thinking about that product. A bit pricey for what I
> need it to do, but since my needs are limited, most things would be
> pricey no matter what.
>
> Thanks, I'm going to keep my eyes open and research a bit more.
>
> On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 22:44:17 -0600, "Roger 2008" <rwpcs@att.net> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Strongbox" <strongbox@no.mail> wrote in message
>>news:8wdk3e3kpz8p$.1xv5g3pmpms76.dlg@40tude.net. ..
>>> On Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:06:48 -0400, Gabriel Knight wrote:
>>>
>>> > On Mon, 8 Jun 2009 17:54:50 -0500, "Ron Sommer"
>>> > <rsommer@nospam.ktis.net> wrote:
>>> >
>>> >>A net book without a hard drive and using Linux will have a 9 hour
>>battery
>>> >>live.
>>> >>The price would be about the same as a pda.
>>> >
>>> > I actually have an Asus eee 900 I'm quite happy with it, but I really
>>> > want something even smaller. Something I can just hold in one hand to
>>> > read with, and turn on and off in only a second. I really need
>>> > something like a PDA.
>>>
>>> I love my iPaq 211.
>>
>>I loved my iPaq 211 until HTC came out with phones that have a VGA
>>(640x480)
>>screen. Now I hardly ever use my 211.
>>
>>FYI the HTC phones have a 2.8 inch VGA screen where the iPaq 211 has a 4"
>>VGA screen so it is easier to read the iPaq.
>>
>>And the 211 powers up and powers down pretty fast because it doesn't power
>>off just powers down.
>>
>>Plus the 211 has two memory slots so you can easily put in over 16 Gig of
>>memory.
>>
>>But the iPaq 211 has a few drawbacks too like it uses WM6 instead of WM6.1
>>and it's screen requires more pressure than an average touch screen.
>>
>

"Werner "Menneisyys" Ruotsalainen [MVP - Windows - Mobile Devices]"
<!ei.maileja@kiitos!> wrote in message
news:O7lQuER6JHA.2656@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>
> Are you sure you don't want to go for a tablet instead - for example, a
> TC1100? It only weighs in 1.4kg and is far-far better suited for PDF
> reading. In addition, it's dirt cheap nowadays; so are brand new batteries
> for it off eBay.

Very good idea Werner.

FYI the TC1100 is a Tablet Computer but with a detachable keyboard so it can
be treated as if it were a laptop too and if a TC1100 from ebay doesn't come
with Recovery CDs you can order Recovery CDs from HP for $12.00 but you will
need a USB CD/DVD to install the software.

BTW the best resolution the TC1100 can do internal or external is only
1024x768 so that is sort of a drawback. But the TC1100 has a PCMCIA slot
that can be used for better resolution on an external monitor.

Plus there are smaller Tablet computers out there like:
http://blogs.zdnet.com/gadgetreviews...90&tag=nl.e539

One more item about the TC1100. If you get a TC1100 there is one registry
edit that I would suggest and it is at:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/893056/

but even after that registry edit you won't see the "Hibernate" button when
you shutdown until you upgrade XP to SP3.

On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:47:12 +0200, "Werner \"Menneisyys\" Ruotsalainen
[MVP - Windows - Mobile Devices]" <!ei.maileja@kiitos!> wrote:

>A quick note: the highest resolution you can have is 800*480 (and the iPhone
>210 is "only" VGA). In addition, PDA rendering can be pretty slow on WinMo
>(particularly if the doc you read has a lot of highly complicated compound
>images).
>
>Are you sure you don't want to go for a tablet instead - for example, a
>TC1100? It only weighs in 1.4kg and is far-far better suited for PDF
>reading. In addition, it's dirt cheap nowadays; so are brand new batteries
>for it off eBay.
>
>--

Tablet looks quite nice I will consider that actually. Only thing is
I'd have to do a really slim nLite install build, not a problem. One
big issue is I want to be able to pick it up and start using quickly.
I'd also really prefer it be pocketable but I will see what's
available in the tablet pc market.

TY

On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:47:12 +0200, "Werner \"Menneisyys\" Ruotsalainen
[MVP - Windows - Mobile Devices]" <!ei.maileja@kiitos!> wrote:

>A quick note: the highest resolution you can have is 800*480 (and the iPhone
>210 is "only" VGA). In addition, PDA rendering can be pretty slow on WinMo
>(particularly if the doc you read has a lot of highly complicated compound
>images).
>
>Are you sure you don't want to go for a tablet instead - for example, a
>TC1100? It only weighs in 1.4kg and is far-far better suited for PDF
>reading. In addition, it's dirt cheap nowadays; so are brand new batteries
>for it off eBay.
>
>--

Still kinda prefer a PDA because of a few things that importantly
distinguish it from a tablet PC:
.. Size - can put it in my pocket
.. Turns on and off quickly without killing battery (unless I were to
leave tablet in sleep mode all the time)

What I really want is just something that will do the job that won't
cost me a fortune. For just PDF eBooks etc. and occasional web
browsing, not a really big deal. Prefer it has an SD slot too, just
for all my eBooks.

Further recommendations still appreciated thanks.

"Gabriel Knight" <someone@who.hates.junkmail> wrote in message
news:s3lt25p0pf6rsq94hv2ej8qkbp7naaqsat@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 16:47:12 +0200, "Werner \"Menneisyys\" Ruotsalainen
> [MVP - Windows - Mobile Devices]" <!ei.maileja@kiitos!> wrote:
>
>>A quick note: the highest resolution you can have is 800*480 (and the
>>iPhone
>>210 is "only" VGA). In addition, PDA rendering can be pretty slow on WinMo
>>(particularly if the doc you read has a lot of highly complicated compound
>>images).
>>
>>Are you sure you don't want to go for a tablet instead - for example, a
>>TC1100? It only weighs in 1.4kg and is far-far better suited for PDF
>>reading. In addition, it's dirt cheap nowadays; so are brand new batteries
>>for it off eBay.
>>
>>--
>
> Still kinda prefer a PDA because of a few things that importantly
> distinguish it from a tablet PC:
> . Size - can put it in my pocket
> . Turns on and off quickly without killing battery (unless I were to
> leave tablet in sleep mode all the time)
>
> What I really want is just something that will do the job that won't
> cost me a fortune. For just PDF eBooks etc. and occasional web
> browsing, not a really big deal. Prefer it has an SD slot too, just
> for all my eBooks.
>
> Further recommendations still appreciated thanks.

I'm no expert on them, but you might check and see what the Nokia N800/N810
mini-web tablets offer in PDF/ebook viewing. They're the size of PDA, but
run a Linux OS called Maemo and have 800x480 displays. The older N800 (no
slide-out hard keyboard) sells for well under $200 on eBay these days, and
there's a thriving Linux developer community constantly pumping out software
for the N8x0 series. They have WiFi and BT for connectivity, plus SD slots-
really nice little devices. Check out http://maemo.org for an idea about
what's available for them.

At 08 Jun 2009 17:48:07 -0400 Gabriel Knight wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> I have owned several PDAs and now I'm on a Samsung Omnia which is my
> cellphone as well.
>
> However I've found that I would really like to have a PDA for reading
> eBooks and PDF documents, and also for the occasional web browsing.
> Therefore I decided it might be a nice thing to have something
> separate from my Omnia something with a much larger screen that I can
> use for reading mostly.
>
> So I need a recommendation because it has been years since I owned a
> PDA that was not also my cellphone.
>
> Here are my preferences:
> 1. LARGEST screen possible. I cannot over-state this it is #1
> preference as large a screen because I'll be doing LOTS of reading on
> it.
> 2. FAST CPU... my friend recently got a used ipaq - I used to own an
> ipaq as well, and though I'd been happy with them, he seems to have
> trouble he says it is quite slow. Since my current phone/pda is a very
> recent model I'm very used to FAST performance. I'd like something
> with a really good CPU.
> 3. Good battery life. I'll be spending probably 80% reading pdf files
> and maybe 20% using my wifi connection. I am fully aware that wifi is
> a battery killer and I know that from many other products I've
> experienced it with. So given that I know that already, I want a
> product with a really good battery life to accomodate this occasional
> wifi use.
>
> Aside from those preferences in terms of what is important to me, it
> MUST be windows mobile and I should at least be able to use version 5
> or 6. I know from experience quite a few of the units I've owned have
> been upgradable to newer versions of winmo so even if the product
> originally had something a bit older, as long as it will run a recent
> version like 5 or 6, I don't mind doing an upgrade.
>
> Again, of utmost importance is a really nice screen size.
>
> Recommendations are appreciated.
> I am fond of manufacturers like Asus, I am indifferent about HP, and I
> hate Sony products so that might give you an idea of my preference in
> terms of reliability of manufacturer.
>
> Thanks in advance for any advice anyone can offer.
>

Kindle?

--
Dave

Gabriel Knight wrote:
>
> Still kinda prefer a PDA because of a few things that importantly
> distinguish it from a tablet PC:
> . Size - can put it in my pocket
> . Turns on and off quickly without killing battery (unless I were to
> leave tablet in sleep mode all the time)

Hibernate would be a much better option for you than sleep mode.
Hibernate shuts the laptop/tablet off and it returns to where it was
in no time when you turn the power back on. You might be able to use
hibernate on your EEE PC 900 after that registry edit I mentioned
earlier. BTW I know hibernate works on the hard drive version of the
EEE PC 900.

> What I really want is just something that will do the job that won't
> cost me a fortune. For just PDF eBooks etc. and occasional web
> browsing, not a really big deal. Prefer it has an SD slot too, just
> for all my eBooks.
>
> Further recommendations still appreciated thanks.

They might not be out yet but a used Verizon Touch Diamond from e-bay
might be what you are looking for. It even has a memory card slot
and if it is like other Touch Diamonds you can make it look like a
flash drive so it is easy to copy files onto from a PC.

BTW your Omnia has a screen of 400x240 and the Touch Diamond is
640x480. But they have the softest screen of any PPC I've seen yet
meaning they are easy to scratch.

Now I'm out of ideas.

Roger 2008 wrote:
> Gabriel Knight wrote:
> >
> > Still kinda prefer a PDA because of a few things that importantly
> > distinguish it from a tablet PC:
> > . Size - can put it in my pocket
> > . Turns on and off quickly without killing battery (unless I were to
> > leave tablet in sleep mode all the time)
>
> Hibernate would be a much better option for you than sleep mode.
> Hibernate shuts the laptop/tablet off and it returns to where it was
> in no time when you turn the power back on. You might be able to use
> hibernate on your EEE PC 900 after that registry edit I mentioned
> earlier. BTW I know hibernate works on the hard drive version of the
> EEE PC 900.
>
> > What I really want is just something that will do the job that won't
> > cost me a fortune. For just PDF eBooks etc. and occasional web
> > browsing, not a really big deal. Prefer it has an SD slot too, just
> > for all my eBooks.
> >
> > Further recommendations still appreciated thanks.
>
> They might not be out yet but a used Verizon Touch Diamond from e-bay
> might be what you are looking for. It even has a memory card slot
> and if it is like other Touch Diamonds you can make it look like a
> flash drive so it is easy to copy files onto from a PC.
>
> BTW your Omnia has a screen of 400x240 and the Touch Diamond is
> 640x480. But they have the softest screen of any PPC I've seen yet
> meaning they are easy to scratch.
>
> Now I'm out of ideas.

I forgot to mention rhat if you get a Touch Diamond there are easy way
restore Landscape mode since it is easier to read things in landscape.

On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:11:43 -0600, "" wrote:


>
>Kindle?

Ewww! Waaaaay too expensive and too limited in capabilities.