Advice Needed: Pocket PCs.

I have been wanting to pocket PC for a loooong time.
But never really had the cash for one.

Well, I HAVE to have one now. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

So, I would like the advice of anyone here that has had experience with them.

I need one to be good at, pictures, video, gps, mp3s.
In other words, a portable graphics machine. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Here is my top choice so far.
Toshiba e800

Specs that stand out:
400Mhz
ATI 2 Meg video
First VGA display. 640 res.
4" display
builtin WiFi

Hi jtice,

It has been a while since I was into Pocket PCs and Palms...
The Toshiba is nice, but may be a little big. I haven't had a chance to see the VGA screen in person yet though.

In the past, the Toshibas have been a little bland looking, but they are much better now--not sure if this is a criteria for you or not /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Since you want wireless, if you want something small, you might like this:
h4155

However, the battery is quite small, and the resolution may not be high enough for you to surf comfortably (compared to the Toshiba). The form factor is much smaller, though.

I'm more of the Palm camp for now, as I am currently using a T3.

Good luck!
et

I love my Toshiba e750 and the Toshibas are top contenders for video quality BUT....
Toshiba has LOUSY customer service.
The e34x and the e74x were plagued by firmware glitches that were long denied by Toshiba.
Firmware bug fixes would show up on Toshiba's European website while US customer service was still denying the bugs existed.
To this day many issues are still unresolved.
Both model series were close to one year old when Microsoft released an operating system upgrade but Toshiba has yet to make it available.
Customers were given the option of buying new models or sucking it up.
They eventually offered a trade-in program where they bought back old units at about 15 cents on the dollar but even then they only offered refurbs as replacements.
Last time I checked, even the e800 was not able to fully support the VGA hardware capability.
Users were forced to use a third party app for limited VGA support because the native Toshiba drivers were not up to the job.
I believe the VGA situation has recently improved but out of the box, the e800 was not a ready for prime time player.
Maybe if an e850 ever materializes it will finally have things ironed out.
Unfortunately abandoning model lines is a long-standing tradition with Toshiba.
Most (all?) of the Audiovox and Genio models were rebranded Toshiba units and they all suffer from the same lack of support.
Check out a dedicated PDA board like brightguy.com or tekguru.co.uk and you'll see that the Toshiba horror stories abound.

Prolepsis,
That was another model I looked at, but the small size isnt a big deal, i would rather have a larger display at the expence of alittle larger unit.

GJW,

Well, out of the box, very little programs work with the VGA option, BUT, now there is a program that unlocks the VGA mode anytime you want, and many programs will work with it. Word, Excel, Acces, etc.

I have crappy experiences with any computer related item, so thats nothing new to me lol.
Though crappy C.S. is never somethign you want.

The reviews have the Toshiba performing VERY well, especially for vids and imaging. Which is what I need.

There is only a couple other ones combeating in the performance part, but they have alot smaller displays. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

The Genio 550G has a larger display but it's not VGA.
It's also last year's OS.
Much better speaker though.

For a big bold VGA screen nothing is going to beat the e800.
Today that is....
Competition might be in the works but who knows?
Word on the street is that the PPC is dead and Microsoft is focussing on SmartPhone technology and dedicated multimedia units.
The head of MSFT OS development pretty much said as much.

Doesn't mean I'm going to be giving up mine anytime soon though.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/buttrock.gif

I cant seem to find a good site,, in ENGLISH for that Genio 550G.

Know a good place for info on it?

How about Dell AXIMs? But then they also have 280x320 screens. Looks like the Toshiba is your best bet if you want 480x640, at least for the forseeable future. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

I also looked at the Dell.
Nice unit, but there are a few features the Toshiba has i liked, that the Dell didnt have.
Yes the larger size and res screen was one of the main ones. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

But its video performance was hight, with large 2meg intergraded vid.

I forget, but the Dell might not suport both cards.
The toshiba has a nice presentaion port addon, that gives you a usb port,,,, and a CRT or projector port /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
That and a couple suddle things that kinda addup.

When you get the Toshiba, please post your thoughts on it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I'm waiting to see how Sony's OLED (organic LED) displays pan out /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/popcorn.gif

My T3's resolution is nice (320x480) for photos and the such, but it won't be as good as your 480x640! And, for videos still, Pocket PCs can't be beat.

It will be alittle while, but I sure will post. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I have to sell my old laptop to get funds for it.

Anyone want a Dell Inspiron 7500 450 Mhz, 128 Meg RAM, 15" screen, dvd player for $600? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Ticey, I don't need a notebook, but you are tempting me. Can't afford it anyways.

I wish Sharp would market their newer Linux PDAs in the usa. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Dont forget to budget for accessories too...

web page

I stand corrected.
My friend has the Genio and he said the screen was 4.1" but I found an old copy of PocketPc Magazine and it says 4".

JT, here ye go:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/68/35624.html