Re: OT/ PDA

Alan S <loralgtweightandcarbs@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:01:23 -0400, Shawn Hirn
<srhi@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

In article <5s53931cjbbp390iv6j4l6dkq072hpe897@xxxxxxx>,
Alan S <loralgtweightandcarbs@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Hi All

I know we have a few computer-savvy people here, so a
question for the experts.

I was considering a lap-top for my next trip, but I've
rejected the idea as too heavy and unwieldy to lug around.
However, a friend suggested a PDA.

I know nothing about them or which are good and bad.

My primary use would be to make hotel and similar bookings
via the net. So it would need to be usable as a web-browser
and able to connect to the web by either phone or wifi. On
wifi - about all I know is the term, not how to use it or to
connect with it.

The secondary uses, in order of priority:

email; essential
notepad/word as a diary; essential
GPS; nice but not mandatory
music, video - not needed.

There are several PDAs that meet your needs, but based on what you said,
you will probably also need to sign up for a cell phone plan that
includes Internet access.

A few of the devices off hand that you can look at are:

Palm Treo (several models) with the Palm OS (not Windows Mobile)
Motorola Q
RIM Blackberry (several models)
Apple iPhone (one model)

I have a Palm Treo 700p and I am thrilled with it, but I don't use the
Palm Desktop software that comes with it, nor do I have the GPS option.
It does everything on your list. A GPS is optional though.

Thanks Shawn.

It's starting to look like a choice between Blackberry, Treo
and Palm.

Make sure it's something with wifi access. You'd be surprised how much
free wifi can be found lurking around in some cities. I think every
third or fourth cafe I visit in Edinburgh has it. The point is that
it's a facility often suppressed or made difficult to access by the
cell phone ISPs. Why? Because it means you don't have to use their
expensive services so often!

Some cell phone service providers in the UK refused to sell the Nokia
9500, for example (from which I'm posting this), because it was so
good at telling you when you could save money by not using a cell
phone connection! It's also a triband phone which works in the US as
well as most of the rest of the world (the US has its own special
frequencies rarely used elsewhere). The ultimate world wide phones are
quadband.

--
Chris Malcolm cam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx DoD #205
IPAB, Informatics, JCMB, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ, UK
[http://www.dai.ed.ac.uk/homes/cam/]

.

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