If Palm Is Going Windows, So Is My Next PDA
Category Management
I've had Palms since the Palmpilot, and my current Zire 71 is finally ready for a replacement. A button is failing, and the screen has occasional seizures. It's old enough, that the $100 repair bill is neither worth the expense nor inconvenience. Time to choose a successor.
The Palm TX is everything I've wanted in a Palm:WiFi, Bluetooth, Documents 2 Go software, a big, clear color screen, and a reasonable price of $299. Palms have always been form over function; they are the Jeeps of the PDA world, when most of their competitors are Cadillac Escalades. Unfortunately, the Palm TX lacks the one characteristic that I find a necessity: a future.
I've been waiting for Palm to release new models based on Cobalt, their much vaulted multi-threaded OS. Instead, the latest offerings from Palm have continued to rely on their aging Garnet OS. The future of the Palm OS is in question, because Palmsource has been sold off to a Japanese firm, Access. And, Palm has decided to kiss-and-make-up with Microsoft. The next generation Palm devices will be running Microsoft software.
However, I have purchased a replacement PDA for my Palm and it meets all of the following criteria:
Here's what I selected . . .
I've had Palms since the Palmpilot, and my current Zire 71 is finally ready for a replacement. A button is failing, and the screen has occasional seizures. It's old enough, that the $100 repair bill is neither worth the expense nor inconvenience. Time to choose a successor.
The Palm TX is everything I've wanted in a Palm:WiFi, Bluetooth, Documents 2 Go software, a big, clear color screen, and a reasonable price of $299. Palms have always been form over function; they are the Jeeps of the PDA world, when most of their competitors are Cadillac Escalades. Unfortunately, the Palm TX lacks the one characteristic that I find a necessity: a future.
I've been waiting for Palm to release new models based on Cobalt, their much vaulted multi-threaded OS. Instead, the latest offerings from Palm have continued to rely on their aging Garnet OS. The future of the Palm OS is in question, because Palmsource has been sold off to a Japanese firm, Access. And, Palm has decided to kiss-and-make-up with Microsoft. The next generation Palm devices will be running Microsoft software.
However, I have purchased a replacement PDA for my Palm and it meets all of the following criteria:
- Priced less than $300
- Runs the latest Microsoft Mobile 5 OS,
- It includes Wi-Fi (802.11b)
- It includes Bluetooth
- It comes with Microsoft Mobile 2003 software for Word and Excel files.
- Unlike Palm, I can replace the OS with Linux
- Unlike Palm, I can run a Mozilla/Firefox based browser
Here's what I selected . . .
Of the Microsoft-based PDAs, the Axim X51 is one of the most highly rated. It's considered a slight upgrade to it's predecessor, the X50. So, I purchased a refurbished X50 with Wi-Fi. It comes with Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, not the latest Moble 5. Most Microsoft-based PDAs are not upgradeable to the latest Microsoft OS release, but Dell supports the upgrade for their X50. Oddly, the X50 came with a $30 discount, that neatly covers the $29 cost of the Microsoft Mobile 5.
There are many supported browsers:
Commercial 3rd party Browsers;
- NetFront http://www.access-us-inc.com/Produc...ont_nf_ppc.html
- ThunderHawk http://www.bitstream.com/wireless/p...etpc/index.html
Commercial 3rd party PIE enhancements;
- MultiIE http://www.southwaycorp.net/multiie.htm
- Spb Pocket Plus http://www.spbsoftwarehouse.com/products/pocketplus/?en
Freeware 3rd party browsers;
- Minimo http://www.mozilla.org/projects/minimo/
- ftxPBrowser http://www.pocketpcfreeware.com/en/index.php?soft=686
There is also a release of Linux that runs on the Axim.
I'm going to miss my Palm, just like I miss my portable SX-64 and my Amiga. But, I have work to do, and the Axim is going to do just fine. Time to start reading the Windows Mobile Blog.
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