Which pocket pc should I buy?

veetraag · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

Hi,
I have been meaning to buy a pocket pc for the last few weeks, but with
all the info available online, I am a little confused.
I plan to use the pc for reading MS Office documents and for reading
eBooks. My ebooks are in MS reader and pdf format. So I need a pocket
pc that supports both these S/Ws. Can anyone suggest, which will be the
best model for me? Do remember that it has to be in the lower end
price catagory, around $200-300.

Archived from group: microsoft>public>pocketpc>ebooks

James Bateman · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

veetraag wrote:
> Hi,
> I have been meaning to buy a pocket pc for the last few weeks, but with
> all the info available online, I am a little confused.
> I plan to use the pc for reading MS Office documents and for reading
> eBooks. My ebooks are in MS reader and pdf format. So I need a pocket
> pc that supports both these S/Ws. Can anyone suggest, which will be the
> best model for me? Do remember that it has to be in the lower end
> price catagory, around $200-300.
>
No idea, however personally I wouldn't consider any PDA which didn't have in-build WiFi
[which supports WPA]

Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/Mo · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 6700

all pocketpc's support msreader and pdf files (you have to download and
install the readers.

There are no serious problems reading unencrypted books, but know in
advance that getting both of the above setup to handle DRM encryption
can be trying.

Once the setup is complete, I find that reading on a ppc screen is
better than reading a paperback, plus you have your book ready anywhere
you have the ppc. In addition to the above formats there are several
other ebook formats which are supported on ppc's

The only additional pre-purchase note is that having a side mounted jog
wheel (scroll button) makes reading much easier than the bottom mounted
dpad although the DPad becomes more usable in "landscape" mode.

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

Jonathan · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 4

Greetings,

Since I've just been through what you are asking about, I can tell you what
I ended up with.

I purchased a Dell X30, which is no longer being sold by Dell but is still
supported. Yes, I got it from a seller on eBay and it was brand-new still
in the box. Of the three models (Top - 624 mHz processor, WiFi & Bluetooth;
Middle - 312 mHz, WiFi & Bluetooth; Bottom - 312 mHz, no wireless) I
purchased the middle of the line.

I liked the X30 because it had a larger 3.5" diag. screen with 64k colors,
the latest PXA270 processor (and the 312 mHz processor is very
power-efficient), WiFi (for surfing the net when I can), a Secure Digital
card slot (in which I have a 512 mB card I got for $15.00), and it uses MS
Pocket PC 2003 SE software, which can easily run MS Reader, Adobe Acrobat
Reader for Pocket PC, Pocket Word and Pocket Exel with no problems. An
extended battery lets it be used for almost 5 days before recharging it.
The best part is you can still pick up this PDA for $100-150 which is an
attractive price for the features it has.

It has 64 mB each of RAM and ROM for programs and internal storage, but you
have the option of installing your software and saving your files onto the
SD card thereby saving space on the device. It is powerful enough to run
every program I've installed on it for the Pocket PC (including my medical
software) and so far has been very reliable.

It's not the sexiest looking PDA out there (it's rather plain) but it's a
good size for my hand and the shape is easy to hold with the buttons and
controls in all the right places. Dell is a reputable company, and there
are a great many accessories for this device still available at reasonable
prices.

Your mileage may vary.

Cheers - Jonathan

"veetraag" wrote in message @n13g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Hi,
> I have been meaning to buy a pocket pc for the last few weeks, but with
> all the info available online, I am a little confused.
> I plan to use the pc for reading MS Office documents and for reading
> eBooks. My ebooks are in MS reader and pdf format. So I need a pocket
> pc that supports both these S/Ws. Can anyone suggest, which will be the
> best model for me? Do remember that it has to be in the lower end
> price catagory, around $200-300.
>

Bob G · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 5

I am new to ebooks and can't speak to that but as far as PDA, I have the
Samsung i760 and I am very happy with it. I like it because it does support
WiFi (and yes, it supports WPA). It's loaded with Windows Mobile 6 and I'm
blown away by the power of the voice response.
Bob

"Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev]" wrote in
message @TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> all pocketpc's support msreader and pdf files (you have to download and
> install the readers.
>
> There are no serious problems reading unencrypted books, but know in
> advance that getting both of the above setup to handle DRM encryption can
> be trying.
>
> Once the setup is complete, I find that reading on a ppc screen is better
> than reading a paperback, plus you have your book ready anywhere you have
> the ppc. In addition to the above formats there are several other ebook
> formats which are supported on ppc's
>
> The only additional pre-purchase note is that having a side mounted jog
> wheel (scroll button) makes reading much easier than the bottom mounted
> dpad although the DPad becomes more usable in "landscape" mode.
>
> Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/Mo · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 6700

The Samsung i760 should be fine... any pocketpc reader such as msreader
should work find on that device. Since the text size can be zoomed to
taste, screen size is not a major factor.

The main difference between different designs with respect to using it
as a reader is how the d-pad or scroll buttons/keys are positioned so
that when spending a couple of hours with a book it's convenient and
easy to move from screen to screen.

The samsung is going to offer several different options. The ideal is
the ability to read "single handedly" using thumb or finger to move from
page to page.

the i760 images look like it might be ideal with the screen inverted,
dpad at top under the thumb to scroll.

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

Bob G · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 5

msreader doesn't say that it is compatible with Windows Mobile 6. Will it
work anyway?

"Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev]" wrote in
message news:%23lE1FToOIHA.5860@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
> The Samsung i760 should be fine... any pocketpc reader such as msreader
> should work find on that device. Since the text size can be zoomed to
> taste, screen size is not a major factor.
>
> The main difference between different designs with respect to using it as
> a reader is how the d-pad or scroll buttons/keys are positioned so that
> when spending a couple of hours with a book it's convenient and easy to
> move from screen to screen.
>
> The samsung is going to offer several different options. The ideal is the
> ability to read "single handedly" using thumb or finger to move from page
> to page.
>
> the i760 images look like it might be ideal with the screen inverted, dpad
> at top under the thumb to scroll.
>
> Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]
>

Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/Mo · Joined: 15 Aug 2007 Posts: 6700

While I don't have experience with wm6, most ppc apps are os version
independent... installs of older software will generate a message about
possible screen problems which I have never experienced in hundreds of
installations.

Since it's free, you have little to loose by installing it... same holds
true of the other readers.

Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]

Bob G · Joined: 09 Dec 2007 Posts: 5

Thanks, I'll give it a shot

"Beverly Howard [Ms-MVP/MobileDev]" wrote in
message @TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...
> While I don't have experience with wm6, most ppc apps are os version
> independent... installs of older software will generate a message about
> possible screen problems which I have never experienced in hundreds of
> installations.
>
> Since it's free, you have little to loose by installing it... same holds
> true of the other readers.
>
> Beverly Howard [MS MVP-Mobile Devices]
>

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