PDAs

Am thinking - yet again - of getting one of these things, and am hoping for some advice, mainly because I'm getting hacked off with trying to find internet cafes that have pcs attached....

My main use will be email and a bit of surfing when abroad (mainly in the US) - am looking at only those that are wifi enabled - but does that mean that I'd be able to use one while staying in a hotel or a house that has broadband or a cafe that has wifi?

Sorry, I almost can't believe I'm asking that, but I need to be sure...

What kind of problems could I encounter, or would it be simply the same as taking a laptop (but smaller, of course!) - switch on and the device would automatically detect a connection? I really can't contemplate having to fiddle about with configuring anything [:#] I don't need a phone, purely a gadget that'll let me keep in touch as and when I want!

Are these parameters too narrow? I'm a complete numbskull when it comes to hand-held thingies....[:I]

I have a HP IPAQ HW6915 pDA with quad band phone capabilities, GPS TOMTOM, Bluetooth and camera.It work under Windows mobil 5 and has mini versions of Word, excel, WMP. I can extend its memory with 2GB mini SD cards and I have Nero Mobile on it for playing music and films.
It has WiFi and is simple to set up. It works the same as any other wifi device, it searches for open and closed wifi signals, and connects to whichever you want. I have an encrypted home system and I have just set up a profile for that connection.
See here
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/sm ... 43242.html

Hi Claire,

I have just got back from Australia and I took my Mitac Mio P550 with me, it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a GPS built in.

It is a great little gadget and I used it several time to update my travel blog using hotel wi-fi and also free wi-fi. Worked very well and also worked well with MSN messenger.

I also managed to load TOMTOM 6 on there and used it to navigate over 2000 miles in Oz.

Also for the use of typing, I bought myself a foldup bluetooth keyboard - which is such a cool little gadget.

Hope this helps.

Mark

[Darren Wheeler]

Dell Axim here. Has bluetooth, Wi-Fi for connectivity. A browser (with limited capabilities) and a slimmed down MS Office including Outlook, Word and Excel.

I have TomTom on it and it BT's to a small GPS unit. I also have Memory-Map loaded too so I can access OS 1-50k or 1-25k maps from the CF or SD memory cards.

Works very well.

[Bazz]

Topic moved to Travel Technology forum as it fits better here.

Barry.

Thanks for all your input folks. I THOUGHT I was pretty clear - and then I made the mistake of going into PC World. I was asking about one of the IPACs, not the one mentiioned here, and the guy basically was about as clued up as me!

My understanding is that, if I get a wifi enabled PDA (no phone thanks), then I can simply turn it on when I'm in a hot spot (such as Starbucks in the US) - but is that right? This guy was trying to say that I need to have a provider set up, such a BT, and also talking about the cost of connecting. I THINK he's getting confused with bluetooth, as surely if I'm within a free wifi zone, then it's - er, free? Am I wrong, would I in fact incur some form of charges?

What about configuring the thing? Would (I hope) simply pick up different wifi spots or would I have to do some fiddling about each time????

The more I find out, the less I know.....[?]

[Darren Wheeler]

Pretty much a case of turn on, scan for network, may have to logon using username and password (provided in location) and browse away. Each time you move location you may have to input a new name/password and go to a webpage to accept the T&C's. Should only take seconds.

The PC World guy was talking from where the sun does not shine.....

Give this site a read (I recommend bookmarking it, you'll read it often once you're hooked). Pocket PC Thoughts is one of the oldest sites completely Pocket PC; if someone can't answer a posted question, that would be a complete surprise.

Searching the site's fora gives a lot of info without all the hassle. As far as going to a store and talking to a salesperson, you run into 2 types at most stores; 'What, you mean a Palm?' No. I don't mean a Palm... [:0][:(!][V] and 'Pocket PC? Yeah, someday they'll have one of those on the market. Until then, how about a nice laptop?' (Before 2000, actually. Let us not confuse their tiny minds with the facts and just shop elsewhere.)

Pocket PCs are one thing, alas, one must research on your own, decide to spend the money, and then and only then enter a store (or go online) to buy one. Don't do research to buy one in most stores; they're clueless, unless they actually use Pocket PCs in the course of their jobs. Stay away from Palms, they're toys compared to a good Pocket PC. No matter what the oh-so-helpful clueless salesperson tells you.

For a few years several hospitals/medical providers/doctor's groups have used Pocket PCs in their practices. On your next trip into the doctor's, you might ask if he/she uses one. I've learned a lot that way; my mother's neurologist and I had a polite conversation over my old Jornada 568 and the fact that I was reading an ebook, listening to Enya, and periodically checking for emails from my brother, all on the same handheld at the same time! We compared models, and talked software while waiting for her x-rays to arrive. Many doctors have them; it's worth asking yours.

Once you get one, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

Originally posted by Darren Wheeler
Pretty much a case of turn on, scan for network, may have to logon using username and password (provided in location) and browse away. Each time you move location you may have to input a new name/password and go to a webpage to accept the T&C's. Should only take seconds.

The PC World guy was talking from where the sun does not shine.....

Ah - thanks Darren. I was in town yesterday, so schlepped inot a few of the stores in Tottenham Court Road - and they were saying essentially what you are. Honestly though, just what IS the point of having staff in a PC store who know diddly-squat?!