Palm Devices (PDA's)

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Sat May 07, 2005 10:57 pm

I was looking on the internet and I eventually ended up looking at palmOne PDA's. It has been quite a while since I looked at the prices and features of palm devices. With my schedule and all of the junk I need to keep straight, I am thinking I would benefit from having a PDA.

In my brief search I found the palmOne Zire 31 with a color screen for $129. I was wondering if anyone on TubeNet could chime in on that particular device or another palm device for $150 or less.

Is the screen on the Zire 31 backlit or is it hard to see without proper lighting?

Thinking about a possible birthday gift.........

pg · Post by pg » Sun May 08, 2005 10:14 am

I know you said $150 - but if I were replacing my PDA right now, I'd buy a used/referb/good condition Treo 600 off of ebay and use it for both PDA and cell phonen functions. If you normally carry a cell phone, then you'll always have your PDA with you. And that, by the way, is the biggest obsticle for effectively using a PDA - having it handy.

Now that the treo 650s are out, people are upgrading and selling off their 600s. You should be able to get a good used one for $200. But, when you buy a phone off of ebay, make sure you get one that's "in the clear" and will work with your cell phone provider. I only know a few people that have treo 600s, but they all love them. (I use a treo 300 which I got off ebay whe people were upgrading to 600s). Best of luck,

--paul;

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Sun May 08, 2005 11:30 am

Thanks for your reply. I am interested in < $150 PDA's because I am not sure how much I will use it. For now, it looks like the obvious tools (calendar, address book, notes, etc) are going to be well used, but I have a bad track record of buying organizer books and using them for a little while and then getting tired of them. I am guessing that, that won't be the case with a PDA. Since PDA's are a lot more entertaining and easier to keep neat and organized (ie. no white-out) I would imagine it would be well used. I'm REALLY hoping to get a TubeNet review for the Zire 31. I have read reviews on the internet and they vary from "AWESOME" to "SUCKS EGGS". Considering this would be my FIRST Palm device, I would imagine I wouldn't have the same prejudice and desires that long time users might have.

danB · Post by **danB** » Sun May 08, 2005 12:17 pm

Hey Todd,

I use that model PDA. I bought it on sale for 89 bucks over Xmas and it rocks. it does everything I need at a low price. I also use the card slot to hold MP3's and pictures. My digital camera uses the same card (an SD) and it's great to go back and forth with. It's easy to use and easy on your pocket book. I wasnt sure how much I'd use it either but I've gotten my money back and then some!

Dan

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Sun May 08, 2005 7:33 pm

Thank you for all of the replies!!!! I think I will definately get one now. Dan, where did you find it for $89??? The average street price from places like BestBuy is about $129.

Tubaryan12 · Post by **Tubaryan12** » Sun May 08, 2005 9:17 pm

BuyDig.com has it for $89
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.asp ... PAZIRE31OB

Officemax has it new for $99
http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/ ... be&afsrc=1

Use Shopping.com to find cheap prices

http://shopping.com/

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Sun May 08, 2005 9:52 pm

Tubaryan12 wrote:BuyDig.com has it for $89
http://www2.buydig.com/shop/product.asp ... PAZIRE31OB

Officemax has it new for $99
http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/ ... be&afsrc=1

Use Shopping.com to find cheap prices

http://shopping.com/

Thanks man! I checked out BestBuy and Pricewatch.com and I couldn't any prices below $129. Of course, on ebay, there were plenty. Thought I have purchased electronics from ebay and the purchases have all been excellent, I am scared to take that risk with a Palm Device. I noticed that OfficeMax offered a good price and a 1 year warranty for $19.99. I will probably go through OfficeMax.

My palm device craze started yesterday when I was looking at watches on the web. I decided to search "pda watch" and I found a neat Fossil watch that had PalmOS.

dmmorris · Post by **dmmorris** » Sun May 08, 2005 11:00 pm

I love my Zire 31! ....same basic logic as my old PalmIII which died last year. 'cept it's way faster, has color, and a bigger brain......Plus lots of room for MP3 files on the SD memory cards.

I have so many little things, keys, extra glasses, wallet, change, cell-phone, PDA.....I wish now that I had bought the Treo, it's a lot more $'s but I'd have could have consolidated at least two little things.

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Wed May 11, 2005 6:37 pm

I've been reading mixed reviews on Palm PDAs. It looks like quality control is "hit or miss." From what I am reading on the web, it looks like the Palm Tungsten E is a prefered item over the Zire 31 for quality of construction, screen resolution and other hardware specs. Are there any Tungesten E owners out there that would like to chime in?

Ken Sloan??

Doug@GT · Post by **Doug@GT** » Wed May 11, 2005 6:58 pm

Personally, I'd recommend an iPAQ or a Blackberry.

But that's just a personal opinion. I chose the iPAQ for the "pocket pc" functionality which is what I needed (and Circuit city gave me a free keyboard). For cellphone or email use I'd definitely get a blackberry.

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Wed May 11, 2005 7:46 pm

Thanks for the palm computer suggestion. I am trying to find something less than $200 (new) since this will be my first PDA.

Chuck(G) · Post by **Chuck(G)** » Wed May 11, 2005 8:35 pm

Have a little patience and hang out at sites like

http://www.bensbargains.net

and

http://www.fatwallet.com

...and read the comments--often a reader will find a better price than the "special".

UDELBR · Post by **UDELBR** » Thu May 12, 2005 2:33 am

cc_tuba_guy wrote:iPaq (possibly a name ripoff of iMac?) is a great little palm device...

While an iPaq may fit in your palm, it's confusing to refer to it as a "palm device". "Palmâ„¢" is the (vastly superior, IMHO!) competition. http://www.palmone.com/

Uncle "satisfied owner of PalmPro, M100, Treo180, Treo600" Beer

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Sat May 14, 2005 8:47 pm

My wife and I tried a Palm Tungsten E at BestBuy today. It was sweet. My wife HATES the special alphabet used for text input. I showed her the onscreen keyboard option and she loved it. BestBuy was selling the Tungsten E for $189 locally. I will need to keep looking around for an even better deal.

Doug@GT · Post by **Doug@GT** » Sat May 14, 2005 9:25 pm

UncleBeer wrote:
While an iPaq may fit in your palm, it's confusing to refer to it as a "palm device". "Palmâ„¢" is the (vastly superior, IMHO!) competition. http://www.palmone.com/

Uncle "satisfied owner of PalmPro, M100, Treo180, Treo600" Beer

Eh, it's another Kleenex/nasal tissue issue.

I do prefer to call my iPaq a "PocketPC" (the correct term, I think), though, so people don't get confused. Neither one, IMHO, is "better" than the other, but they do have slightly different uses, so it's a good idea to decide what you need a palm device for. For what I needed (word processor, audio recorder, camera, mp3 player, universal remote control, calendar, and notepad) the PocketPC is ideal. I've got a buddy who uses a Palmâ„¢ and swears by it. Mileage will vary with either. My roommate spent near $600 two years ago on a PocketPC and he let the battery die and hasn't used it for over a year.

Even at a couple hundred bucks, these things are (to me) high priced electronic items, and so you should definitely do the research before investing in one.

Dell has some deals right now on some higher-end models, so you may check there.

Doug "has forgotten how he functioned without one of these things"

UDELBR · Post by **UDELBR** » Sun May 15, 2005 2:21 am

Doug@GT wrote: Doug "has forgotten how he functioned without one of these things"

For me, the 'killer app' on these gizmos is the offline HTML viewer (web clipper): Apps that download whatever webpages you like, and Hotsync 'em to your device for later viewing. Think New York Times, or Metafilter, or the ThunderBay Tattler, or TubeNet, or...

http://www.isilo.com/
http://www.plkr.org/
http://www.avantgo.com/

Perfect for unobtrusively and fruitfully killing time during rehearsals!

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Sun May 15, 2005 8:40 am

I think I have decided to go with the Tungsten E. The best deal that I have see is at Staples. On their website they have it for $198 with a $20 coupon code and free shipping. I signed up for the Teacher's rewards club so I can earn some money back on supplies for my HS math classes (yes....I teach math....and Band.....and yes.....I am exhausted!), like Expo Markers (I probably used between 100-200 Expo markers this year........SOME of them were free).

CJ Krause · Post by **CJ Krause** » Sun May 15, 2005 9:19 am

TubaTodd · Post by **TubaTodd** » Sun May 15, 2005 9:30 am

CJ Krause wrote:i got the same one for my wife and it was $99 with all kinds of accessories. She loves it.

Shop Shop Shop

Where where where??? Please tell me you remember where you bought it. Was it a refurbished or "open box" item?? I have only seen the Palm Zire 31 for that price. I will have to do some more digging.

CJ Krause · Post by **CJ Krause** » Sun May 15, 2005 9:39 am