Palm Vs. Windows CE

The review title literally means, should I go here or, should I go there. That is the$100-$700 question.

Handhelds 101

1. Both Palm and Windows CE are operating systems(OS) for the Personal Digital Assistant(PDA) and the Pocket PC respectively.

   
   




2. Palm OS is from a company called Palm - DUH! and Windows CE - you guessed it, is from Billy Boy.

   
   




3. The latest version of Palm OS is 5.0 and the Windows CE is now called as PocketPC OS.

   
   

Palm Handheld(Palm) vs Pocket PC(Windows CE)

1. The Palm handhelds do the basic functions of contact information(names, addresses, telephone numbers etc) and keeping track of appointments / schedules etc whereas the Pocket PC are a smaller, mobile version of a laptop computer.

   
   




2. The line between Palm handheld and Pocket PC is getting blurred and it is almost like a continuum - it is like drawing a line in sand.

   
   




3. From a cost point of view - the Palm handhelds are between$100 to$350 and the Pocket PC’s are between$300(the BE Manager from Cassiopeia) to about$700(the iPAQ from Compaq)

   
   

Fatcat’s recommendation

I would recommend a Palm Handheld because:

It is not worth spending about$700 on a Pocket PC. Add a couple of hundred dollars more then we can get one of those sleek laptops which are more sturdy and have better functionality.

PALM is the winner

Having recommended a Palm Handheld, following is a comparison of the various Palm models:

Basic Functions

The basic function in any Palm PDA is as follows:

• maintaining contact information(addresses etc)

  
  




• maintaining schedules / appointments

  
  




• keeping notes(small write ups, like MS Reviews)

  
  




• keeping a to-do list of movies to watch, books to read etc

  
  

Extras

• The ability to read/write MS word documents and MS Excel

  
  




• The ability to synchronize with a computer using a cradle

  
  




• Games for fun

  
  

Models

The various models of PDA using Palm OS are:

• From Palm itself - starting from m100 to m515. These come in both monochrome(black and white) and color

  
  




• Various models from Visor

  
  




• The Clie series from Sony

  
  

Power supply

There are two options

• Rechargeable batteries

  
  




• AAA cells(disposable)

  
  

Costs

All the models cost between$100 to$350- the color ones being the more expensive ones.

In order to decide which model to buy, the following is a useful checklist:

• cost

  
  




• monochrome or color

  
  




• rechargeable battery or AAA cell

  
  

Sony Clie da jawab nahin

• My price range was between$150 to$200,

  
  




• I did not want color(it does not add any value, besides it drains the batteries) and,

  
  




• wanted a rechargeable battery so that I need not bother about replacing dead AAA cells.

  
  

I finally purchased a SONY Clie for$130. The model is S360(a discontinued model and hence got it at a discount from BestBuy)