Geeque question...

[arib]

So, Dell's launched their new handheld line, and they've got a financing plan, which means I could actually afford one. However...

It runs on MS PocketPC, and 'til now I've been a PalmOS user, which leaves me with some questions...

a) how does one input into the device? Grafitti or another method?

b) How easy is it to transfer all of my Palm data to a PocketPC device?

and

c) can you beam between the two platforms?

thanks.

Comments

My $0.02

[lizardling.livejournal.com]

a) You have a number of input methods available. Pretty much all of these are customizable to some extent.

• Soft keyboard -- onscreen keyboard.
  
• Block Recognizer -- works with Graffiti. (there are one or two minor differences, I'm told, but I don't recall exactly because there was about a year's lapse in between switching from my Handspring to an ipaq)
  
• Letter Recognizer -- works with Jot. (never used.)
  
• Transcriber -- "With Transcriber you can write in cursive, print or mixed handwriting on the screen and your ink is instantly recognized." (quoting from the Input dialog on my ipaq)
  
• External keyboard -- If you own a Stowaway, GoType, or other add-on keyboard. Usually involves loading a kbd driver onto your device.
  

b, and c) Transferring Palm data to a PocketPC platform can be interesting, depending on the exact type of data you're thinking about. You can beam, yes. I'd have to research this a bit, but there's supposed to be a platform-agnostic protocol; I forget exactly what it's called.

Sites of interest

• The Gadgeteer -- Judie Hughes and Julie Strietelmeier
  
• PocketPC Thoughts -- Jason Dunn, Andreas Sjostrom, Ed Hansberry
  
• PocketPC Passion -- Dale Coffing
  
• PocketPC Gamer -- for fun.
  

And many more, but these are the top four sites that I check regularly.

Re: My $0.02

[arib.livejournal.com]

Since you've used both, which do you prefer?

Re: My $0.02

[lizardling.livejournal.com]

I like my ipaq. It's a lot less mungy to transfer files from my desktop to the ipaq. Also, I can't live without the apps I have on there, such as Pocket Informant, HandBase, MobiPocket Reader, and so forth.

My last Palm device was a Handspring Deluxe, which is severely underpowered in terms of space, expandability, add-ons, color, and so forth by comparison. True, the ipaq's big compared to a lot of PalmOS devices, but size isn't a top priority for me. I'm content with a naked ipaq + 128MB SD card.

[eleri.livejournal.com]

Get a Visor ;)