iPAQ to NX70V?

[shriek]

Hi, I am a (not so) happy iPAQ user. Actually I've been using it for 4 months and overall I can say it accomplish what I want it to do. Back then I was almost certainly buying a clie but then I found out that iPAQ 3850 had greater specifications for less price and money made me buy it.

Now I'm affraid that the software and hardware expandability in PalmOS devices is not as good as in PocketPC devices. I'm I right? Is it true that most OS4 software doesn't work with OS5? If so, will there be as much support for OS5 as there was for OS4?

Is there plataform emulators for OS5 (SNES, GBcolor, GBA)? Not that I use it very much but I'm comparing two systems (pocketpc and palm) and I'm trying to get a ideia of the diversity of software available for both platforms.

Thanks

[Rick 098]

Hardware expand fine
most os1 os2 os3 os4 works with os5
dont get your question
i think

[T1000X]

Most OS4 programs work okay in OS5, with a few exceptions. Most developers have been diligent about updating their programs. The biggest incompatibilities come with the "hack" applications or the small OS4 extension programs. Some hacks do work under OS5.

As for emulation capabilities, as I understand it, there are no OS5 compatible emulation programs. There are on the other hand programs that rival the PPC software like Zap! 2016, Bejeweled, Acid Solitaire and several others. It will be a matter of time (and possibly OS6) before we see full ARM capable programs.

I can understand where you are coming from with the PPC OS. I was in the same boat when deciding on an iPaq 3835 and the NR70V. I tried the iPaq first for a while, but was not satisfied with it. I exchanged it for the NR70V, which I really enjoyed. I used it until I moved to the SJ30 for a while, then I tried the TG50. I wasn't happy with the MP3 playback abilities of the TG50 (lack of an inline remote), so I upgraded to the NX70V for the bigger screen, future CF support (drooling for that one. Good luck Ayasin and Eruware!), inline remote for MP3 playback and several other reasons.

I love my NX70V, and will not upgrade again until Sony has a similar device to it with 32MB of RAM or more, built-in Bluetooth, faster processor and better battery life.

[shriek]

thanks for the reply,

Another I'm really looking forward to the CF drivers. One of my major porblems now is that here, in Portugal where I live, SD is much more expensive than CF and I also own a couple CF cards from my old digcam but I can't use CF on iPAQ and on most ppc around here.

Other question that crossed my mind is: Will I be able to upgrade the OS like in (some) iPAQs when the OS6 get gold?
Block recognition (is the name for grafitti in ppc world) is the only available hand recognition app? Isn't there somthing like transcriber or letter recognition?

Sorry, this must be a lame question but, what is a 'hack' in Palm OS world?

[prismatic]

Originally posted by shriek
thanks for the reply,

Another I'm really looking forward to the CF drivers. One of my major porblems now is that here, in Portugal where I live, SD is much more expensive than CF and I also own a couple CF cards from my old digcam but I can't use CF on iPAQ and on most ppc around here. 


They make inexpensive sleeves for the Ipaqs that among other things alow an Ipaq to utilize CF memory cards.

[shriek]

I know those expansion packs but they are not that inexpensive. they cost more then my iPAQ (which I could get for 315 euros, NEW). Those expansion slots also make the iPAQ too thick for such a PDA. The NX70V is BIG but at least have a huge screen, camera and keyboard.

How about the battery? do they last long enough?... lets say, 4 hours of use with low backlight? I could manage to use my ipaq for that long.

[sstrasser86]

yeah you can get more than 4 hrs

[n2ifp]

After all that, yes, the NX70 is better suited for you!

IMHO of course :)!

[sstrasser86]

i don't think we need a post its just commom knowledge

[jmg_NX21]

Sadly SONY is does NOT promote the upgrade of the OS on their PDA's... they seem to rather want to SELL you a new one or take up some of your 'free ram'

THE NX70 is awesome, the camera fun, and the CF is VERY VERY promising...

*HOPE you can get a good bargain on the NX, you'll be paying LESS than I DID for mine*

[shriek]

thnks for all your feedback ppl,

after some (hours) of googling, I found out that OS 4 devices cannot be upgrade to OS5 but no one knows what will happen with OS6 (it doesn't exists yet, duh!). But it would be good to know that NX70V has a flash ROM so a future upgrade is not completly impossible.

[T1000X]

shriek, there are several different CF options for your iPaq if you wanted to stick with it, most noteably the Silver Slider models. As for CF on the NX and NZ series, it is very promising. Memory drivers means we would be one step closer to have device drivers, like for CF Bluetooth Adapters, and other noteable CF based devices.

[Pdasrock]

Shriek,

  The nx does have flash(see www.brayder.com (http://www.brayder.com) or one of the posts about jackflash) but I don't know if it will be upgradable to os 6. I have a feeling it will, because the reason os 4 cannot be upgraded to os 5 is the switch from dragonball to arm processors, I don't think they will switch processors again with os6. A question for myself: My friend says that os 5 uses arm compatible x-scale processors, anyone know if that's true? I thought they were just arm myself....

[shriek]

Now this doesn't have anything to do with the topic but it just crossed my mind: if OS5 is ARM compatible could we port (or just straight install) palm OS5 in a ARM device? iPAQs, for instance? My iPAQ use strongARM 206MHz.

[Pdasrock]

  I doubt it. You could probably do something like that, but all os5 palms use a 320x320 screen and if I'm correct(something I'm not known for...) then the ipaq only has a 320x240 screen? So, you probably could, but palm would have a fit and it wouldn't look to pretty. Someone already tried making a palm emulator for ppc, they got shot down.... 

[shriek]

Hi again, are there any apps that alow me to take notes (w/ recognition) as well as drawing schemes? That's because I'm now using my iPAQ for that and in the beginning I really found it hard to get a app for that. Pocket word is not that good because it doesn't allow me to insert external pictures and doesn't have complex formating options like superscript or lowerscript.

Another thing, is there some type of T9 input dictionary (like those in mobile phones) for palmOS?

[shriek]

Will I be able to install software on CF cards? Is it fast? I mean...to play movies and mp3s. I'm use to read ebooks and listen to mp3 at the same time, will i be able to do it (as easily and fast) on clié? How about taking photos at same time? What I'd like to understand is how capable is the XScale cpu on the NX70V. People say the 200 mHz Xscale is slower than the 206 mHz strongARM present on my ipaq 3850 when playing multimedia files. I don't know if in a OS5 architecture that means anything. After 4 months of (quite) intensive use of my ipaq I can say that I use it not only as a PIM but also as a classroom notesbook, ebooks and mediaplayer(mov. clips, mp3). I don't care about games that much but I would to know that people would be going to develop games for OS5 similar to those on PPC.
Are there alternatives to graffiti? Like letter recognition on PPC?
I'm not only considering to change to NX70V because of its multmedia capabilities but also because that I find PPC2K2 quite boring. Perhaps I'll feel the same for palmOS in mean time but I'm hoping that I'll be able to upgrade it to OS6. PPC2K3 is not going to be that inovative.

My current alternative to NX70V is a Toshiba e740 which has built-in WiFi capabilities, faster CPU(400 mHz), larger ROM/RAM, smaller size (it can be a con because of its smaller screen) and is cheaper than clié (I never understood why).