iPod Touch as TH55 replacement?

[Mark29]

I really like how the Pre looks, but the biggest turn off for me is it appears I'll have to spend at least another $30 for a data plan when (if?) it ever comes to Verizon. I have no desire to spend any more on cell service than I already am. That's another $360/year - enough for a new device annually!

Now that the Touch has been out a while and there are tons of apps out, I wonder how well it would function as a replacement for the TH? I don't use the voice recorder so no loss there. I would like basic PIM functions that will sync with Vista - calander, contacts, to do, notes, etc. as well as something similar to Docs To Go and SmartList.

Mark

[harpgliss]

Hi,

As a former TH55 user, still have it though, I find the Ipod Touch a very nice replacement for it.

Now, having said that, I recommend going out and getting your hands on several different devices and decide which of these meets your needs and wants best.

You are the best person to decide if the Ipod Touch, or another device will work as a replacement for your TH55.

Good luck on finding the device that meets your needs.

David

[glaganie]

Hi,

I too am a former user of a TH55, and can say I am a very happy camper with an iPod touch. And it will be even truer with the release of the Apple iphone 3.0 update coming this June 17. Better yet, is to grab an Apple iPhone 3G (adds GPS, decent camera, and voice recorder).

[Mark29]

Thanks for the feedback. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of devices out there to just try out. Palm T/X is gone, and I don't know of any brick & mortar stores carrying the HP iPaq 211, which is the only other non-phone device I'd consider next to the Touch.

The new software sounds promising, especially since it adds cut & paste. iPhone is out of the question, I'm not switching networks and I will do anything possible to avoid spending more on a cell phone plan. Don't need gps (have a dedicated unit), camera (have an arsenal of DSLR gear), or voice recorder (never used it on the TH).

Mark

[Mark29]

How is the web browsing experience? I'd like to use wi-fi when available to check e-mail. I'm not too concerned about replacing the apps I use, I'm pretty confident I'll find suitable substitutes.

Mark

[philpalm]

What little web browsing experience I have had between the TH-55 and the TX is this:
That the TX browsing is very good, better than using the TH-55 but then again YMMV.

I have tried the PSP slim webbrowsing and the experience seems to be good though you need a keyboard (which isn't there).

If you checking your e-mail out in the wilds, I thought the security wasn't that great?

[JavaJiveJump]

I totally agree with you about finding a stand-alone PDA (no phone) replacement. I love my LifeDrive and I will probably stick with it for a good while longer especially with the new DGOS coming out). ;)

However, when people ask me about what PDA they should get and they give me a list of what they need it to do, I recommend the iTouch. The number one reasons is support. My LifeDrive (especially in it's current beyond the intended functionality of the creators state), there is no real support. I depend on filtering through this forum and years of experience of crashing and taking apart my machine.

I don't want to be tech support for all of my friends. :) They all agreed that they just were not in the market for another phone and the costs associated with that. I am surprised that stand-alone PDA owners are in the minority. Oh well. There are my 2 cents. :)

[harpgliss]

Hi,

The web browsing on the Ipod touch is very nice, much better than the TH55 and the Axim x50V PPC I had before the Touch.

For a comparison to the TX, I have never had one so maybe someone else can help with that comparison.

Good luck on what you decide to get.

If you have more questions regarding the Ipod Touch, please post them and hopefully or other Touch users will be able to help.

David

[glaganie]

Web surfing on the ipod touch is miles ahead of anything I've used on any PDA or smallish computer, including but no limited to : Palm TX, LifeDrive, Nokia N810 and Sony TH55.
Safari is perfect for almost any website. It just doesn't support Flash animations. But you can access full size regular sites like eBay, Yahoo, this forum, other sites requiring password, etc.
I even use the ipod touch to remotely control my PC (VNC) , and it goes surprisingly smooth!

[Mark29]

How is data input, i.e. doing e-mail or responding on a forum?

Mark

[glaganie]

You are definitely hitting THE right nail. Doing email or typing anything is much less fun with ipod's keyboard than with graffiti. I had years of graffiti practice so was a bit disoriented at first. With autocorrection ON, touch typing is not that bad, but still data entry with stylus is THE major (only??) thing I miss from my TH55. On the other hand, being freed from the stylus is a blessing ... I would not look back, the h*** with graffiti !!!

Another notable difference with the ipod touch is that the basic PIM functions are well... very basic. No fancy thing à la dateBk or Agendus. Synchronisation with Outlook is good though, but no notes syncing as of now. Coming with release 3.0

[Mark29]

Now that Dataviz has made a version of Docs To Go available for the iPhone/Touch, it makes a potential change more appealing. I think it's only a matter of time before there are better PIMs like Agendus available.

If I don't put music on the Touch, is there any reason to consider the 16 or 32GB models? I have a 120GB iPod, so it would be redundant for me to have another device for music.

Mark

[harpgliss]

Hi,

Agendus is available.

David

[Mark29]

Hi,

Agendus is available.

David

Even better! Thanks David.

[tonyreynolds]

... the OS 3.0 upgrade.

I did mine yesterday (well worth the $9.95) and it adds full cut, paste and copy as well as lanscape mode keyboard in almost every app.

Obviously there's a lot missing as the upgrade takes better advantage of the iPhone 3.0 platform (compass, voice record, etc), but still,, even just for the two items listed above, the Touch is now a full-fledged PDA for me. It wasn't before.

Tony

[harpgliss]

Hi,

I have. not upgraded mine yet.

Will happen over the weekend as I am hoping they get a jailbreak solution by then.

Looking forward to it.

David

[Mark29]

... the OS 3.0 upgrade.

I did mine yesterday (well worth the $9.95) and it adds full cut, paste and copy as well as lanscape mode keyboard in almost every app.

Obviously there's a lot missing as the upgrade takes better advantage of the iPhone 3.0 platform (compass, voice record, etc), but still,, even just for the two items listed above, the Touch is now a full-fledged PDA for me. It wasn't before.

Tony

Good to hear Tony, thanks for the update! I may very order one in the next day or so.

Mark

[Mark29]

Well, I just placed an order for the 16GB Touch and should have it by Tuesday. The TH55 has been great, but there is not enough support for Palm OS anymore. I have zero desire to bloat my cell phone bill with a data plan just for the convenience of merging phone & PDA functions.

I'll hold on to the TH55 until I can duplicate everything I was doing on the Touch, and until I'm satisfied everything is stable. After that I may do a hard reset & put it up for sale.

So for those using the Touch, what forum or forums are useful? One question I do have is syncing 2 iPods on the same machine. I don't necessarily want to sync music to the Touch as I have a 120GB iPod Classic for that. If I wanted to however, is it possible?


Mark

[Bla8]

Well, I just placed an order for the 16GB Touch and should have it by Tuesday. The TH55 has been great, but there is not enough support for Palm OS anymore. I have zero desire to bloat my cell phone bill with a data plan just for the convenience of merging phone & PDA functions.

I'll hold on to the TH55 until I can duplicate everything I was doing on the Touch, and until I'm satisfied everything is stable. After that I may do a hard reset & put it up for sale.

So for those using the Touch, what forum or forums are useful? One question I do have is syncing 2 iPods on the same machine. I don't necessarily want to sync music to the Touch as I have a 120GB iPod Classic for that. If I wanted to however, is it possible?


Mark

You should have waited till the new models come out in september

[Mark29]

You should have waited till the new models come out in september

I don't play the speculation game. I'm not going to wait around for another hardware release that 'might' have this or 'might' have that. With the release of the 3.0 software, the 2nd gen Touch will fill my needs.

Mark

[Bla8]

I don't play the speculation game. I'm not going to wait around for another hardware release that 'might' have this or 'might' have that. With the release of the 3.0 software, the 2nd gen Touch will fill my needs.

Mark

Apple's release cycles tend to be pretty predictable. I will get mine in september either way.

[Mark29]

Apple's release cycles tend to be pretty predictable. I will get mine in september either way.

Still, it's only speculation at this point what new features it might have. There's even speculation it will be a tablet-type device with a 7-9" screen. That would certainly put it out of contention for me. The Gen2 hardware and v3 software look to do what I want.

Mark

[Bla8]

Still, it's only speculation at this point what new features it might have. There's even speculation it will be a tablet-type device with a 7-9" screen. That would certainly put it out of contention for me. The Gen2 hardware and v3 software look to do what I want.

Mark

I doubt they will do something radical like that, but a price cut and memory increase is more likely. Like they say, you should skip the first generation with the most bugs and to be save, the second as well.

[xa0s]

Ok, in that case, how does the iPod Touch perform with PDF viewing? I'm quite sure it's alot smoother and all via the iPod Touch as opposed to TH55's "touch." Am I right? PDF viewing is my biggest factor in the decision to get a MP3 player that -can- also do PDF reading. Got lots of e-books. So... care to comment?

[Mark29]

Ok, in that case, how does the iPod Touch perform with PDF viewing? I'm quite sure it's alot smoother and all via the iPod Touch as opposed to TH55's "touch." Am I right? PDF viewing is my biggest factor in the decision to get a MP3 player that -can- also do PDF reading. Got lots of e-books. So... care to comment?

Not sure if it's native on the Touch, but there seem to be quite a number of pdf viewers in the iTunes app store.

Mark

[Mark29]

I doubt they will do something radical like that, but a price cut and memory increase is more likely. Like they say, you should skip the first generation with the most bugs and to be save, the second as well.

Don't really care what "they" say (who are they anyway LOL), no matter what electronic gadget you get nowadays it's certain to be replaced at some point.

[Bla8]

Don't really care what "they" say (who are they anyway LOL), no matter what electronic gadget you get nowadays it's certain to be replaced at some point.

Well, if you can overcome any form of buyers remorse after a new model comes out in a month :D ...

[Mark29]

Well, if you can overcome any form of buyers remorse after a new model comes out in a month :D ...

Won't bother me a bit.

[jjesusfreak01]

Don't really care what "they" say (who are they anyway LOL), no matter what electronic gadget you get nowadays it's certain to be replaced at some point.
I feel this may be the TH-55's problem. It was never replaced, and for the most part, none of the devices released since have displayed the same amount of simplistic beauty and usability. We have a kind of reverse buyers remorse, where we know beforehand that anything we buy will just not be nearly as good as the TH-55.

[Mark29]

Hi,

Agendus is available.

David

I've since discovered that Agendus does not have calander functionality, as Apple's SDK to developers does not allow this. Not a major issue since there is calander management in the OS, but it sorta makes Agendus an empty shell of what it is on the TH55. I have a feeling this will be addressed with a software update at some point.

Mark

[Mark29]

I feel this may be the TH-55's problem. It was never replaced, and for the most part, none of the devices released since have displayed the same amount of simplistic beauty and usability. We have a kind of reverse buyers remorse, where we know beforehand that anything we buy will just not be nearly as good as the TH-55.

In some ways you're right, but in some ways I think the Touch wil be better. The TH was useless for wi-fi since I could never seem to connect to any of the websites I would want to go. Wireless syncing was entirely too slow to be of any use. Nor was landscape very well supported. Developers have stopped supporting Palm OS, so it's been disappointing to see new releases of Docs to Go and others bypass the TH. I'll miss one-handed operation - this is where the TH excelled for me. Data input will be an adjustment, as I'm so accustomed to graffiti. But it means not having to juggle the stylus either.

Memory space should never be a problem as long as I don't overload it with too much music. With a separate iPod this shouldn't be a problem for me. I can't foresee needing a memory slot with 16GB onboard.

Mark

[glaganie]

No matter how much I loved the TH55, I would never get back to it now that I use an ipod touch daily. When you get an ipod touch 2G (or an iphone 3G) in your hands, how small it is , yet so sleek and responsive, you feel the same sense of technological grace and beauty as you did with the TH55.

These are pure wonders!!!

I feel this may be the TH-55's problem. It was never replaced, and for the most part, none of the devices released since have displayed the same amount of simplistic beauty and usability. We have a kind of reverse buyers remorse, where we know beforehand that anything we buy will just not be nearly as good as the TH-55.

[harpgliss]

Hi,

No matter how much I loved the TH55, I would never get back to it now that I use an ipod touch daily. When you get an ipod touch 2G (or an iphone 3G) in your hands, how small it is , yet so sleek and responsive, you feel the same sense of technological grace and beauty as you did with the TH55.

These are pure wonders!!!


My sentiments too.

Especially now that 3.0 is out and apps such as Docs To Go are now showing up.

I really am not sure what I am missing from the Touch that I could do with my TH55.

David

[glaganie]

Hi,




My sentiments too.

Especially now that 3.0 is out and apps such as Docs To Go are now showing up.

I really am not sure what I am missing from the Touch that I could do with my TH55.

David


Camera and voice recorder. But they can be had, if you choose an iphone 3G. Voice recorder is even possible on the touch 2G, as long as you use a special type of headphones which include a microphone.

[harpgliss]

Hi,

I do miss the camera, never used the voice recorder though.

Rumors are the new upgrade of the Touch in September will have a camera.

David

[tonyreynolds]

Hi, My sentiments too, especially now that 3.0 is out and apps such as Docs To Go are now showing up. I really am not sure what I am missing from the Touch that I could do with my TH55.

David

Well for me, the camera (when it worked), flip-cover and the scroll wheel are features of the TH that I really miss. Believe it or not, I actually miss grafitti as well, because I was really good at it and find that I'm very poor with an on-screen keyboard (but getting better).

As has been stated, WiFi on the TH-55 was a joke, as was NetFront. The Touch is so quick at finding and locking in on WiFi signals and Safari such a pleasure to use, that I find myself using the Touch to look up stuff that I would normally do on a notebook.

As for new models, I'm fine with my upgraded-to-version-3.0 iTouch version One for now. 8GB is far more memory than I've ever had in a handheld. I have 165 CD's worth of music as well as photos and a large library of books and still have plenty of room to spare. That said, I for one would LOVE to have a 7-9" tablet, but I doubt Jobs would allow it, as the market would probably be too small, but for my use, especially for travel, a sub-one-pound internet tablet would be the bees knees...

I'm with Mark: waiting for the latest and greatest forestalls experience now. There's always the chance that something will come along in a few months to replace what you just bought, but that's the chance you take when you roll the dice with Moore's Law.

Tony

Tony

[tonyreynolds]

Hi,

I do miss the camera, never used the voice recorder though.

Rumors are the new upgrade of the Touch in September will have a camera.

David

I'd love that!

Tony

[harpgliss]

Hi,

Scroll wheel was nice but I took the flip cover off most of the time because of the case I used.

Having graffiti would be interesting on the Touch.

I agree that waiting for the latest and greatest is not always a great idea.

I got my Ipod Touch 1G in December and though it is first generation, I have no qualms about it and enjoy it immensely.

David

[Mark29]

Got the Touch today, started playing with it now that it's charged :) I'll have to get used to syncing with 1 pc only, I used to sync at home and work so my contacts & calander were all up to date.

Downloaded my first app, Splash ID. The wireless sync is FLAWLESS, and linking to my home network couldn't have been easier. I'm going to have to pace myself with apps - a few bucks here & there is going to add up very fast! Fortunately I had splash ID already so the desktop version was free. Docs to go is probably next :D

Safari looks very promising, far more useful than NetFront ever was.


Mark

[JavaJiveJump]

Congrats! I'm glad that is working out for you. If you had any advice for anyone that was in your situation, what would you tell them regarding making this switch? Is there anything they will have to give up? Are the gains greater than the losses?

Thanks.

[Mark29]

Congrats! I'm glad that is working out for you. If you had any advice for anyone that was in your situation, what would you tell them regarding making this switch? Is there anything they will have to give up? Are the gains greater than the losses?

Thanks.

Yes, I'd say the advantages will outway the disadvantages. It's lighter, faster, far more usable with wi-fi, and there's no shortage of apps available. I do miss grafitti - I don't know if my fingers are greasier :eek: than the average person's, but the screen seems to smudge up very fast. Could be the screen protector I'm using (which I would recommend since stylus taps aren't possible), I don't know.

Other than that, I'd recommend taking a look at what you want out of a handheld vs what is offered on the Touch including the apps available. I never used the camera or voice recorder, so no loss for me there. If you want to keep music on it, definitely go for the 16 or 32GB model.

Mark

[JavaJiveJump]

I'm just looking for selling points for those friends of mine who want a straight PDA. I can't recommend the LD or TX in good conscience since support is so lean these days (unless you have a good familiarity with Palm yourself. I've stripped down my LD completely and reassembled it myself when I made some mods to it). I don't want to end up as their tech support for every little thing. ;-)

[Mark29]

I'm just looking for selling points for those friends of mine who want a straight PDA. I can't recommend the LD or TX in good conscience since support is so lean these days (unless you have a good familiarity with Palm yourself. I've stripped down my LD completely and reassembled it myself when I made some mods to it). I don't want to end up as their tech support for every little thing. ;-)

Another plus with going the Touch route is there are a TON of accessories in addition to all the apps. You're right about the TX; other than no tech support, there are few accessories to be found and they're getting fewer by the day. I'd also considered the Palm Pre, but that has the same monthly fee issue that kept me from going with the iPhone.

Mark

[harpgliss]

Hi,

I'd also considered the Palm Pre, but that has the same monthly fee issue that kept me from going with the iPhone.

Mark


To go off topic for a second, I got a chance to play with a Pre today and the experience just reinforced my reasons for liking the Ipod Touch so much.

David

[jj2me]

I'm just looking for selling points for those friends of mine who want a straight PDA. I can't recommend the LD or TX in good conscience since support is so lean these days (unless you have a good familiarity with Palm yourself. I've stripped down my LD completely and reassembled it myself when I made some mods to it). I don't want to end up as their tech support for every little thing. ;-)

Chris Short is great at fixing PDA hardware. He works through an eBay store as seller itsnothere (http://myworld.ebay.com/itsnothere&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:SELLERID), and has a 100% rating. He replaced the speaker in my TH55 for a low price a couple of years ago (maybe $35?).

Before recommending the Touch, I would ask your PDA users whether they enter a lot of data on the run, directly into their PDA. There are some of us who do, who are not moving to the Touch. I use MessageEase on the TH55, and have gotten really fast. As an average, I add maybe 100 words of data per day, in little bursts or 10 words or so. That's enough to be continually irritated at the Touch's slower input capabilities.

[Mark29]

Chris Short is great at fixing PDA hardware. He works through an eBay store as seller itsnothere (http://myworld.ebay.com/itsnothere&ssPageName=STRK:MEFSX:SELLERID), and has a 100% rating. He replaced the speaker in my TH55 for a low price a couple of years ago (maybe $35?).

Before recommending the Touch, I would ask your PDA users whether they enter a lot of data on the run, directly into their PDA. There are some of us who do, who are not moving to the Touch. I use MessageEase on the TH55, and have gotten really fast. As an average, I add maybe 100 words of data per day, in little bursts or 10 words or so. That's enough to be continually irritated at the Touch's slower input capabilities.

DanT, who's been a regular on the boards here, also repairs the TH55. He's replaced the speaker and battery on mine. He turns it around quick, and his prices are very reasonable.

Mark

[jj2me]

DanT, who's been a regular on the boards here, also repairs the TH55. He's replaced the speaker and battery on mine. He turns it around quick, and his prices are very reasonable.

Mark

Yes, I should have made it clear that it's a given that DanT is our first choice for TH55 repair.

I was responding to this specific reference to non-TH55 repair needs:
"I can't recommend the LD or TX in good conscience since support is so lean these days"

[JavaJiveJump]

Thanks for cluing me in. I can still see myself as a go-between for them, but those are good options. Thank you.

[mark krebs]

Well, I just placed an order for the 16GB Touch and should have it by Tuesday. The TH55 has been great, but there is not enough support for Palm OS anymore. I have zero desire to bloat my cell phone bill with a data plan just for the convenience of merging phone & PDA functions.

I'll hold on to the TH55 until I can duplicate everything I was doing on the Touch, and until I'm satisfied everything is stable. After that I may do a hard reset & put it up for sale.

So for those using the Touch, what forum or forums are useful? One question I do have is syncing 2 iPods on the same machine. I don't necessarily want to sync music to the Touch as I have a 120GB iPod Classic for that. If I wanted to however, is it possible?


Mark

I'm scanning this thread & share most of your feelings. I've had many palms, including TH-55, Tx, Centro and now iTouch. The iTouch wins on music, showing pictures and fluid internet access, but with versamail, IM+, Lyme, alpilot, the Tx easily outshines the iTouch, and I'm buying a refurbished one from Chris Short.

I couldn't get past the lack of graffiti 1 on centro, the clie would never run versamail (so, critically, no outlook sync), so for me, even now in 2010, it's still tx all the way. Agree with you on the data plan: even though work paid for it, I really prefer wifi.

[Mark29]

I'm scanning this thread & share most of your feelings. I've had many palms, including TH-55, Tx, Centro and now iTouch. The iTouch wins on music, showing pictures and fluid internet access, but with versamail, IM+, Lyme, alpilot, the Tx easily outshines the iTouch, and I'm buying a refurbished one from Chris Short.

I couldn't get past the lack of graffiti 1 on centro, the clie would never run versamail (so, critically, no outlook sync), so for me, even now in 2010, it's still tx all the way. Agree with you on the data plan: even though work paid for it, I really prefer wifi.

I've never used any of those apps, so the Touch wins by a long shot ;) I only check my gmail account on the go, and that's great on the Touch. The biggest weakness is the calender. I'd really like to see it integrated with contacts & a to do much like Agendus. Other than that, it's great. I'm past the lack of grafitti - don't miss needing to have a stylus always available.

Mark

[jj2me]

... the Tx easily outshines the iTouch, and I'm buying a refurbished one from Chris Short.

He sells some with glass digitizers, because the plastic digitizers are the weak point of the TX. But it costs a bunch more for those glass digitizers. If you bought plastic, note that I've seen no-name replacement glass digitizers for the TX on eBay for $30.