NX73/80 - questions

[xen]

I'm currently in Japan and its insane how cheap you can get them used. BUT, I have a few questions I hope people could answer. I was looking through some threads but most things I see still leave me wondering.

First off, with Palm OS 6 being just around the corner, would it be stupid of me to get a OS 5 clie? I've heard you won't be able to upgrade, and I hope to be developing applications for Palm OS when I get this. I currently have an old SJ clie, and the jump in OS is huge. Does anyone think this will be an issue? (I've read most of the changes are minor in 6 but I think there might be compatability issues).

Also, has anyone experienced any problems using English software on a Japanese clie? My jap is poor but I've got friends that will help me figure it out here, just want to make sure I can use both Jap and English apps on it at once.

Lastly, using the CF patches, is there any difference between they way patching works on English and Jap releases of the clie?

Thanks for the help if anyone cares to reply, hope I didn't ask the same newb questions as most people but couldn't seem to find what I was looking for.

[nickster87]

The only question I can answer is the first one.

How bad do you want it. You could always sell it later next year when an OS6 device is out.

Here is my thought of the day: If you are always waiting for the next big thing, you will never get anything.;)

[xen]

I agree with the quote, BUT, the next big thing is close. This device was released quite a while ago and OS 6 has been on its way for some time. I don't think I have the patience to wait it out any more though so I'm probably going to get it in the next few days regardless of the outcome. ^^

[chowmander]

haha, i so agree with that quote.

I just bought a used NR70V with OS4.1

Well, becaues it was so cheap, I skipped the OS5 even though the OS4-5 is the largest difference in Palm OS i think. But if OS5-6 is not a big difference, then I wouldnt mind. If you know anything differnt about OS6, please share it, I would like to know. If its that close, I'll consider waiting for OS7. The main thing is, as you said, compatibility. Well, like I said, if you have to have the latest, you might wait till OS6 if its a month or 2 away. Or if you dont mind the small differences, get the OS5 and wait till OS7 (this is where I thikn they'll mak another big change). This is basically teh same decision i had to make

[wellsjs]

The release of OS6 devices is fairly close, but how much longer will it take for all the software you own to get converted to run on OS6? How long has OS5 been out and software for it is just now maturing! If buying an NX today will not cause financial suffering, do it! Then, about a year from now MAYBE the OS6 hardware/software environment will be mature enough to trade up to an OS6 device. ;)

[nickster87]

I agree with wellsjs!!;)

[gvegaa]

Tachnology, technology... you will never be runing along with it, you get an equipment now and in two months there will be a new one... and for less price, of course... If you can get an NX in a good price, you can buy it, then you sell it, pay the difference and you have your PDA updated for a good price.

[xen]

true, but my current SL20 or whatever the hell the model is probably wont get me even 50$ at this point

[Tim_axe]

I can answer the second question. I have a Japanese NX80V. My handheld before that was a Japanese IBM Workpad (IIIx). I have only seen one problem between Japanese and English programs... There are 2-3 characters that display differently between the two. The squared character (^2 - I can't acturally reproduce it here) and some menus display differently. On some menus, you'll see a square box that you normally wouldn't see, but only in a few RARE programs. Also, when using Graffiti, there is a small letter located usually on the right side of the screen that tells you which mode it is in. It will switch between Japanese characters and Englich letters telling you which mode it is in. The modes can be switched by pressing one of the 4 Japanese buttons on the left of the graffiti area, and to the right of the home screen...

Also, the writing recognition software is a bit different. There is something called Decuma Japanese, and it will recognize Japanese characters you write, among them Kanji, Katakana, and Hiragana. It will also recognize English, and it is found in the Blue colored tab. You can also use Graffiti, which I do, but after each soft reset it goes back to Decuma Japanese. There are settings to change the pen stroke color and thickness and recognition time of Decuma Japanese but not Graffiti.

The difference between the GUI really isn't too huge, and if you know where something is on the English Clie you can easily find it on the Japanese Clie. I went from OS3 to OS5 with very few problems. Play with the unit in the store. And make sure you get everything with it - I got mine for $500 and it was used for maybe a month, scratched a bit on the case and some weird chipping near the Clie logo, but returned in original box and sat on the store for 2 months or so. Mine was from the Softmap in Omiya near the train station.


Edit: I have had no problem getting the Mini's CF patches for audio player, etc., working. Lightspeed works, and that is all I have tested.

PS!!! The CD for the Clie has all Japanese software. If you have an English/American PC, then it will display most stuff with ??? instead of the Japanese characters. You might want to look into getting an American CD, but I'm doing fine with Windows 2000 American and the Japanese software on the CD.

[chowmander]

well i guess the final factor for your decision is the price. if you can get something for a good price, then do it