PPC user...TJ worth it?

[nigeljedi]

Hello! I'm a current iPaq 1945 user, and I just wondered if anyone can "sell" me on the TJ's.
I started out being a Palm user, and haven't been with Pocket PC's for quite a year. I have always been impressed with Sony being able to push the envelope with the Palm devices, and I wondered if going back to the Palm OS and Sony in particular was worth it?
I don't have the $$$ for a UX model and I don't really want another NX (I had the NX70V at one time) because of the size. The main thing for me would be the hi-resolution screen/rich graphics of the Sony's. Would the TJ35 fit the bill?
I appreciate any comment you have on the matter!

:)

[sdcromer]

I'm with you. I've been using a h1910 since January (got tired of waiting for a Palm OS device with virtual graffiti. I just bought my 13 year old daughter a Zire Basic and now I'm a little homesick for the Palm community. I still say that if I can get a Palm OS 5+ machine with the T/TJ form factor and 320 x 480 resolution and virtual Graffiti I'll be back to Palm in a second.

Patiently waiting (for over a year).

:) ;) :cool:

[nigeljedi]

I hear ya, man. I always want just a little more than what they actually release. I'd be willing to pay for the hardware/software, but it seems every handheld is just a little short of my expectations. The UX40/50 comes closest, but at that price, it would be a while before I'd be able to justify the cost. Pocket PC's are great for a lot of reasons, but virtually no one (with a couple of exceptions) makes anything different. The UX is a "breath of fresh air" if you will, to the PDA market.
I know the TJ35 isn't the top of the line or anything, but I like the form factor, the material it's made from, the screen...I could go on, but the fact is that I just want a stable platform, a cool interface, and something that's not going to be obsolete in two months...all of this in a great "package" (size, color, material, etc.).
I use my PDA's for all the basic stuff, and don't really push them to the limits often. I thought maybe the TJ35 would fit the bill.

[Unregistered]

Originally posted by sdcromer
I'm with you. I've been using a h1910 since January (got tired of waiting for a Palm OS device with virtual graffiti. I just bought my 13 year old daughter a Zire Basic and now I'm a little homesick for the Palm community. I still say that if I can get a Palm OS 5+ machine with the T/TJ form factor and 320 x 480 resolution and virtual Graffiti I'll be back to Palm in a second.

Patiently waiting (for over a year).

:) ;) :cool: I got the exact same problem... I have had a T665 for a while, and I waited and waited and waited for a HIRes+ model like my T665, but it never came... So when the iPAQ h1910 was really cheap, I grabbed one... I am now kinda using both models... But what I really want is the same as I wanted a year ago... A hiRes+ TJ35... The UX50 is an awesome machine, and full fils all my needs but at 1000$ CAN, it is out of my price range:(

[Chou Chou]

I was very heartened when I read yours about wanting to go back to a PDA. I was in the store the other day looking at the TJ25 but didn't care for it. I was looking at an Ipaq but was unsure of what the migration to a PPC would mean. Can you tell me the advantages and disadvantages of both so that I won't make a mistake.

[nigeljedi]

Well, as almost anyone who has used both platforms will tell you, it's mainly up to personal preference. I have used both Palm and Pocket PC extensively, and currently only use a PPC. I want to go back to the Palm OS because the Pocket PC is pretty much "bloated" with features. That's not entirely a bad thing, but it has it's drawbacks.
For instance, if you want a machine that can handle WMA audio, Windows Media video, Native Excel and Word files and basically handles like a mini PC, then Pocket PC is the way to go. I like it for that reason.
Now, the reason I'm looking at going back to Palm is that I want an operating system that has taken many steps forward, and mainly Palm listens to it's customers. Microsoft really doesn't, or at least not in a timely fashion. Pocket PC users have to wait a long time for major updates/fixes (at least, that's the experience I've had). Windows Mobile 2003 isn't much different than Pocket PC 2002 other than a name change.
Palm, on the other hand, has made some very good leaps in improvement. Plus, the OS is very stable. In all the time I used Palm OS, I only had one or two fatal errors that I couldn't attribute to any known cause. Most of the time, I was just being a bonehead and adding something that wasn't compatible.
I can run a PPC in my sleep, but that doesn't change my opinion that Palm has the "simpler" OS in terms of just plain working properly. I don't like having to mess around with a registry any time I have to uninstall an application...that gets really old. The Windows Mobile OS is pretty advanced, but takes along all the little discrepancies of it's older brother as well.
So, that's my 2 cents. I really want to offload my 1945 (which is 3 days old) so I can get back to Palm. I will probably take it back to Best Buy and just get a 25 or a 35.
;)

[nigeljedi]

Oh, by the way, my above post doesn't even scratch the surface of the actual "pros and cons" of Palm over PPC...there are hundreds. It's all personal preference.

[sdcromer]

I consider myself a basic business user. Here are the things that I do with my PDA in order of importance:

1. Contacts/Address Book
2. Calendar/Scheduling (Palm is much stonger here)
3. Reading ebooks
4. Expense tracking/reporting
5. Occasional Word or Excel file copied to PDA for reference
6. Calulator (PPC is better with my HP15C emulator)
7. Photo album
8. Occasional MP3 listening

I want something sized like the Sony T615 with Hi Res+ screen. The Tungsten E with virtual graffiti would just about fit the bill, as long as Palm fixes that stupid silver metallic paint job.

:) ;) :cool:

[sdcromer]

Oh, the h1910 is not a bad device and is an awful lot of PDA for the money. It's just when all of the PPC gee-whiz wears off you realize that you have to take more steps to do the same task.

I want an aluminum case too.

I have seen similar threads like this one on almost every PDA bulletin board.

We are not alone!!!




:) ;) :cool:

[nigeljedi]

I've pretty much decided that it's going to be Palm once again, but I'm just trying to figure out which one I want. I'm not really hot on any of the Palm models, so those are pretty much out.
As far as the Sonys go, it's either of the TJ models or the UX40. The only problem with the UX is justifying the cost. I know it's "all the rage" and has a neato "wow" factor, but that's pretty steep pricewise. I really would like a little more punch than the TJ's, but is there an "in between" besides the NX/NZ types (I've had the TG50, and I wasn't that impressed with it...so I know Sony doesn't have an in between)?

[sdcromer]

I've decided that I am going to wait a couple of more months for the release of Palm OS 6 and hopefully by that time my "dream device" will be closer to reality.

:) ;) :cool:

[wldc]

i think it really comes down to what features u really want and whats ur priority in them...

for me i would probably buy the TJ35 over the other clie series for the following reason:
1) SIZE + Weight (Very important)
2) Price
3) processor speed

granted Clie screen res is important but for a user whose not looking to do extreme stuff with the PDA i dont really see the justifiable need to pay the extra big bucks for hi-res+ screens but thats probably becuz i never had a hi-res+ pda b4 and therefore havent been shown the way to light :)

anyway i mainly use my pda to read novels, keep contact info/schedules/notes and also play some games when i'm commuting or waiting in line. therefore my main priority is size and weight of the pda becuz i carry my pda in my purse everywhere i go and i dont like to bulk up my purse for no reason. thats why i've always steer far away from the NZ/NX series. the screens are nice but its fatter and its longer and its gonna be harder to carry. i had a co-worker who got one of those and his comment was that he loves it but its harder to carry in his shirt pocket....and if he sticks it in his back pant pocket his afraid he'll sit on it and break it (wonder if anyone ever had that problem)

pricing is also another issue. Looking at the UX50 its a nice sized PDA, but seriously $700 is just way too much to spend on a pda plus given the fact that i'll be upgrading away from it within 1-2 yrs its just wasting too much money :)

processor speed...well i JUST HATE slow pdas :)

now...why a TJ35 over TJ25 u might say...theres only 2 added bonus i see but its worthwhile the $40 difference...
1) MP3 Player (it doesnt hurt to have this although i probably wouldnt see myself using it all the time)
2) 32MB Ram vs 16MB Ram (granted majority of us are running alot of programs off memory stick but it really doesnt hurt to have that extra kick)

[nigeljedi]

You brought up a good point. I was wondering if the support for running applications from memory media has gotten better for the Palm OS. The last Palm I had, the OS was chintzy about running apps off storage cards.
This would be a big plus, as well, because if I did go for the TJ25, memory would be one of the only issues for me. I could get a 256MB memory stick, but only if I could run other applications from it without the OS getting jiggy.
:)

[wldc]

i have to admit i didnt know much about running apps off the Memory stick...not until i started viewing this forum that is :)

i visited here and read about ZLauncher, gave it a trial use and voila I LOVE IT :) i've transported 99% of my games to the memory stick and the only exception is Warefare Inc only becuz i like that to stick in RAM till i'm done playing with it :)

now the only thing with running apps off memory stick is the initial loading time...its usually takes a few sec longer then regular to load the app but then afterward the speed is about 99% the same as running off RAM.

Now, if you dont want to spend the $12 for ZLauncher, the TJ25/35 comes packaged with Clie Launcher (sony's launcher program). from the way the users in this forum is describing it, its a cheap (free that is) alternative to ZLauncher. so u can always give that a try :)

as for memory stick...given that the TJ25/35 is compatible with the Memory Pros, it'll be a pretty good plus :) 256MB is gonna be more then enough for a pda...i'm trying to get a 256MB select MS right now too...although i havent even filled up half of my 128MB MS :)

Regards...

[drglew]

I have recently purchased a TJ25 after my old n610c died. Very happy overall. Now that TJ35 is out, it's probably worth the extra $50. I don't use MP3's, but TJ35 has that capability, & also gives a lot of extra software not provided with the TJ25 (+ the extra memory which you will eventually use).

Clie launcher is functional, but i ended up re-installing a 3rd party launcher because in Clie Launcher you can't recategorize files on the memory stick (i.e. they're all just listed under "Memory Stick", & can't be moved to a "Games" category). (I previously had paid for Megalauncher on my old pda & stuck with it, although i hear Z-launcher is better).

In terms of size etc, it's much better than my n610c, "feels" smaller than my wife's SJ30, and reminds me of my old Palm V because of the side-flip cover. The retractable stylus actually works well & i'm coming to like it.

Hope this helps!

[nigeljedi]

drglew, which apps come with the 35 that don't with the 25...I know the MP3 player doesn't, but are the different apps noted on Sony's site? I thought I had read all the particulars, but I guess I missed some.
???
Thanks for your input, though...any info helps in my decision-making!
:)

[nigeljedi]

Well, Picsel Viewer isn't included with the 25--a big deciding factor there. I didn't want to have to get Documents to Go again, and Picsel was my answer (at least for viewing native Excel and Word stuff). Hmmmm. Best Buy doesn't carry the 35's in their store here yet. Again, hmmmm.

[drglew]

Yes, Picsel viewer is one. The other biggie is Decuma for handwriting recognition. The TJ25 uses Graffiti2, which will probably be more accurate than the original Graffiti in the long run (but i can't get used to having to dot my "i" & cross my "t"...I wish there was an app that let me go back to original Graffiti). And i did have to upgrade my Documents to Go as i had v4, which isn't compatible with Palm OS 5. I kind of wish i waited the 2 weeks it took for the TJ35's to arrive, but I realized I couldn't survive without my old Clie, & the timing of it's death coincided with the TJ25's release.

[wldc]

cant u return it and get the TJ35 instead?

[drglew]

Probably could, but i ordered it online from Sonystyle.com, so it's a big pain. It's still a million times better than my n610c, & i didn't need the MP3 ability anyway. I use it mostly for medical stuff. The TJ25 is a nice machine, & does seem a tiny bit smaller than the TJ35 because of the lack of the headphone jack.

[nigeljedi]

Thanks everyone for your input. I took the 1945 back and now have a TJ25. I couldn't wait several weeks for Best Buy to get a 35 in, and they don't take gift cards online (I had a bunch from a birthday). So, here's to joining the family!
;)
Thanks again, folks!

:)

[nigeljedi]

Got the TJ25. Love it so far. Thanks a bunch everybody!
;)