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Main => Everything Else => Topic started by: dogg0 on August 15, 2005, 09:27:11 am

Title: pocket pc
Post by: dogg0 on August 15, 2005, 09:27:11 am
I'm looking to buy one, here are my main uses:

playing movies
playing emulators
hometheater remote
surfing the internet

anyone have one? any recomendations?
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: shmokes on August 15, 2005, 09:53:30 am
Dell Axim X50v. 

It has the fastest processor available, is one of the very few Pocket PC devices to offer a 640x480 resolution screen (most are 320x240), accepts both compact flash and secure digital memory cards, has wi-fi and bluetooth, and is far less expensive than any other device out there that even approaches it's specs and features.  Keep an eye on www.bensbargains.net and/or www.fatwallet.com and you can often find it for as low as $300.  I bought one for my wife and watch Divx movies on it and they look great.  The screen is absolutely gorgeous.
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: dogg0 on August 15, 2005, 10:02:32 am
that one looks to be close to what i'm looking for. How is it for gaming? have you tried pocket nes or mame? the buttons are obviously tiny, but there is i think nothing out there with more suitable controls

also, i might want to add one with a digital camera too
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: shmokes on August 15, 2005, 10:22:42 am
Well, controls are definitely geared toward getting business done, but they are at least as good as any others I've used for gaming.  It does have a separate 3D videocard, which most Pocket PCs don't have.  There are some pretty impressive looking games out that take advantage of it.

I haven't used Pocket Mame or Pocket NES, but it will run it as good or better than pretty much any other Pocket PC out there as it has a 624 Mhz processor which is currently as fast as they come, I believe.  The controls aren't great, but few are.  I don't know whether you can hit diagonals on the 4-way pad.  That would be pretty important for NES emulation, I would think.
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: dogg0 on August 15, 2005, 10:53:30 am
also, has there been online poker software released for ppc yet? i.e. party poker?
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: pointdablame on August 15, 2005, 04:02:12 pm
http://www.fatwallet.com/t/18/508823/

You can get a Dell x50v for about $280 with coupons floating around the net right now... it'll probably only last a day or two though.

If I were getting a PPC, this is what I would get.
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: AceTKK on August 15, 2005, 04:14:52 pm
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: ultramagnus on August 15, 2005, 04:16:44 pm
my advice? dont, just get a tapware zodiac 2
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: crashwg on August 15, 2005, 05:57:51 pm
my advice? dont, just get a tapware zodiac 2

The Zodiac 2 only has something like a 300 mhz processor.  Less than that I believe...  I'm not willing to look it up though.  :P

I'm seriously considering ordering up a Axim X50 624mhz though... 
With it, I can get eiter a 1GB Compact Flash Card for $81 or a 1GB Secure Digital Memory Card for $72.  I'm not too up to date with the difference between the two though...  Which would you all reccomend?

Googleing the difference now. :P

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the only differences I can seem to find are that SD is smaller and uses less power and compact flash has a higher transfer rate (4 times as fast even!) and it's slot is more commonly used for periferals...  :-\  I'm thinking that I'll go with the SD...  2.5 Mbits/second should be fast enough for most videos right?  ???
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: shmokes on August 15, 2005, 06:13:06 pm
my advice? dont, just get a tapware zodiac 2

The Zodiac 2 only has something like a 300 mhz processor.  Less than that I believe...  I'm not willing to look it up though.  :P

I'm seriously considering ordering up a Axim X50 624mhz though... 
With it, I can get eiter a 1GB Compact Flash Card for $81 or a 1GB Secure Digital Memory Card for $72.  I'm not too up to date with the difference between the two though...  Which would you all reccomend?

Googleing the difference now. :P

SD is physically a lot smaller, which is nice, but really this card is going to stay in your device nearly all the time, so the physical size isn't nearly as much a factor as the card's capacity and price.

You can get a 2 GB CompactFlash card from Dell for $72 after like a $20 rebate until the 31st.  That's really cheap.  And you're quoting too high for your secure digital card up there.  You can get a really fast 66x speed Ridata 1GB SD  card from NewEgg for like $60 with no rebates at all.
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: pointdablame on August 15, 2005, 06:39:45 pm
my advice? dont, just get a tapware zodiac 2

haha no way.  There is no comparison.
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: crashwg on August 15, 2005, 06:59:46 pm
All righty then!  I just placed my order.  In a few days I'll have a sweet PDA and I'll be on my way to having good credit!  At least that's the plan.  :P

I decided to just forget about the CF/SD card for now.  I look arround a little bit, see what good deals I can find...

Thanks Dogg0 for starting this topic and to those who showed us the great deals Dell is having.  I saved $188!  :o  8)

[edit]
AAAAAHHH!  What a nightmare!  There was a glitch on either my end or theirs and somehow I ended up ordering TWO PDAs!
[/edit]

[edit#2]
When I finally got through to the customer service rep, she was quite nice and very understanding even though she could barely understand me (she sounded middle-eastern).  Apparently the PDA(s) that I ordered where shipped not three hours after the purchase so what I have to do is refuse one of the packages that comes via UPS.  She gave me the tracking numbers on both and told me to keep the order that was correct and tell the UPS guy to send the other one back.  When Dell gets the package back my account will be credited.

Sounds easy enough.  Hope it goes as well also!  :-\
[/edit#2]
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: dogg0 on August 16, 2005, 09:25:55 am
crash: which one did you get and how much did you end up paying?

interestengly enough, the reason I started this is because I was so amazed to watch the "call on me" video on my brothers ipaq
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: crashwg on August 16, 2005, 09:45:50 pm
crash: which one did you get and how much did you end up paying?

interestengly enough, the reason I started this is because I was so amazed to watch the "call on me" video on my brothers ipaq  :P

glad someone is getting one right away though  :D

[code]Axim X50 624 MHz
Axim X50v, Intel
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: RayB on August 17, 2005, 12:29:29 am
Don't buy a Tapwave. They just quit the portable gaming business (http://www.itweek.co.uk/vnunet/news/2140574/tapwave-quits-portable-gaming).

Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: ultramagnus on August 17, 2005, 12:20:36 pm
damn, so the only PDA maker that uses dedicated display chips just quit, that sucks.

oh well, i guess in that case a lifedrive would probabally have been the best choice, but its too late, oh well
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: clanggedin on August 17, 2005, 12:28:26 pm
I have an ASUS A716 that I have had for about 2 years. I absolutely love it. It plays most of the GBA games without sound. But I can play any SNES game without problems.

The Axim had problems with buitton lag, but I am not sure if that has been fixed with the X50V.

If i was an avid Plam user I would have to get the Lifedrive. Two of my co-workers have it and it's pretty kewl. Pocket PC is light years ahead in the emulation scene though.

Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: shmokes on August 17, 2005, 12:41:13 pm
I wish people didn't say "kewl"
Title: Re: pocket pc
Post by: shmokes on August 17, 2005, 12:43:39 pm
damn, so the only PDA maker that uses dedicated display chips just quit, that sucks.

oh well, i guess in that case a lifedrive would probabally have been the best choice, but its too late, oh well

The Dell Axim has a dedicated display chip:

Quote from product page: (http://www1.us.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/axim_x50v?c=us&cs=04&l=en&s=bsd&~tab=specstab#tabtop)

"Integrated Intel