General Advice & Questions From A Newbie

kai is kai · 03-25-08, 08:53 AM

Greetings to everyone, I'm hoping you all can advise me. I have spent the last few weeks looking over lots of PDAs looking for the right one for me but it's been difficult as I've never owned one before and don't know exactly what I'll need.

What I want is a gadget that can give me reminders (for my failing brain) as well as amuse me when I'm at a loose end. I know that with regular computers I'm what they call a 'power user' so I'm thinking that getting a PDA near the top end of the range makes more sense and I've narrowed it down pretty much to between the HP IPAQ 214 and the HTC Advantage. I'm leaning more towards the 214 (which is why I'm posting to this forum) as it would seem more sensible to have a base device and add the extra functionality (GPS etc.) with peripherals since if something went wrong, I would only have to replace/repair the faulty part, not the whole setup.

If anyone has any opinions, thoughts, feelings, etc. about either/both of the devices I would very much appreciate the benefit of your collective wisdom. Why did you all choose the Ipaq 210 series?

I also have a few specific questions if that's okay.

Does anyone know for sure if there will be a desk dock available? The HP website has one listed but without a picture/price. Would it be able to charge a spare battery at the same time the device is docked?

The manual talks about various 'Smart Connector' options like 'Entertainment Dock' and 'Deskphone Dock' - does anyone know what those are yet? When they will be available? Any info?

Does the 210 series have USB host function? If so, how do I connect stuff? Do I just get a USB to mini USB adapter plug and plug it directly in (thinking of my USB stick drive here)?

Although I'm not thinking of using any other connection to the internet other than Wi-fi, if I changed my mind later on; just how difficult is it to pair this with a mobile phone? Do mobile phones usually allow this functionality or is it usually disabled? Is it possible to get it with PAYG? If I got one of those USB modems they advertise for broadband connection for laptops for £15 month (approx) - can that be connected to the ipaq?

Yikes, what a lot of questions. Thanks in advance for all advice and um... be gentle with me - I'm a newbie :rolling:

kcallahan · 03-25-08, 09:43 AM

First Welcome to Aximsite. Lots of good info and ppl here. :approve:

I don't personally own an iPAQ. However, I've read lots of good things about the 210 model.

I'd suggest using the search function to find some of your answers. I found one thread that mentioned a docking cradle would be available sometime in May of this year.

You might also go to reviews.cnet.com and checkout what they have to say about the units you're looking at.

Good luck. :)

03-25-08, 12:17 PM

Originally Posted by kai is kai

Greetings to everyone, I'm hoping you all can advise me. I have spent the last few weeks looking over lots of PDAs looking for the right one for me but it's been difficult as I've never owned one before and don't know exactly what I'll need.

Greetings to you to and welcome.
Just as in any other tool - you should fit the tool to your needs.
Every PDA has a calendar and a function for runnng games - both simple and more complex.
Most of the PDAs can connect via BT to a GPS receiver and run the navigation programs,

What I want is a gadget that can give me reminders (for my failing brain) as well as amuse me when I'm at a loose end. I know that with regular computers I'm what they call a 'power user' so I'm thinking that getting a PDA near the top end of the range makes more sense and I've narrowed it down pretty much to between the HP IPAQ 214 and the HTC Advantage. I'm leaning more towards the 214 (which is why I'm posting to this forum) as it would seem more sensible to have a base device and add the extra functionality (GPS etc.) with peripherals since if something went wrong, I would only have to replace/repair the faulty part, not the whole setup.

If anyone has any opinions, thoughts, feelings, etc. about either/both of the devices I would very much appreciate the benefit of your collective wisdom. Why did you all choose the Ipaq 210 series?

I am getting the 211 because of the memory available. There are other road warriors who need it for true small connectivity. What you describe above - and it being your first one - I would highly suggest borrowing a friend's PDA and try to play...see what applications interest you....do you want to listen to MP3s? Do you want to view a video? Do you want to manage spreadsheets/word/powerpoint? Is it important the screen - VGA vs. QVGA? Battery life? How long will you be away from a power source (i.e. what kind of battery life do you need/want)? These kind of questions are pretty essential to your choices. Being a "power user" I would expect that this makes sense to you.

I also have a few specific questions if that's okay.

Does anyone know for sure if there will be a desk dock available? The HP website has one listed but without a picture/price. Would it be able to charge a spare battery at the same time the device is docked?

The manual talks about various 'Smart Connector' options like 'Entertainment Dock' and 'Deskphone Dock' - does anyone know what those are yet? When they will be available? Any info?

I dont know

Does the 210 series have USB host function? If so, how do I connect stuff? Do I just get a USB to mini USB adapter plug and plug it directly in (thinking of my USB stick drive here)?

If I understand correctly, yes

Although I'm not thinking of using any other connection to the internet other than Wi-fi, if I changed my mind later on; just how difficult is it to pair this with a mobile phone? Do mobile phones usually allow this functionality or is it usually disabled? Is it possible to get it with PAYG? If I got one of those USB modems they advertise for broadband connection for laptops for £15 month (approx) - can that be connected to the ipaq?

Connectivity is the name of the game. I am sure that for whatever specific want/need and resource, you can find a solution. I am not an expert, but with wifi b/g and BT 2.0 I don't expect you to have too many problems. Of course optimization of the net for PDAs is not as "generous" as we would want, a 4 inch screen is definitely better than some of the other "poorer" cousins in the same class.

Yikes, what a lot of questions. Thanks in advance for all advice and um... be gentle with me - I'm a newbie :rolling:

Again welcome to Aximsite - one of the best places to learn about handhelds (IMHO), and we will all be happy to help you spend your money!!! :D
or answer questions....
etc...

:approve:

FrinkTL · 03-25-08, 12:47 PM

I chose the iPAQ 211/210/214 because of (in this order):

Unsurpassed VGA screen -very bright, true-to-life colors, viewing angles, etc.
More RAM (128 MB vs. the 64MB) - that matters for GPS applications or for using the device as a jukebox while you're using the GPS, etc.
AWESOME battery life (2200 mAh or about 8 hours of pretty heavy use)
Size of screen/device/buttons
Stand-alone device (vs. converged); I'd rather keep my phone separate
Speed
Expandability/versatility - this is limited (really) only by what vendors decide to sell and the depth of my wallet

As for which you should get, that depends on what you'll be using it for. I recommend that you first decide what it is you need and then seek out the device that can provide it. For example, what started you out on this search?

If you can't answer that question, Ceril's (I hope I have that name right) advice is the best: borrow a device for a trial. Perhaps your needs will emerge in that effort.

JakeRich · 03-25-08, 01:03 PM

I don't think the USB port is a host port. It's configured to allow power and syncing, but not being a USB Host. According to the tech specs, no mention of USB Hosting is included.

http://h18000.www1.hp.com/products/q.../12781_na.HTML

03-25-08, 08:18 PM

Originally Posted by kai is kai

Does anyone know for sure if there will be a desk dock available? The HP website has one listed but without a picture/price. Would it be able to charge a spare battery at the same time the device is docked?

it depends on your luck, you can get HX4700 battery charger, the battery also works with 21_
I have desktop battery charger, which came with RX3xxx for HX2xxx battery (HP branded), just remove the inner bracelet, and it shows another connector, which is used to charge HX4700, 21_ battery

Originally Posted by kai is kai

The manual talks about various 'Smart Connector' options like 'Entertainment Dock' and 'Deskphone Dock' - does anyone know what those are yet? When they will be available? Any info?

no, all connection is done with either bt or miniUSB

Originally Posted by kai is kai

Does the 210 series have USB host function? If so, how do I connect stuff? Do I just get a USB to mini USB adapter plug and plug it directly in (thinking of my USB stick drive here)?

maybe

Originally Posted by kai is kai

Although I'm not thinking of using any other connection to the internet other than Wi-fi, if I changed my mind later on; just how difficult is it to pair this with a mobile phone? Do mobile phones usually allow this functionality or is it usually disabled? Is it possible to get it with PAYG? If I got one of those USB modems they advertise for broadband connection for laptops for £15 month (approx) - can that be connected to the ipaq?

it's easy to pair with mobile phone and tether, I do it all the time