Danneauxs

Hello all,
I've been nosing around this site for a week on and off; there's
just soooooo much info to absorb and far to many posts to
read them all. I've gotten a feel for the unit and this site a bit
but I still have questions.

1. Battery life. How long does the standard battery that comes with the unit last? ( I know usage determines this! ) I mainly use my PDA for reading ( with Haalli reader) and some appointment and contact stuff. So, using the unit a an e-book reader NOT in direct bright sunlight how long should I expect the battery to last? 2. In reference to the above, there are 2 options to purchase a second battery. One is I believe a 1440 mAh and the other a 3400 mAh. I realize that for battery life the latter is the best due to it's greater capacity, but I'm interested in real life experiences with battery life for these two batteries. Anyone have either?
3. Free software. Is there much available? I like to keep a few games ( diamond mine, puzzle games etc) on my PDA but nothing elaborate just sort of mind doodle games. I also listen to mp3 or wma files, and _occasionally_ view movies.
4. Bundled software. The main programs I'd like to know about are a file explorer, contact manager, scheduler, text editor, picture viewer, audio player. I'd assume these come bundled or can be obtained free somewhere?
5. Screen brighness. How well can the screen be seen in sunlight?
6. Best place to purchase. I just customized a unit on the Dell site and it will be 22 DAYS before it ships. How freakin long does it take to put a cradle and battery in the mail with the unit????
7. As to above. Is there a cheaper source or even an alternate source for the 3400 mAh battery??
8. 300MHz vs 400MHz - is it worth the extra $100? I've outlined above a bit of what I use it for. I can't imagine the 300Mhz not outperforming my current PDA; which is pretty suitable in truth for my uses (exept maybe video playback). I'm leaning towards the 300 since I'd rather spend the extra $$ on the battery. Are the units close in comparison exept for the processor speed and RAM?


Thanks in advance. I will probably have more questions if I decide to get the unit.
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Danneauxs - A man with a few bucks burning a hole in his pocket.

v8sho

1. People claim something like 8 hours of battery life. I use my Axim for just a little at a time and the battery lasts for a week or more.
2. Most people don't have multiple batteries nor the larger capacity battery. The larger capacity battery won't fit in most cases either. If you need a lot of use away from an AC outlet then you might need the bigger battery. Otherwise I have never heard of complaints with battery life. The only possible exception would be when you use WiFi or GPS CF cards. People have claimed that they only get 1.5 hours of constant WiFi use with the standard battery.
3. There is a lot of free software available. See freewareppc.com.
4. There is a moderate amount of bundled software, but you might prefer to search for free alternatives.
5. Hmmm, I don't think I have ever had mine in full sunlight.
6. If you don't want to wait on Dell, there are lots of used units available on ebay and on this site.
7. can't help you with this one
8. I think most people are better off spending the extra money on accessories and software. If money is not an object then go for the 400, otherwise the 300 will probably do fine for you.

Danneauxs

v8sho,
Thanks for the reply. Yeah, my main issue is battery life. I took my last PDA on vacation and spent a lot of time reading during the trip away from an A/C outlet. I constantly ran low on battery power, but luckily the unit had a built in voltage regulator and a simple plug connected to a 4 AA battery pack rechared the batteries and extended it's use.
I won't be using any card type accessories and I'll only be using a CF 512 card as alternate storage, so if 8 hrs is close that's 2x what I get now.

I'm pretty sure that the 300 will do me, and I'm going to look for a used one since an order through Dell will take a month to reach my door.

Thanks again!