The best of 'Reader Comments': Palm v iPAQ v the rest in PDA wars

The past seven days have provoked comments on a wide range of controversial subjects but here we present your views about the best PDAs, following our latest Gadget Showdown - http://www.silicon.com/a45935

All over for Palm?
From: Malcolm Cartledge

I have a Palm and I use an HP Jornada. Why? The Palm just doesn't cut it any more. It simply reminds me of using DOS. The problem is that Palm have had it too good and they just assumed their position was unassailable. Yes, there are many third party apps, but the hardware has simply not moved on. Now, after a couple of disastrous tries at a PDA OS, MS have, surprise, surprise, eventually come up with something workable.

Palm still the best
From: Andy McGarry

The iPAQ requires a faster (power hungry) CPU because the MS OS is slow but the Palm at 33MHz is fast enough. So the Palm is small, light, fast and the battery lasts weeks. Also the applications on the Palm are easy to use, small and efficient.

Surviving a dunking
From: Immo Huneke

My HP Jornada, though it was nice, had to go back because there was no way to synch it to the Macintosh PowerBook. The m505 was launched at just the right time to prove an acceptable substitute. And I have to admit that using it is much more natural. The battery life also seems better, and I no longer get holes knocked in my shirt pockets.

Lastly, I accidentally managed to drop the m505 in a bucket of water (don't ask) and it survived - after a night's drying-out, it re-initialised and restored everything using HotSync.

Poor iPAQ screen
From: Anon.

I used to own a Palm and now I have an iPAQ, but the iPAQ screen is appalling compared to, say, a Palm III or a Palm V. Although to give it its due, it is so highly reflective it makes a great mirror!

Bill ruins it again
From: Russell Davies

Why is it that when someone like Compaq actually does create a piece of quality hardware they insist on going for the 'cheap public vote' by using an MS product? If companies the size of Compaq do it, what hope is there for the others? Meanwhile, Palm does what it does best with a simple but unbelievably effective product and it is the one with the bleak future!

Not comparing like with like
From: Andrew Paterson

In reviews such as this one, it is often stated that the hardware of Windows CE devices is of a higher spec than the Palm. This is because it has to be! WinCE needs a much more powerful processor and lots more memory than the Palm to achieve the same results. One of my colleagues has a Palm Vx and he has numerous programs and extensions loaded plus he downloads all of his company email onto it and he is still not anywhere near running out of memory. I agree about the display, though!

iPAQs are for 'real' users
From: Neil Armstrong

I have a Palm. I hate it. As soon as I get an iPAQ signed off I am a happy man - seemless working if you are in a Microsoft environment. Like most of us. Palm maybe the market leader, but I wonder if they are really being used to the full extent of their capability or just as digital filofaxes. I suggest the latter.

An OS for 3G?
From: Eb Halford

Palm OS is available on Kyocera CDMA phones right now and they are producing a W-CDMA version. This is an important issue as there are many more cell phones out there than PDAs. Who needs a PDA and a phone that does PDA too? The real war will be fought on the 3G device level - whoever gets their OS hooked up to a 3G phone wins - I've only ever bought Nokia phones because their OS is the most user friendly. Once users get used to operating their 3G phones they will stick to their favourite (most well-known) OS/phone combo. I'm putting my money on a Palm OS derivative. Windows (CE, 2k etc) is too clunky and mouse-based to work right now.

Try the R380
From: Eoghan Patton

I use the R380 based on Symbian's EPOC OS. Both mobile phone and PDA in one. Easily synchronises with Microsoft Outlook on my PC for email, calendar and contacts. Haven't had any problems, so I'm not changing!

PalmOS has the hardware
From: Mike Pendray

If you like the hardware, try the (PalmOS-based) Sony Clie. It has the same screen as the iPaq (Sony makes it for them) and plays MP3 through headphones. If you are a serious data user, then put the iPaq plus flash card reader head-to-head with the Handera 330 - now there would be a worthy contest! Try composing an email, including a dictionary definition, and a reference to the thesaurus, and quoting a price from a lookup on a database. If it's mobile data you need, I would like to see a PocketPC versus PalmOS read the silicon news side by side. Round 1 - cost. Round 2 - set up time. Round 3 - who can read the news and post a comment in the shortest time.