PDA possibilities

[ffutures]

I've been using an iPaq for about three months now and I am getting nowhere with handwriting recognition - I still have to enter some letters three or four times before it will work, and it doesn't seem to be showing an sign of improving. This may be because I'm left handed, but I've tried drawing letters lots of different ways and none of it seems to help.

I've tried an external keyboard, but while it worked it was just another thing to carry and / or lose, and it was so wobbly that it would be impractical on a train journey or anywhere crowded, the sort of places where I'd want to use a PDA rather than a laptop.

So I think I'm going to have to look at PDAs with proper keyboards again.

What I had before was a Psion Revo, which was never particularly reliable and died on me completely in the end. Also had way too little storage, and no easy route to Mac compatibility. I might consider Psion again but it would take some convincing.

What I think I want this time is something with enough memory and speed to run a decent software suite, e.g. Pocket Windows CE with its word processor etc., plus a reasonable amount of additional software available including the odd game or two, ebook reader, etc.. Good battery life is essential, colour isn't but would be nice. USB file transfer, PC and Mac compatibility, non-proprietary storage e.g. SD card or similar, not memory cards that only one company makes and cost a fortune. WiFi and Bluetooth are possibly useful but again not essential, especially if they can be added as a card or something, and I DON'T want a mobile phone.

The big thing is that the keyboard and screen need to be at least Psion sized - I can't see writing seriously on a Blackberry or similar. I also don't want to spend a fortune.

What I've looked at a few times is the HP Jornada 720 - they come up on eBay fairly often, usually selling around £70-80. I could just about afford that if it's OK, but I don't want an expensive mistake, and I don't know a huge amount about them.

So... Any suggestions, or any alternatives I should look at? Anyone used the Jornada?

Comments

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

I had a Jornada for years and LOVED it. It's pretty much ancient technology these days, but nothing beats that form factor. The keyboard is tiny, but quite usable, and it had a PCMCIA slot for a wireless card, so I was able to surf the internet on it. It's also got a tiny built-in modem, so you can use it for dial-up, if you have to. Technically, I still have mine, because I absolutely could not bear to get rid of it, but I never use it anymore.

It probably wouldn't work for what you're looking for, but I ended up replacing it with a Fujitsu Lifebook P1000 (http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1829739,00.asp), which is possibly the world's tiniest laptop... and has a touch-screen (an absolute must for me). Not the sort of thing you can fit into a pocket (although the Jornada is a bit bulky for that, as well), but I can stick it in my purse without difficulty (um, although that probably wouldn't be as good a solution for you. ;-) It's getting a bit ancient now, too, so I'm saving my pennies for the Fujitsu Lifebook P1610 (http://store.shopfujitsu.com/fpc/Ecommerce/buildseriesbean.do?series=P1610), which is the modern successor to my old laptop.

At any rate, if you don't mind it being a bit older and a bit slower, then the Jornada would probably work really well for you. Oh, but the other thing to keep in mind is that the Jornada does not have a USB connection, it uses a serial cable to talk to your computer.

[fenchurche.livejournal.com]

Looking over some of your replies, I should add that the Lifebook probably *is* small enough for you to easily stick in your sidebags, and it's also a pretty hearty little laptop. Mine went through the spin cycle in my car when we had our accident a year and a half ago (we rolled four times and it got thrown all around the cab of the car) with the only damage being a small crack in the casing.

The biggest issue for you would probably be the price, since they're not exactly cheap... but I think they're well worth the money, if you're looking for a small, easily transportable fully-functioning laptop.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Not really - anything larger than pocket sized and I really might as well not bother. I'd still be using the Psion if it hadn't died on me, that wasn't ideal because of the small memory etc. but it's about the size I want to carry.