a silly question

M

minniz

New member
hello every1, i'm a PDA newbie thinking about getting a palm, so, I'm in the research phase, reading the previous threads was a great help....
There's one question I couldnt answer, is the CRADLE packed with all the T series (T5, to be precise), or it is optional???

Another thing I understood but vaguely, how can I connect the PDA to my desktop, and then using the dial-up internet of the desktop and channel it to my palm, and enjoy browsing the web in the comfort of my bed :D

Thanx in advance

DeMoN
 
As far as I know, a cradle is an additional/option accessory for the T|5 that is not included in the original package.


Well...assuming you don't mind a fairly long USB cable (or if your bed is right by your computer ;)), this can be done using Softick PPP. It works very well without fuss (tried it on my Zire 31) and costs $25.

However, if you [have/would consider/can get] a high speed Internet connection and a wireless router, you can just buy the new T|X (which, from what I've read, is a better buy than the T|5) which has built-in Wifi allowing you to surf untethered from your computer.
 
And don't forget the 16 foot limit of USB cable........

I'd also suggest that before you invest in such a setup - connect and see how much or little you'd use it for surfing purposes. Surfing from a handheld is not lighting (snail) fast.
 
Thank you people for my answering my question in such a short time.....



What about connecting with a bluetooth???




I got myself a specification comparision table, containing almost all the palm products, I found out that the T|X and the T|5 are exactly the same, the only thing the T|X has and the T|5 doesn't is the WiFi compatability (and from that the made all the publicity of the T|X being "totally wireless")....but on the other hand, the T|5 is faster (416 MHz compared to 312 in the T|X), and also has a larger built-in storage (256 MB compared to 128 MB in the T|X)....





when you say slow, do you mean that it's slower than the dial-up desktop? is there some kind of speed loss when I channel the internet to the PDA??
 
Thank you people for my answering my question in such a short time.....



What about connecting with a bluetooth???




I got myself a specification comparision table, containing almost all the palm products, I found out that the T|X and the T|5 are exactly the same, the only thing the T|X has and the T|5 doesn't is the WiFi compatability (and from that the made all the publicity of the T|X being "totally wireless")....but on the other hand, the T|5 is faster (416 MHz compared to 312 in the T|X), and also has a larger built-in storage (256 MB compared to 128 MB in the T|X)....





when you say slow, do you mean that it's slower than the dial-up desktop? is there some kind of speed loss when I channel the internet to the PDA??


Talking with other users is far more helpful than checking out the company's website, thank you guys for checking out my thread


DeMoN
 
I browse the web WiFi and bluetooth, WiFi is better ( I think) with my T|X. I have a Zire 72 and E2 and while the WiFi card works it is much slower for some reason.
 
The bottleneck for you is really going to be the speed of the internet connection; in this case your dial-up. And as Moose Man has pointed out, surfing the web via a pda is not the same as surfing from your desktop. I'm using the bundled browser "Blazer". I don't know where the name came from, but it surely has little to do with speed as you might think. And you cannot view flash animations or some of the other multimedia stuff that you usually see on modern web pages. So if you expect the same glitz as your desktop provides, you will likely be disapointed.

Personally I don't mind that much since I'm more interested in content than the flashy crap. IE: no pop-ups telling me I'm a winner, no dancing banners, and no flashing text to trigger a migraine. For this reason alone I actually enjoy surfing via the Palm most of the time. I read the news, weather, check stocks, and do some occasional research. And more and more sites are providing alternate web page content specifically designed for handheld users, making page loads faster and page navigation easier on handhelds.

Another thing is that the bundled browser does not support SSL/TSL (secure connection protocols), I'm still looking for a browser that can do that. If I want speed and a secure connection, I go to my desktop.

Just some thoughts here..... One thing to keep in the back of your mind is how happy you are with your present dial up connection and are you considering a highspeed (broadband) upgrade using DSL / Cable, etc. as the cost of these services come down? If so, them you might want to consider the TX with Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi has better range and connection reliability then bluetooth (at least from my experience) and if you decide to go with a broadband connection, the personal routers, (Linksys, D-Link, etc.) are becoming almost too cheep to ignore. A wireless router will give you even better range of mobility around the house than bluetooth which I have found to be only about 10-15 feet (walls and closets really cut down the range). Since I don't know the layout of your home you should keep in mind the obsticles of wireless signals. I can even use the PDA with Wi-Fi in my back yard, which I cannot do with my bluetooth.

One last thing to consider with Wi-Fi is the ability to connect just about anywhere; upscale bookstores, coffee shops, hotels and resturants. I can even pull over in most neighborhoods and find an open connection within a block or two if I need one for something like Mapquest. (Just be carefull about using any open network connections; never do anything that requires userids and passwords when on these networks, they can be "Honey Pots")

Hope this helps. Cheers,
John
 
Oh yea, I have a TX which has the slower processor than the T5. I am using an astronomy program that accesses a database that is 25MB on the Palm (pretty good size I think) and it handles it with no problem. I have not managed to get it to control my telescope yet though. :mad:

I have downloaded videos from my DV Camcorder and they load fast and play just fine on my pda with a 312Mhz processor. So I don't think processor speed is much of an issue for me.

Cheers,
John
 
The T5 has more internal memory but it's not all useable in the strict sense of a Palm - OS. For all intensive purposes the 256 internal memory works just like an SD card. And as such, I would by a Tx. The speed difference between the two won't be noticeable at all for 99% of the applications.

You want to go surfing - wifi is best.

BT although "wireless" it's speed is less than dial up networking - for surfing purposes. And it's range is limited to 30 feet. If you went wifi you could effectively go up to 800 feet. Another reason to go TX - it's got both built in.
 
Hello people,
thanx for the detailed explaination, I pretty much got the picture of what's going on behind the names and spec sheets..
As for the internet (and you wont believe this), I went down from a WiFi connection to a Dial-up, for a a bunch of reasons I wont bother you with....
There was a Hotspot next door, so i bought a wireless network card (D-Link), and some kinda a financial agreement with hotspot guy (who also supplied othe people in my street)...Anyway I still have the wireless network card, can I connect it to the PDA using a WiFi with some kinda LAN (although I think not because both the card and the WiFi PDA is end points, is that right??)...
Anyway, i'm not gonna switch back to DSL in the near future (at least 3 years), besides, The WIFi card is available as SDIO for T5..
And I'm kinda happy with my Dial-up speed, at least for the moment, so getting the same speed with no "flash stuff that triggers a migraine" across the room, is satisfactory, and feasble with the bluetooth.....


Thanx Alot


DeMoN
 
Yes the "card" is the end point. You can't connect to it - but you could connect to the LAN - assuming you worked out a deal with the "street" provider.

BT will slow down the dial up a bit but just don't be disappointed.
 
I don't know the details of the agreement with your ISP ("Internet Street Provider" :D ), but if he has set up some security measures, you may need to provide him with the MAC address of the SDIO card if he is using a static DHCP or reserved IP scheme. If he is doing normal DHCP then you shouldn't have any problem connecting once you configure your security protocol and passphrase (like your other PC).

And of course if he is running an open network with no security protocols enabled, then I wouldn't recommend doing anything involving any financial transactions or online purchasing.

Cheers,
John
 
Very nice, ;)


in fact he is using a static DHCP.
if I add a hub, can I network the PC (obviously, the server) and the PDA??? in order to get a single IP from my ISP :p

thanx for the tips....

cheers
 
Back
Top