Tungstens vs PPC - not what you think

S

smash5212 P

New member
There's been some, (actually a lot) of discussion about how PPCs are so much better than Palms. One user said that the hardware was a whole lot more advanced. This is simply not true. Most PPC devices have around 400mhz processors, and they're not even the new multimedia Intel XScale processor that's in the T5. With the exception of the Dell Axim which has the 613?mhz XScale processor. Palm has great multimedia capabilities, hi-res screens, AND I must add, the T5 has that 256 Flash memory. That's something PPCs don't have. Then with PPCs you have to worry about "swap" space (for lack of a better term). Palm's don't have that issue unless you're running things off the card or internal Flash, which most users do. Then they simply store most everything on the card and leave the RAM open for launching programs.

Palms have Bluetooth, meaning lots of compatability with cell phones and other Palm devices. With the exception of the Tungsten C, there's not one with Wi-Fi. That much is true, but Palm has the W-Fi card for the T3 and the driver will soon be compatable with the T5. Not a bad deal, especially when you think about the fact that the T5 has that 256MB of memory. Not bad at all.

PPC is maintained/created by Microsoft. Msft has big bucks to put into their operating systems, yet in order to get the same performance on a PPC that you get with a Palm, you have to have a faster processor. Why? Because Microsoft think that everything has to look like it comes from 2030 and have really big visual themes. I've just never been impressed with PPCs that much.

Something I heard once that I liked: "Windows is for Laptops, Palm for handhelds. Any questions?"

Bring the discussion everybody!
(But keep it calm) :p
 
I think this is the definitive:

If PPC is so good then why is it that you can't open a Word or Excel document in it's native format?

You can on any Palm device equiped with Documents to Go.

If PPC is so good then why can't you transport and view a native Word document.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Documents To Go is the major reason palmOne is still in business.

If it weren't for the excellent document support, I would probably go after the iPAQ 4700. My T3 is a great device to use. However, I am getting tired of the loose slider collapsing on me all the time. I wish somebody would manufacture a new cover for the T3 that keeps the screen in the stretched position.

I don't want to upgrade to the T5 because it almost seems like a step backwards in technology. I don't want to give up the voice recording button.
 
I had an 18k freeware app called "QuickPhone" which allows "fast entry" of a phone number, with pre-chosen area codes. However, if you forget to hit "enter," or "ok" or whatever, it never registers!

I decided if I'm in the car an need to jot a quick number - speak it into the VOX. I wouldn't be without it either; it's as close to hands free message/note taking as you'll get and you don't enter the wrong number in panic or due to a "graffiti snafu." YOu can be on the phone (I'm archaic and actually have a SEPARATE cell phone) and hold the button on the T3 and record the number by simply repeating it.

Try phone conversation/number entry on the Palm/driving at 70mph/holding a cigarette . . . I may be a California driver, but that's ambitious even for me!!! Worst of all you keep spilling the martini . . . . .

Sometimes the simple stuff is what we use the most! They're morons for not including it, especially since A LOT OF US gave away our digital recorders because the Palm had one!!
 
hi guys and gals..

I have been ruminating on the T5 but think I wont bother with it (at least thats my opinion today). The lack of voice rec and the unbelievable omission of vibrating alarms makes it very difficult to justify. Dont much care about wifi so thats not a problem, the new flah configuration looks great but probably not much better than having and SD card. I still have a TT so everything else is much better, and i like the sliderless thing, but the alarm is a real deal breaker. Something so simple but so important will cost them a sale...but, I may go for the T3 at last!!
 
I'm sorry, but I have to laugh at this. palmOne is in business today because they still have over 50% market share, they were the makers of the first ever sucessful handheld device, AND they aren't Windows. Look at the PC market today for example. True, it's 90 whatever percent Microsoft, but look at all the people that are using or switching to Linux or Mac OSX! The percentages aren't high, but if you translate that into actual people, the number is much higher. Why does everyone use Windows so much though? Because there are more apps for it, better support, and more compatable hardware.

The same is true for the PalmOS and palmOne. There's more devices out there, more software, and a MUCH more stable OS. I have a friend who had a PPC. It randomly froze up one day and now won't charge, turn on, or do anything. It's a nice $300 paperweight. I've never had a Palm device go that far. Everything eventually wears out, but my current 505 works properly about 3/4 of the time. It's over 4 years old!!

Does Docs2Go contribute to the value of a Palm? You betcha, but does DataViz keep P1 in business? Not on your life.
 
It is remarkable that a native Excel file can't be used on a PPC, if postings here are any indication (I personally don't have a PPC, but may depending on OS6 - that's why I'm a huge OS5 fan - my apps actually work!)

For that reason people using Docs2Go have an "edge," and I'm sure that DOES IN FACT contribute to longevity for PalmOne.

Other apps like WordSmith and FastWriter will allow MS Word document synchronization, and if you can deal with the crazy conduit, Iambic's discontinued "TinySheet" was great for spreadsheets. For me the freeware "TextSync" combined with TealDoc work better despite docs being in plain text; I can always "Select All" and paste into MS Word if I need a letter. More often than not I want copies of short "articles" stored on the Card with TealDoc; I also have replaced my Memo Pad with plain text docs that are synced on the desktop and can be amended on either PC or handheld, or combined, or whatever.

HOWEVER - Docs2Go takes care of both native Word, native Excel and now native Powerpoint in one package, albeit very bloated -- we're talking 3.5-4 MB for all of it.

No other app can boast that; I've switched from TinySheet to Sheet2Go and wouldn't switch back.

Dwinget, then, is quite correct in that if one handheld allows seamless native document carry, it would lend TREMENDOUSLY to which handheld someone carries.

PalmOne's (and especially old-timer "Palm") claim to fame of "10,000 developers worldwide writing software" has ALREADY evaporated thanks to OS5, and a lot more will drop out under OS6.

Alternatively PPC software is mushrooming and I saw it first hand when investigating "options" along with Kimh - there really is a ton of stuff and the freeware, like Palm freeware, is pretty darn good. No native Excel/Word carry ability though. Considering how many people use Excel for a HUGE variety of purposes (most little freeware apps do nothing more than make a pretty spreadsheet!) native Excel and Word "carry" is essential.

Palms have it with Docs2Go. PPCs do not. As OS6 comes in to play and people find that ONLY Agendus and Docs2Go will be pretty much "guaranteed to work," their importance and value will skyrocket with Palm owners even more.
 
With the advent of Palm liscensing the Exchange email client announced last week, you will se more enterprise solutions and development of the Enterprise arena. This will help Palm establish a stronger hold on the business client, which should keep them in play for quite some time.

The Treo phone is the first and only device to be offered by all major cellular carriers not just in the US but also overseas. Why is that? Because the PalmOS lends itself to being used as a smartphone more so then any other platform.

Here is where the difference will come into play - tablet PC's. Microsof will probably concede, in the long term, that the tablet pc is the way they want to go and they will give up on the PDA platform.

Toshiba has announced they are getting out of the PPC business. It killed Casio.

If Dell could get a liscense for a Palm OS device.....it might be the injection that PalmOne needs to continue to hold the market share.
 
:confused: You can. Well my Pocket PC can anyway.

I'm the first to say, that Documents To Go is waaay better than pocket word/excel on the PPC. But to say you can't open native files, is just wrong.

The main advantage on the palm anyway, is the screen with twice as many pixels. Much better for spreadsheets. But now there are PPC screens with twice as many pixels as the T3...
 
iiicrules,

A couple of my employees have PPC devices and each time they view a word document it's converted to Pocket Word also the same with Excel. Most importantly, formatting is not retained.

Now granted I haven't used enough PPC devices to declare undeniably that I'm correct and the process of conversion might be very fluid but I have seen loss of integrity when transferred.

Both have 320 X 480 screen's and as you point out the resolution is not the same as Palm devices. I used a Casio Cassiopea way back when and have played with several devices in the brick and mortar's and keep coming back to Palm because of resolution and software availability.
 
Hi MM!



First I think you mean 320x240 screen. As the T3 is the 320x480 one, and the new vga PPC's are 640x480...
You don't convert to put it on PPC. You just shove it on the SD card, card into machine and open it up. The documents don't convert to pocket format (.dot) with me. I can open a doc and save it and it'll still be a doc. Same with Excel.
I have not tested extensively, (as I use my Palm for documents :D) but there is some problems with formatting. If I use a font in a document that my PPC doesnt have, then edit that document and save it on the PPC, the PPC will have changed that font permanantly to one it knows of.....


But what I was answering was:

And the answers to both of them are, you can.

Bottom line is, Douments To Go is better than the PPC doc editing programs. But they both edit native files.

I belive Doc To Go will/is play(ing) a bit part in keeping Palm alive

iiicRuled

P.S. It's possible that old versions of Pocket Word/Excel don't open Native files. That may be why your employees are having a different experience to me. I have a WM2003 PPC (ipaq4150). Maybe WM2002 Word/Excel wasn't as good. But remember, Docs To Go 5 (or was it 4?!) couldn't read native files..

P.P.S. My PDA also came with a free copy or ClearVue viewer for Excel/Word/PowerPoint. This allows you to view the files without editing..
 
iiicRules

Yes you are correct on resolution and both employees are running older devices that may not have the same OS. Which is another thing that ticks me off about PPC devices.....you have to be so careful on purchasing software for the right device.

Mostly with a Palm all you have to worry about is OS5 combatible or backwards compatible but I guess it's somewhat of the same dilemna.
 
Most PPC programs have software installers which install the correct CPU version. I can't say I've had any problems.

As far as reading/writing Word/Excel Docs....it's a piece of cake. The PPC shows up as a virtual drive on your desktop and you simply drag the files over to view/edit. Tried Word 2003 and Excel 2003 docs with no edit or viewing head-aches....so far.
KimH
 
How is the text formatting in the 2003 version of Pocket Word and Excel? Is there table and graphic support? Do you have any screen shots? Thanks.
 
Back
Top