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[isamu]

PDAs with either Windows Mobile or PocketPC are all the rage these days. I'm eventually going to pick one up but I'd like to know more about it's storage features.

Do any of these PDAs have a hard drive built in them? If so, what is the typical space? 8gig? 20gig? 40gig?

I get the impression that they do not have a hard drive and use only SD cards or Compact Flashcards. But what kind of size are we talking here? How many gigs can fit on a SD card? How many on compact flashcard?

Are these cards really a feasible solution for storing the things you want to store on a PDA? What's the solution for storing your mps3 collection? There's no way I could store my collection on three or four flashcards. I want to put them all on a hard drive with at least 60gigs. What would be my options in the PDA department?

Last but not least, have you guys seen the *OQO* ? What are your thoughts on this seemingly revolutionairy handheld with a full blown Windows XP OS and 20gig HD? Hito? Shouta?

Hope to get some educated facts and comments from you PDA lovers

 

[Pochacco]

-PDAs are dying. Smartphones are taking over.
-There are (strangely) no PDAs with built-in HDs (although there are cellphones with them now...)
-Yes, it's all about SD and CF cards when it comes to PDA storage. Both cards continue to fall in price and increase in capacity. You can get 1GB cards for pretty cheap prices nowadays. Higher capacity cards (I think they're up to 4 or 8GB now..) are available for much more $.
-If you want to be storing that much music, your only (and best) choice would be a dedicated MP3 player (e.g. iPod, iRiver, etc.)
-QQQ sucks. But the Sony U series is pretty cool...

 

[Hurricane_Chris]

If you are in Japan you can pick up a Sharp Zaurus with a 4GB HD. It's pretty nice. Currently I'm using the Red Japan Spec TH55 but if I upgrade anytime soon it'll definitely be to a device with a Multithreaded OS (*NOT* PalmOS5.x) and a HD.

If you live in the US, I suggest a smartphone or one of the combination devices. If you're in Japan, I suggest taking a peek at the Zarus and definitely considering a service like airH if you're out and about alot using trains or walking around town...

 

[tedtropy]

Having a HD in a PDA just isn't practical at this point as it would make them too thick, negatively impact their battery life, and make them considerably easier to break. I agree that Smartphones are slowly phasing out the PDA, but they've got a long ways to go in the price department before they really take over. If you need something primarily for MP3s, you need to go with a devoted HD-based player like an iPod or Nomad.

 

[Pochacco]

Oops. Forgot about the Sharps.

 

[isamu]

Having a HD in a PDA just isn't practical at this point as it would make them too thick, negatively impact their battery life, and make them considerably easier to break. I agree that Smartphones are slowly phasing out the PDA, but they've got a long ways to go in the price department before they really take over. If you need something primarily for MP3s, you need to go with a devoted HD-based player like an iPod or Nomad.

Thanks for your responses.

tedtropy....I have owned a Creative nomad jukebox(40gig) for a little over a year and a half, and it has been a very cool and reliable(for the most part) little player. But the thing that keeps a dedicated HD based mp3 player at a disadvantage, is the sound quality and lack of plugin support. Let me explain.....

There is a plug in for both Winamp and WMP9 called DFX. DFX is a DSP sound plug-in that enhances the quality of your mp3s enormously! The improvement that your music takes while having this plugin installed in Winamp is nothing short of ASTONISHING! It made such a difference with me that I am having a very hard time going back to regular mp3 players such as the Nomad.

With Nomad and iPod, you cannot add software plugins such as the DFX one to the player. There simply is no interface and I can't see either Creative or Apple making changes to their devices that would allow this anytime soon.

This is where PDAs come in. With a PDA, at least you have access to a software mp3 player via the PocketPC or Windows Mobile OS. With that kind of setup, developers of cool software mp3 players such as *GSPlayer2.10*, which is getting rave reviews about its great features and ease of use, have the option to develop them for their players.

Unfortunately GSPlayer does not support a plugin interface yet, but at least they claim they are considering it in future versions.

Anyway that is the point I'm trying to make. I am not satisfied with the sound quality of dedicated mp3 players after experiencing what a DSP sound plug like DFX can do to my music. It's simply like night and day. Therefore the only solution I can come up with is a PDA...but then there goes that storage issue again And I seriously doubt there are smartphones with either PocketPC, Windows Mobile, or of course HDs in them...right?

 

[isamu]

If you are in Japan you can pick up a Sharp Zaurus with a 4GB HD..

Well I'm not in Japan I'm in Los Angeles But still, 4gig on the Zaures vs 20gig on the OQO? Meh....

 

[Shogmaster]

Well I'm not in Japan I'm in Los Angeles But still, 4gig on the Zaures vs 20gig on the OQO? Meh....

You comparing apples and oranges. OQO is a (admittedly crappy, but) full fledged Windows XP PC. The Zaurus is a Linux based PDA. Let's just say that the OS for the Zaurus won't eat up 2GB.

 

[tedtropy]

Thanks for your responses.

tedtropy....I have owned a Creative nomad jukebox(40gig) for a little over a year and a half, and it has been a very cool and reliable(for the most part) little player. But the thing that keeps a dedicated HD based mp3 player at a disadvantage, is the sound quality and lack of plugin support. Let me explain.....

There is a plug in for both Winamp and WMP9 called DFX. DFX is a DSP sound plug-in that enhances the quality of your mp3s enormously! The improvement that your music takes while having this plugin installed in Winamp is nothing short of ASTONISHING! It made such a difference with me that I am having a very hard time going back to regular mp3 players such as the Nomad.

With Nomad and iPod, you cannot add software plugins such as the DFX one to the player. There simply is no interface and I can't see either Creative or Apple making changes to their devices that would allow this anytime soon.

This is where PDAs come in. With a PDA, at least you have access to a software mp3 player via the PocketPC or Windows Mobile OS. With that kind of setup, developers of cool software mp3 players such as *GSPlayer2.10*, which is getting rave reviews about its great features and ease of use, have the option to develop them for their players.

Unfortunately GSPlayer does not support a plugin interface yet, but at least they claim they are considering it in future versions.

Anyway that is the point I'm trying to make. I am not satisfied with the sound quality of dedicated mp3 players after experiencing what a DSP sound plug like DFX can do to my music. It's simply like night and day. Therefore the only solution I can come up with is a PDA...but then there goes that storage issue again And I seriously doubt there are smartphones with either PocketPC, Windows Mobile, or of course HDs in them...right?

While it's true that a PDA allows a software layer between the device and your MP3s, the average PDA is horrible for listening to MP3s from the sheer amount of interference you'll hear, especially while using headphones. Remember the old integrated PC audio chipsets and how much hiss/interference they received? Most PDAs are like that. I'm sure they've gotten, and will continue to get, better, but a devoted MP3 player's still going to give you the best audio quality on the go. Creative's Nomads especially have the lowest signal noise ratio of any players out there - it's one of their big selling points.

Oh, and I'm going to have to checkout that Winamp plugin you mentioned - it sounds awesome.

 

[DaCocoBrova]

Heat.

 

[isamu]

Heat.

???