The Cassiopeia Win CE
Vs A Palm IIIc
For the past week, I have been having a great time surfing the web for Windows CE/Pocket PC stuff and testing it on my newly acquired 32mb Cassiopeia with my 64mb CF card. I want to go on record that I am extremely pleased with the purchase and am having more fun than a barrel of monkeys.
My pals want to know if I have become a turncoat, since I no longer own a Palm OS device. To put to rest all fears, I have in fact pre-ordered a Sony Clie; a emailed received from Sony-Style informs me that it will be shipped within 24 hours. My TRGpro was snapped up much sooner than I had expected, so I am using this breather to expand my horizons and learn new stuff.
What I hope to share with you in this 10-point comparision is to provide an indicator on which Palm Handheld gives you the most bang for the buck. I do not intend to cover every feature - just those that I look for in a PDA. Select the features that are important to you, add up the total and divide the sum by the number of categories you chose. This would give you a pretty good idea of which PDA is most likely to suit you. Got it? Let's get started.
I will compare the Palm IIIc (P3c) with a 32mb Cassiopeia (C32) although I will make references to Palm Vx (P5x), TRGpro (TRG) and Visor Deluxe (VD).
1. Size Does Matter: P3c - 5; C32 - 3. The C32 is thicker than the P3c; without a cover, I would not put it in my pocket so it is often left behind. PVx - 10.
2. Look and Feel: P3c - 5; C32 -5. Though the P3c feels slightly smaller and lighter, the C32 joystick-like wheel more than makes up for it. PVx - 10.
3. Screen Clarity: P3c - 5; C32 - 10. The display on the C32 is gorgeous indoors and slightly better than the P3c outdoors. And how do you beat a 65,536-colour TFT display?
4. Hot-sync Procedure: P3c - 10; C32 - 5. It's not that the P32 is difficult or troublesome; it is just so s-l-o-w!
5. Expandiblity: P3c - 1; C32 - 10. All my CF were easily recognized and works with the C32 right away. There is a intrusive smart media card that works with the P3c, but simply as a backup. The TRG with AutoCF runs programs on the CF like the C32, but not as seamlessly and fluidly as the C32.
6. Battery Life: P3c - 8; C32 - 5. On a full charge, while waiting for my wife at Gleneagles, the C32's alarm started to sound a little after 2 hours. BTW both uses rechargeable batteries.
7. Speed: P3c - 5; C32 - 8. While the P3c runs applications superbly well, when it comes to gaming (eg Gameboy emulation), faster is better.
8. Audio and Video Playback Capabilities: P3c - 1; C32 - 10. The MP3 songs really come alive with a earphone on the C32. The VD has MP3 and other modules.
9. Software Availibility: P3c - 10; C32 - 7. For Windows users, the C32 has all the needed business software, although not in such abundance and variety as the P3c.
10. Meeting Needs: P3c - 10/8; C32 - 7/10. If you are looking for a serious, no hassle PDA, P3c won full marks; if you are looking for a protable gaming device with MP3 thrown in, the C32 is your gadget!
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