Hi, I've scrapped my PC, monitor, and printer. I'm looking for
some type of alternative computing machine.

A small laptop is certainly an option, but I'm hoping to get
away Microsoft once and for all.

Does anyone in here have experience with handheld devices. I have
some questions that hopefully you can answer. How long does
it take for these machines to boot. Hopefully, it will not take
5 minutes like it does for the PC with its worthless prehistoric
architecture. Can these devices be used to create word processing
files (rtf)? Do they have USB ports? What about the ability to
print documents? How long do you have to wait to shut down?
Are there software installs?

These are all goofball issues that will never go away until
PC users make PCs themselves go away. I'm ready whenever the
rest of you are!

dos-man

your gonna have fun

first off, are you loaded, trivial maybe but important cause the real stuff
isn't cheap

i've had a pda for 2 years (two devices actually).

use connectivity on pda's isn't widespread the ones i ever heard of with are
asus ones, another story by themselves

there are two operating systems in the pda world windows mobile and palm os,
palm os is a bit like the mac os x, sturdy, popular with the power users,
just works. Windows is, well windows, crashs now and then, but is more
popular.

If you want to kill a desktop computer entirely and just use a pda (bty the
way there is no boot time, at all, press the button, its on) this is the
ideal cheaper solution

http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press_kits/2004/ipaq/images/h4700_ww.jpg
HP ipaq 4700
windows mobile 2003
wifi
bluetooth
624mhz cpu
tons of ram (around 128mb the average device as either 64 or 32)
vga screen

couple that with a bluetooth keyboard and wifi network to share you internet
access and printers(you may need a pc to secure the network, lol), and your
set.
that will set you back about £600 to 700 depending on what you use.

but windows mobile has its limits, its no xp, plus i would advise you to get
a lot of sd cards or a nas(network attached storage) to keep all your stuff
on otherwise come hard reset time you'll be sad.(pda's usa ram to store
there data, no power and everything goes bye bye)

if you really got money to burn
get a sony vaio u-70
http://jkontherun.blogs.com/photos/uncategorized/sony_u70.jpg

that is an entire pc running win xp 800x600 screen with a 20 gb hdd and lots
of other stuff, really cool but cost about a grand, and you have to import
from japan it i think.

as far as the getting away from windows thing, for now if you want that
degree of freedom your stuck with them, palm is going though some werid
stuff at the minute, but they should be coming out a version based on linux.

final choice almost forgot this one
a sharp zarus, you would have to import it again from japan(a company called
dyanmism handles the language problems) but it is a basically a pc the size
of a mouse in a laptop like form(flip screen) running a customized version
of linux with 4 gb hdd drives and lots of other stuff, there are several
different models.
http://www.technodrive.ru/rostov/pixez3/kpk_sharp_zarus_c750-cdon.jpg

i personally use a sony clie TJ-35 its palm os, and i create word, excel,
and powerpoint docs on it, watch videos listen to music etc. the latter
takes a bit of preplanning but once you get used to it everythings fine. i
sony don't make handhelds any more but i got this one for a £150 so its
doesn't have to cost you a mint but if you want to leave your pc behind
thats what you gotta do

hope that helped, sorry if i went on a bit,
need anymore help you know where to find it, couple of sites for ya

www.1src.com
www.pocketfactory.com

<ChairS***@mail.com> wrote in message
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Thanks for that info. The Sharp Zarus looks really cool.
I'll check the sites as soon as I can find some time.
Thanks again.

dos-man

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