Some general questions about the Jornada 680(e)

Dear Jornada users,

I posted this question in the Pocket PC forums too. I am very sorry to double post this. But I think that more people read this forum than the afore mentioned one. My sincere apologies. CE Geek was kind enough to post a reply already on that other forum and I'll post his answer below.

I would like to buy a second hand/used Jornada. From what I've seen, the 680e looks like a perky little beautiful machine. But before I spend my money on eBay, I'd like to know some things about the Jornada and the 680 in particular.

Let me tell something about myself and why I'd like a Jornada (and not something else). Nowadays a lot of (smart) phones have a schedule, a notebook etc. function, just like a Jornada. But I hate the little keyboards and little screens on them. Unsuitable to use for a long time and unsuitable for typing in notes etc. I used to have a Psion 5MX, which I love. But, as some of you might know, the 5MX is known for its horrible dreaded flexi-cable problem. That's the cable that connects the main board to the screen. That cable breaks. Period. It may take a year, may take some years, but it WILL break. I've bought a 2nd hand 5MX again, but on that one the cable broke too after a week. Repairing the thing is too difficult to do yourself and too expensive to let it be done by somebody else. If you can find someone, that is. Now I use a Psion 5MX clone (Oregon Scientific Osaris). The resolution of It's screen is terrible (320x200) and so is its keyboard. After 9 years I still use this organizer daily and I've been waiting for years and years for a company to produce a 5MX or Jornada-like machine to replace my Osaris. I hate organizers without keyboards and I hate those "micro laptops" (like the Asus eeePC). They are not as handy as the almighty Jornada or the Psion.

Hence, I thought of buying a Jornada. They used to be much, much to expensive for me (even more expensive as a Psion). However, I saw that a Jornada 680e without a telephone modem (who uses that now a days anyway?) is very affordable second hand.

But I would like some info first. I hope the Jornada does not have "hidden" problems that are well known in the community, just like the screen issue of the Psion 5MX. What I'd like to ask you people is the following:

• 1. How are the accu's of a used Jornada 680 (or 720)?


• 2. What is the big pro of a 720 over a 680?


• 3. Is it possible to connect a 680 via USB (some PC's do not have a serial port anymore)?


• 4. Do I have to be beware of certain well known problems w/ 2nd hand Jornada's? Like screen issues, accu issues etc.?


• 5. Do I need a cradle, or can it simply charge via USB?


• 6. Are IRda receivers (compatible w/ Jornada 680) still available and affordable?


• 7. Is it possible to sync one's schedule if JLiME (= Linux for Jornada's) is installed? And if so, with which PC based schedule does it sync? (will ask this question in the Linux part of the forum too).

Best regards, Michel

P.S. I'm a Linux user and I saw that a Linux distro for the Jornada's is still actively developed and it is looking beautiful!


P.S.2 Is usedhandhelds.com a trustworthy place to buy one?

Edited by Jornada+Linux 2009-12-22 9:34 AM

CE Geek's reply:

The 720's superiority over the 680 is at least fourfold:

1) newer OS version (Handheld PC 2000 is based on Windows CE 3.0, just as Pocket PC 2000 and 2002 are), meaning that some Pocket PC programs can be made to run on the 720 (and many of these run right out of the box);

2) faster and better processor (206 MHz Intel StrongARM SA-1110 instead of the 680's 131 MHz Hitachi SH3 processor);

3) twice as much RAM (32 MB versus the 680's 16 MB - though the 690 has 32 MB like the 720 - but the last Jornada, the 728, has 64 MB of RAM); and

4) far better sound quality from internal speaker, as well as a headphone jack, on the 720.

The 680 can be connected to a PC's USB port using a USB-to-serial adapter. That's how I do it with my 690 and 728 and my Asus Eee. However, even with XP you need to install the driver for the adapter to make it work.

Yes, IrDA adapters for your PC can be found cheap nowadays, and any standard one will work with the 680.

Thanx for posting my reply here. This will also be helpful to other folks interested in getting a Jornada who are undecided about which one to get. (The 680 was my first H/PC, but later I graduated to the 728. )

Re 1: The quality of the batteries can be anywhere from good to dismal, it totally depends on the previous usage and charging done. But expect the batteries to be limited, as they will be between 5 and 10 years old. However, refurbishing is relatively easy with standard 18160 NiMH Cells

Re PS2: Not only thrustworthy, but also the longest established second hand handhelds seller (starting with the 200LX long, long ago) and simply the BEST. And, with the current exchange rate of of dollar to euro, excellent value. Except, customs may charge you 25% extra, and TNT another 17 euro's customs clearing charge!!!

Michel Bel: thank you very much for your clear reply. I've ordered many times on the internet and when the order is much higher than 50 Euro then I've had to pay inport tax one or twice (usually 19% VAT). I am under the impression that a little while ago the Law in Holland was changed to not check parcels under 100 Euro's anymore... However, I've never heard of that 17 Euro for TNT. They've already been paid now haven't they? Makes me mad! And 25% import tax for customs? Oemph! All that extra money adds up to quite much!

Thanks for the good review of usedhandhelds.com. I've seen that an extra battery for a Jornada can cost from 10 GBP to $35, dependig on the website or eBay seller... And they all guarantee 99% full when charged. Hmmmm. Have you ever bought an extra battery? And if so, where and what did it cost?

I've seen a video of the latest JLiMe (Linux for Jornada), Vargtass, on youtube. Looks really beautifull. With Abiword one can make PDF or .doc documents. I think I'm gonna ask in the Jlime forum if they know which agenda/calendar format i uses. Because I think one can copy the Jlime schedule to one's PC and read it, for instance, in Mozilla's Thunderbird (w/ the iCalendar plugin called Sunbird).

P.S. When buying from usedhandhelds.com, how about the electricity wall plug? And the voltage? Europe/Holland is voltage compatible w/ England (so I would need an adapter) but the USA is neither voltage compatible (110 V (US) vs. 220 V (Europe)) nor adapter compatible... Will a Jornada accept some sort of general electricity adapter. You know, the sort of adapter/converter one plugs in the wall socket, choose an output voltage and make your choice from one of the input plugs that will fit into the Jornada? Because I have such an adapter that has a max. of 12 V and 300 mA.

Have you ever bought electrical equipment from the USA?

Uhm, not quite, they have (beside a shipping fee) the additional responsibility to a) declare the package to customs, b) see that they get the money from the customer, a manual activity, and c) pay the extra money to state (eg customs). This is time consuming and it is fair that a fee is attached to that. Whether a customer or the import office should pay TNT for this is of course a moot point.

Re: universal power adapter
Yes, a universal power adapter will work nicely with the Jornada. The jack is one of the standard types, so most universal adapters will have a compatible plug available. (I sometimes charge my Jornadas with my universal power supply.) However, I'd recommend a higher current rating than 300 mAh. 2.5 Ah is standard for the Jornada, though 2.0 or so should do the job, particularly if you're not using it while charging.

Michel Bel and CE Geek: thank you very much again for the clear info. Exactly what I wanted to know.