Wessex_nut - 2005-06-18 4:34 AM
Tiger direct offers the units for US$109. Expansys offer them for almost 3 times more! Expansys = Expensive and late!
Tiger sells refurbished jornada 680e for $119, not $109.
UnityElectronics sells them for $109. I advise against buying from Unity. Their units work but they look like hell, despite what sales claims over the phone. I checked out Unity, given the number of hit and run newbies who claim savings and great results. Even after I made it clear that I would return the NEC 780 I ordered if it had more than "minor cosmetic blemishes" and I would inform website members, I received a NEC 780 that looked terrible. Even immediate return of an unopened unit is costly. You must pay shipping
(and return to you if Unity refuses it and sends it back to you.
) Unity requires calling a toll number, staying on hold for a while and getting permission and a number before you return anything. If you do not, the return is shipped back to you AT YOUR EXPENSE.
By the way, the stock excuse hit and run resellers give for not accepting returns or for being very pro-company about their policy is that people order refurbished Handhelds & PDAs and exchange the guts. I asked Tiger and Hartland about this. They tell me that THIS IS UNTRUE. There is some of that, just like Video stores occassionally get hit by people who rent VHS movies and exchange the tape. This is a class A felony
(Fraudulent Use, for one
) and is easy to prove
(unlike short changing cashiers
). There is some fraud in returns but not enough to have a buyer unfavorable return policy.
People REALLY need to read all the details before ordering from firms like Unity, Eagle Computer, eBay resellers. Often, what is NOT said is more important than what is said. I call, get clarification and record the call.
$22 more total for a Tiger 780 will get you a new looking unit! and a real return policy. Resellers like Unity, Eagle Computers, Just Deals and eBay resellers buy from different refurbish factories than do solid sellers like Tiger Direct & Hartland.
Usedhandhelds.com is extreme. I check their stock and prices weekly. It is outrageous what they charge for a USED J720/728 or NEC 790 or 900 and they usually ship bare minimum of original cables\adaptors.
Tiger has a solid reputation for its refurbished items being like-new. Several people here bought a 680e from Tiger for $149 and they were all reported like new. I bought two and have seen a dozen more I don't think any of them were ever used.
Several years ago I bought 12 refurbished IBM Thinkpads from Tiger. They all looked unused and the failure rate was significantly lower than IBM production line
(quality control
) failure rate, which is usually true for factory refurbished products.
What could have gone wrong already did & was fixed.
One aside: The Tiger units are custom builds for the Dutch Railways, which means the external audio controls are missing and they have a custom bottom plate that prevents access to the CF card slot, which is why Tiger lists their units as having only a PCMCIA Card slot.
Just remove the torx screws from the bottom
(T5, I think
). You can toss the screws. They are not needed to attach the factory bottom. The unit will now sit stable on a table top and you'll have access to the CF Card Slot, which works.
The 680/680e has poor sound
(other than key clicks and Win CE sounds
) anyway, so most people either cover the exposed holes
(you expose them by removing the bottom
) with metal tape or carefully remove the Railway logo and glue it over the holes
(which is what I did
). You can buy the control knob set for a few bucks from Jornada. One of them is very difficult to install.
The main battery Tiger ships with the 680e is like-new. Many retailers ship refurbished units with very used batteries, which cost nearly $70 on eBay
(and these batteries are iffy. The sellers claim new but often they are not
)
It is easy to renew
(macho men inappropriately call it "rebuild"
the battery pack. All it consists of is a plastic case and some li-ion cells that look like similar to home batteries & some essential electronics. Brand new cells are inexpensive and it is very easy to cut the packs open, replace the cells for about $5 to $10 and either rubber band the case shut or hassle with gluing it. Detailed instructions with photos are provided
(for NEC 780
) by Richard Hawley at:
http://hpcnec.com
...Of course...this is all merely my humble opinion
--Bruised
Edited by bruisedquasar 2005-06-18 10:19 AM
and don't forget about the charging circuitry either... that's there too in the plastic case! 
