Palm OS convert, HPC newbie

Hello all!

Im no newcomer to the PDA world but have never owned a HPC(or PPC)
Ironic because it was a HPC that got me interested in PDA's in the first place, but thats a whole other story

I am eyeing the Jornada 720 (or 728 if i can find it cheap) but i keep hearing good things about the NEC900 what is the difference? (in user experiances) Will i have to put in a lot of hours getting this thing running the way i like?

another question, is there an SD to CF adapter that works with the j720? I already have a couple SD cards and would really rather not part with them.

and web browsers, which is the best one. i dont have a problem paying for a third party browser if its worth the money.

Thanks

if you have owned a palm, i think you'll find hpc's very easy... or it is just me, but palms are so different from a windows PC, it would require a lot of time to be able to use a palm the way i want to. it is not the case with hpc's because they're so similar to PC's in many ways. except that they're pda's, and no longer supported officially, but they are supported here and a few other sites and that's sufficient

j720/728 and 900? i have both .. 900 is much bigger (you can find comparison pics on my site) with a better keyboard, that's the most obvious difference. nothing else really that could be important. of course it has a newer CPU but it is ARM based as well, and under hpc2000 i didn't really feel the difference in speed. on ce.net now? maybe. i still don't see it in GUI speed, maybe in a few cpu intensive tasks. (anyway ce.net is different from hpc2000 but not because of the cpu )

browsers.. on hpc2000 there's IE4 (it is *not* PIE. of course not the PC IE either, but similar to it), this is a little outdated, but fine for many pages. you can get netfront3 for pocketpc's (version 3.0, not the newer ones!), and you just need to copy some additional files into the program dir (though i recommend doing more than that, i'll tell about it later). you can try the trial version on my site (ready for install on HPC's), but that has java disabled (as it is just a 30 or 45 day demo)... and it is java what is very good in it.
on the 900C (or upgraded 900), you can have IE6. netfront3 is still useful there, because of java.

yes, there's an SD to CF adapter but then you cannot use a lan/wlan card on a 720, as the CF slot can only accept memory cards because it is located in the bottom.. and the pcmcia slot would be reserved for your SD card adapter. physically the CF slot can still accept wlan/lan/etc cards, but it would be very awkward not to close the latch on it. now that can pose a problem for you. the NEC 900 doesn't have this problem.. (CF slot is easily accessible, not on the bottom)

well maybe that is another difference between the J728 and MP900 and of course that the 900 is upgradable if you fall in love with ce.net and really want it on your hpc, lol

Edited by cmonex 2005-10-02 9:46 AM

There are a few SD converters listed in the HCL - which is always worth a look

ok after some ebaying and googleing im torn. either the j720 or minimalistic(jornada680)

the j680 i found on ebay for only $100
the j720 was $300(not buy now) but it has the great cpu

im torn...
if i go for the j720 il have to wait till after christmas but if i get the j680 i can get it relitivly soon.

my main goal with a HPC device is:

writting on the go: school ect
web: gotta get a wifi card

other things(not as importaint)
video and audio
some games(solitair, hangman,minesweeper, little stuff)

ARG!

PS:you guys have really nice forums very little bickering, i havent seen a single troll, very nice community

Edited by exit_head 2005-10-02 2:09 PM

Thanks,
There's usually a mod / admin on the board 18 out of 24 hours a day, not that we really need it in this community. The people are terrific, kind and self motivated.

I guess that the decision hinges on 'how soon do you want to be able to write in class?' If you need it sooner rather than later then may be that's going to be the deciding factor.

You'll have no problem's with either device in terms of writing (software wise). Both have Pocket Word in ROM, both can run TextMaker.
Both devices will attach to WiFi networks and authenticate to NTLM network (thus Samba if you are a *nix user). Web wise the browser's differ significantly - and may be a sticking point for you.

The ARM & extra speed in the 720 give it the higher frame rates - and the 720 has a headphones slot.
Neither device will have problems with little stuff; as you put it. If you want to use anythign that uses the Windows CE DirectX subset (GAPI) then you'll want a 720 - but there aren't that many games specifically written for the H/PC that use it.

I may sound like a broken record, but have you looked at the MobilePro 790? The keyboard is excellent and you can find them on e-bay for US$100-$150 it has the same OS as the J720. I am very happy with mine.

hmm, you could get the 680 now, and if you find spme shortcomings, dont worry, you'll get the 720 after christmas! or even the 900/900C!

the type of games you wrote about are ok on the 680 too web isn't so good, but it is ok for basic browsing on the 680. audio is horrible on the 680. forget about video too. 720/900 is much better in these things.

edit: ah yes, i always forget about the 790 it is a very good value for the price... only slightly "worse" than the 720 (because of the CPU, no other difference as far as i know). bigger as well but many people like that too.

Edited by cmonex 2005-10-02 3:30 PM

The downside to the MP700 series is that it uses a MIPS processor, something that restricts software availability to an extent. The Windows CE World has been SA1100/PXA25x orientated since 1999 (StrongARM / XScale in English).
The upside of the MP is that if you're after something a little bigger, it is the perfect step between the Jornada and a Sub-note.

yes, but you can run old MIPS programs at least...
netfront should work on it as well (if web browsing is important). many other ppc stuff won't though but TFGBD has a lot of useful hacked stuff, all are MIPS (because of the BE300)...
size is really nice, it's just very comfortable, my only problem with it is the less portability etc.

A very good point, aye. Not too much need for running CE2 apps, but there are moments!!

Of course you're talking the MP790 - for the original poster the 790 is HPC2000 and the 780 is H/PC Pro

Where can I find netfront for MIPS?

I recommend the Jornada 720, but I heard the MP790 is good too. For best all-around, the 720.

if you can't find the trial version for MIPS, send me a PM.
(you'll want version 3.0, not the newer ones)

Edited by cmonex 2005-10-02 7:56 PM

ok ive got a game plan

im getting the mp790 unless by some merical i have enough money to buy a J720
its funny, the money i plan to buy my first HPC with is going to be from the sales of my Palm OS game

how many FPS does HPC Doom and HPC Quake run on a mp790?
and also do you think i could play my xvid files from my good ol tungsten E?
they're 300kb/sec at 320X240 and i forget the audio settings but its fairly low

thank you ALL for your help

Nate

Palm OS Game? Planning on a H/PC Port?

I think that you should bea ble to get the vids running on the MP. The Jornada 720 certainly would give you something vaguely useful.