|
04-14-2008, 03:43 PM
|
#1
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,880
|
WiFi on PDAs
I might get a Mobile Windows PDA with WiFi to help a friend debug his application.
My questions:
1. Can you walk into a coffee shop and use it for free, just as you can with a laptop?
2. Does it work well to use the Internet on a PDA, or is the screen just too small?
Thanks,
__________________
Al
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
04-14-2008, 03:53 PM
|
#2
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
|
Al,
I tried one of these for about a week and turned it in. The display, text entry and response time made it almost unusable for anything beyond txt msgs 4 me.
While free wifi hotspots are available in my area, the typical Starbucks ones charge a fee. You can check for free ones here.
The only PDA on which I am able to do meaningful browsing (other than a quick lookup on a PDA-friendly site) is the iPhone which I tried but do not own.
__________________
Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
|
|
|
04-14-2008, 04:11 PM
|
#3
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,558
|
Hey TAl - that sure sounds like work!!!! :- ;-)
__________________
Deserat aka Bridget
“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.”
|
|
|
04-14-2008, 04:22 PM
|
#4
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: NC
Posts: 21,206
|
You should check to see who has free wi-fi in your area first as suggested above. In my little suburb, it's free at Panera Bread, the local libraries and the local university. Starbucks has talked about free, but not yet.
The screen is small, no getting around it, and you probably wouldn't want it as a primary internet device. If your viewing/reading things it can be OK, if you need to write/type a lot like reading/answering here, it's a PITA IMHO. My BlackBerry is great for short e:mails, but long ones or those with attachments - forget it. But the BlackBerry is pricey to buy, and pricey monthly charges.
Depending on what you want it for, the iPod Touch is an interesting alternative. It's not a PDA and it ain't cheap, but there are no monthly charges whatsoever in range of a free wi-fi spot. In addition to music (you are Trombone Al after all), the iPod Touch also does music videos, YouTube (free wi-fi), downloaded TV/Movies or even your own videos/DVDs with some inexpensive software. It also has full internet access. A nice feature you won't find on any PDA or phone I've seen, the iPod Touch has a slick feature, you can blow up the screen to see finer detail whenever needed. I have read this forum on my iPod and provided responses, but I woudn't want to "type" (strictly hunt-n-peck) out a long answer on it.
All in all, mostly they're novelty toys/gadgets in many senses...
__________________
No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
Target AA: 50% equity funds / 45% bonds / 5% cash
Target WR: Approx 1.5% Approx 20% SI (secure income, SS only)
|
|
|
04-14-2008, 04:45 PM
|
#5
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: At The Cafe
Posts: 6,873
|
I don't know what you mean by debug for your friend but, psst Kindle. Over at the Kindle forums someone asked how to use it as a PDA. I posted my idea and then two days later went back to report how it went, the thread had been pulled.
The screen is big enough and the wireless connection is included with the device. Some might think it slow but it's fine for my purposes as I multitask as the screens come up. I use it at a coffee shop that doesn't have any internet connection and everywhere else. If I figure $60/mo. for wireless, it pays for itself in 6+ months. I use it all the time.
|
|
|
04-14-2008, 07:43 PM
|
#6
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Northern Illinois
Posts: 16,543
|
I used my Palm for free Wifi email/internet a few years ago. The email was hit and miss, working about 50% of the time. Internet was slow and the screen was so small that the pages really werent readable. Free Wifi coverage was good in downtown Chicago, but sparse in the suburbs.
|
|
|
04-14-2008, 07:50 PM
|
#7
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Losing my whump
Posts: 22,708
|
Screens too small but theres a lot of free providers around. Most of the grocery stores in my area (Raleys/Bel-air/Safeway/Nugget) have free wi-fi. So do most of the car dealers, many of the coffee shops and sandwich shops.
Not sure why it took so long, but I used the free wifi at the car dealer for the first time this week when I had my wifes car in for service. Vista nicely popped up and said there was a public network available, turned all the firewall settings to full blast, shut off file and printer sharing and network discovery. Then when I got back home flipped it all back. Nice.
If you want something small but usable, wait until the next generation of little laptops starts shipping next month. The ones with the 8.9" screens oughta submarine the prices on the 7" models since the overall size and weight are about the same.
__________________
Be fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful. Just another form of "buy low, sell high" for those who have trouble with things. This rule is not universal. Do not buy a 1973 Pinto because everyone else is afraid of it.
|
|
|
04-14-2008, 09:47 PM
|
#8
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: North-Central Illinois
Posts: 3,228
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronstar
I used my Palm for free Wifi email/internet a few years ago. The email was hit and miss, working about 50% of the time. Internet was slow and the screen was so small that the pages really werent readable.
|
I had the same experience with the Palm......it was a nice idea, but in reality it was pretty much a royal PITA. Now I use either my Acer laptop or my Asus Eee. I can't even remember where I put the Palm......haven't seen or used it for at least a year!
|
|
|
04-15-2008, 04:43 AM
|
#9
|
Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Northern Illinois
Posts: 16,543
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonie
I had the same experience with the Palm......it was a nice idea, but in reality it was pretty much a royal PITA. Now I use either my Acer laptop or my Asus Eee. I can't even remember where I put the Palm......haven't seen or used it for at least a year!
|
I cant remember where my Palm is either. I'm using a Macbook - it works with Wifi without a glitch and the screen is big enough to read.
|
|
|
04-15-2008, 09:35 AM
|
#10
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 2,032
|
I use the iPod Touch which is just like an iPhone without the phone. I use it frequently for web browsing at public hotspots and I find it quite handy.
|
|
|
04-15-2008, 07:58 PM
|
#11
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright
Posts: 2,847
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Goonie
I had the same experience with the Palm......it was a nice idea, but in reality it was pretty much a royal PITA. Now I use either my Acer laptop or my Asus Eee. I can't even remember where I put the Palm......haven't seen or used it for at least a year!
|
I love my Eee. Teeny-tiny but decent screen space, keyboard isn't too tough to get used to and (best of all) cheap as all get out. Did you stick with Linux or switch to Windows?
__________________
There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. - Andrew Jackson
|
|
|
04-15-2008, 11:31 PM
|
#12
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: North-Central Illinois
Posts: 3,228
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonidas
I love my Eee. Teeny-tiny but decent screen space, keyboard isn't too tough to get used to and (best of all) cheap as all get out. Did you stick with Linux or switch to Windows?
|
I'm sticking with Linux.....it does everything I need it to, and besides, I figure since it's working fine, why break it change it over to XP.
It's small size and light weight sure makes it great for traveling!
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Quick Links
|
|
|