Guest MDSMelissa Posted April 17, 2005 Report Share Posted April 17, 2005 Hello, I'm looking at buying a Palm and I have a few questions. I have never had a PDA before and would be very greatful for any advice. 1) Tungsten vs Zire? -Specifically I am looking at the Tungsten E vs. the Zire 72, but I don't really understand the difference between the two lines in general. I know the Tungsten E is cheaper and has a slower processor, but it also has non volatile memory (I think?), it's also on sale this week. Alternatively, the Zire 72 is faster and has a built in camera, etc. Does anyone have a good understanding of the pros and cons for each? 2) WiFi vs. no-WiFi -I am leaning towards no-WiFi since it seems to be about $100 more to add the built in feature and I am not sure how useful it will be. I was under the impression that most hospitals aren't wireless and didn't look like they were going to be any time in the future. Is this correct? For those that have WiFi, is it worth it? Thanks very much, Melissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted April 17, 2005 Report Share Posted April 17, 2005 I love my Tungsten E. It's more power and memory than I currently need, and was a solid price. I've found it interesting the price ($299) hasn't changed much at all in the year since I bought it. Wi-fi? Cool idea, if your school or hospital supports it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MDSMelissa Posted April 17, 2005 Report Share Posted April 17, 2005 Thanks UWOMED2005! Just to let anyone know who's interested... the Tungsten E is on sale at both Best Buy and Future Shop this week for $249... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peachy Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 You've probably already looked at it, but if not, the PalmOne Comparison Chart is a good, quick comparison of the various Palms available. Note that the Tungsten E is on sale because the Tungsten E2 is now available for $299. It's similar to the E, with a faster processor, sharper screen, bluetooth, longer battery life, and an updated OS. I personally can't see why a crummy low-resolution camera is an advantage, but then, I'd never pay for a cell phone with a camera either, and lots of people seem to want such things! If I were to buy a Palm now, I'd personally go with a blemished Tungsten E for $170 from the Palm store, because who cares what the body looks like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest endingsoon Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 I'd probably go for a PocketPC now...its much more advanced and you can even get UpToDate on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nextstopmd Posted April 18, 2005 Report Share Posted April 18, 2005 Hey MDSMelissa, hope things are going really well for you this year!! I have a Tungsten E that I use regularly - mostly for scheduling stuff (linked with my Outlook calendar). There are also a few other applications that I use, like a medical dictionary for example. The E has been fine for me so far, but if I were to be getting a new PDA soon, I would go with a Pocket PC one. Things just seem to be headed more in that direction, and Palm is pretty much the only one left making PDAs with the Palm operating system. There aren't too many applications left that aren't available for PPC yet, so that's not an issue like it once was. I haven't had a chance to try the E2 to see if it's any faster than the regular ol' E, so I can't say if the speed makes any real difference or not. It's a tough decision for a PDA right now. There are a lot of options available, and it looks like a lot of them involve integrating a phone and PDA, but none of those are cheap, especially when you look at the price of service. Hope you manage to find something that suits you well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MDSMelissa Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 Thanks everyone for the advice. nextstopmd- so nice to hear from you! Things are going great here, time is flying! peachy- thanks for pointing out the "factory outlet" section of the palm store. Ok, so now I am really confused... I thought that palms were better for medical software. Also, the palms seem cheaper (and smaller) than the PocketPCs. What is the advantage of the PocketPC? Is there a particular one that seems to be good? My price limit is about $300... Thanks again for the tips, Melissa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest UWOMED2005 Posted April 19, 2005 Report Share Posted April 19, 2005 When I bought my palm in Sept 2003 for clerkship, Palm OS was BY FAR more useful in terms of medical programs. But that was 2 years ago. Things in technology seem to change quite a bit in 2 years. . . I don't think I can give recommendations for today, and having Up To Date would be such a HUGE bonus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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