Slashdot Mirror
A Handheld for a Primary Computer?
fromtheblueline asks: "As the last of her children leaves the house for college, my mother is planning on ditching her desktop, cable internet and landline in attempts to simplify and reduce bills. She doesn't use her PC for anything more than occasional emails and online purchases and her cell phone has pretty much made her landline obsolete. She emails me asking if there is a handheld that could replace these devices. I don't own one, don't need one (my SE616 and Powerbook is plenty), and really never bothered to research one. A quick search for anything decent reveals prices close to, or over, a low end notebook. As for access, unless she searches for open wifi points, I can't imagine mobile service being anymore competitive than a cable/DSL line coming into a house. Any recommendations, Slashdot?"
Instead of Getitng a Handheld pc why not consider a newer Mobile phone, Both the Sony p800 (older) and the newer P900 come with opera built in, they would need no wireless point as they obviously use gprs to connect to the internet, you can also set up mailboxs on the phone to connect to your email servers. To a lesser extent you might also want to consider the Nokia 6600 (what i have) as it does almost all of the above but cheaper than the p900 (but not touch screen)
Just an idea anyhow....
Kingdom of Loathing (www.kingdomofloathing.com) Addicted is me
If she really wants to stay mobile and wants "small and light" then get her a TR series Vaio. If she's not a computer user, get her an 12 inch iBook.
Neither of them are cheap, but it'll be easier than doing tech support the next time she drops it...
It's simple really, find her a small notebook, or tablet pc. If she has no probelm with the small screen, go for light weight. True a notebook is bigger than a handheld, but a tablet pc is right there. As for Net access drop down to dial-up. It won't blaze through the net but for general surfing, and email is still acceptable. Make sure it has a wi-fi card, and network card, so she can bring it anywhere and use someone elses network when she wants.
i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
Follow your own lead... "I don't own one, don't need one (my SE616 and Powerbook is plenty)..."
Snag an old laptop off ebay and get a PCMCIA phone card to hook into that cellphone service.
-=sig=-
Not worth it. Get a little laptop. I have a Tungsten C, and now I mostly use it for the same things I used my Handspring for. Better to put the money toward a 12-in. iBook - most of the Apple stores have an older G3-based one available for something on the order of $800, and the Apple web store has them for that under "special deals." They're not the latest and greatest, but they're a lot faster and more usable than a handheld.
Personally, I think we still aren't to the point where a mobile phone can replace a landline, but, there are two options I can think of.
I am ignoring the possibility of using a pda for email and shopping. You'll go blind, and input is a pain in the tush.
So log onto ebay and get an old laptop for two or three hundred. Look for the good brands, IBM, Apple, Toshiba, and plan on buying a replacement battery. Then get a good 502.11g card for it. Use the os you wish, you can probably get knoppix running really fast, although windos 98se is ubiquitous and easy to set up. (please! no flame wars!)
If your mom really doesn't want to have a landline, in our area you can get a pcmcia Wireless modem for a couple of hundred for the card and 79/monthly. Or consider locating the nearest Starbucks, or Panera, or University or some other hotspot where she can go have a coffee and do her occasional emailing/shopping.
best of luck!
--Pete
www.avacal.com -- the home page of pete shaw
- Basic handheld with USB host capability) 300
- wiFi upgrade 100
- Extra storage CF/SD 100
- wiFi router for DSL/Cable 100
- USB keyboard 50
I think the low-end or second-hand laptop is the way to go.And the biggest argument: No printing. Someday you'll be able to hook up a USB printer to a PocketPC, but until then ....