my next pda?

My that's a long list. Unfortunately, it's not long enough. So, I'm going to have to add a little information/commentary.

* PDAs are currently able to connect at 11MB/s over WiFi. However, I'm willing to bet there is a greater chance that I've won the lottery and not known it that actually receiving the full 11MB/s. There are just too manu factors (distance, weather, and misc. objects) that prevent you from attaining this theoretical maximum.

* Battery life is still stuck at around 4 hours of constant use. The built-in backup battery Dell and a few others include is a nice touch, but I'm still waiting for a next-gen battery to appear in a PDA.

* All current processors are XScale, but most software developers still design for ARMs. For most downloads, you'll see SH3, MIPS, and ARM, so download the ARM version. Some of the larger publishers have added an extra XScale category, although the ARM version seems the same to me.

* The screens do take up battery power more than the older ones. (The VGA screen on the Dell Axim X50v is the worst.) The way to combat this is to turn the backlight down two notches...it helps immensely. Also, WiFi tends to deplete your battery quickly, but that's currently without a solution.

* PocketPCs still don't come with Java. The good news is that third-party developers have stepped up...click here for more information.

* PocketPCs can accept (depending on the model) SD and CF (Type II) cards, although some have problems with anything over 1GB.

* Windows Mobile 5.0 will run on units with 64MB ROM, but 128MB is recommended, and future units may go to 256MB.

Since you're looking for a PDA that will last a while and have plenty of storage, I suggest waiting until October. Why? That's when dell is planning to launch the X51 and X51v, and HP has a few units planned for release around the same time. Right now no official release has been made, and the only thing that's for sure is that they will run Windows Mobile 5.0 natively. However, where's what can spark rumors:

* WM 5.0 is the first version that supports mini hard drives. Palm's LifeDrive has been a hit due to it's 4GB, and Dell and HP are looking to catch up. They have been negotiating with a few Asian companies to see who can come up with the smallest and most power efficient hard drive prior to the fall launch. Thus, it's almost guarenteed that we'll see at least two PDAs with internal HDs.

* Intel has just announced the next generation of Xscale processors, which can reach speeds of 1.25 GHZ! While it's unlikely we'll see anything quite that fast initially, there's bound to be an increase over the 624MHz processors currently available.

So, if you're looking for a higher end model (which is what it sounds like), I'd advise holding off just a little while longer. The new devices will probably cost more, but will definately be worth it. If you can't wait, post a price range and I make a few recommendations. In the mean time, check out Dell's complete line of PDAs, which are on average $100 cheaper than an HP with similar specs.

Hope this helps,
John

You could have it if I wasn't using it for some possible software app. The wifi range is terrible.

My iPaq RX3115 wifi is amazing.

And no, the move to 802.11g is rather slow but some will have it. With such a small screen and 64 to 256M of RAM, 802.11g speeds seem to counter what you want in a PDA. Such as battery time?

Bob