[as2]

I'm sorry, I know there are lots of posts about handhelds such as the Sony Clie's and Palms etc, but none of them seem to answer my question.

Basically, I'm a student studying biochemistry and want something I can take into the lab with me to put my results straight onto.

Ideally it will be small, be able to edit excel spreadsheeds, and even plot data.

I'm not really fussed about a colour screen, or any other gadges, as long as it is compatible with my iMac, and doesn't cost more than £150... Like I said, I'm a student, and so price is a big issue.

One thing I had looked at was this...

Sony Clie PEG-SL10

And then I could get a memory stick reader to keep more documents on.

I'd appreciate any comments and suggestions on the matter.

Thanks..

Adam

[molala]

hi, as2. i'm in the same field and somehow never thought to put spreadsheets of plasmids/ primers/ strains in my laptop to my PDA. what a great idea (since i hate to bring my laptop everyday)!

the clie comes with Documents to Go w/c can edit Excel and Word files but from what i read it won't work with a Mac... there is Documents to Go for the Mac (USD30 upgrade) which should work. it's from dataviz.com.

here's a useful link to a thread discussing spreadsheet apps, some with graphing capablitity - here

as for the SL10, it will be able to handle the needs you describe. but i would check it out at a store first because i've read mixed criticisms about the screen not being bright enough. consider also the SJ20 (brighter backlight) if it's available there and the Palm m125 which should be similar in price and has SD card expansion. keep in mind you should set aside some money for software.

[as2]

The reason I was looking at the SL10 was because of the lower price which would allow me to spend some of my budget on software, and perhaps some more memory for it.

I saw then SL20 on the sony website, but as yet haven't found anywhere I can purchase it in the UK.

I have a PC laptop that I was thinking of using, but it is fairly ancient, and doesn't have usb, so I can't sync the clie with that. It's also way to big and heavy to have to lug up the hill to campus every day!

Thanks for the feedback abou the spreadsheet programs though, very useful.

Adam

[art_director]

This software will allow you to connect a Pocket PC device with your Mac:

http://www.pocketmac.net/

[as2]

Surely that software won't be necessary as the sony clie runs Palm OS 4.1 which is compatible with palm desktop for os x?

The software isn't jaguar compatible anyway.

Adam

[molala]

you're right, you don't need pocketmac, just download Palm Desktop for X. funny that SJ20 isn't available there while it's the SL10 that they don't sell in Australia. i think if the SL10 screen is ok with you (labs are pretty well-lit anyway), then it's a good choice. i have an SJ20 and would've considered the SL10 (i would prefer using AAA batteries) had it been available here.

does your PC laptop have an IR port? because you can sync that way (slower though).

Originally posted by as2:
Surely that software won't be necessary as the sony clie runs Palm OS 4.1 which is compatible with palm desktop for os x?

The software isn't jaguar compatible anyway.

Adam

[hadocon]

Originally posted by molala:
you're right, you don't need pocketmac, just download Palm Desktop for X. funny that SJ20 isn't available there while it's the SL10 that they don't sell in Australia. i think if the SL10 screen is ok with you (labs are pretty well-lit anyway), then it's a good choice. i have an SJ20 and would've considered the SL10 (i would prefer using AAA batteries) had it been available here.

does your PC laptop have an IR port? because you can sync that way (slower though).

I have 2 palms that I no longer use because of hte hassle of synching them with jaguar. palm desktop is a joke, unless you enjoy re-installing it every week or so (it just becomes corrupt for some reason). Until iSynch comes out of beta palm connectivity is not all its cracked up to be.

have you considered a newton? You can get a 2100 (best model) for $65 - with the spare $ you could install a wifi card - synching to jaguar is great with the newton.

[as2]

Yeah, my laptop does have an IR port, but all my documents and emails etc are stored on my mac.

What type of battery does the SL20 use then, as I would prefer a rechargable battery.

Thanks for everyones quick responses, keep them coming please!

Adam

[as2]

Originally posted by hadocon:


I have 2 palms that I no longer use because of hte hassle of synching them with jaguar. palm desktop is a joke, unless you enjoy re-installing it every week or so (it just becomes corrupt for some reason). Until iSynch comes out of beta palm connectivity is not all its cracked up to be.

have you considered a newton? You can get a 2100 (best model) for $65 - with the spare $ you could install a wifi card - synching to jaguar is great with the newton.

I hadn't considered a newton... can you still get them on ebay and such?

The only problem is can I use microsoft excel documents with a newton, as that is the main reason I want to get a PDA.

Adam

[kidtexas]

Just so you know. I have had ZERO problems syncing a Sony PEG-SJ30 to OS X. I use iSync as well. I haven't tried out the memory stick thing. If you need the ability to mount memory sticks on the desktop as drives, you can pick up a copy of the Missing Sync. Otherwise, I think you can use Palm Desktop to install files on your memory sticks.

Not sure if Documents to Go plays nicely with OS X. The Sony only came with the PC version, and I didn't feel like paying for/looking into the upgrade. There is another office suite called QuickOffice that just came out that is OS X compatible, so it looks like all your bases are covered.

The SJ20 comes with rechargeable battery, like the SJ30. The SL10 uses AA or AAA (can't remember which). The backlight on the SL10 did not strike me as "too dim" - maybe not the best, but usable. I find that the SJ30 is very easy to use indoors, but too much natural light renders the screen unreadable.

Price wise, all 3 just had discounts. The SL10 is about $120 here, SJ20 is $180, and the SJ30 is $250. With that being said, I got the SJ30 for 225 at bestbuy (rebate). Compusa had the SJ30 for $250, but with a free 128mb mem stick (after rebate). So look around.

[smic]

ok i just went through 3 clies: t415, the sl10, now i have a sj20

and the battery life in the sl10 sucked, conservative use (like 1 hour a day) they lasted a little over a week

the 415 was great, but to thin for me

the sj20 is awsome, the back light is awsome, and the rechargable batteries and extra memory built in was worth the extra over the sl10

syching is fine on all of them, no problems, cept the 415 wouldnt backup after a week, but i think it was the hardware

[molala]

i also have no problems syncing my SJ20 to my powerbook, but i'm using OS9. for the SL10, you can always buy NiMH AAA batteries and a charger, available at most electronics stores.

[as2]

Does anyone know where I can get the SJ20 from in the UK then, as I'm having trouble finding a stockist here?

If I cant get one I might have to see if I can afford the SJ30, or just make do with the battery powered SL10.

Adam