[Xeo]

Just as the topic says, recommend a Palm OS device to me. It's gotta play nice with Mac OS X (and iSync) and have bluetooth. 802.11b/g is not necessary.

What's good? I'm leaning towards one of the Tungstens.

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

You really sure you need one, I mean even palm seems to be moving away from handhelds. Sony just killed them off also.

[shabbasuraj]

It seems the current Palm lineup is hurtin' with regards to the hardware you get relative to the price point.

But if you need a suggestion then maybe the T5 is the way to go.

(I believe Palm is supposed to release a new OS this year...)

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by shabbasuraj:
It seems the current Palm lineup is hurtin' with regards to the hardware you get relative to the price point.

But if you need a suggestion then maybe the T5 is the way to go.

(I believe Palm is supposed to release a new OS this year...)

No they aren't turns out it is delayed even more and it is only coming next year on a Palm device. Nobody knows what the problem is.

[Xeo]

Well, as I mentioned in the thread about electronic dictionaries, I found a Japanese-English dictionary that looks really good for Palm OS. It does handwriting recognition for the characters, and everything. So that's one reason I want one. Just getting a dictionary can cost $200-300 so spending $350 on a full PDA seems like a good idea. Then I can sync it with bluetooth, have my address book on it, calendar, the ability to take notes on it, etc.

I am not in the market for one right now, but when I go to Japan and have a real job, I think it will come in handy.

Unless there are alternatives?

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Have a look at a treo or a symbian phone. It will prove to be more useful.

[JohnSmithXTREME]

I would get a smartphone with Palm OS if I were you, since PDAs by themselves are useless. This way, if you get tired of the dictionary, at least you'll still use it for phonecalls, rather than just stick it in a drawer like most PDA owners do.

[Eug Wanker]

Originally posted by Xeo:
Well, as I mentioned in the thread about electronic dictionaries, I found a Japanese-English dictionary that looks really good for Palm OS. It does handwriting recognition for the characters, and everything. So that's one reason I want one. Just getting a dictionary can cost $200-300 so spending $350 on a full PDA seems like a good idea. Then I can sync it with bluetooth, have my address book on it, calendar, the ability to take notes on it, etc.

I am not in the market for one right now, but when I go to Japan and have a real job, I think it will come in handy.

Unless there are alternatives?

My Japanese-English dictionary cost me about $30. Of course, it was a paperback.

Aren't the dedicated handhelds only about $150 these days?

[Xeo]

Originally posted by Eug Wanker:
My Japanese-English dictionary cost me about $30. Of course, it was a paperback.

Aren't the dedicated handhelds only about $150 these days?

I have a paperback too but the e-dictionaries are really nice. I'm sure you can find them for less than the price I quoted. My price range was from what I found searching on froogle for a min.

I'm looking into the smart phones. As long as it'd work with a provider in Japan, that could work out. Are they big, stupid looking things when you are talking on them tho?

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by Xeo:
I'm looking into the smart phones. As long as it'd work with a provider in Japan, that could work out. Are they big, stupid looking things when you are talking on them tho?

The Sony Ericsson p910 is rather small and sexy.

[Xeo]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
The Sony Ericsson p910 is rather small and sexy.

And the Treo 650 isn't all that much bigger than my T610... the pictures made it look huge.

Treo 650
4.40" x 2.30" x 0.90"
(112mm x 58mm x 23mm)

T610
4.02" x 1.73" x 0.75"
(102mm x 44mm x 19mm)

P910
4.53" x 2.28" x 1.02"
(115mm x 58mm x 26mm)

[Disgruntled Head of C-3PO]

Originally posted by Xeo:
And the Treo 650 isn't all that much bigger than my T610... the pictures made it look huge.

It is the big external antenna that makes it sorta suck.

[JohnSmithXTREME]

If it's any consolation, when I've been to Japan, I've been taken aback by bulkiness of most peoples' phones. It's not like Korea, or here in Europe, where we value sleek, small phones. So the treo should fit in just fine.

[Xeo]

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
If it's any consolation, when I've been to Japan, I've been taken aback by bulkiness of most peoples' phones. It's not like Korea, or here in Europe, where we value sleek, small phones. So the treo should fit in just fine.

However, they WOULD be taken aback by the lack of flipping that the Treo does.

[Randman]

Originally posted by Disgruntled Head of C-3PO:
Have a look at a treo or a symbian phone. It will prove to be more useful.

[BasketofPuppies]

Unless you need a built-in keyboard or phone, it comes down to how much you're willing to spend.

But ask yourself how important Bluetooth is. Is an additional cable or cradle on your desk(s) really a big deal? For me, a built-in keyboard is the most important feature. (PalmSource's handwriting recognition systems are easy to learn but I've never felt comfortable with them.)

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
I would get a smartphone with Palm OS if I were you, since PDAs by themselves are useless. This way, if you get tired of the dictionary, at least you'll still use it for phonecalls, rather than just stick it in a drawer like most PDA owners do.

Quoted for emphasis.

As obnoxious as this sounds, he's right. PDAs are often devices people think they need but end up not using. (And do you want to deal with the battery in your dictionary dying on you?)

But PDA/mobile phone combo devices? Useful. Entering contact information on a regular mobile phone is painful; it's a breeze with a PDA. And tapping on a name to call someone? That's one of the best ideas ever.

[BasketofPuppies]

Originally posted by JohnSmithXTREME:
If it's any consolation, when I've been to Japan, I've been taken aback by bulkiness of most peoples' phones. It's not like Korea, or here in Europe, where we value sleek, small phones. So the treo should fit in just fine.

For what it's worth, Americans tend to prefer their mobile phones bigger than Europeans. They keep on adding additional features to phones, but the only thing most Americans want is "big buttons."

Seriously.

[Xeo]

The more you guys say it, the more I see your point. I think a PDA phone would be the smarter idea. However, I haven't yet been able to confirm that one of these GSM phones would work in Japan since, apparently, the GSM network is relatively new. Are all these PDA phones 3G phones?

Also, I cant find a good J-E dict for Symbian OS, however there are a couple that would do, just not nearly as nice as the Palm OS one I found.

The Treo looks nice. The P910 looks even nicer. I'm not sure what I'm willing to spend at this point.

[spiky_dog]

i bought my japanese-english dictionary that does handwriting recognition for $120 equivalent from a backstreet vendor off of akihabara... of course it only acts as a dictionary but that's fine with me.

[Eug Wanker]

Most phones sold in North America would be useless in Japan. Buy a phone when you get there.

Or spend that $150 for a dedicated dictionary. Personally I hate big bulky smartphones.

[Randman]

I bought my Nokia 6630 (3G, Series 60 smartphone) in Singapore and it came pre-installed with a Chinese language dictionary. Gives both the traditional and hanyu pinyu translations. Doesn't take up much memory either.

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by Xeo:
Well, as I mentioned in the thread about electronic dictionaries, I found a Japanese-English dictionary that looks really good for Palm OS. It does handwriting recognition for the characters, and everything. So that's one reason I want one. Just getting a dictionary can cost $200-300 so spending $350 on a full PDA seems like a good idea. Then I can sync it with bluetooth, have my address book on it, calendar, the ability to take notes on it, etc.

I am not in the market for one right now, but when I go to Japan and have a real job, I think it will come in handy.

Unless there are alternatives?

If nothing changed since I left Japan, the handwriting recognition of kanji on a palm sucks. Your must draw the kanji `in one stroke'.

If you look for a dictionary, try WindowsCE (yak) handhelds. They have an excellent kanji recognition and you are about three times as fast as someone with a paper dictionary and still a lot faster than an average user with an electronic dictionary.

[jasonsRX7]

Originally posted by Xeo:
The Treo looks nice. The P910 looks even nicer.

I've had a Treo 600 since they came out and I love it. In fact, I'd almost be lost without it, I have come to rely on it so much. The 650's are even better. It syncs well with my Mac, while mine doesn't have Bluetooth, the 650's do.

If you sign up with a cell provider, you can usually get them around half price. I have created a page on my website of text only links for different things like local weather, movies, and news that I use on my Treo for fast access. I also bought a program called wmodem that lets me hook the Treo to my Powerbook and use it as a wireless modem. Since I have an unlimited data plan, I can surf with it all day and it won't cost me one extra cent. I'm with Sprint and usually see speeds around 80Kbps, which is pretty good for light web surfing and emails.

[Xeo]

Something like the Zire 31 might work if I decide I don't want to spend so much. I'm really thinking against a regular PDA but if I can't find a phone that does what I want and I still want an e-dictionary, then the Zire could function as that. It has a color screen, could do lots of other stuff, and would still run what looks to be excellent software (based of edict which is what I have relied on for a long time anyway). And you can get 'em off eBay for in the $120 range.

So, Zire vs. just a dictionary, I'm leaning towards the Zire. I give up the bluetooth but it saves a lot of money. Although the dictionaries have keypads. That'd be nice.

Oh, decision decisions.

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by Xeo:
Something like the Zire 31 might work if I decide I don't want to spend so much. I'm really thinking against a regular PDA but if I can't find a phone that does what I want and I still want an e-dictionary, then the Zire could function as that. It has a color screen, could do lots of other stuff, and would still run what looks to be excellent software (based of edict which is what I have relied on for a long time anyway). And you can get 'em off eBay for in the $120 range.

So, Zire vs. just a dictionary, I'm leaning towards the Zire. I give up the bluetooth but it saves a lot of money. Although the dictionaries have keypads. That'd be nice.

Oh, decision decisions.

How about a used Windows CE handheld? As a dictionary, those are really good.

[Xeo]

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
How about a used Windows CE handheld? As a dictionary, those are really good.

Got any examples? If I do get a PDA, I want to be able to sync it with my Mac too, even if it's over USB.

I've been looking on eBay. You can get a used Clie for not too much. There are pretty nice ones that have a keyboard and close up like a laptop which would keep the screen protected. I wouldn't need to worry about a case for something like that.

[turtle777]

Originally posted by OreoCookie:
How about a used Windows CE handheld? As a dictionary, those are really good.

TRAITOR !

-t

[OreoCookie]

Originally posted by turtle777:
TRAITOR !

-t

I know, I know. I was hesitating, too, and finally kept my old electronic dictionary.

[turtle777]

A freakin' good reason for a Palm with BT is Salling Clicker.

http://homepage.mac.com/jonassalling/Shareware/Clicker/

That app just roxx. It's the perfect iTunes / AirTunes remote with display.

-t