PC User to Convert to Macs, but Pocket PC Brings About Problems

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Oh no, a PC user on MacOSX.com! Kill him! Stone him!

Anyway, for college I am going to need a laptop, and I am very intent on getting a Powerbook (hopefully Powerbook G5s will exist next year). I am currently a PC user, but I have basically been convinced that Macs are the way to go...the sexy looks and speed turn me on.

But, I'm also thinking about getting a Pocket PC (specifically, the HP iPaq 1945, or perhaps the newest descendant of that when the time comes), and I was wondering what Mac users have to say about Pocket PCs. Personally, I think that Pocket PCs are bulky and weird, but then came along the iPaq 1910, and it convinced me that Pocket PCs can be both small (it's thinner than any Palm I've ever seen) and fast, and I love the built in Pocket Word and Pocket Excel.

So my dillema is:

1) Do Mac users not like Pocket PCs?
2) Is it awkward to use Pocket PCs with Macs?
3) Is technology such as "The Missing Sync for Pocket
PC" (Pocket PC iSync conduit for syncing with iCal, iTunes, etc.) perfected enough to be usable?

Any advice? Should I just stick with Palms? The iPaq 1945 is just so damn amazing, though! I can imagine what a similar iPaq next year will be like...
 
Hey, welcome on boards :) ;)

1) Depends a lot on the mac user. Some do like them, some don't ... (no ultimate truth out there)
2) I'd say no
3) iThink that iSync will work for pocketpcs too. At least my mobile phone and iPod get sync'ed so i have some documents in them, ical, safari bookmarks and the addressbook.
I think i'd go for a palm that runs linux (there is one that does it even when you buy it, i forgot the model) ..

Who knows - Aple might give some surprises even for the palms (likely or less but possible). G5 powerbooks may be out in january, and maybe by then there will be more cool palms (even mac ones?) to choose from. :)
 
The Palm is much more widely supported on the Mac, and AFAIK there is much more software for it. You can get programs to read and write Word and Excel documents. Don't let the decision you make about a handheld greatly influence what kind of computer you get.
 
I think Giaguara is referring to the Sharp Zaurus. It's the same hardware as the iPaq (Intel StrongARM CPU, 32 MB RAM, etc) and it ships with embedded Linux installed. A friend of mine was bouncing Linux related questions off me and I came to realize he's got the Zaurus talking to his Mac via some USB driver.

I second the suggestion for you to get a Palm rather than a PocketPC. What would you use the handheld for that your laptop couldn't handle? The handheld would be more of a convienence device to quickly add/get contacts, maintain a to-do list, appointments, reminders, calenders, and the occasional gaming :) For those tasks I just listed a Palm can handle just fine, and in my own opinion better than a PocketPC. Then leave the heavy duty mobile work for the laptop.

FYI: I write PocketPC programs for a living so I'm not being biased against it.
 
Wow, poor you, Lycander! Any way to switch to Palm programs? ;)

Yes, I'm kidding.
 
Get a Tungsten T (either 1 or 2 are solid and the amazing 3 is rumored for October. Get an Ultra-thin keyboard and it's perfect for note-taking. Voice recorder, bluetooth-enabled (add an upcoming wi-fi SD card) and you got it made.

http://discussion.brighthand.com/

Has very good forums and discussions on both platforms.
 
The Tungsten line is excellent... so is the Zire 71. Also, most of the offerings from Handspring, which is basically the same thing as Palm, are also excellent. The Sony Clié works very well; my dad bought one because it is supposed to be better than the Palm or Handspring offerings, and it is quite expandable. Plus, the text is bigger (and yes, it runs the Palm OS).
 
Originally posted by arden
Wow, poor you, Lycander! Any way to switch to Palm programs? ;)

Yes, I'm kidding.
Click to expand...
I started out doing Palm programming actually, and I never want to go back! Memory management was very difficult to work with, there's no file system, programs have roughly a 96 KB (yes, kilobyte) heap space in memeory. It was a very painful period in my career.

PocketPC programming on the other hand is exactly like programming in desktop Windows, with some special considerations such as screen size among others.

There's some things Palms do better, but some things it can't do at all and that's where the PocketPC comes in.
 
Well, the Palm is more versatile for Mac use than PocketPC, even if programming it is harder than milking a chicken.
 
LOL. Milking a chicken. Well... milking a rooster... that's another story. Lets stop before we get too far south.

Serious now. Perhaps it won't be so difficult for PocketPCs to sync with Macs with, oh say, a Bluetooth adapter and the right software. Heck, if we can get the PocketPC on a TCP/IP connection and talk to the Mac data transmission can go that route.
 
I wanted to add my own 2 cents about this:

As Lycander suggests, bluetooth can bridge the gap. My understanding is that the bluetooth standard includes a protocol for syncing addresses, emails, notes etc. So in theory, any bluetooth enabled device - including a Pocket PC - should be iSyncable with a bluetooth-enabled Mac.

However, I hasten to add that this may not be everything you'd need - for instance I dont' know if you can use Bluetooth to install new Pocket PC software into your handheld from a Mac.

Do the research before you buy, but in all seriousness, you are almost sure to have an easier time with a Palm powered handheld.
 
Originally posted by brianleahy
However, I hasten to add that this may not be everything you'd need - for instance I dont' know if you can use Bluetooth to install new Pocket PC software into your handheld from a Mac.
Click to expand...
It's much easier than you think. PocketPC software can be distributed in a *.cab file (for example solitaire.cab). All it would take is simple file transfer capabilities from the Mac to the PocketPC, even if it's through TCP/IP (FTP, SMB, etc.) Once the cab file is copied over to the PocketPC you'd take the PocketPC and find that file then open it and it installs itself then deletes the cab file automatically when it's done.

So if you get a hold of the cab file from a website, or CD-ROM you can use your Mac to transfer it over to the PocketPC and install the app. What we really need is a software conduit like ActiveSync (the Windows software) for Mac that either communicates over USB or Bluetooth. MS could do this themselves.....
 
Oh, sure, lay it on Microsoft to add support for the PocketPC on the Mac platform. Good luck on that one.

Any idea how compatible these .cab files are on Mac? Or does it care?
 
Well it's just a file like any other. Actually it's an archive like a StuffIt compressed archive, of the program files. You don't need to do anything with it on the MacOS side. Like for example if we download a .cab file from a website or copy it from the installation CD, it'll still be just a file. So no, it wouldn't care.
 
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