PDA Advice?

Ember

Ember

Mrs. Tek7
I'm wondering if anyone can offer some counsel on PDAs/handhelds. Budget: up to $300 (birthday money...yay!). Looking for one with wi-fi (not just bluetooth). I do NOT want a phone.

I've looked at the HP iPAQ rx4240 and the Palm TX.

I've heard the Palm OS is really unstable with 3rd party software, and one of the primary reasons I'm looking at one is to install medical/pharmaceutical programs. Does anyone have experience with 3rd party software? Or their tech support...I hear it's not so good (or non-existent).

I don't know if the rx4240 is new or what, but I can't find reviews on it ANYWHERE. It also seems to be lacking in accessories such as cases. Does anyone know anything about it? I also hear that Windows Mobile can be bulky, but maybe it's at least more stable than the Palm OS? The other downside is I can't actually see this in person...no brick & mortar store around carries it.

Any input is appreciated. :)
 
Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant Palm tech support.

I was reading some reviews on Newegg. A lot of people think it's great, but there are enough revews that make me a little leery. For example:

Palm OS 5.4 is about as unstable as Windows 95, and maybe even then some. 3rd party software often crashes the palm, as do many everyday tasks (such as loading certain websites). Wifi disconnects after about 5 minutes of not being used, not a major concern but there have been occasions where it has caused minor problems.
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If you install 3rd party software you WILL become intimately familiar with hard resets. This is my 4th Palm device, except for the venerable Handspring Visor all were RMA'd at least once. Their hardware quality is not very good. The Garnet OS seems far less than stable. If you have any 3rd party software installed the advice is always a hard reset.
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I had an issue with the TX resetting over and over and it was uncontrollable. The only solution was to do a complete hard reset (soft reset didn't work) which erases everything. However, if you hot sync regularly, you don't lose much since your programs will reload when you sync and it even keeps your place in documents. I determined thru trial and error that the resetting issue was due to a program I installed (a clock program). When I uninstalled it, the TX went back to working flawlessly.
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There is NO technical support for this product. Palm's idea of tech support is a customer forum on the website where customers can "help each other." It's actually humorous to see some of the entries in the forum: some people have posted 3 and 4 times with no reponse from customers OR Palm, and good luck trying to find a technical support phone number. So if you want to use this, make sure you are a technical guru or you have a lot of time to invest, 'cause you won't get much help from Palm.
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I just can't tell if this is the exception to the rule. And I don't know what kind of software these people are installing in the first place, or if that's even relevant.

The iPAQ above seems to be my only other option, but I'm afraid to swing for that when I can't find any reviews or see it in person.

Edit: Thanks for the info though, Kidan :)
 
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You're going to get bad reviews for ANY product no matter where you go. If the good outweigh the bad, I'd ignore the bad (unless it's something uber-terrible).

I have an HP iPAQ 2215... (I think that's the model). I never had any problems with it. HP has made a customer out of me.

Also, I know I've touted this a few times before for other threads, but you can always find honest and numerous customer reviews as www.cnet.com.
 
Thanks for the replies. I know I'll find bad reviews on anything anywhere. People are more likely to fill out reviews when they're not happy. But when it pertains to pretty much the SOLE purpose I would even consider buying one, I want to make sure I really do my research.

I had checked cnet...it had stuff on the Palm but not the HP. I searched pretty much every place that has reviews, and I only found one...and it was a guy that only used the iPAQ to watch movies and play games.

I have also been impressed overall with HP though.
 
I don't think they make those anymore. :(

I keep going back and forth. I don't know what to dooooooooo.... :p
 
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