Any cheap, portable, wifi internet/spreadsheet devices?

[AiponGkooja]

I'm looking for the above... and posted again below for your convenience:

Cheap (relatively speaking)
Small (portable...phone sized, but see below)
Wi-fi internet access, for browsing/searching/e-mail/whatever
Ability to use (not just view) a decent spreadsheet app (excel/openoffice hopefully)
No data plans or cell plans etc (I have a phone...it's just a phone...and it doesn't cost me $1000+ a year to own it and use it)


Is there anything that really fits that profile?
It's mostly the spreadsheet app compatibility that I can't seem to find combined with everything else... unless I were to get some sort of iphone or smartphone, which I can't afford (the plan).

Thanks!
Aip

 

[Fox5]

You could get the Nokia N900, it's the only phone right now that can run google docs, which at least gives you some spreadsheet capability. You'd have to buy the phone unlocked, but you don't have to tie it to a carrier. (but if you have ATT or Tmobile, you would just have to insert your SIM card, no change required)
It's also possible to get openoffice (or any other free linux spreadsheet app) working on it, but it's a small hassle.
The older Nokia N810 might also be an option, and it's cheaper as well, but much slower.

There's also Softmaker Office for Windows Mobile devices (PDAs still exist, though I've always found windows mobile devices to have frustratingly poor responsiveness).

You can also buy some of the android devices unlocked and without a plan, though I don't know if they're functional until they're tied to a plan. The Nexus One is available unlocked however, but I don't know if it has a spreadsheet app. (google docs doesn't work yet)

I'd say consider a netbook or a UMPC.
If you can go a bit bigger in size,
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...=3&srchInDesc=
these would work.
Or look on ebay for an oqo, model 1 or model 2. In fact, I see some cheap model 1s on ebay right now.
If you can deal with a 4.8" to 5" screen, these devices above (oqo and the newegg link) would be perfect.
Otherwise, the n900 can be made to do what you want.
Or its older cousins, the n800 and n810 (4" screens, so a bit bigger than phone sized) are much slower, but have much of the same software compatibility. There's even a port of ubuntu available for them.

Edit:
Apparently a native port of koffice is available for the n900 (and probably n810 and older tablets).
There's also a paid program called documents to go by dataviz that works on iphone, android, blackberry, palm, and the n900. Windows Mobile and Symbian are supported too.
Some of the Archos Media Tablets/music players run Android without having a phone built in, though I'd imagine an unlocked nexus one would also work.

 

[AstroManLuca]

What about an unlocked Windows Mobile phone? If it's an older one that's out of contract, it should work just as a PDA without having to activate it and use it with phone or data service.

Kinda sad that no one makes plain old PDAs anymore, though. The iPod Touch is the only device that even comes close now, and it's a shadow of what they used to be.

I guess there are other older PDAs like Palm devices, but most don't have WiFi. And I'm not sure I'd want to be doing important work on a several-year-old used device.

 

[Fox5]

Actually, the cheapest most functional device I've been able to find to do what you want appears to be the SmartDevices SmartQ5.
It has a 4.3" screen, decent specs (slower cpu than the n900 tho, and way slower than any of the real pcs I linked to), can run ubuntu, and a pricetag of around $150. Does not look like it has a keyboard, but the n810 is only a bit more if you want that.

 

[AiponGkooja]

Thank you for all the suggestions!

One clarification: I can't really justify spending over ~$300. Preferably less than $200, but I know that is probably a stretch. (Other than that SmartQ5, hehe).

I had another thought though, what about something as simple as having wi-fi and the ability to remote access my home pc? That would be ALMOST as good I think. Does anything like that exist? heh

Thanks again,
Aip

 

[Fox5]

Thank you for all the suggestions!

One clarification: I can't really justify spending over ~$300. Preferably less than $200, but I know that is probably a stretch. (Other than that SmartQ5, hehe).

I had another thought though, what about something as simple as having wi-fi and the ability to remote access my home pc? That would be ALMOST as good I think. Does anything like that exist? heh

Thanks again,
Aip

All the devices I listed, plus just about every windows mobile PDA. (to some extent, maybe not very well)

 

[AiponGkooja]

All the devices I listed, plus just about every windows mobile PDA. (to some extent, maybe not very well)

And that would work fine for what I want to do? (e-mail/google/updating spreadsheets throughout the day/etc)

Thank you,
Aip

 

[TwiceOver]

Axim X51v with wifi and office would do the trick. Can get one used for around $80.

 

[Fox5]

Axim X51v with wifi and office would do the trick. Can get one used for around $80.

The wifi on the axim is pretty borked. Has major problems with wpa, and it's only 802.11b, with pretty weak signal.

 

[TwiceOver]

The X51 can be updated to winmo6 and wpa would work fine. 11b should be fine for a device like this.

 

[Fox5]

The X51 can be updated to winmo6 and wpa would work fine. 11b should be fine for a device like this.

I have one and did that, even with the latest 6.5 roms it was always unreliable.

BTW, I think you would need to buy an extra program in order to edit excel documents on a windows mobile device, the built in pocket excel can't do it to any meaningful level.

 

[akugami]

Thank you for all the suggestions!

One clarification: I can't really justify spending over ~$300. Preferably less than $200, but I know that is probably a stretch. (Other than that SmartQ5, hehe).

I had another thought though, what about something as simple as having wi-fi and the ability to remote access my home pc? That would be ALMOST as good I think. Does anything like that exist? heh

Thanks again,
Aip

iPod Touch, 8GB costs below $200. You can probably get a used one for under $150 on somewhere like craigslist (keep safety in mind when buying face to face, meet in public protected place like a mall). Amazon has one listed for $180.

iPod Touch has a couple MS Office compatible apps. I use QuickOffice on my iPhone, which is basically an iPod Touch + cell phone. QuickOffice can read/write/edit Office 2007 files but it's not a great editor. This is more the fault of the device since there is no hardware keyboard and the size of the screen. There's also a similar app called Documents To Go but I can't say how it is since I don't own it. QuickOffice is $10 and Documents To Go is $15.

iPod Touch can also access your PC or Mac using wifi and an appropriate app. I use UltraVNC on my home PC running Win7 and I access my PC from my iPhone with Mocha VNC which is $6. There is a Mocha VNC Lite that is free with slightly cut down features (mainly CTRL-ALT-TAB and right mouse button) but it is quite functional.

So in all, iPod Touch would run you about $200-$210 after buying the necessary apps and assuming you don't need the higher end models. You can store a few gigs of music on it. It makes a workable ebook reader with either the Kindle app or Stanza (both owned by Amazon). Incidently, Stanza is one of my favorite apps.

 

[AiponGkooja]

iPod Touch, 8GB costs below $200. You can probably get a used one for under $150 on somewhere like craigslist (keep safety in mind when buying face to face, meet in public protected place like a mall). Amazon has one listed for $180.

iPod Touch has a couple MS Office compatible apps. I use QuickOffice on my iPhone, which is basically an iPod Touch + cell phone. QuickOffice can read/write/edit Office 2007 files but it's not a great editor. This is more the fault of the device since there is no hardware keyboard and the size of the screen. There's also a similar app called Documents To Go but I can't say how it is since I don't own it. QuickOffice is $10 and Documents To Go is $15.

iPod Touch can also access your PC or Mac using wifi and an appropriate app. I use UltraVNC on my home PC running Win7 and I access my PC from my iPhone with Mocha VNC which is $6. There is a Mocha VNC Lite that is free with slightly cut down features (mainly CTRL-ALT-TAB and right mouse button) but it is quite functional.

So in all, iPod Touch would run you about $200-$210 after buying the necessary apps and assuming you don't need the higher end models. You can store a few gigs of music on it. It makes a workable ebook reader with either the Kindle app or Stanza (both owned by Amazon). Incidently, Stanza is one of my favorite apps.

That sounds pretty much perfect! I hate that it's an i(tool), but I'll get over that.

Just to double check, since you seem to have lots of hands-on experience with it. Would I be able to just transfer some open office spreadsheets (edit2: or I can convert them to excel...) from my computer to the touch and be able to view/modify them throughout the day, and then just transfer the changes back to my PC whenever needed? And for remote pc access, can I wake up a computer in sleep-mode via VNC, or would I have to leave it on and running?

Edit: Also, it has a full internet browser then? So I can go on review sites, google, e-mail, forums, amazon, etc while I'm out and about?

Thanks a lot!
-Aip


Edit: And by "modify" I basically just mean data entry with cell formula support. As long as I can get all the info to and from my computer easily, I can just mess with the graphs and formatting there.

 

[akugami]

That sounds pretty much perfect! I hate that it's an i(tool), but I'll get over that.

Just to double check, since you seem to have lots of hands-on experience with it. Would I be able to just transfer some open office spreadsheets (edit2: or I can convert them to excel...) from my computer to the touch and be able to view/modify them throughout the day, and then just transfer the changes back to my PC whenever needed?...

...Edit: And by "modify" I basically just mean data entry with cell formula support. As long as I can get all the info to and from my computer easily, I can just mess with the graphs and formatting there.

I believe QuickOffice supports Open Office but don't quote me on that. It does support Word files and Word 2007 files as well as Excel and Excel 2007 files. You can edit the Word and Excel files but again, the lack of a physical key and mouse makes things a bit slower than on a desktop/laptop.

I think a reviewer I read said it best when he said that QuickOffice is not a $100+ program and is meant to supplement your main app, not supplant it.

You can upload the files to your iPhone/iTouch via wifi, then just transfer it back to your computer. This is done on a computer with wifi using any web browser. Also be aware it does not sync changes.

...And for remote pc access, can I wake up a computer in sleep-mode via VNC, or would I have to leave it on and running?

Edit: Also, it has a full internet browser then? So I can go on review sites, google, e-mail, forums, amazon, etc while I'm out and about?

I haven't tried waking up a computer with VNC. My computer is pretty much always on at home.

iTouch has the same browser as the iPhone. It's not bad but sometimes I miss the ability to "hover" my mouse over a drop menu on a web page. This is more an issue with web sites being designed with desktops and laptops in mind than a fault of the iTouch browser. Though Apple should have anticipated this and made a "mouse hover" mode. Loading web pages is a bit slow as well, even from wifi but this might be an issue with the power of device and the stuff it has to load.

Oh...and no Flash support in case you haven't heard the five billion and sixty two articles/posts floating on the web about this issue.

 

[AiponGkooja]

Still looking into finding a cheap 3rd Gen iTouch, but also still looking around for other devices.

Does anyone know if a Zune HD could do all the same things as the iTouch? This would just be easier for me since I already own a Zune, and have never owned an iPod.

Also, any other suggestions are still welcome!

Thanks,
Aip