Browsing the web with pocketPC !

[DrZone]

I'm planning on getting the Dell Axim X5 with the wireless compact flash card addon. Has anyone every used their pocketPC to browse the web? I'd like to know how good it is. I'd also like to use icq and msn messenger while online. Does anyone recommend another pocketPC besides the Axim?

Thanks!

 

[paralazarguer]

It sucks. Pocket IE is slow to render pages and inaccurate to boot. It's infuriating scrolling all the time. Don't bother.

 

[WinkOsmosis]

I have. It's lame. Screen is too small. Great for AIM and emergency internet access though.

 

[DrZone]

i expect most sites not to be optimized for viewing on a mobile device... but as long as i can do some reading and some instant msg'ing i'll be happy. Do u think the 159 CDN for the wireless card is worth it?

 

[Syborg1211]

I spent like 65 us dollars on a wireless card, and I'm borderline regretting it. Instant messaging just isn't that easy on a pocket pc and the internet pretty much sucks. The only website I go to on it is the pocket pc optimized techbargains site. I guess it's worth it if you can get used to it though. AIM would be really good if i had a keyboard...

 

[Ionizer86]

I got an adapter for $30 after MIR (It was the Compusa sale on the Ambicom wilan card). so there should be good deals on wilan cards out there.

Browsing? Dunno yet, still have to get a wi access point.

 

[vegetation]

I'll go with the chorus here, internet browsing on any pda blows big time. The screen is too small, the pages/graphics render too slow, and the screen is obviously not formatted in any decent manner. It's a good way to torture someone though. If you want to view recent news and such, just sync daily to your pc with avantgo or something, no pda modem necessary and the screen content is formatted correctly. In addition, instant messaging is an agonizing experience if you don't have a keyboard attachment.

 

[elzmaddy]

I have the Dell Axim and browsing is very very slow. As mentioned above, you will have to use the scrollbars to view the web page fully. If you want to see how internet browsing is before you purchase a wireless card, connect the USB cable and you will have internet access passed along from your system.

 

[ultimatebob]

I have a Toshiba e740, and I've found that most web sites look like crap in Pocket IE. The on-screen keyboard is also too small for any serious instant messaging. 802.11b is handy for wireless syncronization, though!

 

[DrZone]

Originally posted by: Ionizer86
I got an adapter for $30 after MIR (It was the Compusa sale on the Ambicom wilan card). so there should be good deals on wilan cards out there.

Browsing? Dunno yet, still have to get a wi access point.

I had no idea you could get the addon wireless compact flash card from other retailers. I thought i had to get it from Dell. Thanks for the notice.

 

[DrZone]

oh btw, how are the speeds?

 

[vetteguy]

Wow...such negativity towards this! Something you have to realize is that the limitation of web browsing on a PDA lies not with the PDA itself, but with web sites which are not PDA friendly. EVeryone seems to be complaining about the scrolling. Well, of course you're going to have to scroll on a non-optimized site. A PocketPC screen is 240x320. Most generic web sites are set up for at least 800x600. There's nothing that PocketIE can do. It does scale some stuff down, but there has to be some responsibility on the web designers too. Also, a PocketPC was never intended to be a web-surfing-instant-messaging machine. I realize that with cheap wireless access it's being used for those more and more, but it still is primarily a tool for quick, easy access to important information. Just thought I'd offer a different perspective before everyone else crucifies their Pocket PCs.

 

[ultimatebob]

Well, it's not just the small screen that makes it a pain to use. Pocket IE does a bad job rendering pages with tables and charts, and the scroll speed is fairly slow compared to a PC.

The few pocket pc friendly pages out there look good, though. They're also mostly the same sites available from AvantGo, however, so they aren't all that helpful if you keep your PDA synced up often.

 

[vetteguy]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Well, it's not just the small screen that makes it a pain to use. Pocket IE does a bad job rendering pages with tables and charts, and the scroll speed is fairly slow compared to a PC.

The few pocket pc friendly pages out there look good, though. They're also mostly the same sites available from AvantGo, however, so they aren't all that helpful if you keep your PDA synced up often.

Yes, I will admit that there are some types of pages that it doesn't render well. There are several other browsers available (like Thunderhawk's Bitstream, I believe it's called) which are much better. I'm not sure if the scrolling speed is a fair complaint, though, as once again you're comparing apples to oranges. A Pocket PC will never match the speeds of a regular Windows machine, especially for something where rendering has to take place (like a web browser). I hope that more sites begin to make "mobile friendly" versions, but I think it will still take a while as the market penetration still isn't there.

 

[bigshooter]

Browsing does suck, as does most everything internet related except for instant messaging. I used mine all the time for IM, but I'm selling it now.

 

[PraetorianGuards]

Browsing is ok, it works but it's cumbersome. I just use it for e-mail and IM w/a keyboard. Using a Compaq iPaq

 

[DrZone]

Originally posted by: ultimatebob
Well, it's not just the small screen that makes it a pain to use. Pocket IE does a bad job rendering pages with tables and charts, and the scroll speed is fairly slow compared to a PC.

The few pocket pc friendly pages out there look good, though. They're also mostly the same sites available from AvantGo, however, so they aren't all that helpful if you keep your PDA synced up often.

It seems like sync'ing up you pocketPC with webpages is the best way to view pages. I wasnt expecting anything close to "good" web browsing anyways. It's just something i might want to do if i'm bored.