pocket pc: e-125 vs maestro

[hconnorjr]

i'm going after the low-end, since i can't shell out 500-600 for one of the decks of cards.

a friend has the e-125 (a year old) and it looked very nice, though large. he said it was trouble free and the battery life wasn't a problem. it seemed MUCH more functional than a palm pilot. and the color was great.

but i've seen the maestro on here for about the same price. so my questions are:
1. battery life: are they about the same
2. processor speed comparison
3. screen size and brightness and resolution (320x320?)

all help appreciated. i'd like to order one of these soon since i've been without my palm pilot for weeks now.

 

[NFS4]

<< i'm going after the low-end, since i can't shell out 500-600 for one of the decks of cards.

a friend has the e-125 (a year old) and it looked very nice, though large. he said it was trouble free and the battery life wasn't a problem. it seemed MUCH more functional than a palm pilot. and the color was great.

but i've seen the maestro on here for about the same price. so my questions are:
1. battery life: are they about the same
2. processor speed comparison
3. screen size and brightness and resolution (320x320?)

all help appreciated. i'd like to order one of these soon since i've been without my palm pilot for weeks now. >>


I have a Maestro.

1) Battery life is about the same, maybe a tad better with the Maestro. But the Maestro is on the low side in battery life compared to the other PocketPC2002 devices. Doesn't bother me though.
2) Intel's 206MHz StrongARM BLOWS AWAY the MIPS unit in the Casio.
3) Screen resolution is the same, 240x320. The screen is slightly smaller diagonally on the Maestro vs the Casio, but the pixels are closer together for a crisper image. Screen is bright and readable outside, unlike the Casio.

 

[hconnorjr]

sounds like things are weighing in favor of the maestro. i'll have to go over to compusa and take a look at it myself. though the screen might be smaller side-by-side with an ipaq, if it's still easy to read, and its a couple hundred less, seems to me the choice is easy. thanks much

 

[hconnorjr]

drove over to compusa and what do you know but the maestro was still 499.00. i complained about the mismatch with the online price and they checked the computer and voila! they changed the store price.

i'm just getting a look at it now, but already i can see that this is definately the current sweet spot in the pocket pc market. this blows away the palm pilot. thanks for the input on this purchase.

 

[hconnorjr]

any idea how to SOFT RESET the device. the only instructions seem to offer turning the battery off, which i assume is a hard reset. i searched the OS and can't seem to find anything about it. i'm interested in switching to cleartype. also, is there a way to change the font sizes or make them bold and therefore easier to read, like on a notebook? thanks.

the screen is great. the handwriting recognition if only fair compared to palm pilot. will probably load graffiti and see if that's better.

 

[NFS4]

<< any idea how to SOFT RESET the device. the only instructions seem to offer turning the battery off, which i assume is a hard reset. i searched the OS and can't seem to find anything about it. i'm interested in switching to cleartype. also, is there a way to change the font sizes or make them bold and therefore easier to read, like on a notebook? thanks.

the screen is great. the handwriting recognition if only fair compared to palm pilot. will probably load graffiti and see if that's better. >>


There's a little hole on the left hand side of the unit below the IR cover where you stick the stylus in to soft reset.

 

[Paul]

Hey NFS4, found a good leather case for the Maestro yet?

 

[hconnorjr]

i paid 20.00 for a targus case they're selling at compusa. it's not exactly what i wanted, but my last two palms arrested after being dropped repeatedly so i wasn't going to leave the store without a good case. this one has a belt clip that pivots, which is a nice feature. the top flips over the unit and velcro's shut. i've used it for a few days and it's great protection.

btw thanks for the soft reset info. the maestro manual is a bit lean to say the least, but probing around i found that soft reset button.

overall, this unit is more a meat and potatoes machine compared to the palms which are clearly optimized only as an organizer. the block handwriting recognizer still is not as good as the palm, and if anyone has suggestions to improve i'd be grateful. but if you consider the price/performance this unit is way ahead of the competition. the screen is just excellent and the pocket pc os, once you adjust is very good.