Palm OS - v - Win2002ce OS

[Bob Hawke]

Ok, guys, this is basically a PDA preference question, but I want to
hear reasons for which OS is better than the other, and why.

I have been told that the Win CE would occassionally crash where
Palm OS doesn't. What is your experience.

Also application software, are they both the same in regards to quality and style and availability. Pls, any comments.

Obviously the handheld PC and Palm devices are hotting up for some incredible improvements in the near future, so I would
greatly appreciate any comments on the various OS's.

Oh, and by the way, has anyone had experience with Linux on a
palm device.

Over to you all. Ta.:D

[BayAreaLondoner]

They're different is probably the best (and possibly most unhelpful) thing to say...
PalmOS was designed specifically for the original Palm Pilot, and it serves that purpose well, namely contacts, calendar, to dos, etc. Those particular apps on the Palm are, IMHO, superior to the ones on the PPC.
The PPC is essentialy scaled down Windows. In other words, it is a general purpose OS squeezed into a PDA. As such, it has support for network connectivity, a proper web browser, databases, etc.
Palm is busily trying to develop a new version of PalmOS that will compete with PocketPC 2002 at that more general purpose end of the market.
At the end of the day, it is going to boil down to "what do you want it for?" If the basic functionality (contacts, calendar, to dos, etc.) is your thing then you won't go wrong with a cheaper Palm. If multimedia, web browsing, sync-ing with corporate databases and email systems, or running a GPS moving map is more what you're after, then go for the PPC.
Oh yes, if a particular piece of third party software takes your fancy, that might dictate the platform choice. For instance, there's a really nice FAA test prep program for the Palm, but not for PPC, which I found useful.
As for Linux, I believe there have been projects to get it onto both Palms and PPCs. Sharp has a Zaurus PDA that runs Linux (they were flogging them at JavaOne last week). Unless you are really interested in hacking around with Linux, I'd say why bother.

[Bob Hawke]

BA London,

Thanks for your comments.:)

[Feline]

By and large, I agree with BA London. Am not hugely familiar with latest version of Win CE, but experiences with earlier versions were not too happy - applications which run reasonably well on a larger platform don't necessarily scale down to a pocket size platform too comfortably, and successful synchronisation between the portable device and desktop was a finicky and somewhat frustrating experience.
The PPC is really being aimed at the corporate market where in-house applications an be extended down to an ultra-portable device and deployed to (for example) a sales force.
In my opinion, Palm still has the edge. The built in apps are elegant, clean, and don't consume enormous resources. In addition, there are literally thousands of applications available for the Palm (almost too many - choosing the best app for one's particular needs can be tedious).
With the addition of a keyboard and a couple of third party applications, I now leave my laptop behind and travel only with my Palm without any significant loss in functionality or effectiveness. I use WordSmith to cater for my word processing needs (it install a button in MS Word on my desktop system and simply clicking on the button means that the Word document I am working on will be transferred to my Palm during the next HotSync). Eudora Internet Suite provides me with e-mail via an IR link to my cell phone - it also provides a web browser by means of which I have browsed PPRuNe from unlikely places - although web browsing from such a small screen over such a slow link is not recommended as a particular relaxing experience ... Other third party apps I use are Natara's Bonsai (an outliner that I use for project management), AvantGo (downloads news feeds), and funSMS (brings some order to my Text Messaging).
Because of the less efficient use of resources (mainly memory but screen size to a lesser extent), WinCE devices will usually be more expensive in the first place, and battery life will be hugely less than a Palm device (typical effective battery life on most WinCe devices is measured in hours whereas Palm devices measure it in days). As a simple rule of thumb, 8Mb on a Palm equates to about 64Mb on a WinCE device
Finally, I cannot emphasise too much the effectiveness of the Palm's HotSync - drop it on its cradle and press the button, and the handheld and desktop are synchronised - no if's, buts or maybe's ... As they say -- Works for me!

Hope that helps ...