ViewSonic V36 Pocket PC

I made the plunge into shelling out a couple of hundred dollars for a feature-rich PDA and chose this ViewSonic device.

Features
I chose it over similar and similarly priced models primarily because it includes a little camera - built into it. Also, since I've come to rely on Microsoft Outlook to manage tasks and appointments, I felt the ability to synchronize with Pocket Outlook would give me portability.

In retrospect, I should have gone with a much cheaper device - feature rich, in this case, includes bug-richness.

Limited Expandability
The first issue I bumped into has to do with the expansion port which is SDIO (Secure Digital Input/Output). While it's a fine technology - I found that almost nobody makes any SDIO accessories. Memory expansion, Bluetooth and Wireless Ethernet, and a bar-code reader are about all there is.

Since this prevents me from buying stuff I don't need - it's not to big of an issue. Memory expansion (to hold MP3's) and radio cards (Bluetooth and Ethernet) are all I really need anyway. At about $100 - $200 each, they cost almost as much as the whole PDA, so they're not very economical.

ActiveSync
In order to communicate between the PDA and a PC, a tool called "ActiveSync" is provided by Microsoft. This software allows you to move files between the two, and to use the PC as a gateway to the Internet. In theory, this is a good thing.

The downside of this software is that it corrupts Outlook Task data. Let me say that again, ActiveSync corrupts Outlook Task Data. And to re-emphasize the fact - ActiveSync Corrupts Outlook Task Data.

Specifically, it changes the recurrence of tasks. For instance, if in Outlook you set the recurrence of a task for 4 days after the previous one is complete, when it gets sent to Pocket Outlook, that recurrence is changed to EVERY four days. I was seriously disappointed at how this negatively impacted my ability to manage recurrent tasks.

If I'd known about this flaw before I shelled out several hundred dollars for the device, I would have gone with something a little more simple; something that's not smart enough to corrupt my data. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

Another problem with ActiveSync is that, even on my very fast, memory-maxed PC, it slows the whole PC down to a crawl during synchronization - which takes about 4 minutes to go through its cycle. Again - AAARRRGGGHHH!!!

USB Connector
The device comes with a cable that allows you to plug it into a USB port. The cable also can be used to recharge the batteries of the PDA.

I/R - Infrared Data Port
This one feature - infrared communications is surprisingly cool. By downloading a $15 program, my PDA has become the only TRUE universal remote control I've ever seen - and I've been looking.

My PDA now controls all the multimedia equipment in my home, my brother's home, my girlfriends home, and the TV at the diner I frequent.

Also, if your PC has an IR port (easily added if it doesn't) then you can synch through it, instead of the USB port. Of course, this requires that the PDA be pointed correctly and takes longer than via the USB cable.

Final Bug
The final down-side to this device is that it hangs from time to time - requiring a hard reset. This seems to occur primarily when music is playing or the Infrared Data port is being used. Also, when using speech recognition - it hangs up for me every time.

Gee Whiz
While I still like the gee-whiz factor - camera, MP3 Player, universal remote - the practical side of this device is a disappointment. Great for kids, not so great for grown-ups.