Internet Access Device Help

[gary.mckeown]

i want to buy something small that can access the internet & supports flash etc. It must be able to access my wireless network (g & b compatable).

all i need it for basically is msn, icq, yahoo & web browsing. it doesnt need a huge hard drive or need to be able to play games.

here's the catch tho i dont want to spend over £100, i've been looking at macs on ebay but i'm not really 100% on gettin a mac as i'd possibly want to transfer data between the device and my pc's.

cheers for any help/suggestions.

Gaz.

 

[spray]

the mac will work fine in the pc environment, if thats the only thing holding you back from getting one then i'd say go for the mac right now.

what exactly is it you're after? another pc, a laptop or a handheld device?

 

[gary.mckeown]

anything that can access my wireless network and be able to communicate with my pc (transfer files etc) and run msn, yahoo, icq chat programs. it need's to be quite small too.

will a mac be able to communicate with my pc's on the network? If it can which mac should i get?

 

[yaustar]

not sure if you will be able to get a mac for under £100.. will you be need a monitor included in the price as well? I was thinking softmodded Xbox with Linux on it...

ediit: nevermind, I forgot you wanted Wireless connection, a wireless bridge would add £35 on top...

 

[gary.mckeown]

yeah wont be able to get a mac for the price i want. i need somet mobile so its gonna have to be either a laptop or a palm thingy.

what do you recommend?

 

[aQwaBlaz3]

Yeah..get a Mac...they arent cheap, but are fast, smaller, and easier than a PC...doesnt crash as much and has way way less viruses...try and pick up a Mac Mini for something small if you have money...my friend recently got one and he said its awesome.

 

[geekylad]

Get a palm t3 or t5, Does everything you want & more, Normally around £70-£100 for a decent one on ebay, If it hasn't got wi-fi you can buy a wifi SD card for them for around £20, Love my one

 

[gary.mckeown]

mac mini's no good, need something thats portable.

Either a mac laptop. laptop or a pda.
but the mac & laptop's look like there going for more than £100 on ebay. possibly get a t3 or t5 tho for £100 or less.

 

[spray]

i'm guessing that with portability you're going to want vaguely acceptable battery life, i'm afraid that you won't be finding that for under a hundred.

anything you get that cheaply will have been so heavily used that the battery will be knackered.

if you're serious about needing something then save a bit more cash and get something that will be worth the money

 

[gary.mckeown]

is this any good? if i can get it for £100-£120?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

Gaz.

 

[gary.mckeown]

ipaq 3870 any good?

 

[aQwaBlaz3]

BY GEORGE, IVE GOT IT!

A tablet PC....a bit new to the market, a bit expensive, but they look cool and it uses a touch screen.They have those pivot screens so you can switch it's appearence to that of a laptop.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...693668?v=glance

 

[yaustar]

PDA browsers are usually pretty poor but I cant see any problems with accessing the internet with it. Not sure about PC files..

 

[gary.mckeown]

i've narrowed it down to either pc, palm/pda.

only problem is laptops are still pretty expensive on ebay so while writing this post i've narrowed it down to palm/pda lol

whats the difference between the two (palm/pda)?

Gaz.

 

[yaustar]

nothing.

There is a difference between palm/ppc though

 

[geekylad]

The only difference is the operating system, You can either have Windows pocket PC or the far better Palm OS5, I have had both & palms are so much better especially for Wi-Fi & bluetooth, I use bluetooth on mine to access the net from my pc & theres more software out for palm now!

 

[gary.mckeown]

what chat programs are out for palm?

can you change from windows to palm?

Gaz.

 

[sam fisher]

i dont think yo ucan change them. Pocket PC ones always seem higher spec and with mroe features though. IPAQ's look k/cool!

 

[BaDToaD]

I picked up Sony Clie TH55 for 85 quid a few weeks ago on ebay buy it now. They usually go for much more than that but I was lucky.

I surf via my PCs Bluetooth dongle from the couch or bedroom when my GF is on ebay or playing World of Warcraft. Speed of the bluetooth connection isn't brilliant but the WiFi was blisteringly fast when I connected to the neighbors network The included Netfront browser is excellent. I also download flash movies on the PC and transfer them to the TH55. Most of the older movies run fine in low quality mode. Some new stuff isn't compatible tho. The likes of Magical trevor I,II and III run fine.

Add to that the excellent palm OS PDA features, a 640x480 camera that you can turn into a video camera with a simple download and fantastic 480x320 hi res screen that can play top notch full speed video and it really is a cracking bit of kit.

PS it's got a built in memo recorder and MP3 player too.

Review here

 

[lubidog]

You were so lucky to get that Clie so cheap. I've been looking on Ebay since you said, and they are all around £150 plus. Have you tried the gps sat nav with it? Am tempted for that alone...

But will have to get one, I just love the M500 so much...

And world of Warcraft, just bough it...it's good. So much better than other MMONRPGS(?) in that I can play it for a couple of hours. And my copy is in German, which means I can play it and still be learning the language (I live in Germany so have gotta keep learning etc...)

What a game!