Cheap Philips Nino 319 Windows Organizer (Electronics) (Windows CE) Price

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Customer Reviews of Philips Nino 319 Windows Organizer

PROs over Palm:

- Bigger, higher resolution screen (it can display a lot more information without having to scroll around - and it's MUCH nicer to look at)

- Real handwriting reconition (it actually works quite well, and I never had to spend time trying to learn some special grafitti alphabet)

- Outlook on my PDA (if you're an Outlook user on your desktop, Pocket Outlook has all the same functionality -- to go)

- Voice Recorder (While the voice command and control wasn't what I had hoped, I find myself recording lots of notes to myself while driving)

- Windows UI (This is Pro or Con depending on your OS regious beliefs. I'm no MS worshipper, but I do find it nicer to look at and easier to use than PalmOS).

Cons:

- It doesn't fit in shirt pocket like Palm V.

The most stylish WinCE palmtop on the market
WinCE vs. PalmPilot is like Mac versus PC, and it's equally futile to determine a superior machine when it comes to these platforms. The Nino looks awesome, is fairly fast even with WinCE, and gets 12 hours of battery life before recharging. Thanks to the rechargeable battery pack, there is no battery switching like with the Palm III or IIIx. Storage space on the Nino is infinite thanks to the CompactFlash memory slot. The 19.2kbps modem is good for e-mail downloads, but don't try any web browsing with the soft modem and the grayscale screen. Software is good and plenty for WinCE palmtops...I run ICQ, PocketPaint, the Starbuck HTML book reader and a bunch of games on mine, in addition to the factory software. The T9 soft keyboard is far superior to the Graffiti input on the Palm systems. Synchronization with the desktop is flawless.

The Nino is a bit big, but it looks much better than any other WinCE palm PC. I actually prefer the size of the Nino to that of, say, the Palm V, just because it is easier to use for guys with big hands (like me).

Plus sides of the Nino: Very stylish, fast, expandable with CompactFlash cards. Good software bundle. Rechargeable battery pack, very good battery life even with the backlight on.

Negative sides: Somewhat bulky. The click-on modem adds to the bulk and is a little flimsy.

I have had my Nino for a few months and I've compared it with my wife's Palm V extensively. The Palm V is much lighter and a bit faster, but it's too minimalistic for me. I appreciate the CompactFlash slot on the Nino, as well as the WIndows-like GUI of WinCE. Never had an issue with battery life, the usable time of the Nino is more than enough between recharges. I wouldn't swap my Nino for any Palm box at this point. It is unbelievable how much you can do with these palmtops...they take over your life if you let them. I have several full-length novels on the CF card, as well as a dozen maps for PocketStreets.

If you don't have one, go get one...and get the Nino if you can. It looks awesome and adds to Philips' history of cranking out good, solid and funky handhelds.

A waste of money
My Nino has internal battery problems and there is no support for it. It's garbage.