MPx200 available for sale

The prospective buyer who wanted my Motorola MPx200 backed out because he uses a Mac and wasn't happy with the new PocketMac Smartphone software's functionality. If any readers are interested in this device, please email me at ppcsolo@yahoo.com to discuss.

I am also talking with someone about my Jornada 720. If you are interested in that device, also feel free to email me. I have had the NEC 900 for a couple of days now and am happy with it, but do not see a huge improvement in the processor speed and the display still isn't that great. However, the keyboard is awesome and the memory capacity is great (64MB RAM and 32MB of usable ROM). It works via Bluetooth to my Nokia 3650, but I haven't gotten it working with the MDA II yet.

I am loving the MDA II and will write more about that soon. I am a bit sad that I sent my iPAQ 4350 off yesterday and will miss that device.

I wasn't really sure I wanted to sell my iPAQ 4350 because it is a great Pocket PC, but I have a policy of not having to use my family funds to support my habit and was about $200 short so I had to let it go. Derek from DevBuzz.com bought it from me along with two great cases and since he is a fellow Mobius attendee I gave him a nice deal.

My MPx200 is just waiting for payment and then I only have to sell the Jornada 720 to get back to breaking even with all my new deals and device switching. I just recommend that a guy here at work buy the MPx200 since he wants to stay with AT&T. I also told him to take a look at the Treo 600 since that is a very nice smartphone as well. These two came down head-to-head recently on CNET.com and the Treo 600 beat the MPx200 in the end.

I received the NEC MobilePro 900 last night and the seller wasn't kidding when he said it was in like new condition. It came boxed with everything and looks like he may have put 5 hours on it max. I was able to save $300 by buying it used like this and couldn't be happier. The only flaw in it is that NEC still hasn't updated the display resolution, but then again battery life is supposed to be excellent so that may be the driving force. I plan on using the 900 as my laptop replacement and mobile writing platform for reviews, etc. and when traveling on business. I am putting some applications on it and then have to test out Bluetooth connectivity and go buy TextMaker for it.

My daughter was very happy and surprised with the iPod mini that I gave her last night and particularly enjoyed the personal etching that Apple did on the back of the device. This was the first time I actually saw one of these in person and was amazed by the small size of the device and almost wish I would have held out for one of them instead of buying the 10GB model since my collection is actually quite small.

I also received the excellent MDA II last night and was not able to charge it up since we lost power for about 4 hours due to some severe winds whipping through the area. My daughter's excitement for the iPod also had to be subdued for a couple hours until we could get her hooked up. Anyway, the MDA II seems like it will fit my use very well and has a whopping 128MB of RAM, 14.6MB of accessible ROM, and another 16MB of extended ROM available to the user. I now am able to check my email and browse without carrying two devices. You know compared to the SPV E200, it really isn't that big since the E200 is thicker and about the same in weight. The larger display of the MDA II sure is nice though. I have to go load up the device with my software and get it running now.

I should get my NEC MobilePro 900 tonight as well and am excited about having a mobile writing platform. I plan on using this around the house as well with a PC WiFi card since the MDA II does not have integrated WiFi. I can always add a SD WiFi card later, but I only use WiFi at home so it is not a priority.

I have to now get selling my Jornada 720 and iPAQ 4350 to pay for all this new gear. I really hate to give up the 4350, but I can't keep every device and it is really redundant with the MDA II.

I talked with Peter this morning about his impressions of the Motorola MPx last night and the device wasn't even charged or functional so there really wasn't much to see. Thank God I didn't take my daughter there for her birthday evening:) He did get to hold it, but it looks like the MDA II may be the best solution for me for a while. Yeah, you all know how long I can keep a device, right?

The day before our local user group meeting they finally posted the agenda and it shows that Motorola is going to show the MPx and MPx100. Tomorrow is my oldest daughter's 10th birthday so I am missing the meeting and can't believe my luck. That is one device that looks like it has it all and I really wanted to check it out. I'll have to get the scoop from my buddy Peter on Wednesday.

It is almost time to send back the TomTom Navigator for Palm kit that I have been testing out and I have been debating about buying my wife the kit and giving here my T3 since she really could use a GPS system. Then she asked why she just can't use GPS on the E200 when I give it to her and bang it hit me, she can with the new Mapopolis and my existing Bluetooth GPS kit. I don't use it myself much for my daily commute and she would only use it 2-3 times a week in the evening to get to her parties so I think we'll try that route and save money on buying the TomTom kit.

My XDA/MDA II should arrive tomorrow and then I'll transistion her to the E200. I found the email about the MPx200 and I'll see if the person wants to buy it and if not I'll put up an ad for only $215 for the package. I see they are going between $215 and $270 for used MPx200 devices that are SIM unlocked like mine.

I am now beta testing the new Google email system, Gmail. They give you a whopping 1GB of free storage space. If you have a Blogger account, then you should have the option of signing up for the free account.

I have to admit that I have a real PDA problem as I just bought a XDA/MDA II Pocket PC Phone Edition from Dave Evans of Pocket PC Passion. He had a great deal with a Krussel case, thumb keyboard, and extra battery. I have wanted one of these for some time, but thought they were too high priced. I hope this meets my phone and Pocket PC needs and with 128MB RAM and 15MB accessible ROM I think it will definitely meet my memory requirements.

That said, I will be selling the Motorola MPx200 and have to find the email note of someone who said they wanted it. It is unlocked and in MINT condition! I will probably also have to sell my iPAQ 4350 to pay for it, but I have a Sena and Innopocket AL case with it so I have to see what they are going for on ebay. I hate to be without an iPAQ, but I can't keep it all:)

I may then have to give my wife the SPV E200 and just bought a Krussell case for it so she can put it in her purse. I am really a data focused person and miss typing email responses on the Smartphone.

I'll post more later, but I am off to church. Peter, I'm sure you'll probably call me tomorrow to chat about my new moves:)

You can see by my list of past PDAs and my present iPAQ 4350 that I am quite the HP and iPAQ fan. As a result, I am now serving as a moderator over at iPAQ HQ and am also writing up a couple of reviews that may be posted soon. This site was started by Chris Leckness of Aximsite.com fame and is designed to provide an iPAQ focused resource for users. I love sites that focus on a single device since there are many features and issues related to specific devices. Aximsite has grown to be a huge resource for Dell Axim owners and I hope that iPAQ HQ grows as well. Check it out when you have a chance.

I am still wiped out with a weird body flu, but my wife was holding PartyLite candle parties all day so I had to run my girls around to their ball games after having a quick breakfast with our other church leaders. Tomorrow is the last day at our current building and then our church is going mobile until we find a new home so things will be busy with that soon.

By the way, my wife is still using the Motorola MPx200 Smartphone and is actually liking it for the phone aspects as well as the calendar that she syncs at home with Outlook. I also trained her this morning on using the Tungsten T3 and TomTom Navigator kit and she called me to say it was AWESOME. It looks like I may have lost my T3, but then again I have gained another PDA convert:)

I was thinking about getting a UX40 or UX50 for myself again since I love those devices and messed up when I didn't buy a brand new UX50 for $400 on ebay yesterday. I waited to decide and by then it was gone. Oh well, I really need to try to hold out for a OS 6 device anyways.

I've been sick with the body flu the last couple of days and feel like crud. I hope to get well soon and will post more thoughts then.

As I posted earlier, I bought a NEC MobilePro 900 off of ebay on Monday and was hoping to have it by Thursday. I just received a note from the seller that he couldn't get to the Post Office so he sent it via UPS Ground. Now I have to wait another full week to receive and am not happy about that. I think many of us PDA geeks are impatient when it comes to new devices, but 10 days to receive a $600 ebay pruchase is a bit long in my opinion. The auction has a 3 day satisfaction guarantee and I sincerely hope it is in like new condition as the seller stated.

I am posting this from my Jornada 720 and Nokia 3650 since I still can't get a connection through the E200. I can only get a connection with my iPAQ 4350, thus I keep using the 3650. I also have not been able to get a Bluetooth headset to work with the E200. The device is pretty nice, but I prefer the Motorola MPx200 form factor and the ease of use of the Nokia 3650. I am still amazed that the Nokia was free after rebates from Amazon.

I evaluated my use of the Jornada 720 and found I wasn't using it too much because the keyboard was just too small for writing and my iPAQ 4350 does a better job of surfing, etc. I decided to sell the 720 and bought a NEC MobilePro 900 on ebay today. I figure it will cost me $300 out of pocket after selling the 720, but I plan on making a good profit on the other 720 gear and still being able to build up my PDA fund for an OS 6 device or something else later this summer or fall.

It looks like I will be setting up my wife with my T3 and TomTom Navigator kit so she can use GPS to get to her PartyLite shows instead of relying on MapQuest.

It has been a busy week at home with my two oldest daughters and my wife playing softball here in Puyallup. I had some final book editing to do on the Windows Mobile book and am working on a plan to save up some cash for a major PDA purchase.

I am debating between a NEC MobilePro 900, a Motorola MPx, or saving it up for a OS 6 Palm and maybe even picking up a UX50 since I miss that device quite a bit.

We were at the Puyallup Spring Fair yesterday and I took a couple of photos of my daughters on rides and my favorite treat, scones, and posted it on my photo blog.

I will be working on reviews this weekend in the wee hours of the morning.

It looks like I may have finally convinced my wife to try the Motorola MPx200 Smartphone. I tried giving her my old Pocket PC and Palm devices in the past, but she just didn't want to take any time to learn how to really use them and gave up after a few days. A few days ago she saw me talking with the Logitech Bluetooth headset and the E200 and said she wanted a wireless headset. I told her she could use the Nokia 3650 with the Logitech, but she doesn't really like the 3650. I then showed her how to use the foneGEAR wireless headset with the Motorola MPx200 and she has had it for a couple days now. I also showed her how she can check her email, sync an Outlook calendar, quickly dial her contacts by using the keypad to spell their names, etc. I have to keep a close eye on her though since she tends to take on too many tasks at once and leaves things lying around and I stressed how she cannot lose this MPx200. We'll see if I have finally converted my wife to being a Geek wife or is she will go back to her basic $20 T-Mobile phone.

I posted an article on PDAGeek linking to a MoDaCo thread where someone posted an email from Motorola regarding the MPx220. I personally prefer the MPx200 form factor over the E200 and would love to replace the E200 with a MPx220 and hope the device really will be released. It makes sense since it is basically a MPx200 with the newer OS, Bluetooth, and a camera. I am trying to make better use of my phone's cameras and keep my TextAmerica photo blog updated with photos of my life and hope to add some from my daughter's softball and shots of where I live, work, and play.

A month or so ago I posted some thoughts I had about The Passion of the Christ movie and received some comments that people would like to see these thoughts in a separate blog or format. I considered that, but you know what, this blog is just a personal ramblings site of my life with PDAs and other activities and I don't have the time to post to yet another site. I changed the site title to something that includes my daily life and not just PDAs.

You know I went all weekend without using a PDA and this morning as I was driving the vanpool into work I had a chance to reflect on the importance of PDAs in my life. I could easily get back with just a smartphone, even the Nokia 3650, in my work and daily life and the only reason I really use the other devices is because I am personally fascinated by them and thoroughly enjoy playing with portable computers and gadgets. PDAs and smartphones can serve a real need in many people's lives, but they can also be a time sink and take away from other more important things in our lives. I may not be as anxious to keep updating my devices since I am currently very happy with what I have and my PDA fund is running dry.

I hope everyone had a nice Easter holiday yesterday. This is the most important holiday for Christians since it celebrates the fact that Jesus rose from the dead after 3 days just as it was prophesied in Isaiah and signifies that He went to the cross to take all the sins of the world upon His shoulders and offer us the free gift of salvation. It was great to see The Passion of the Christ number one in the box offices again too and I hope this movie keeps on doing well since I have found it opens up communication lines to discuss Jesus with many other people.

My buddy Peter just pointed out that I haven't updated my blog since Monday and asked if I was still swamped with the WM 2003 book. I am pleased to say that we are basically done with the book and there may only be a few more final edits left. I'll let you know when it is actually available online or in stores. I don't receive anymore compensation for each title sold so don't feel any pressue to buy it or anything:)

I am going to try to find a solution for posting via my Bluetooth phones so I can keep my blog updated more often and will attempt to update at least every couple days. I have plans to improve my blog sometime so I can get some photos and a better layout up and running, but now that my oldest two daughters and wife have started softball my time is again limited as always.

I have been falling back in love with my iPAQ 4350 now that it connects easily with the SPV E200 and have been posting more on the great iPaq HQ website. I like this site because it is focused on only iPAQ devices and the owner, Chris, is a great guy. I am actually working on a review of the 4350 that is more extensive than my mini-review I posted on Geek.com.

Needless to say, the Tungsten T3 has been sitting quite idle in my pack and although I really like it, the thumb keyboard of the 4350 keeps pulling me back. I also received a Socket Bluetooth CF card for my Jornada 720, but still haven't gotten it working with my SPV E200. It works great with the Nokia 3650 though. I also found a beta driver for the Targus IR Keyboard and Nokia 3650 and am searching for one for the SPV E200.

I have decided to wait to see a Palm OS 6 (Cobalt) device before making another Palm Powered device purchase or upgrade. I am happy with my Tungsten T3 and have more than enough to play with since I have the iPAQ 4350 and Jornada 720, as well as the new SPV E200 Smartphone. I received a gift certificate from Amazon and used that to purchase a Socket Bluetooth CF card for the Jornada 720 so I will attempt to connect via the SPV E200 when that gets in.

My iPAQ 4350 is running great now that I performed a hard reset and only loaded those apps I use regularly. At one time I had about 60 apps loaded on it for testing, etc. and slimmed that down to about 15 right now. I just received another 256MB SD card so I have one for my Palm, Pocket PC, and Smartphone. This one is a Viking model that had a $15 rebate so it only cost $45. I have had a 512MB Viking CF card and have been very pleased with Viking products in the past.

I just hard reset my iPAQ 4350 yesterday since it was no longer syncing with any computer after I pushed the limits attempting different things as I wrote the chapters of the WM2003 book. I am now only installing those apps that I use regularly and setting it up how I really want it running.

I am also figuring more out about the E200 and so far I am finding it is a nice improvement over the MPx200, but I already have a scratch on the screen from a credit card that was in my pocket. That is one reason I really like the clamshell form factor; built-in screen protection. The battery life doesn't seem to be that great and can't touch the life I have seen on the Nokia 3650. I will do some more timed testing for my review.

I am still liking my T3, but I haven't yet figured out how to connect it to my T-Mobile data service with the E200. I simply removed the custom script on the iPAQ, but I haven't found out the correct script for the T3 yet. I have been reading Palm Addict quite a bit lately and they have been talking a lot about the CLIE UX50. This talk has really got me missing that device. I rarely regret selling a device and moving on, but that great keyboard, small flip form factor, and integrated wireless really was awesome and I shouldn't have sold it. I like the T3, but would rather have a keyboard back. So I may be selling the T3 after all since I see they have UX40s at CompUSA for $300 after rebate. I only use WiFi at home and have enough other devices to use that at home. Bluetooth is included in the UX40 and the colors look cooler:) I was kind of swayed to the T3 by seeing the TomTom GPS solution, which is incredible, but not worth having a device to run it on. I should try to hold out for a Palm OS 6 UX design and may end up doing that instead, who knows.