Post by Nic Hostetler on Dec 1, 2005 20:25:09 GMT -5
32 MB. 131 MHz. CD-quality sound. TFT color screen. Sound like a laptop of only a few years ago? Think again--I am describing the currently available Casio Cassiopeia E-115 Pocket PC. This powerful PDA with Microsoft's latest mobile operating system sets the new standard in mobile devices. After two poor iterations of poor Microsoft-based handhelds, the third try--dubbed Pocket PC--finally produced a hit
I have to admit … I am a newbie to the PDA ownership scene. To be honest, I have not been excited about anything I've seen up until now. I always thought they were neat, but I needed more in a PDA than a high-end organizer. I started to look into the Palm IIIc when it was released a few months ago but I decided to wait for the Pocket PCs to come out. I am glad I did.
Casio is the first PDA I've purchased and used extensively. So far I have been very happy. I opened it and powered up the Casio overnight. The next day I installed ActiveSync 3.1, the latest synchronization software that Microsoft-based handhelds can use, and within a few minutes I synched up to my Outlook database, adding all of my contacts to my PDA with no problems. Over the next few days I moved all of my info to the PDA. I now use it as my calendar and for all of my tasks, contacts, and note taking.
Yes, I said note taking. Instead of a pad of paper, I bring my PDA to meetings and it's working great. The Pocket PC operating system understands normal handwriting (although you can still use Palm's Graffiti, too) in either uppercase or lowercase letters--you decide. It also has a QWERTY keyboard display which you can opt to use. After about 10 minutes (and without looking at any instructions!) I was able to write proficiently. You do have to be careful with certain letters--I had some trouble with "k" and with "n" (I now use the Graffiti "n", in fact) but you don't have to learn anything new. I was impressed by this feature because my handwriting looks more like scribble than actual letters.
What else? Beautiful color--really. One reason I chose the Casio Pocket PC over the HP Jornada Pocket PC was the 16-bit, 240x320 TFT active-matrix display. The HP uses a passive-matrix screen which is not as bright or as readable--except when compared to other non-Pocket PC PDAs.
There's more? Yes … MP3s. The Casio came with 32 MB of RAM--enough for a few MP3s. And the sound is CD-quality through a set of headphones. The system speaker, as you could guess, is tinny and does not get very loud, but through a set of headphones or speakers the sound is great.
Also included with the Pocket PC operating system is Microsoft Reader, which lets you use the Pocket PC like a book. With a free expansion pack I received from Microsoft, I now have access to the text of Treasure Island, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, and several other books. While the screen only contains about 100 words at a time (probably one-fourth the number of the words a paper page would contain), the size of the screen is also only about one-fourth the size of a normal-sized book. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, for example, comes out to be about 952 "pages" on the Cassiopeia, while it is about 225 pages in hard cover. Surprisingly, though, the program is very readable, and I have already finished the first couple of chapters.
Also, don't forget Internet connectivity. Included with the Pocket PC is a slimmed down version of Internet Explorer. So far I have only used Pocket Internet Explorer to view AvantGo Internet information. AvantGo is a free, customized Internet content application which sends current content (news, weather, sports, technology, etc.) to your PDA (both Palm and Pocket PC) when you synch up to your PC. Pocket Internet Explorer has worked great in this case. It has a "back" arrow, a favorites folder, a "home" button, and a refresh button. It also allows you to very easily adjust the size of the font, which I found necessary when viewing New York Times content. When using a modem, Pocket Internet Explorer can connect to almost any site, although I understand there are problems with Java, JavaScript, and other highly-formatted sites. Also included is an e-mail program, which allows you to set up a POP3 or IMAP account and allows you to connect through a network or using a modem.
Finally--Compact Flash. Casio, unlike some other Pocket PCs, supports both Type I and Type II. What does this mean? A current possibility of using the Cassiopeia as a digital camera or a digital phone. Additionally, there are Compact Flash modems, Ethernet cards, and hard drives. IBM has a 340 MB MicroDrive Compact Flash module (type II)--that's a lot of MP3s!
Casio's JK710DC Compact Flash digital camera
You must be thinking, "Wow, this guy loves the Pocket PC. It seems that this device is perfect." Well, here is some of the downside ...
Problems? You bet. Slow synchronization through a serial port. What? A SERIAL port? Yes, it's true. In this day of USB the Cassiopeia uses a common serial port to exchange data--at a rather slow rate. Synching up Outlook and small-file stuff is no problem, but loading up MP3s is not something to do on the fly. Set it up and run overnight.
Next is the battery life: expect to get only 6-10 hours of life with your battery running typical Microsoft operating system bloatware. The Palm's color offering runs for two weeks or more. Sure, the PocketPC does more--you can turn on an MP3, play a game of Solitaire, go to your contacts, and then continue your game of Solitaire--but 6 hours is really not a lot of time, especially if you are on the road.
Another drawback is speed. "Speed," you say? Sure, it runs a 131 MHz processor and has 32 MB of RAM, but once you get a few higher-end apps going at the same time you could be in for a slow-down. If your Pocket PC is a little sluggish you can speed it up--but you have to go through 6 clicks to get to memory management where you can shut down running programs. Right now this is the only way to shut programs down without turning the system off. Hey, Microsoft, how about a little "x" on the top right corner of the program?
More drawbacks? You bet. It's big. It BARELY fits into my shirt pocket. 5-1/8" x 3-1/4" x 3/4", and it weighs in at 9 ounces. I have not carried my Casio in my pocket yet and do not plan to. With the exception of the Palm VII, all the Palm units are smaller. And without exception they weigh less.
And lastly … be prepared to shell out big bucks for a decent Pocket PC. While they start at about $299 for the 70 MHz grayscale Compaq Aero 1550, expect to pay about $500 for a faster, color Pocket PC and up to $600 for the Casio Cassiopeia E-115. While the price will surely drop over the next several months, the entry fee at this point is pretty high when compared to other PDAs.
All in all, I am very happy with my Cassiopeia Pocket PC. While I mostly use it for the contacts and the calendar and other typical PDA functions, I am also enjoying the detailed graphics and the sound quality. I am planning to buy some Compact Flash modules specifically for MP3s.
Ratings Defense
For Quality, I gave the Casio Cassiopeia E-115 Pocket PC 4 Geekheads out of 5. While the device itself is very well-built with ample memory and power, the Pocket PC operating system could still use a little tweaking. Microsoft has come a long way with its latest release, but memory management is still a problem with these PDAs. When a 131 MHz system is not as fast as a 16 MHz Palm device, you know something is awry. Sure, the Pocket PC is processing a lot more information and it has multitasking, but the primary goal of a PDA--in my opinion--is to be instant. While it is instant for most of its apps if nothing else is running, this is not the case when four or more higher-end apps are open at the same time. Since you can't close apps easily, a user could easily have 8 apps open in a matter of a few minutes of use. Also, although I have not had any problems, there are reports of the Pocket PCs crashing more often than the Palm OS. On the positive side, though, a lot of apps are included: Pocket Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer, as well as Pocket Money and Pocket Reader.
For Geekness, the Cassiopeia gets 4.5 Geekheads. This device oozes geek. Tech nerds hate that this device came out of Redmond. Reduce the weight, reduce the size, increase the battery power, and, for crying out loud, trash the serial port and this piece of handiwork would no doubt deserve a 5.
Post Review Note
Well, my Pocket PC crashed last night for the first time. I was trying to install screen capturing software to be able to post some images with this review. I installed it, fiddled around with some settings, and got it to work. I snapped one screenshot and I was pretty happy--it looked like it was working.
About three seconds later, it snapped another screenshot. I thought maybe I pressed the button twice by accident. A few seconds later, it did it again. And again. And again. It wouldn't stop. So, I figured I'd press the power button to shut it off … but pressing the power button did nothing.
At this point, it froze on me. I didn't know what to do, so I took out the battery and put it back in. Finally, this morning, I started it up using the backup battery, which for some reason worked. Everything seemed fine … until I started messing with the batteries. I accidentally removed both the main and backup batteries and lost all the data on my Pocket PC. Fortunately, I was able to synch up with my home PC and I got most of the data back, although I have to customize my settings again and copy some files over.
All in all it was a good experience to have now and not 6 months from now when I have a load of data on it
Discuss the Cassiopeia E-115
in the Message Parlor
Screen Shots
I have to admit … I am a newbie to the PDA ownership scene. To be honest, I have not been excited about anything I've seen up until now. I always thought they were neat, but I needed more in a PDA than a high-end organizer. I started to look into the Palm IIIc when it was released a few months ago but I decided to wait for the Pocket PCs to come out. I am glad I did.
Casio is the first PDA I've purchased and used extensively. So far I have been very happy. I opened it and powered up the Casio overnight. The next day I installed ActiveSync 3.1, the latest synchronization software that Microsoft-based handhelds can use, and within a few minutes I synched up to my Outlook database, adding all of my contacts to my PDA with no problems. Over the next few days I moved all of my info to the PDA. I now use it as my calendar and for all of my tasks, contacts, and note taking.
Yes, I said note taking. Instead of a pad of paper, I bring my PDA to meetings and it's working great. The Pocket PC operating system understands normal handwriting (although you can still use Palm's Graffiti, too) in either uppercase or lowercase letters--you decide. It also has a QWERTY keyboard display which you can opt to use. After about 10 minutes (and without looking at any instructions!) I was able to write proficiently. You do have to be careful with certain letters--I had some trouble with "k" and with "n" (I now use the Graffiti "n", in fact) but you don't have to learn anything new. I was impressed by this feature because my handwriting looks more like scribble than actual letters.
What else? Beautiful color--really. One reason I chose the Casio Pocket PC over the HP Jornada Pocket PC was the 16-bit, 240x320 TFT active-matrix display. The HP uses a passive-matrix screen which is not as bright or as readable--except when compared to other non-Pocket PC PDAs.
There's more? Yes … MP3s. The Casio came with 32 MB of RAM--enough for a few MP3s. And the sound is CD-quality through a set of headphones. The system speaker, as you could guess, is tinny and does not get very loud, but through a set of headphones or speakers the sound is great.
Also included with the Pocket PC operating system is Microsoft Reader, which lets you use the Pocket PC like a book. With a free expansion pack I received from Microsoft, I now have access to the text of Treasure Island, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Alice in Wonderland, and several other books. While the screen only contains about 100 words at a time (probably one-fourth the number of the words a paper page would contain), the size of the screen is also only about one-fourth the size of a normal-sized book. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, for example, comes out to be about 952 "pages" on the Cassiopeia, while it is about 225 pages in hard cover. Surprisingly, though, the program is very readable, and I have already finished the first couple of chapters.
Also, don't forget Internet connectivity. Included with the Pocket PC is a slimmed down version of Internet Explorer. So far I have only used Pocket Internet Explorer to view AvantGo Internet information. AvantGo is a free, customized Internet content application which sends current content (news, weather, sports, technology, etc.) to your PDA (both Palm and Pocket PC) when you synch up to your PC. Pocket Internet Explorer has worked great in this case. It has a "back" arrow, a favorites folder, a "home" button, and a refresh button. It also allows you to very easily adjust the size of the font, which I found necessary when viewing New York Times content. When using a modem, Pocket Internet Explorer can connect to almost any site, although I understand there are problems with Java, JavaScript, and other highly-formatted sites. Also included is an e-mail program, which allows you to set up a POP3 or IMAP account and allows you to connect through a network or using a modem.
Finally--Compact Flash. Casio, unlike some other Pocket PCs, supports both Type I and Type II. What does this mean? A current possibility of using the Cassiopeia as a digital camera or a digital phone. Additionally, there are Compact Flash modems, Ethernet cards, and hard drives. IBM has a 340 MB MicroDrive Compact Flash module (type II)--that's a lot of MP3s!
Casio's JK710DC Compact Flash digital camera
You must be thinking, "Wow, this guy loves the Pocket PC. It seems that this device is perfect." Well, here is some of the downside ...
Problems? You bet. Slow synchronization through a serial port. What? A SERIAL port? Yes, it's true. In this day of USB the Cassiopeia uses a common serial port to exchange data--at a rather slow rate. Synching up Outlook and small-file stuff is no problem, but loading up MP3s is not something to do on the fly. Set it up and run overnight.
Next is the battery life: expect to get only 6-10 hours of life with your battery running typical Microsoft operating system bloatware. The Palm's color offering runs for two weeks or more. Sure, the PocketPC does more--you can turn on an MP3, play a game of Solitaire, go to your contacts, and then continue your game of Solitaire--but 6 hours is really not a lot of time, especially if you are on the road.
Another drawback is speed. "Speed," you say? Sure, it runs a 131 MHz processor and has 32 MB of RAM, but once you get a few higher-end apps going at the same time you could be in for a slow-down. If your Pocket PC is a little sluggish you can speed it up--but you have to go through 6 clicks to get to memory management where you can shut down running programs. Right now this is the only way to shut programs down without turning the system off. Hey, Microsoft, how about a little "x" on the top right corner of the program?
More drawbacks? You bet. It's big. It BARELY fits into my shirt pocket. 5-1/8" x 3-1/4" x 3/4", and it weighs in at 9 ounces. I have not carried my Casio in my pocket yet and do not plan to. With the exception of the Palm VII, all the Palm units are smaller. And without exception they weigh less.
And lastly … be prepared to shell out big bucks for a decent Pocket PC. While they start at about $299 for the 70 MHz grayscale Compaq Aero 1550, expect to pay about $500 for a faster, color Pocket PC and up to $600 for the Casio Cassiopeia E-115. While the price will surely drop over the next several months, the entry fee at this point is pretty high when compared to other PDAs.
All in all, I am very happy with my Cassiopeia Pocket PC. While I mostly use it for the contacts and the calendar and other typical PDA functions, I am also enjoying the detailed graphics and the sound quality. I am planning to buy some Compact Flash modules specifically for MP3s.
Ratings Defense
For Quality, I gave the Casio Cassiopeia E-115 Pocket PC 4 Geekheads out of 5. While the device itself is very well-built with ample memory and power, the Pocket PC operating system could still use a little tweaking. Microsoft has come a long way with its latest release, but memory management is still a problem with these PDAs. When a 131 MHz system is not as fast as a 16 MHz Palm device, you know something is awry. Sure, the Pocket PC is processing a lot more information and it has multitasking, but the primary goal of a PDA--in my opinion--is to be instant. While it is instant for most of its apps if nothing else is running, this is not the case when four or more higher-end apps are open at the same time. Since you can't close apps easily, a user could easily have 8 apps open in a matter of a few minutes of use. Also, although I have not had any problems, there are reports of the Pocket PCs crashing more often than the Palm OS. On the positive side, though, a lot of apps are included: Pocket Word, Excel, and Internet Explorer, as well as Pocket Money and Pocket Reader.
For Geekness, the Cassiopeia gets 4.5 Geekheads. This device oozes geek. Tech nerds hate that this device came out of Redmond. Reduce the weight, reduce the size, increase the battery power, and, for crying out loud, trash the serial port and this piece of handiwork would no doubt deserve a 5.
Post Review Note
Well, my Pocket PC crashed last night for the first time. I was trying to install screen capturing software to be able to post some images with this review. I installed it, fiddled around with some settings, and got it to work. I snapped one screenshot and I was pretty happy--it looked like it was working.
About three seconds later, it snapped another screenshot. I thought maybe I pressed the button twice by accident. A few seconds later, it did it again. And again. And again. It wouldn't stop. So, I figured I'd press the power button to shut it off … but pressing the power button did nothing.
At this point, it froze on me. I didn't know what to do, so I took out the battery and put it back in. Finally, this morning, I started it up using the backup battery, which for some reason worked. Everything seemed fine … until I started messing with the batteries. I accidentally removed both the main and backup batteries and lost all the data on my Pocket PC. Fortunately, I was able to synch up with my home PC and I got most of the data back, although I have to customize my settings again and copy some files over.
All in all it was a good experience to have now and not 6 months from now when I have a load of data on it
Discuss the Cassiopeia E-115
in the Message Parlor
Screen Shots