Input your info effortlessly
| Winner: Windows Mobile  Tying the score, Windows has the input edge. |
With writing, disparities emerge. The Palm OS has long relied on Graffiti, a handwriting-recognition system primarily based on standard block characters. But with the release of Palm OS 5.2 came Graffiti 2.0, based on a more natural character set. For newcomers, it's a breeze to learn, but it's a major hassle for Graffiti veterans because it's so different from the old system.
Windows Mobile offers not one, not two, but three handwriting-recognition options. The first, Block Recognizer, is a letter-perfect clone of the original Graffiti, making for an easy transition from the Palm OS camp. The second, Letter Recognizer, is based on Communication Intelligence's Jot, which also was the basis for Graffiti 2.0. Finally, there's Transcriber, which allows you to write anywhere on the screen (rather than in a designated input area) and in cursive, no less. Transcriber works remarkably well, as long as you write fairly legibly.
The Windows Mobile keyboard, Block Recognizer, and Letter Recognizer are all virtual input areas, meaning they appear and disappear as needed. Most Palm OS PDAs come with a permanent Graffiti area that reduces screen real estate. But recent higher-end models, such as the PalmOne Tungsten T3 and the Sony CLIE PEG-NX80V/G, have virtual input areas, just like Windows Mobile. Nonetheless, you still get only one handwriting option instead of three, so Windows Mobile indisputably wins the round.
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Try managing many files in a Palm - the concept of directory structure or file management doesn't even exist on Palms (it may on the latest OS, but by then I'd moved to Windows)
How about having your review cover eBooks and readers - almost a raison d'etre for a PDA?
Put 800 eBooks into a SD memory unit, and see whether Palm or PocketPC copes best. It isn't even a contest.
That's 2 areas Pocket PC wins in - still sure Palms are better?