What Kind of PDA?

[cheezehead]

I think I have talked the wife into letting me get a PDA so I can paperless.
The problem is what what kind and which one? We both looked on ebay but have no clue.
Other than buying cachemate, what else should I look for /need?

[redrusty]

one thing you might want to consider is a garmin nuvi. if you check in groundspeak forums (i think). there’s a guy that has a program to convert your nuvi to paperless caching. if i ever upgrade my membership, that’s what i’m gonna do with my nuvi……just something to consider, and hope it helps in your options

[Ry and Ny]

The answer really is that it doesn’t matter. I spent $20 on eBay on a Palm m105, which is a dinosaur PDA and it worked just fine for the purpose.

Just don’t pretend an iPhone will do it, because Apple is too proprietary right now on that platform to let other people put apps on it.

[K0rpl]

The iPhone will allow 3rd party Apps as of about six months ago, for the standard iPhones, and the new 3G phones. the Software Developers Kit has been 0ut for about 9 months, but… I do not believe that there are any Geocaching Specific Apps release as of yet.

There is a program called Maccaching http://www.maccaching.com that will allow you to use an ipod, or iphone to paperless cache. It puts all of your cache info under the “Contacts” Section.

I have not tried this, but some have. I guess it also exports to cachemate for palm, and will upload to Garmin and Magellan GPS’rs

Hope this helps.

[uws22]

i’ve used a cheap one and a new one, and definitely recommend both…

i originally used a Palm m130, which has a color screen, and to me seems nice and big. got it on ebay for $25 dollars including shipping, docking port, and even the mini keyboard. very durable (i tend to drop things), and also included an sd card.

when i moved back to WI this summer, my cell contract was up, so i got a new phone. with geocaching in mind, i got a Palm Centro. connects with usb to the computer, cachemate works on it, plus i have internet access with a great google maps feature, and every once in a while, i log my cache right from the site.

hope that helps

[Team Deejay]

I can tell you what NOT to buy, as I have one. While the Palm Zire Z22 is a nice unit at under $100, it has a problem for geocachers. The display is almost unreadable in bright sunshine due to glare. Looking at some other units, the key is apparently to get a unit with a “transreflective” display. So, if you see me duck under a bridge or go out of my way to stand under a big tree, its not because a cache is there. I’m just trying to read my Palm.

[greyhounder]

I got a used M500 Palm from eBay a while back (about 2 years). Paid about $50. It’s really been the best unit I’ve owned (I had a couple other, older models that didn’t seem to last very long). No real fancy bells and whistles — it gives me cache information, and that’s all I need.

Bec

[labrat_wr]

I agree with Bec on this one as I have been using a 2nd hand M500 from off Ebay and it has done well by me. to have something that works and not a huge investment was just the ticket. I did need to replace it once as midway through a trip it just died and wouldn’t power back up, but again not a huge investment, just a inconvenience having to pick up another one.

Disclaimer : Always answering to a higher power.

[cheezehead]

Thanks for all in input! I was thinking all I wanted was a cheap ebay buy.
The wife says, that our cell phone contract is up and that she would let me up grade my phone. 😯 (I checked to see if she was running a fever as she NEVER likes to spend money on my geocaching).

I told her that would be great but I would be afraid to take it in the woods. I would be happy with an old pda, I just have know idea as what to get.

[uws22]

depending on who your provider is, i got a deal with mine (sprint) only had to pay $50 for the phone… and if you are concerned about having it in the woods, you can get a rubber skin for it that protects from scratches. it is actually smaller than my m130, and fits comfortably in my jeans pocket.

[K0rpl]

I started out with a Palm Treo 650. I now have a Palm treo 755p, and I do like it. I however like the PocketPC version of Cachemate better than the palm version.

I have played a bit with the Palm centro, and it does appear to be a nice unit, but the screen seems a little small for me.

[gotta run]

The Zire 72 does all we ever need it to do and it can be had for about $60 on eBay. It is color, runs Cachemate splendidly, is quick enough, has a camera for when you forget you need to take a picture (or for uploading pictures to for in-field puzzle solves), and it uses a USB connection (unlike older palms that use a serial docking cradle and are VERY slow).

You can add a wireless networking card to it for about $50 and you’re set to go with the geocaching WAP site if you find a hotspot.

All in all, a low-cost, effective solution for us.

On the Left Side of the Road...

[Astro_D]

JI use my 2003 Pocket PC with cachemate. Works for geocaching and has other uses for when I’m not.

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