Pocket PC vs. Palm

[Editor's note: This article is based on a longer one that first appeared in Pocket PC Thoughts (www.pocketpcthoughts.com/articles.php?id=5971). We'd like to thank Jason Dunn for suggesting that we reprint it and Ed for allowing us to edit it to fit the constraints of a printed publication.]

At the end of the third paragraph of an eWeek article titled "Dell Misfires On PDA Strategy" is the following sentence: "Consumers will be better served by Palm OS-based devices, which are easier to operate and less expensive." Easier to operate? I keep hearing media people repeat that as if they are all reading from the same Palm reviewer's guide. Is a Palm really easier to operate than a Pocket PC, or is this just a myth perpetuated by the media and Palm's marketing department? I decided to find out for myself.

This article is based on a comparison of my M100 series Palm and my iPAQ 3900. Most of the article focuses on basic functions—entering contacts, tasks, viewing appointments, multitasking, etc.

Getting data into your handheld

Palm OS devices rely primarily on the Graffiti input system, a "unistroke" system of inputting letters and numbers, with the exception of the letter "X", which requires two strokes—and you must enter the upper-right to lower-left stroke first. The "K" is a bit funny too, looking like the ICTHUS fish symbol. There are enough other differences in the way you must enter letters, characters, and punctuation marks to make Graffiti not very intuitive at first. Graffiti was designed to be easy on the handheld's CPU resources—not necessarily easy on the user.

However, if you are already familiar with Graffiti, the Pocket PC has a Graffiti-like input method called Block Recognizer. It also has something called Letter Recognizer that requires you to write characters in three separate areas to enter upper case characters, lower case characters, and numbers. Is Letter Recognizer easier than Graffiti, or vice versa? Not really; they are just different (see Screens 1-3).

Screens 1-3: The Graffiti window from a Palm IIIc (bottom) and the Pocket PC's Block Recognizer (middle) are very similar input methods. The Pocket PC's Letter Recognizer (top) requires that you write characters in separate areas for upper case characters, lower case characters, and numbers.

What I really like is Fitaly (www.textware.com), a replacement for the standard on-screen Qwerty keyboard (see the bottom of Screen 4). The Fitaly key arrangement is optimized for pen entry, which means you have to relearn key positions. It is available for both Pocket PC and Palm OS devices and its users swear by it.

Screen 4: The Pocket PC's Word Completion feature "looks" at the letters you are entering and suggests possible words. It works with the three Pocket PC character-input methods, as well as with third-party solutions such as Fitaly (shown here).