Hi! Just recently acquired a used Jornada 565 and Targus keyboard, and no other peripherals (other than USB/power cradle). I did buy a 1G CF card, and all seems to work well. I do have a few questions though, and hoped someone could help me.
1. I replaced the backup battery when I got this machine, but occasionally I have a pop-up that says the backup battery is low. The power options screen show that the backup battery is good. Which do I believe?
2. I have no computer with infrared capabilities, and wonder if it is worthwhile to get an external IR, or should I just link with the cradle like I have been? I see USB IRs for 13-35 dollars. Is the difference huge?
3. I may soon get a wireless router at home, and wondered if a Wi-Fi card is useful enough to justify. Some come with CF memory, I believe. Correct?
4. I saw a USB CF card. That would (I assume) connect the PDA to a hub or computer. Is there a way to connect a flashdrive to the PDA?
5. Do most people get a second battery, or get some type of portable charger? (like for the DC jack in a car) Are the "extra-capacity" batteries truly better? What is the advantage (other than extra storage, of course) of a battery with an SD port? Is it faster than CF?
6. Most annoyingly, is there anyway to do things like create a new appointment or note or document while using the keyboard without having to pick up the stylus. I'm sure I'm just being more than usually dense, but it drives me crazy.
Thanks in advance, and hope I'm not being annoyingly noobish.
tgt
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YankeeJeep
Moderator
I was the happy owner of a 568 for several years before going to a device with a newer WM version, so I can answer from my experience.
Backup battery warning: If you have not been letting your main battery run to empty, your backup battery should not be getting tapped. Things like the RAM and clock are maintained from the main battery even when the device is asleep and the backup will be used only when that power is exhausted. I had the backup battery warning pop up at odd times as well and sometimes a soft reset would put it to sleep for a while. Don't be concerned unless it becomes a consistent reminder rather than an occasional blip.
IR connection: A convenience when making a quick connection but I mainly used it for communication with other IR-equipped devices and peripherals. Since you cannot charge through the IR link, I typically made the connection to my desktop host with the cradle so I could sync and charge at the same time. I did not find the IR connection to have any significant speed differences when compared with the USB connection.
CF wifi card: I have seen SD wifi cards with memory but not CF cards in that particular combo. I did successfully install a Linksys wifi card in a friend's 568 that gave access in hotspots, which he found useful. Make sure the card you get has drivers for OS version (which I assume is PPC2002 like my 568). Any Type 1 CF card will work with your slot so make sure drivers are compatible.
CF USB adapter: This should add USB host functions to your device. Again, you will need to have drivers compatible with your OS version. You will need a mass storage driver to access a flash drive and an HID driver to use USB input devices like a mouse or keyboard. WM does not support optical drives like DVD or CD-ROM drives unless the manufacturer provides one specifically for WM. The device's USB port already provides USB client functions if you have cable.
Batteries: I got an extended battery and never regretted the purchase. It increased the overall device size but it more thaaan doubled the time I could be away from external power. In any case, never travel without a spare battery just in case. Without power, all you're carrying is a brick.
Targus keyboard: I don't remember what the Targus layout is like, but check and see if there is a function key combination to access the 'New' menu. That would have selections to make new entries to the various PIM applets as well as create new Word and Excel documents. Since going to another device I have used a Stowaway keyboard and I don't remember the particular function operations available on the Targus keyboard I used with the Jornada. But check to see if the 'N' (or another key) has 'New' on it as a function combination.
Hope this helps.
tgrantt
Yes, it does help, thanks. Sorry for the delay in responding. I read it over once then got busy. I appreciate such a detailed response. It seems I won't worry about IR unless I get a laptop or such that has it as well. Same with Wi-Fi, wait until I have it for something else. I'll probably get a second cradle, and leave on at home and one at work. I guess the extended battery is the first purchase, and keep the old one as backup. They say that there are batteries with SD slots in them. Might try to find. I guess the only reason to get the USB host is to use flash drives, and I probably don't need that.
Thanks again.