Which pda with a keyboard ?

[youpii]

I'm considering purchasing a PDA to help me studing chinese

I want something with a keyboard because my speaking is far better than my writing, so I often type pinyin to watch how to write the characters.

So far I have narrowed my choice to:

- Sony Clie UX-40 ou UX-50 and plecodict

- Sharp Zaurus C-1000 and zdt

I like the Zaurus because it's a newer device, still on sale and with quite a lot of capabilities (VGA output, CF & SD slots). The battery seems to last 8 hours which is also great.

I have tried zdt on my desktop and searches seem awfully slow although my computer has a dual core athlon 64 (2sec for a sarch in CEDICT and 5sec for ADSO).

The Clie has the advantage of being able to run Plecodict, but I have to buy it second hand on ebay and the shiping to China adds a lot to the price and the battery doesn't seem to last long.

What do you think ?

[Nibble]

I don't know exactly what you mean by practicing writing Chinese characters by typing in pinyin, or how a keyboard is better than any other text input option; but all PDAs come with a digital keyboard, so you can just hit the keys on the screen. You also have the option of buying an external PDA keyboard if you really need one. I don't think it's worth the extra hassle & money to get one with a physical keyboard built in.

[fulgentius]

I agree. I use a Palm TX with a Think Outside wireless keyboard and it works really well for me. The Zaurus would be really cool, though.

[mandarinstudent]

I think the Palm Treo 650 would be good for you. It has a keyboard already on the device, plus it has a phone.

[youpii]

Nibble: I type pinying and the dictionary shows me the characters. I think I type much faster on a keyboard than I would write on the screen. Additional keyboards are too bulky.

Mandarinstudent: Treo 650 is a bit expensive and the keyboard is kinda small

[youpii]

I removed the Zaurus from my list because it's too big

But now I'm also considering the Casio EW-V2000. The build in dictionaries are quite good and it's very cheap here, about 1.500RMB, much cheaper than a ux50 plus plecodict, especially if I have to add 60$ to get plecodict's future chi-chi dictionary

[badr]

i like the zaurus but support can be a hassle because it has such a low market share. Sony's clie pdas are some of the best in terms of Keyboards, it's such a shame that they stopped selling them outside of the Asian market.

I'd say try to stick with the clie

[fulgentius]

To me, miniature keyboards just don't seem a worthwhile compromise. I'd much rather have a nearly full size keyboard which folds up to smaller than a dvd case.

[smalltownfart]

I bought the Zaurus SL-5000D when it was first introduced, since i am a bit of linux geek. For learning chinese, you won't get much out of the Zaurus models as available software is mostly DIY and very limited. Running java on it is not so great, and has a bunch of limitations

Initially, I also had the idea that a built-in keyboard would be very useful. but through the years and 4 devices later, I find that simple is best. The keyboard is not that useful, using the stylus with the on-screen keyboard or direct handwriting input is more than adequate.

The Casio device seems similar to other low-cost Chinese dictionaries I have seen, are u sure this will meet your needs in the longer term as you progress with your studies?

[lmcjipo]

You mentioned that a Treo 650 is too expensive. The prices of Treo 650's have dropped since Palm has released their other smartphones.

On another note: Have you considered getting a 2nd hand Treo 600? This is a lot less expensive. In regards to the keyboard, yes the keyboard on both the Treo 600 and the Treo 650 are small but you will quickly get used to it.

I was a previous owner of a Treo 600 and liked it so much that when it came time to upgrade, I upgraded to a Treo 650.