Maybe retiring Palm IIIXE; replacement suggestions welcome

[j0ckser]

[for those responding to discussion please only reference products available IN CANADA. while you may have valuable information about this issue and have USA solutions, I must work within Canada. Please and thank you.]

I have recently acquired a new portable computer that does not have a serial port to sync my trusty Palm IIIXE. i am told i can acquire a serial/USB adapter.

there are 2 parts to my query.

1. the guru (real) at one of my local computer stores advises me that many of the serial/USB adapter cables available on the market do not work very well (he suggests TrippLite). their website doesn't show such a beast, but i seek wisdom from my friends here - in your experience, which adapters do work? (i have seen a thread here about this.)

2. the adapter may be a moot point because this palm is a reconditioned machine that i picked for a song and a dance. it has been extraordinarily reliable, but is at least 6 years old, and when it fails, i will want to replace it. unfortunately palm pilots aren't sold in the usual outlets (staples, future shop, best buy etc). i do not want any of the current craze of whiz-bang phones (iphone, blackberry), just something separate from my phone (which could do the job, but if my phone malfunctions i have nothing).

[holvoetn]

Are you planning on staying with PalmOS or will you consider moving platform ?

If the former, Palm TX could be a viable alternative.
If the latter you need to be more specific on what else you want to do with your PDA

[Hook]

Palm PDAs are no longer being made, so you won't find them in retail outfits. You are going to either have to buy them used, refurbed, open box or new from warehouse (on-line all of these are possible, at least with the TX, the last PDA Palm produced).

I'd recommend looking at what Chris Short has to offer (they are refurbs).

[philpalm]

The laptops no longer sport serial plugs and if you get a usb to serial adaptor you might need a driver/program to allow it to work.

Furthermore you neglected to write if it is an xp or win 7 computer. That would make a huge difference like 32 bit or 16 bit.

Another option is to add an ir adaptor to the usb slot. You can hotsync using the ir port.

[holvoetn]

Another option is to add an ir adaptor to the usb slot. You can hotsync using the ir port.

True but it i s s oo sl oooo wwww ...

[headcronie]

True but it i s s oo sl oooo wwww ...

Considering the IIIxe only has a maxinum of 8mb of RAM, and potentially half of it is used, the sync process wouldn't be that long.

[jigwashere]

I love my old Palm IIIxe! Such fond memories....

You might reconsider getting a "whiz-bang" phone. If there's one that does the trick for you, you would only have to carry and maintain one device instead of two. Keep your current phone as a backup. If the new phone fails, just reactivate the old phone and you're back in business. Check with your carrier to see what options are available.

[j0ckser]

thank you all for your suggestions.

holvoetn - i haven't really thought about switching platforms, so i'll stay with Palm. thank you for the TX idea. I use my Palm for contacts, appointments, memo pad and a couple of games. contacts and appointments i sync to MSOutlook (MSOffice XP [2002]). my new laptop O/S is XP (32 bit) but i have the option of 7.

Hook - i suspected as much (no new available). thank you also for the TX idea. it is unlikely that i will use Chris Short as he is in the US (remember my request for Canadian solution). it isn't so much the exchange rate as it is: customs duties, sales tax, s&h, and last but not least if something goes wrong chasing him across the border will be more trouble than it's worth.

philpalm - your query about laptop O/S answered above, and i did see the post about needing a driver. i have a tech support contract with Dell and i feel confident that they will advise me about getting connected. the idea of IR has potential, but i have tried connection like that and they are slooooow.

jigwashere - whiz-bang phones here in canada are very expensive. the phone might be cheap with a plan, but the plan is very expensive and has way more features than i would ever use.

i suspect i will end up with a new beast as getting an adapter cable only fixes the existing situation, and if my trusty beast expires, then i will have spent money for naught. i will start with the TX.

[philpalm]

thank you all for your suggestions.



i suspect i will end up with a new beast as getting an adapter cable only fixes the existing situation, and if my trusty beast expires, then i will have spent money for naught. i will start with the TX.

Before going to the TX you might want to try a Palm M505 before getting spoiled by high resolution. It is cheaper than the TX, the battery is replaceable and it also uses a SD card. After all a glass digitizer is getting scarce and you would also get spoiled using a larger screen.

A Treo 650 and other Treos have removeable battery which is a plus if you are going to use a Palm device for long periods.

[letank]

I am still using the IIIXE for 8 years now, and I have a USB adapter, that came with the VX that I bought used a few years ago as a back up for the IIIXE. I can hotsync the IIIXE and had to do a complete reinstall after the battery cover and the batteries were knocked out, on a mac with OSX, or a pc with XP, 7 and even Ubuntu 7.04, but 9.04 is getting tempermental after a few back ups. The VX has been put on back burner due to a weak battery.

On a trip that stretched passed the short term, I bought a used E2 to do a IR back up as I did not bring cable nor cradle. The E2 is pretty neat because of screen brightness, more memory and the battery seems to be decent so far. The E2 has the athena cable common to the treo, so you can find third party accessories to power it from various devices.

For Canada you can use the local CL, arrrrgh still a noob and cannot post the complete URL, it is missing the h

ttp://toronto.en.craigslist.ca/

Good luck, and make sure that you get the install CD

Michel