Peppy Little Performer
Written: Oct 24 '04 (Updated Oct 24 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fast, bright screen, colorful graphics, crisp, loud sound through the included speaker, "smart battery."
Cons: Screen seems to scratch easily, limited expansion through the SD slot, less-than-solidly built docking connector.
The Bottom Line: An excellent unit, but get an extended warranty. Also, be prepared to carry that satisfied, yet subtle "Please resist the temptation to stare" look.
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| kengland4's Full Review: ViewSonic V35 Pocket PC |
I bought the V35 for my wife who, after watching "Sum of All Fears," a Bond movie, and "Bourne Identity," finally decided she wanted one for herself. I've owned and operated a Hewlett Packard Jornada 548 pocket pc for 4 years.
We were perusing Fry's, and saw these at a good price. The screen is crisp and bright, much better than my Jornada and in keeping with Viewsonic's reputation for screen technology. Readable in bright outdoor light. Sold.
The unit is quick as the devil, able to easily open several programs at once, including Media Player, with no noticeable slowdown, and gives a reassuring "beep" with each stylus tap. It, by the way, very conveniently slides into the unit itself. The large directional button in the bottom center is useful for games, and the other 4 give rapid access to the Notes, Contacts, Calendar, and Tasks utilities. A record button on the just-aft-of-center left side provides convenient access to the voice recorder function in Notes. There is also a jog dial on the side. Lastly, the power button is somewhat curiously placed on the top-right side, and there is one secure digital slot (SDIO).
I'll never abandon my Jornada, until it's pried out of my cold, dead hands, or it just gives up the ghost. One reason is the well-supported CF-1 slot, providing great expansion capabilities, and my award-winning Stowaway (TM) folding keyboard. It is slower, less bright, and the graphics don't compare, but it's also rugged. These are 2 points where the Viewsonic can't compare.
"The V35 is the smallest, lightest, most powerful PPC in its class." I can't argue with that, but it's also a bit on the delicate side. It comes with a thin leather slip case, but drop this gorgeous baby once (unprotected), and that's "all she wrote," I've dropped my Jornada dozens of times, and never had to have it serviced.
We had to return the first V35 within a week, because it developed "dead pixels"--a patch of the screen that showed nothing but grey pixels. We returned it to Fry's, and were able to get an even exchange. It hasn't been an issue since (about 10 months), but the screen seems to be rather easily scratched.
I'm not certain if this is a quality control issue, or due to my wife constantly "poking" the screen as she's incessantly played Mahjhong throughout her pregnancy (even as we were dealing with a bank teller at Washington Mutual and, yes, I've "chastised" her), but there are 2 spots about 3.5 mm in diameter, one of which has grown thin "tails" like a comet's. They are only really noticeable in certain lighting conditions, or when the unit's off or dimmed, but it's kind of disturbing. On the other hand, the fact that it's survived my wife's "Mahjhong'ing" says something in itself.
The Pocket PC 2002 operating system is adequate, as is the latest version of Active Sync, an evolution of the previous versions, and I do believe the flash memory enables future upgrading. And the maximum security settings allow such cryptic passwords, preventing any access, that it's even foiled me several times--you must use a combination of caps, lower case, and something like at least 8 characters. Sheesh!
The V35 has a "smart battery" function. You can choose "low performance," which extends battery life, auto (which power-saves for you based on your use), or "high performance". I've kept it on "low performance," but just now tried "high"--I was playing a song in Media Player at maximum volume, opened up Peter's Game Box and played "Cannons," and also opened Active Sync and the Inbox, with absolutely no lag, and the zippiest performance I've yet seen from the unit. Amazing.
There are several other things I like about this unit. The microphone works great, and we have the first heartbeats of our baby recorded on it. The display is the best I've seen on a pocket device, with rich colors and high resolution--I've even watched videos on it. The sound through the mono speaker is crisp, and very loud-enough to be heard in a fairly large room-something I can't say for my Jornada. At 3/4 volume, my wife is currently telling me to "turn it down" (Sarah Brightman's "Anytime, Anywhere") as she watches "Saturday Night Live" in the same room (living room). My wife usually goes to sleep listening to Josh Groban's latest songs, after an hour or two of Mahjhong. It also sounds great through a car tape adapter, and I believe it's actually usable for an audio or a/v presentation to however many can get close enough to see the screen. Lastly, it has a 300 Mhz Intel processor and 64MB of RAM, as well as 32MB of ROM and a 5MB "flash disk" for additional storage--an outgrowth of the overseas version which required more space for other languages but is unneeded for that here.
The stylus is a study in design--well-balanced, and it telescopes to almost the height of the unit, yet stores completely inside it. It also has a nice plastic tip that feels a bit rubbery like an eraser when used--very "sure-tipped." I can tap letters on the virtual keyboard very quickly and accurately--seemingly almost as fast as I can type on my Stowaway keyboard. The end also screws off to reveal a "pin" used to press the deeply-recessed reset button on the left side of the unit. Classy!
Now for the bad. It only has a single secure digital slot, which limits expandability. There are SD Wifi cards available, but I hear they are not as powerful or efficient. There is no Stowaway keyboard version (it's brilliant!), or comparable product, for this model. Lastly, the connection for the docking unit is not very sturdy, although the base unit is--one careless shove, and it could likely break off. Not a problem, of course, if one is careful, but you never know...
As I write this review, I'm almost convincing myself to get another for myself, or the V37, which is chunkier, but has a built-in camcorder.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 175.00
Recommended for: Gadget Lovers - Trendy and Hip
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Epinions.com ID:
kengland4
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Member: Kevin England
Location: Signal Hill, CA USA
Reviews written: 98
Trusted by: 40 members
About Me:
HAPPY B'DAY TO ME!BLACK FRIDAY!In lieu of a gift, read & rate a review--comments!
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