Advertisement
Promo

Desktop platforms Toolkit

PDA prizefight: Palm OS 5 v Windows Mobile 2003

Rick Broida CNET

Published: 26 Feb 2004

  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendly
  • Post Comment

And the winner is…

Any handheld you buy today is guaranteed to be powerful, practical, and more capable than a mid-'90s desktop system. In many respects, the playing field is level, regardless of which platform you choose.


That said, although Windows Mobile 2003 is the superior operating system when it comes to data entry and multimedia, Palm OS 5 offers easier operation, more third-party software, better desktop compatibility, and a stronger email application (even if it's not standard to the OS). As for Microsoft Office compatibility and core applications, the two operating systems are evenly matched.

In the end, Palm OS is the champ for now. But we're keeping an eye out for Windows Mobile 2004 and the new Palm OS Cobalt (formerly known as Palm OS 6). Maybe a rematch next year?

Next

Previous

1 ... 8 9 10


  • Email
  • Trackback
  • Clip Link
  • Print friendlyPrint with EPSON

Did you find this article useful?
198 out of 412 people found this useful


Full Talkback thread

25 comments

  1. Nice try to award Palm OS 5 as the winner! I disag... JED
  2. First of all, the difficulty you describe in openi... Steve Hall
  3. At a time when PDAs are used for more than just ha... Anonymous
  4. I have used to both the Pocket PC and Palm systems... Anonymous
  5. In using both the pocket PC and Palm for a long ti... Bill Ayers
  6. I used the Palm OS for six years and loved it. I... Paul Alandt
  7. I disagree as well with the direction this article... Anonymous
  8. Actually, they *did* compare the two fairly a... Verne Arase
  9. absolutely agree with the article. being a user of... David T
  10. The PDA market is losing out to smartphones. It wo... shekhar
  11. Given a choice, I will opt for Palm just simply I... Michael Lee
  12. i think pocket pc is better than palm os ,especial... hock lam lee
  13. You seem to be comparing the Pocket PC out of the... Peter Freeth
  14. I notice reading previous comments that opini... Denis
  15. If you want a paper weight, or at least to blow so... James E. Freedle II
  16. I recently purchased a PDA. Before doing doing tha... Nightz
  17. Windows Explorer makes Windows Mobile the winner i... Erik
  18. I was genuinely pleased with my Palm PDA - Sony Cl... Anonymous
  19. Not only does this article not compare like with l... Anon
  20. I think the article is rather good, no favorites a... Marijan Franovic
  21. After looking carefully at current PDAs I bought a... Duncan Corps
  22. Its been 2 years since the day i had my first PDA... strayato hirzaki
  23. And this is not an OS comparison I think. What abo... Michael Elfial
  24. I owned an IPAQ for a year and it was replaced 3 t... Monty Green
  25. hmm i'm stuck, i have had my IPAQ 1940 for ne... Anonymous

New Products

System Center Essentials 2010 Beta 1

System Center Essentials 2010 Beta 1

If you spend more time fighting fires than adding business value through IT, it's time to look at Microsoft's comprehensive management solution for medium-sized businesses.

Chrome OS: a first look

Chrome OS: a first look

Google has released source code for a preliminary version of its Linux-based operating system. Is it destined to dominate the netbook market? Here are our first impressions.

Office 2010 Beta: a first look

Office 2010 Beta: a first look

How does the first public beta of Microsoft's next productivity suite differ from the Technical Preview? We have a hands-on evaluation.

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials

Security Essentials is recommended if you want 'set and forget' security. If you need more robust configuration choices, or don't want to contribute to the cloud, then look elsewhere.

View all Previews

Video icon

Video

Microsoft Windows 7 Special Report Special Report

How Microsoft can make Windows 7 a success

How Microsoft can make Windows 7 a success

Comment Many businesses have given Vista a wide berth; Microsoft must focus on five areas to make sure Windows 7 doesn't suffer the same fate, argues TechRepublic's Jason Hiner

More Special Reports

Win a Creative Zen X-Fi2 player and accessories

Win a Creative Zen X-Fi2 player and accessories

What is ZDNet UK's usual tagline?

Competition closes - 14 Jan 2010

Desktop Management Benchmarking

Test Your Desktop Management Systems

How good are your company's desktop management solutions? How do they compare with those of your peers?

Take two minutes to complete our new Desktop Management and Energy Consumption benchmark, and find out what issues your business needs to focus on.


Skip Sub Navigation Links to CNET Brand Links

Help

Become part of the ZDNet community.

Newsletters