March 30, 2003

Cheap PocketPC

Compare Prices and Read Reviews on Audiovox Maestro PDA1032C Handheld - 32MB Memory at Epinions.com. Remember how I advocated buying a PocketPC rather than an MP3 player like the Apple iPod? Well, I went against my own advise and went with a dedicated MP3 player anyway, deciding on the Archos Jukebox Studio 10. I can't tell you how much use I get out of it now. Although the headphones are a bit uncomfortable, it works well enough for me to listen to music when I'm doing my tissue culture work or my other experiments. One thing I wish I could add to it is a remote of some sort where I can control my selections without using the front panel--something like a wired remote with a tiny dial to choose tracks. I had a cassette adapter to attach to a portable CD player and now use it for this player, so that on my commute to work, I listen to either music or audio books that I've ripped. And because it has 10GB of disk space and can be used as an external hard drive, I store work files for backup on it, i.e. to transport home. Currently I'm contemplating getting a subscription to Audible.com to get the most out of this unit. I ended buying it from CompUSA with a $30 rebate, and so I got it for under $150 after taxes and shipping, not too shabby. You must be wondering what prompted me to write about this after already having gotten this player for a month, even against my own advice? Well, it appears that CompUSA now has a rebate deal for the Audiovox Maestro PocketPC. After the rebate, the final cost is around $150. Not bad for a PocketPC! Even with the below average price, it has all the average specs--compact flash slot, SD/MMC slot, etc. Moreoever, according to a review on epinions.com, the unit is almost exactly the same as the Toshiba Genio e570, which costs $200 more! There's no reason to buy a brand and spend that much more for Toshiba, when you can get the same out of Audiovox. So for those of you who haven't gone out and spent on the standalone MP3 player unit like I have, this is a great alternative! Plus you get a PocketPC to play around with and use for fun things like war walking/driving. Alas, since I bought my new laptop and have a portability with that system, I have no real need for this Audiovox (other than as a "toy" to play around with). I do suggest that if you decide to get this unit, do it soon, as CompUSA has a tendency to sell out quickly (or so they say). Good luck! And if you get the PDA, please let me know how it's working out for you.

Posted by johnvu at March 30, 2003 05:18 PM
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