gps and pda -=> need advise

[boris_pot]

Hi, i'm an agriculture consultant and I will buy a gps system. I want a PDA with a GPS receiver. But, there so much system offer that i'am lost. Here what i need :

- run program like ARCPAD.
- long battery life with gps active
- database management
- i don't want to pay for map and program like street-finder (don't need)
- Not to much expensive.


Thank.

[Dave]

Very tall order!

1. Not sure what ARCPAD is, but if it's PC based, then it won't run on a PDA, it will have to be written and compiled specifically for the PDA you purchase (very unlikely).

2. Long Battery Life is also a no no. The maximum battery life you'll get out of most PDA's is 8 hours, and to be honest, when you're outdoors and have the sun or harsh light glaring on the screen, you need to turn the brightness up. If you do this, your battery power is going to drop very fast. You can turn the backlight off, but you'll have to angle the screen to some light to read it. For outdoor use, you'll need to think about Bluetooth GPS as this won't put much power drain on the PDA, all in all, you'll probably look at around 4-5 hours usage. You can get battery extenders in the form of AA size battery boxes which will give you about 2-3 charges of the Pocket PC and you can use these to extend your time out in the field.

3. Database management is the main thing lacking from Pocket PC's. There's no Access. There are third party applications that look and operate like Access and apparently can open access databases, but it's not something I've ever tried. Remember that most PDA's only have a maximum of 64mb of memory, so you don't want to be doing anything intensive!

4. You can purchase the software/maps you want. You shouldn't be purchasing maps you don't want.

5. Not too expensive ? I guess it depends which country you're in, but for an all in street navigation solution in the UK you're looking at around £600. There are cheaper options, but they tend to skimp on quality.

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