ViewSonic V36 Pocket PC

• Powerful 300MHz Intel XScale processor
• Incorporated digital camera
• Transfer your e-mail and important office documents from your PC easily and quickly
• Play MP3 files or even read a book with Microsoft Reader for e-books
• 3.5 inches Color LCD

I recently bought the Viewsonic V36 as a Christmas gift. Although this is easily the least expensive PDA at this processor/memory level (Intel 300MHz XScale processor, 64MB RAM, 32MB ROM), it performs extremely well and is very well designed. I originally intended to purchase the HP IPAQ 1945 which has very similar specs to the V36 but was sold on the Viewsonic with the $100 lower price tag (the actual cost is $299 less a $100 mail-in rebate; the HP is $299 with no rebate). The HP 1945 has integrated Bluetooth which the V36 lacks but the V36 has a nice integrated 300KP camera which is not available on the HP (the camera works quite nicely in well-lit conditions and can take both still and moving images). (Note: If you need WiFi capability, there is an optional 802.11b SDIO card available for the V36 for $129 that plugs into the sole SD card expansion port.) Also, the V36 will accept a standard headphone plug for listening to MP3s while the HP requires an adapter for its miniplug. The 3.5" screen is clear and bright and identical in quality to the HP. All other hardware/software specs for the HP 1945 and V36 are identical (well, okay the HP is a half inch shorter and half an ounce lighter but that's not really worth the hundred bucks price difference to me).

Setup of the unit is a breeze (you'll barely need the included manual) and synchronizing the unit with a PC is fast and effortless. Everything you need to get up and running is included in the box (USB adapter cable, power cable, companion CD with MS ActiveSync and MS Outlook 2002, and a carry case). I highly recommend the Viewsonic V36 PDA.

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with a retail price of about $300. and a $100 rebate how could you go wrong?! i have had a pda for as long as i can remember and they just keep getting better. i went from having the original palm pilot to a handspring visor to a jornada 525 pocket pc and now this. in comparison to my old jornada, the v36 is faster, thinner, lighter and has more built-in memory. other features i like are the removeable battery pack (so you can carry a spare) and the stylus has a removeable twist off end piece to reveal a pointed end for those inevitable resets, so no more searching for a paper clip or pen to reset. the camera feature is nice but with today's camera technology in cell phones it could be better. some cell phone camera's have a small flash which would help the viewsonic alot and a better resolution would be nice too (1.0 megapixel would do). once in awhile i used my jornada as an mp3 player and it sucked the battery life out of the pda, maybe a good 2-3 hours before the battery need recharging. the viewsonic battery life does fair better at about 3-4 hours at full power. which bring me to another nice feature, the viewsonic has a "tunable" power setting (full, medium or low). unfortunately, i havent tested battery life at the time of this review at the low setting.

another complaint i have is that i can not use all my compact flash accessories (modem, wireless and expansion memory) from my jornada on the viewsonic (uses mmc/sd type cards), but i can live with it.

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The ViewSonic was a gift. This is my first pocket PC and though there are many more expensive models out there I can't imagine what they would do better. The camera works. It's a little clumsy, but the pictures are fine. I've a digital camera, so the camera is no big deal. Being a writer what mattered to me was the ability to download things I was working on to rework and edit when I was not at my regular computer. This it does beautifully. I can listen to audiobooks. I just bought one that's difficult to read, but easy to listen to. I can do my writing anywhere. I'm not the most orgazized person in the world (which is why this was a gift from my wife) and now I have all my tasks and dates I need to keep track of neatly stored. I also have easy access to any research or notes. It does everything I would want a pocket PC to do. Doing all you want it to do is the best you can get from any product. Oh, and the price is great too.

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Based on the rebates and price drops for this product, it was high on my consideration list. That is, until I picked one up.

The device is VERY plastic-feeling and flimsy. It does not feel solid at all, unlike the Palm Tungsten models or HP models. Many of the store models were banged up and very scratched. My current Palm has been banging around in my purse for two years and has no big scratches. Also of note, the salesperson told me that a high percentage of them were coming back defective. It also only comes with PocketPC 2002, most of the new applications won't work on this device.

The screen is slightly smaller than most PDAs on the market now. It was hard to read in some brighter areas of the store, so I can imagine it would be horrible outside.

It has great features for this price range, including the built in camera. But the resolution leaves MUCH to be desired. The sound is so-so on it without the headphones on, you can't put it up high or it sounds muffled. I was not able to test it with headphones on, so I can't tell you much about volume, etc.

If this is your first PDA, it's a good starting point. I wouldn't expect it to last more than a year or two of moderate use, it just doesn't seem built solidly enough. Keep in mind, that you do get what you pay for with this model. If you're looking to get a pocketpc for just contact management, go with a lower-end model and save some money. If multimedia is your thing skip this and get an ipaq or Clie.

There are many sales and rebates going on now at different sites. Palm Zire 71 for the multimedia capabilities it offers, has some great rebates. Also, windows is offering many on its PocketPC devices. After all, you want a PDA that you can use effectively, not one you worry about breaking or banging up, right?

**edit to add that several months later my two friends that bought this model were both so disapointed at performance that they went and bought different brands/different models!**

If my review was helpful to you please vote for it. If you have any questions you can shoot me an IM at "WinterGetsMe" Thanks!

Don't you love reviews? One guy says he's had problems with his V36. I don't doubt. However, I experienced the same symptoms he described after I loaded software that did not support Pocket PC 2003. Another one says it's too light. Too light? For a Pocket PC? Personally, I think that's impossible. The point is, for the money the V36 is tough to beat. The camera is nice if you need to take a snapshot of a whiteboard or something. Not great. But what you get is a fully functioning, good quality PDA that easily holds it's own for a lot less than the HP's and Tungsten. That's what I was looking for. That is exactly what I got. I'm happy.