- 8 MB RAM, 2 MB flash RAM
- 3 shortcut keys
- Features e-mail, scheduler, memo, address book, expense manager, and a voice recorder
- Stylish color
- 1-year warranty
Negative criticism at the bottom.
I was looking for an inexpensive pda, but a pda that's worth more than it costs. I found the Helio. Palm and Handspring units are way overpriced when compared to the Helio.
I am a student. I use the scheduler to keep track of appointments or important days or activities (the alarm has a tone or a voice recording option). I use a folder under memos to list my courses, in which I keep track of assignments, tests, etc. The to-do list is great for keeping track of things you need to do (it also has an alarm that you can set, but don't have to). If I only have a few seconds to write down an assignment or something I need to remember, then I can record it instead of writing it down (4 button pushes: on, record, stop, off).
It keeps track of expenses, has a phonebook, you can sketch where you put your car or have a friend draw you a map of how to get somewhere, and jot is 1000 times better than any other writing recognition system I've seen. I can actually *write* into it as fast as I can write a note on paper (mistakes are minimal, and mostly result from my habit of rotating the angle of writing).
I have a few clips of music that I recorded for myself. 50 minutes of recording time is nice. Quality is decent (not stereo quality, but that's not necessary from a pda). I got the eReader and a few ebooks. I read "Waiting for Godot" on my Helio. Another useful application I downloaded was a program that has a timer, a stopwatch, an alarm that you can set without putting something in the scheduler (better for a quick reminder for later, like "call sue at 4"), and an analog clock.
Time and date are at the top of the screen. The scrolling buttons at the side are very useful (many palm and visor users have commented on how nice that is over their units). Shortcut buttons to applications are more useful than you can imagine (quick jump from scheduler to memo or search). It shows the time in any time zone with just two clicks.
I put some of my writings on my Helio too. All you have to do is use the Helio Desktop and copy a document into a memo. Sync it, and you have a document in your Helio. It doesn't support font sizes, different fonts, bold, italic, and such (it's basically like Windows Notepad), but I think they're making a new application to do that. Not important to me anyway.
I use my finger sometimes to write sometimes.
What doesn't it have? What don't I like about it?
Well, it doesn't have infrared. At this point, I don't see a need for it, so I don't particularly care. There isn't a huge variety of software. I definitely don't see a "need" for software. They are working on some useful applications, like a map program and an mp3 player. The scheduler isn't the greatest, but no other pda I've seen has one any better.
BTW, most bad reviews are of the old Helio. They fixed those bugs and added a lot of things. Check the date on bad reviews. (new Helio was released around April 2000, I think)
I've used about 40% of my battery power after a week. It *seems* like a lot, but that might be mostly due to the fact that I've been using it very often over the last week. I haven't had any bugs or errors on it or on the software. The battery gauge is a little quirky. It usually shows what it is, but now and then it'll show 100% battery power, which I know isn't true.
The other thing is that I can't find anything to use the accessories slot for. They said something about a keyboard/modem combo for $100, but I can't seem to find it. I don't think it's available yet. The Visor has a camera and the Palm has a few things, like their modem and their keyboards, but those aren't really that useful.
75Mhz is nice, but is it really that useful? On Palms, you wait maybe 2 seconds between applications. On Helio, you wait .2 seconds. It's nice, but for 1.8 seconds, is it really a selling point? Then again, it is useful for the search function... Nicely fast searches when compared with Palm searches (and I searched 700k of documents for a single word, so it's not like I was searching nothing).
Ok, so Helio offers Linux. I like VT-OS. I'm sure almost all people who have the Helio like VT-OS. Do we care about Linux? No. Selling point? No. Some people might, but it's not a selling point for the majority.
Oh yeah, and I'm looking for a nice case. They offer 5 cases that I've seen (comes with one, that I'm using now...it's fine, but I'm looking for something bigger to be a wallet and a pda case), but I don't like those as much. Many companies offer cases, but most of those don't fit the Helio.
Vtech is continually updating their operating system (which isn't all for bugs...they added extra options to scheduler and let you configure jot and stuff like that...they also let applications use greyscale), they're working on more applications, and they're trying to give users options as far as applications for the Helio and syncing software.
Buy VTech Helio Handheld PDA (Translucent Blue) Now
The Helio performs just as good as the other brands out on the market. The 8MB of ram and all the options this device performs is fantastic for the 169 price tag. To top it off, it even has a built in 30 minute digital voice recorder. The ease of use is incredible. I had a few questions and contacted vtech support and got immediate assistance both via email and phone. Great support after the sale and ease of use of the product all packaged for only 169 is a great deal that won't disapoint you.
Read Best Reviews of VTech Helio Handheld PDA (Translucent Blue) Here
I received the Helio as a gift. I actually started my research on PDAs to get my husband organized but then he truthfully claimed that he'll probably lose it. I kept doing the research anyway because by that time I wanted one for myself. I couldn't decide which one to get. I looked at the Palm M100, Handspring Visor, Casio Cassiopaeia and even the Franklin eBookman and the Helio. My sister made it easy for me by buying the Helio from my Wish List. At first, I was a little disappointed that it was not the Handspring nor the Palm which both came with 2 MB of memory. I even waited for a few days before I opened the box with every intention of returning it and exchanging it for the Franklin eBookman 911 at $229 once it comes out (the prospect of being able to download books, MP3 files and still be organized was just too hard to resist). However, my curiosity got the better of me and I opened the box. Hmmm, it looked nice. Not as sleek as the M100 but it's okay. It came with 2 AAA batteries and a carrying case. I didn't even bother reading the guide and just started playing with the stylus. I was surprised at the ease of operation! The next day I started categorizing our monthly expenses. Sure the categories are limited but I just had to be creative (eg., mortgage payments are under "lodging"). I started keeping track of vacation and sick days taken, even the menu and shopping list for my baby's upcoming baptism. The way I'm going, the 8 mb of memory sure is handy. I even made a voice recording of my baby saying "Da-da" for posterity. "Synching" was very easy and once we connected the USB cable to the right place (it helps!), it worked great! I still have to figure out how to download my e-mail (from Outlook) to my PDA but my life is not THAT hectic and my junk mail can wait until I can access my computer. All in all I think this is a great product. (Thanks, Jenn!) Now, if I can only get my husband organized...
Want VTech Helio Handheld PDA (Translucent Blue) Discount?
After extensive research in the PDA market, I purchased the Helio 3 months ago and I can't be any happier. It comes with a huge 8mb of memory which is hard to find in other PDA's at this price level. Also another big plus is the voice recorder which comes with an amazing avg of 50 mins fo recording time. You can leave voice messages for yourself or even record entire meetings! The screen is also backlit which makes for easy operation in the dark. You can also choose from different colors which sets the helio apart from the boring PDA's out there. Don't let the lack of thrid party software scare you off because first Vtech seems to be working hard to create new software on its site (new progams have been popping up lately such as a program that lets you download websites to the helio). Second, ask yourself if you will realistically be using half of the excessive features found in PDA's twice as expensive? The Helio won't walk your dog for you but this is a great value with exeptional features for anyone who is looking for a basic scheduling, emailing, and organizational features.
I bought the VTECH HELIO PDA based on the comparatively low price for the 8mb storage and the high rating of another AMAZON reviewer. I was terribly disappointed. First, the battery life is 2-3 days with the PDA in the OFF state, i.e. with no use. I tested this by replacing the AAA batteries 3 times with fresh cells. This is unacceptable; I lost data twice when the batteries drained. (This inidcates a poor design in power supply stage of the device.) Secondly, the non-Palm OS is subject to numerous protection fault errors; this plagued me during scheduling operations, causing me to reset the PDA more than a dozen times, losing data each time. This is a case where you get what you pay for; I'm going to get another PalmIIIxe or a Handspring Deluxe to replace the HELIO.
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