Salton EP1 ePods Handheld Computer

• Compact and light Internet appliance, about the size of a magazine
• Simple to set up--just plug in power cord and hook up to phone jack
• 640 x 480 LCD touch screen controlled by stylus; also includes onscreen keyboard
• Easy-to-use, customized Internet content; service comes with 5 e-mail accounts
• Requires ePods $24.99 monthly Internet service; see Product Description for details

The ePods-1 is highly recommended as a versatile device. While it comes dedicated to the ePods service, it should be noted that as a WindowsCE device, it is also capable of much more (including the playing of WindowsCE games). You can surf the net and download some WindowsCE games into it. To save on its limited amount of memory, you can buy a CompactFlash card... and store your programs in that, thus freeing the ePods-1 from one of its several memory limitations. All in all, this is a fine little unit that is easy to hold and easy to carry. Its built-in holder for the stylus is very convenient. A special feature is the on-screen keyboard. Press the keyboard button once, and you have the as-expected little tiny keyboard that you poke with the stylus. But press it again and the screen halfway fills up with a large keyboard that you can actually use two fingers to poke at. If you are a touch-typist, it takes very little time before you are using both index fingers to touch type even those longer missives you love to send to your significant other. It's the fastest, easiest PDA on-screen keyboard I've ever used! The USB ports (there are 2) support use of MS-compatible keyboards right away; I took the unit to a computer store and started plugging in various USB keyboards (they worked!) without the need to load any drivers or fool with anything. As soon as I started typing on the external USB keybard, the letters started appearing on the ePods-1 screen. Very nice! And now, I've gotta get going and put the infamous Solitaire onto the ePods-1...

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Part PDA-part computer, the ePods EP1 is as close to a space-age Etch-A-Sketch as you can get; and the price is right. Supports plenty of standard USB and PCMCIA add-ons and can be easily made to work with internet providers other than the ePods service. Also runs plenty of WindowsCE applications that you can download online. Hope they get more of these in stock soon!

Read Best Reviews of Salton EP1 ePods Handheld Computer Here

I have been searching for a device like this for some time now. The Palm is great but serves as merely an organizer. The websurfing on my Palm 7 is minimal and I can't stand the text-based experience. Although the ePods product is tethered to the wall, the ability to surf the web from any room in my home is remarkable. I never thought I'd be able to browse my recipes from my kitchen.......even while cutting carrots. In a nutshell, this is a must buy!

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I bought three of the units and used them up to a year ago. There is a Windows XP hack for the system that works quite well. The problem was that the Windows CE OS that the system uses is no longer supported, and the web browser is based on IE 5. There is no IE 6 or above for the device, so most websites (today) could not be used.

Does wireless nicely, used it for AOL IM and for a PowerPoint slideshow viewer. Nice system!

In 2009, perhaps it's overzealous to try to connect the ePods to the Internet (what with network encryption), but that's not why I purchased one. I was looking for a lightweight document reader with a big screen, and that's exactly what I got.

The visible screen measures 6 3/4" x 5" (17 x 13 mm). It handles .doc, .rtf, .txt, and .html files, amongst others.

The ePods was originally designed with a proprietary Internet service, but it's easy to bypass the logon requirements. Select the username field and type ctrl-31415.

Don't expect the USB ports to work with a flash drive. I purchased a compact flash card and a USB compact flash card reader, and it's a breeze to transfer files from my laptop to the ePods and back.

Standard USB keyboards work without additional drivers, but I'm content with the on-screen keyboard and stylus. If the battery is in good condition, as mine is, one can get five hours or more of continuous use between charges.