PDA/handheld that can do CAD?

[Joerg]

Joel Kolstad wrote:

"Robert" <Robert@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:GnJkh.4450$w91.804@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...

You also might keep an eye on:
http://www.tiqit.com/faq.shtml


Neat idea, but the 256MB RAM and 640x480 seem like significant limitations in
my mind. Not that it would help Joerg any, but I suspect that a Windows
Mobile PDA with a 640x480 is actually more productive than the Tiqit because
the Win Mobile applications would have been written with the lower screen
resolution in mind (heck, most PDAs are only 320x240 or even 240x240) whereas
regular Windows apps typically would assume a 1024x768 or higher resolution.

Problem is that almost none of the stuff written for engineers comes in
Win Mobile. BTW, I am happily doing CAD and all other work at 800*600.

It could make a pretty nice Linux tablet though... something like GNU Radio
might run pretty well on it (although even there, GNU Radio's most popular
bit of hardware seems to be the USRP which is USB 2.0 only at this point).

That's a rather expensive kind of radio. I prefer our $150 Siemens world
receiver for that

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

 

[Joel Kolstad]

"Joerg" <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message
news:%wUkh.10177$ZT3.2454@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com...

Problem is that almost none of the stuff written for engineers comes in Win
Mobile. BTW, I am happily doing CAD and all other work at 800*600.

With the right software it's OK, although I still prefer about 1600x1200 or
better. On my laptop (1280x800) I've spent time with each program,
turning off unneeded menus, rearranging the control buttons, etc. to get the
most usable real estate out of the available pixels.

(I love how IE7 touts one of its new features as "more available space!,"
since -- by default -- the menus at the top of the window take up two lines.
I've had the same result applied to IE6 for years, it's just something you
needed to configure manually rather than being the default... sheesh...)

That's a rather expensive kind of radio. I prefer our $150 Siemens world
receiver for that

You have to think of GNU Radio as more like a low-end development platform;
it's dirt cheap compared to a modern digital spectrum or network analyzer!

I'm one of those suckers who starts to think that, hey, maybe $170 for a
simple AM/FM radio isn't such a bad price (e.g.,
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-7/qid=1167334954/ref=sr_1_7/602-6979365-9338204?ie=UTF8&asin=B0009ZAA42),
if it really does have quality engineering inside.

---Joel

 

[Joerg]

Joel Kolstad wrote:

"Joerg" <notthisjoergsch@removethispacbell.net> wrote in message
news:%wUkh.10177$ZT3.2454@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com...

Problem is that almost none of the stuff written for engineers comes in Win
Mobile. BTW, I am happily doing CAD and all other work at 800*600.


With the right software it's OK, although I still prefer about 1600x1200 or
better. On my laptop (1280x800) I've spent time with each program,
turning off unneeded menus, rearranging the control buttons, etc. to get the
most usable real estate out of the available pixels.

Oh well, I guess I'll drop the handheld idea and order a Twinhead
Durabook this evening. At least those things are really tough, metal
housing and all that. Not this plastics stuff.

(I love how IE7 touts one of its new features as "more available space!,"
since -- by default -- the menus at the top of the window take up two lines.
I've had the same result applied to IE6 for years, it's just something you
needed to configure manually rather than being the default... sheesh...)


That's a rather expensive kind of radio. I prefer our $150 Siemens world
receiver for that


You have to think of GNU Radio as more like a low-end development platform;
it's dirt cheap compared to a modern digital spectrum or network analyzer!

I'm one of those suckers who starts to think that, hey, maybe $170 for a
simple AM/FM radio isn't such a bad price (e.g.,
http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html/sr=1-7/qid=1167334954/ref=sr_1_7/602-6979365-9338204?ie=UTF8&asin=B0009ZAA42),
if it really does have quality engineering inside.

I prefer grampa's ol' tube set. Sounds much better

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com

 

[Richard Kanarek]

Greetings.

This is NOT a recommendation! I just happened to stumble upon
www.givemepower.com, where I noticed an advertisement for what seems
to be a general purpose 2D/3D CAD program that runs on Windows CE
devices. (They also sell versions that run on PCs, so you can spend
every moment of your life, everywhere, drafting!) Perhaps you may wish
to investigate? Or perhaps not. <g>


Cordially,
Richard Kanarek
NOT affiliated with the Power people.

 

[Joerg]

Richard Kanarek wrote:

Greetings.

This is NOT a recommendation! I just happened to stumble upon
www.givemepower.com, where I noticed an advertisement for what seems
to be a general purpose 2D/3D CAD program that runs on Windows CE
devices. (They also sell versions that run on PCs, so you can spend
every moment of your life, everywhere, drafting!) Perhaps you may wish
to investigate? Or perhaps not. <g

Thanks, Richard. It looks like this is more for civil and mechanical
engineers though.

Anyhow, I just gave up on the PDA/handheld idea and ordered another
laptop. This time a ruggedized version (Twinhead Durabook D14RA). So it
hopefully will last a long time in the field. The downside is that these
metal enclosure laptops are heavy. IIRC the one that's coming will be
around 7lbs and this doesn't count the power supply which you normally
have to schlepp along for longer trips.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com