need some advice.... my wife's PDA (HP IPAQ HX2755) went bad - we had a warranty at compusa - because they don't have that model anymore they want to "upgrade" to HP IPAQ HX2790. i compared the two on cnet.com but i wasn't sure about some things: is windows mobile 5.0 premium edition much better than Windows mobile 2003 second edition? the old PDA had installed RAM 128 MB and installed ROM 128MB flash. the new PDA has installed RAM 64 MB and installed ROM 192 MB flash... what does this mean in pda's and is the loss of RAM made up with the gain of ROM? Thanks in advance for any help....
I'm no expert but it looks like the new one with higher ROM will process faster, but it does have less memory for storage. You can solve that buy getting an SD card to expand the memory...SD cards really don't cost much any more if you catch them on sale. You find a 512mb or 1 gb for less than $30 usually. Don't know much about the windows mobile other than that 5.0 is the newer version.
Isnt flash memory for storage and RAM is for running programs? So you would have less memory for programs that run in the background. Comparing WM 5.0 and 2003SE is sort of like comparing Win 2K to Win XP. Both are similar but there are improvements both visual and feature related. Some differences are listed here: http://mobile-qanda.com/forums/3241/ShowPost.aspx
i thought pda's use a combination of ram and rom for running the background programs? any other experts?
ROM is the type of memory that serves as a storage for all files of the operating system and basic applications. It retains its contents without power. RAM is where they operating system keeps the necessary files for it to operate during run-time such as cache, etc...and thats where all the programs store run-time data as well. Just compare it to a computer ... ROM is like your hard drive and RAM well its RAM. I also believe that Windows Mobile has something similar to a page file ... I remember editing the registry in my pocket pc to increase its value which helps to speed up the performance. Note:: The latest system, Windows Mobile 5, will revolutionise the way a Pocket PCs use memory - the RAM will be used only for running applications, everything else, including the system, installed applications, user data and settings will be stored in the FlashROM, which will eliminate problems with flat batteries. Your ROM (storage space for files, programs, etc..) can be increased with the use of an SD Card but you cant increase your RAM unless you somehow open up your PDA and add more memory chips... I support PDA devices in my job and I see too many people who complain that their devices freeze up. Some people have devices with only 32 MB of RAM and with Windows Mobile when you click the X on the program menu to close an app that doesnt really shut it down, it places it in the background and it continues to run and takes up some of your RAM.. Anyways..you can read more about pocket PC memory here (ROM and RAM): http://www.pdagold.com/articles/detail.asp?a=243 I have 64 MB RAM and 128 ROM in my PPC. I wish I had more RAM though because the device lags sometimes. I added a 2 GB storage card so technically youre increasing your ROM....plenty of storage space for files and 3rd party programs
