Review: NEC Mobilepro 780 Computer PDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

Introduction:

It is hard to define exactly what this is. It has a 92% full size keyboard and a screen that is HVGA resolution. (620x220) It comes with rudimentary PIM applications so you can do addresses, to do lists, appointments, etc. These can sync with your outlook program on your PC.

Do you do windows?

It runs Windows CE 2.11, though the office applications are version 3.01, which is a nice bonus. Many people have not even heard of Windows CE, and most that have don't even like it. I say they haven't given it a fair chance.

Unlike regular windows, like 98 or XP, Windows CE is usually stored on a memory chip and so there is no boot time. You turn on the computer and it is instantly on. The screen comes up and looks something like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Programs included:

The reason I personally was interested in this was as use as a word processor. I admit I had my doubts in the beginning, what with the smaller screen and all. But I have found that this is a very good processor. It comes with a word processor built in, a watered down version of Microsoft Word. (See a screenshot here.) But it can save in .DOC and .RTF formats, which is all I need. It allows fonts and boldface, underlining, italics, colors, etc.

There is a much better word processor called "Textmaker" but that is costly. Last I heard it was like sixty bucks, but that includes a Windows desktop version of the program as well.

It also has versions of Excel, Access, and Powerpoint. I have not tried the Excel and Access, but I do know that the Powerpoint is a viewer only and will not allow editing of presentations. There are a few freeware programs out there that will do this, though.

The Mobilepro has a version of Internet Explorer built into the ROM as well. I am not impressed with this. I don't know if this is the fault of the IE or if I have a parameter set incorrectly. There is no AOL on board, but you can get a version that will run directly from AOL. Unlike the other software, however, this AOL will run $19.95. The good news is you only have to pay it ONCE.

There are a few (very few) wireless LAN cards that will work with the 780. One of them is the Enterasys Networks card, and I use this to logon to AOL high speed at the library.

There is an option to go directly to the internet from the program, but I have not been able to get it to work. However, if I simply run the internet as a separate application, there are no problems. So I can send and receive mail, IM, and surf, all from the Mobilepro 780. I don't even need a heavy laptop anymore.

The780 comes with some software accessories built in. The most useful of these may be the backup program, which allows you to backup a snapshot of your memory to a compact flash card or a PCMCIA memory card. This keeps you from worrying about losing data. Also included are a world time clock, a calculator, and a voice recorder. The 780 allows saving files in .WAV format.

If you don't see what you want here, there are several thousand freeware and shareware programs available for the 780, many of which are better than what is built into the ROM of the unit itself.

Tech specs:

The 780 comes with 32MB RAM, and, to an extent, you can decide how much of that is for memory and how much will be used by the operating system. There are two slots, one is a compact flash slot (I currently have a 20MB card inserted) and the other is a PCMCIA slot, where I use my WLAN card to surf at the library.

If you are homebound, the 780 also has an internal 56k modem which includes FAX capabilities. So you can write in the Word program, then FAX it to someone when you are ready. Good for business.

There is a speaker and a microphone (for recording .WAV files) and both of these have extern al jacks. The speaker is mono only, and the jack is a non standard size. Adaptors are not hard to come by.

Perhaps the nicest thing about the 780 is the touch screen. Though there is a full keyboard, the screen is a touch screen and has a stylus that is housed within the screen itself. There are programs that take advantage of this, such as the inkwriter that comes with the unit, or third party handwriting recogition programs. I have not tried the handwriting, but the inkwriter is very nice.

Just under the screen, close to the right side, is a scroll wheel. This wheel goes up and down only, which limits its use. I would have preferred a joystick, but the wheel is good for reading e-books, and there are several e-book readers available. Some are free, some are not.

On the left side of the unit, there are several ports. One is a small VGA OUT port, which is used with the Powerpoint viewer to give presentations. This port requires a special cable, but the cable comes with the unit. Next to that is the serial port, used to install programs and backup data. This also requires a special cable that is included.

Along the back of the unit is an infra red port.

Final impressions:

All in all, not a bad machine, depending on what you want to do with it. If you are looking to primarily surf, you can, but there are better options out there. The IE doesn't do secure websites, but there is a patch on the web that will allow this. I have not tried it yet.

If you are looking to keep a PIM or to do word processing, this a pretty good deal. There are worse ways to go than with a 780. I especially enjoy writing on it, and in fact I am at the Bedford Library right now, writing this on my 780 proper.

So if you are looking for something portable to write on, this may be for you. Docs can be stored as DOC or RTF, and the CF card makes it very easy to port back and forth between the 780 and desktop computer. You never even have to take the doc off the card, if you have a card reader. (Another nice thing about the 780 is that you can save docs in .PWD format, this allows the use of a password.)

This unit has seen a lot of use since I have gotten it, and it will see a lot more.

Price Paid: $85.00 - eBay

Thomas A. McKean  (Contact Thomas by clicking here.)

The Mobilepro 780 is battery powered, and I am able to over four hours on a charge. Not bad, considering how old this battery must be.