PDA32 Option Modules Priced

Posted By: Kris Keilhack Tuesday, July 20, 2010 12:21:28 PM

Via his TamsPalm site, Tam Hanna has just chimed in with some brief but noteworthy pricing news for prospective Aceeca PDA32 purchasers. For the first time that I'm aware of, this is the first time that a Palm OS-based device with any sort of mainstream appeal is being offered in custom configurations.

As we reported yesterday, the base price of the PDA32 is $179.99 but a number of significant items remain optional extras; IRDA, 3.5mm stereo output, Bluetooth, and 802.11b/g wi-fi. Aceeca is keeping these extra-cost items optional for their commercial customers while still making them available to a consumer audience by request. The breakdown in the pricing of these optional extras direct from Aceeca is now available and is as follows (note that these are proposed prices and have not been finalized, so they may change as production ramps up):

Here's what we are proposing price wise -
 $179.00 for the basic model – no IRDA or stereo socket
 IRDA (with high power transmit) – add $10
 Stereo socket – add $10.00
 Bluetooth – add $10.00
 Wi-FI – add $20.00

 Please keep in mind these are list prices so we give some discount when customers buy bulk units. Means you are paying $229.00 (save you getting out your calculator) for a full featured unit – which most of our customers will not want.

In Tam's words, this pricing scheme is "innovative yet fair". To further analyze the price of the PDA32 a bit for the average PIC reader, let's take the closest comparable Palm competition, the now-departed Palm TX. Assuming an Aceeca customer is looking for a device as closely comparable to the TX as possible, a loaded PDA32 will ring up at $229.00. With this price, the PDA32 should handily trump the TX in IR strength, battery capacity, wi-fi connectivity, and CPU performance. However, it's important to keep in mind that the TX debuted for $299.99 in October of 2005 with a drastically thinner formfactor, more user-accessible storage, a smaller battery, and less durable construction.

The TX also contained an assortment of bundled software such as Documents To Go and Pocket Tunes that does tip the value equation a bit in its favor. Of course, finding a new leftover TX for $299 is now impossible, as the handful still available online from less-than-reputable retailers range from $329 to $435. Any additional comparisons between the two devices will have to wait until performance and test results for the PDA32 have been posted.

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fail

Gekko @ 7/20/2010 12:39:33 PM #

http://www.motorola.com/Business/US-EN/Business+Product+and+Services/Bar+Code+Scanning/Scan-equipped+Mobile+Computers?pMotViewAll=1

RE: fail

LiveFaith @ 7/21/2010 10:12:55 PM #

I was at a merchandise show and two different vendors were slamming through orders using Handspring Visors with scanners in the expansion module. Was working for them, so I guess there's a niche for the PDA32. But consumers. Why?
Pat Horne

Aceeca add-ons not modular

BaalthazaaR @ 7/22/2010 7:01:48 AM #

Looks like you cannot buy an add-on later and pop it in.

http://tamspalm.tamoggemon.com/2010/07/22/aceeca-pda32-add-ons-not-modular/

iPod Touch Instead

SFO_TXUSR @ 7/23/2010 8:29:02 AM #

I had a Palm TX and kept it until the digitizer made it impossible to use. I now have an iPod Touch 32-gig, which comes with WiFi, 3.5mm stereo socket, Bluetooth, but not IRDA. I have added Pocket Informant which syncs with Outlook calendar/tasks ($5.99), Notes+ for Outlook Memo ($1.99), and Pocket Money that syncs with Quicken ($5.99) and of course iTunes. Everything works as good as my old TX (and in some ways better). So I am not sure if PDA32 would be worth the investment in old technology.

RE: iPod Touch Instead

richf @ 7/23/2010 9:43:52 AM #

This does make a lot of sense. I like this better than getting the PDA32. Think I'll check the Touch at Walmart this weekend. But I still will not be able to use the 2gb card of apps for the Palm. Decisions are a way of life. I guess you can jailbreak the Touch and use that Palm emulator. That seems like a pita to me.
Have a nice day!
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->Pilot Pro->IIIe->IIIc->M500->M505->M515->TC->T3->T5->Treo 650P->Treo 700P->Droid>Pre Plus

RE: iPod Touch Instead

rpa @ 7/23/2010 11:15:57 AM #

SFO: did you consider Missing Sync? Mt wife gave me an iPod Touch as well....nice little device but I am still using a Centro for most tasks except wifi. Chapura (Pocket Mirror) indicates iPhone/iPod compatibility also.

RE: iPod Touch Instead

SFO_TXUSR @ 7/23/2010 3:19:42 PM #

I actually used Missing Sync for a while. But Pocket Informant does a better job of integrating tasks with the calendar, allowing you to look at appointments and tasks on the same date in various modes. Plus color coding carries over from Outlook.

RE: iPod Touch Instead

LiveFaith @ 7/23/2010 11:10:42 PM #

Touch. What a great device! The very thing Palm should have had on the market years before. Instead they wowed us with the Tungsten T5 as the wheels came off the company.

What I wonder is why Apple has not upgraded this device in years? Just bringing it up to iPhone GS speed with camera, mic, BT, etc Earpiece and proc would be phenominal. Are they being carrier hamstrung due to fear that this thing with VOIP would turn the system on it's head?

Looks like an opportunity for Palm. Errr HP.
Pat Horne

RE: iPod Touch Instead

Gekko @ 7/24/2010 4:49:07 AM #

Reverend -

1. HP/Palm doesn't have the ecosystem and probably never will.
2. iPhones are cannibalizing iPods and that trend continues. most people want an all-in-one device - and even more so when they are the same size.
3. iPhones are much, much more profitable for Apple than are iPods - especially when you factor in the recurring revenue streams from the carriers like AT&T. why should Apple try to F that up?
4. step out of 1999.

RE: iPod Touch Instead

SFO_TXUSR @ 7/24/2010 11:07:03 AM #

I, for one, really like having a PDA AND a cellphone, and I know quite a few others who feel the same way. That is why I continued to use a Palm TX, until recently, and then switch over to the iPod Touch.

According to a couple of Apple related message boards, Apple is about to announcement the 4th generation iPod Touch based on the iPhone 4. So obviously Apple feels there is still a market for non-cell phone devices.

RE: iPod Touch Instead

hkklife @ 7/24/2010 12:10:19 PM #

Pat;

Apple refreshes the iPod line every September or so. Just last year they released the 32GB & 64GB iPod Touches that were based on the 3GS innards (faster CPU/GPU etc). The 16GB Touch went bye-bye with the 8GB Touch remaining but still based around iPhone 3G specs.

I have a feeling they will intro a 16GB 3GS-based Touch this fall at the critical $199 pricepoint and bump the 32GB & 64GB versions up to iPhone 4 specs. Whether they follow the iPhone 4's cosmetics is another matter entirely. I also think we will see the tragic EOL of the HDD-based iPod Classic...which IMHO is the only iPod worth bothering with.
Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro

RE: iPod Touch Instead

hkklife @ 7/24/2010 12:15:34 PM #

Also, Samsung appears to be readying an Android Galaxy Touch PDA spin-off (ie a smartphone without the phone) running Android. This could be an interesting little device indeed. I fondled a Galaxy on AT&T (Vibrant) the other day and the SAMOLED screen was just absolutely stunning. Probably the best screen I've ever seen on a portable device. 4" might be the best compromise between size & pocketability. It was fast & thin too, but the casing felt a little cheap.

http://www.androidguys.com/2010/06/17/rumor-samsungs-ypmb2-called-galaxy-touch/

Pilot 1000->Pilot 5000->PalmPilot Pro->IIIe->Vx->m505->T|T->T|T2->T|C->T|T3->T|T5->Zodiac 2->TX->Verizon Treo 700P->Verizon Treo 755p->Verizon Moto Droid + Verizon Palm Centro

RE: iPod Touch Instead

SFO_TXUSR @ 7/26/2010 8:58:21 AM #

One more point about the PDA32, if you are running Windows 7 64-bit on your computer, then you have to purchase the Bluetooth adapter in order to sync. Syncing with a USB cable with 64-bit apps disappeared with the arrival of Windows Vista.