Customer Reviews

Casio Cassiopeia PV-S400Plus Pocket Viewer

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I always tell people that if this ever falls out of my pocket, I'd have to call my wife for directions to get home. This little thing keeps me organized! All of my appointments are in here, and if they aren't then I'm in trouble. It is easy to use, and holds up to 10,000 items (4 mgs of memory). The unit is backlit, and the indiglo light will stay on for up to 30 seconds. I thought that it would take some getting used to become comfortable using the stylus to peck and poke away at the letters and numbers, but it was easy to learn, and you can actually use your fingers if you have to.

The PV400 Plus also has a memo pad, an address list, a calendar for the next 200 years (should one live that long), and a couple of solitaire card games. But for those who are looking for more perks such as email, mp3 download capability, and a color screen, you won't find it here. You'll have to get a Palm Pilot or a Sony. But if all you need is an easy way to organize your life, this unit will suffice.

The only negative thing I would point out about the PV400 Plus is that it seems easy for dirt or dust to get underneath the LCD display. There is one prominent piece of dust right in the middle of mine, and I always feel tempted to want to wipe it off and I have to remind myself that I can't because it is embedded inside the glass. You'll want to keep your PV400 plus under its plastic cover whenever you are not using it.

If you are like me, and basically just need to be better organized without having all the fancy "web-surfing, camera connecting, etc" capabilities of the more expensive organizers out there, then the Casio PV-S400 Plus is a sure thing for you!
This little sleek & stylish organizer comes with most everything you will need! And if you feel like you need to add in a few things to expand, then you can easily do so by downloading free software available on the internet and uploading it to your unit! It's as easy as that! It comes with a nice, very bright backlight to access information in total darkness, and the overall ease of use is quite good. The PC-Sync software is adequate and makes it easy to transfer information from your PC to the unit. The only draw back is that it's 4MB of memory are not expandable. If you are a first time buyer looking for an inexpensive pocket organizer, I recommend this one. It's a great buy!!

I recently bought this PDA by Casio and was very impressed by several things about it. First, the built in applications are easy to use. And you have a choice of how you access them. Either tap on them from the main onscreen menu or select them on the menu bar right below the screen.Secondly, the PDA itself is easy to learn how to use. The "On" switch is clearly visible. It's big, blue and in the center where you can't miss it. The arrow buttons are on either side of it. Another well thought out part of the PDA's design.I would have preferred the "On" switch also be the "Off" switch as well. Instead, the "Off" control is located above it and to the left near the backlight key. Very odd considering most PDAs have an on/off button instead of seperate On and Off buttons. Fortunately, the PV-S400 Plus switches itself off after one minute if you don't do anything. This makes the seperate On and Off buttons no problem at all.Thirdly, the PV-S400 Plus has a very useful notetaking application built in. If you merely want to jot down a phone number or someone's name and number, you can just write it on the screen. This not meant for long notes or directions to someone's home or office. Just the sort of scribbled note you'd use a cocktail napkin for. When you're done, tap the "Save" button and it's stored away safely.You don't even have to spend time closing the file or exiting the application if you don't have time for all that. Just wait 2-3 seconds for the PV-S400 Plus to save the note and then you can turn it off.By the way, if the beeping sound the PV-S400 Plus makes every time you tap on the screen gets on your nerves, you can switch that off too. This is VERY helpful if you are working somewhere quiet like a library. That constant beeping sound can be extremely distracting to other people.All you have to do is switch off the beeping sound before you enter the library and then switch it back on after you leave. This also takes only a few seconds to accomplish.One thing that I was pleased to discover is that the PV-S400 Plus is ready to go as soon as you put in fresh batteries. Even though it comes with a docking cradle and a CD-ROM with extra software, you don't have to use them if you don't want to. It's your choice. I do just fine with the basic built in applications.The last thing I'll mention about the PV-S400 Plus is how light it is. It makes other similar PDAs seem heavy by comparison. Also, the clip on lid is useful for keeping the dust off the screen. It's not on a hinge so you don't have to worry about leaving it on or taking it off. It attaches and reattaches easily.All in all, the Casio PV-S400 Plus is a very useful little PDA if all you need is something to jot down notes and a few other basic functions. It's easy to use, very light, doesn't cost too much and is well designed in general. I strongly recommend it.

I've had the Casio Cassiopeia Pocket Viewer for some time now and have found it to be a PDA worthy of rivaling any Royal brand organizer and can surpass any Sharp or other brand name organizer (under $100) I've seen out in the market. Among its many features, includes a calendar, scheduler (complete with To-do list, reminders, appointments, etc.), expense manager (which can calculate expenses by payment or expense type from particular dates), conversion calc, two games, and memo. In addition, it includes a Quick Memo feature which enables you to simply write out what you need to remember. You can also create a screensaver which briefly appears every time you turn on the Pocket Viewer from this feature. I especially like the great backlighting on this PDA. Also, I enjoy the Pocket Sheet feature which enables you to create your own mini spreadsheets. I've found it particularly useful for keeping track of class and textbook reading assignments. Apparently, you can also download Excel documents from your PC into your Pocket Viewer and vice versa, although I haven't tried it myself yet. You can also download other documents (games, etc.) from the Casio website by installing the free software that comes with your Pocket Viewer onto your PC. So overall, I'd say this PDA is great for anyone who wants the feel of a PDA (this PDA is actually more slimmer and easy to take along with you than most regular PDAs I've seen)--that is easy to use and has some good features on it-- without having to spend $100s of bucks for.

I've recently upgraded to the PVS400 Plus from earlier inexpensive PDA's and I'm thrilled with it! It's not as heavy as Palms, looks just as sleek and is the best PDA ever...

It includes all the basic functions... multiple contact lists (personal, business, etc.), great calendar functions (one time events up through yearly birthdays - all with optional alarm functions, which activate even when PDA is off!), memo areas (one where I keep passwords, medical info, emergency info and the other which is free-hand to take down quick notes, phone numbers, etc.) expense area (not used - can't comment), games (2), calculators, and a super large screen which avoids need to "wrap around" and scroll down to read... all of which can be password protected!

I purchased mine for $50, including cradle and set-up disc. For those who have Outlook Express (OE) which you can't sync with, (unlike the real "upgraded" Outlook), it's great that Casio has it's own operating system (OS). I couldn't tell you how many PDA's (4 at last count!) I purchased, and returned, because I couldn't sync w/OE and/or OS's weren't included.

This is a great gift... update family info on PC program and download into various PDA's and voila! Great for students of any age, kids finally moving out... they'll all have current contact info, birthdays, medical info, etc. at their fingertips, and with individual docking cradles, they can update as needed.

I could go on and on... I even talked my Dad into buying one and he loves it!

If you're not looking for email, camera functions, etc., this is the PDA for you! For $50 you can't go wrong... trust me!

This is a basic organizer. You can't call Aunt Sally, take pictures of your "oh-so-cute" baby, surf the internet, open your garage door or a can of dog food with this unit. If that's what you expect, look elsewhere. I wanted a simple, small organizer that would let me keep a list of contacts, schedule, memos, and some other basics. I wanted the Xircom Rex, but it's not made anymore, and I wasn't about to pay exorbiant prices for a discontinued unit. So, I arrived here. Not bad. It's a bit larger than I would have liked, the screen cover is a little flimsy, but once again, for the price, it's exactly what I wanted and not anything more.

Overall, I find the PV-S400Plus to be a very solid product. I tend to be fairly rough on electronics and other delicate products, and haven't managed to break this after 2 months of hard use. I only find one or two real problems with it.

One is the lack of built in handwriting recognition. Even the 2MB models from Palm have this feature. However, there are software programs (PVMerlin) that are available for download and install that will do this for you.

Which brings up the other problem. Adding software to this Pocket Viewer is, so far, a task I wouldn't put on anyone but a very computer literate person. Any software I have had to add to my PV I have had to practically re-write so that it could be installed without any problems. Using SDKs (Software Development Kits) is generally confusing, so I don't recommend using them to anyone who doesn't know computers well.

However, I am sure that as this model becomes more popular, more programs will be written for it by original programmers, which will make things easier on us all.

If you're looking for an inexpensive PDA to help organize your life, and don't need things like full color screens and wireless e-mail, look no further. I wanted a something to help keep me organized, but didn't want to spend hundreds on a bunch of high-tech toys I didn't need. The Cassiopeia PV-S400Plus Pocket Viewer is simple to use and a great value for the money. I read some reviews here complaining of it using up batteries quickly. I don't know where they're getting that. I bought one of these seven months ago and haven't had to change the batteries once. Highly recommended to anyone who needs an inexpensive, no bells and whistles organizer.

The answer is yes. The CASIO PV-S400 Plus is a serious business tool with some games thrown in to help maintain your sanity. Over all it has been easy to use and increasingly more and more useful. It just seems like there is always one more use or piece of data it can maintain. In regular use both the PDA and the desktop application are used. The PDA provides the instant access to either retrieve or save data, and the desktop application makes it easy to make updates.

The screen is very easy to see and has adjustable contrast. In normal and even poor lighting the backlight is not needed. It is a little taller than some of the other PDAs so either get a case specifically made for it, or try it out before you buy one for it to make sure it fits. The slightest touch can turn on the PDA so it is good to keep the cover on. When using the PDA the cover can be snapped onto the back for temporary storage. The connection to the computer, being serial instead of USB, is dated but works very well, and synchronizations take less than a minute.

On the desktop side there are three applications, Harmony, Pocket Sheet Sync, and PC Sync. Harmony is used to Synchronize Outlook Contacts, Schedule, and To Do. Pocket Sheet Sync synchronizes spreadsheets with Excel. PC Sync lets you manipulate all the applications except Pocket Sheet. With PC Sync you can do all the data entry easily on the desktop system, transfer it over to the PV-S400, and then save a backup copy to disk.

The built in applications are Pocket Sheet, Scheduler, Contacts, Memo, Expense, Quick-Memo, PC Sync, Secret, Conversion, and Game.

Pocket Sheet - Is a basic spreadsheet program. I am just a basic Excel user and so can not comment on its limitations, but it does do everything I need plus a lot of functions I never have used.

Scheduler  It can be viewed as a one, two, or three month view, or weekly and daily views are also available. Things can be added as schedule for a one time event with alarm, and note or as a reminder. Reminders have the option of being repeated every day, week, monthly on either a specific date or day, and yearly on a specific date or day. The alarm is soft and unobtrusive, shutting off after about 15 seconds, which is perfect for me.

Contacts  Contacts can be listed by Latest Calls, All, Business, and Personal. The available fields are Name, Phone (H), Fax (H), Mobile, Address (H), E-mail, Company, Phone (B), Fax (B), Position, Department, Address (B), and Note. The Note field can contain 1,890 characters counting spaces. There is a drop down menu for selecting the particular list you want and the alphabet at the bottom for quick selections. It does lack a search function.

Memo- Memos are good for To Do lists, notes, urls, details on your cars or whatever else. A memo is able to accept 1,953 characters.

Expense  Track expenses by day, amount, type of payment (cash, check, credit ), type of expense (mileage, fuel, parking, taxi, meals, phone, entertainment, hotel, misc.), and then a field for a note. Data can be viewed by Payment type, Expense type, or description.

Quick-Memo  This is a free style note pad then lets you write and draw. Just like everything else it can be synchronized and saved to the desktop system.

PC Sync  It is there but dont know why, since it is easier to do it from the Desktop PC Sync application. To synchronize plug the PDA into the cradle, then click the synchronize button. The PDA will automatically power up and synchronize. Then touch the Off button on the PDA and tilt it forward in the cradle to easily lift it out.

Secrete  This sets up a password protected secrete area in the PDA. Data can be added to this area and then only accessed by entering the password.

Conversion  A money conversion application, displaying any three currencies at a time from the list. The list is US, DEM, FRF, ITL, ESP, NLG, BEF, PTE, ATS, FIM, IEP, LUF, GRD.

Game  Mine only came with two different solitaire games.

They now come with more bundled software such as calculators, and more games.

For more information on them check out:
[web sites]

To verify the character counts a document was copied into the desktop application PC Sync that would fill the particular field. It was then synchronized to verify it would all show up in the PDA. Then from PC Sync it was copied into Microsoft Word to get the character count.

It may only be black and white and lacks many "wow! cool!" feactures. But if all you need is an appointment calendar and phone book, the PV-S400+ is what you need at a reasonable price.

Plus, if you have Outlook (not Outlook Express) on your PC, the PV-S400+ can synchronize calendars and address books through the cradle which connects to your PC serial port.