Philips Nino 319 Windows Organizer

by Philips

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3 x 0.8 x 5 inches ; 1.2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00000JCTI
• Item model number: NINO0319
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 4, 1999

Product Description

Nino 319 Personal Companion Palm Size PC

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars great deal for a WinCE palm but not a Palm Pilot 3 killer, November 2, 1999

By 

Michael Engshun (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips Nino 319 Windows Organizer (Office Product)

I've had mine for 3 weeks... and it's tough to decide whether to turn it back in for a Palm III/Handspring Visor Deluxe.

Cost: Hands down, it's Amazon's Nino 319 package $180 for a 4 gray level, 8MB, WinCE 2.x, WITH 19.s modem!!! And it supports voice recordings.

A visor deluxe ($250) with 8MB module ($40) and a modem ($130) runs more than twice the nino. yes the modem is a 33.6, but for emails, who cares? It's not like you're going to be downloading a Quake IV demo on a handheld...

Form factor: slight edge to Palm III. Palm III is slightly shorter and a ounce lighter. the real difference is the width - when held in a hand it's not just the width you are concerned about, it's the width on both sides. the nino ends up feeling much bigger - those with big hands will probably like it.

The buttons on the sides of the Nino are damned annoying. Sorry Philips (and Amazon) but the buttons really belong on the face. Although I would like the voice start/stop button on the upper right-hand corner of the side, like a pocket recorder.

Screen: even. Palm's 160x160 is too granular. Nino's resolution is very satisfactory, but the handrecognition area is WAY too big - i wish you could select an option to reduce it to 66%. Palm's 16 shades of gray outpaces the nino's 4, but I'm having a difficult time noticing it.

Software: mixed. Palm OS has more 3rd party software than WinCE, but the quality programs are few for both platforms. Outlook is better on the WinCE especially with Office 2000. But palm's PIM is somewhat easier to use.

Software/data loading: MS's 3rd version of their software/data loader gets the nod here. Doesn't come with the Nino package, but it's easy enough to find and download. No real complaints about either one.

Handwriting: slight edge to Nino/WinCE. I started on the Palm III and it drove me nuts trying to switch over to the Nino - simply because of the weird way you write with Palm's system. WinCE does support a more natural way to write, but i still dislike their "i" form. The auto-word fill is something I'm trying to get used to on the Nino, and I like it. Palm mised the boat big time for not supporting cut, copy, and paste features - what's up with THAT?! a sw program is available to fix that.

There's more comparisons I can make, but I think it boils down to this: If you need voice and modem capability on a palm-sized PC for less than $250, select Amazon's $180 Nino 319 package. If you just use it for PIM and PC syncing (the $200 option) OR you have $400 to spend for voice and modem capability on a palm-sized PIM machine, go handspring. Of course, $400 also gets you into the Cassiopeia E-105 - but that's another review.

Either way you go, accept the limitations of the machine you buy.

Amazon: what a great deal on this product - many THANKS! Very nice support, BTW.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nino An Excellent PDA, February 28, 2000

By 

Jeff Armstrong (Billings, MT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips Nino 319 Windows Organizer (Office Product)

Nino gives consumers what they want, more for their money! I have had mine now for about a month and find myself using it every single day... it synchs well with my workstation and includes the 19.2 click on modem, something that costs much more as an option on other PDA's. Although phillips is no longer servicing or supporting Nino, their website still has excellent resources available. Tip: Download all the updates, and files for Nino, in case the website is pulled... I recommend this device over Palms of cheaper and more expensive varieties... unless you want a color screen, Nino is a great PDA!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Too bad Philips didn't see it as a winner, February 10, 2000

By 

Gert Beukema (Redondo Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Philips Nino 319 Windows Organizer (Office Product)

I got my Nino more than 18 months ago and I love it. I finally have all my addresses and appointments in one place. I had a change to play with a Palm V a while back and I still am happy I bought a Nino. I would like to see a CE device the size of the Palm, that's why I only gave the Nino 4 stars, but the extra options in the standard programs of the Nino make it a better choice for me. I especially like the huge amount of data fields in the contact database. I just recently started using the modem. It works great, I can check my email now at any phone. Be aware though that Philips stopped producing the Nino and also no longer supports it. I have not had any problems with this, and there is a good user community that you can query with questions.