Customer Reviews

Philips Nino 319 Windows Organizer

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

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.

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!

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.

I am consultant in IT industry. Running around, meeting clients...etc are my job. And NINO 319 really helps. And I use Microsoft products. Therefore Windows CE is the only platform I want to invest, coz I don't want any trouble to use with my MS software. And I am glad I did make this decision.

NINO 319 is good, with the 19.2kbps modem is even the best value of all time in PDA even Palm V. And the only thing I bought extra for this cool thing is an extra cradle at work and a 64MB Compact flash memory for future expansion.

Installation of new programs is easy as 1-2-3. The new ActiveSync 3.0 helps alot. But be sure you download the latest NINO software service release first from NINO website. Before upgrading it.

One last tips : go to pda.tucows.com/wince/index.html for best free/shareware for Windows CE. My recommendation are the Shanghai and Pocket Chess. :)

I am rather happy with this purchase which I bought a few months ago. I had the palm 111, and although the size was smaller, the functionality of Win Ce was excellent and much better. I had no problems whatsoever with setting it up with my computer and file transfer between outlook was excellent, and reasonably fast! When looking at all the pro's and con's I am very happy with this machine and I recommend it to anybody who lives a busy lifestyle and requires a PDA to make your life easier.

I had my nino for about 4month.. All my friends and co-workes have PALM V but I decided to go nino because it was a WinCe based. I like most of functions and it sync with outlook pretty good over serial or infrared. Except it little too big compare to PALM V. I cannot really carry around inside my pocket. But what can I complain. It surve the purpose and I am using daily..

I always loose notes, notebooks, and forget things. The Nino has helped me organize things. Even at its retail price of $300 it is a great buy. Compared with other PDA products it comes with 8mb compared with 2mb for others. Given that I don't add any new apps into the system, and the applications use part of the 8mb as work space I still end up with 5-6mb for my notes, contacts, schedules etc. Windows CE is also slower but its much more configurable, and a few extra seconds wait is tolerable. Out of the box it comes with in addition to the usual docking station the ff: voice recorder, modem, rechargeable batteries, and voice recognition software! And at $179, for just an extra $79 its got the low end PDA $100 and under beat by a long shot. And compared to the $300 variety its still way ahead. Would have gotten a 5 star except it is a bit bigger than other palm products. But the bigger size is worth the extra power!

Its basically OK.
Its fast enough but since it comes with Windows CE 2.2 (outdated) and only a small memory and expansion slot, its not comparable to the big names in hand-held technology.
I think Phillips abandoned it too early and i'm not sure how to get support, but with a modem and wireless phone, this could be used by average businessman to send and receive e-mail.
It has a neat organizer and NoteTaker, Calendar and really well done handwriting program which is precise and quick. The lack of support and small memory and expansion card that's incompatible with today's flash cards, makes this product only marginally useful. For the price maybe not so great. ...
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I bought my Nino in December at an incredible price, two monthslater I can say that this machine is great, I use everywhere, inmeetings, courses, in my office, etc. Before my purchase I studiedall my options, a Palm was a good one but the Window CE is better than the Palm OS.

All that I need is in my hand

If you are one those that jumped into the handheld computer market between 1996 to 1997 and bought one of the first handheld computers, they have came a long way. My first handheld's batteries were always going dead on me, even the backup battery. This Nino comes with rechargable batteries, an AC adapter, and a docking station. As long as you recharge it every night by placing it in the dock, you will have it at 100% each day when you walk out the door. The Nino 319 is the best value for your money today. I checked many places on the net and found prices on the same model in the $300 to $400 range. This little handheld is keeping me organized with its "8 MB" of memory. Plus, I enjoy being able to write quick reminders and other pertinent information in the Notetaker program. This is an impressive handheld computer that will be great for students, executives, and anyone who loves modern technology.