Home > Consumer Reviews > ViewSonic V36 Pocket PC

After searching through endless PDA "closeout" models and suffering sticker shock looking at the so-called "new" replacements, I came to the conclusion that the Viewsonic V-36 had and still has the most useable features for the money. The HP models have clearer, easier to read graphics displays but cost far too much. The Sonys are even more overpriced. Look carefully, review the included features and price any accessories you might want (especially with the sonys)and after actually trying each model, you will find that the V-36 is a true "best buy"...

I am a computer geek. I admit it, and I am a previous Black-and-White Handspring Visor Edge owner, and a Sony Clie NR70 (color). If you are looking, I would advise you not to buy SONY (overpriced, only compatible with SONY Software & SONY Memory Sticks, does not work easily with "Non-SONY" software... (trust me - been there, done that). Especially if you use WINDOWS XP. It is very hard to sync your palm. I have many times had to re-download drivers, new versions of PALM Software, and many times even uninstall and reinstall the hardware every time I would synchronize with my brand new WINDOWS XP computer (more or less 15-30 setup time to get my computer to recognize my palm). However it's not that bad for WINDOWS 98 users - 5 minutes at most. I've been researching, (I mean long hours researching) for the perfect PDA. Researched Dell, HP/Compaq, Palm (extensively), even e-bay to compare prices. After all my research I finally came upon a winner! The new ViewSonic V36. In the time that it normally takes me just to get my palm to start synchronizing, I had opened the Amazon.com box, installed software (Microsoft Activesync (one-time install, less than 5 minutes) synchronized it, and installed some programs and even some mp3's (really fast) all before school! I also love the way the device hierarchy (arrangement of folders)is set up, just like my WINDOWS XP Computer (example: My Device; My Documents, Programs, Windows, etc.) Its synchronization is extremely fast, and because it runs WINDOWS MOBILE POCKET PC 2003 edition, I synchronize with doing anything! (not even installing drivers). With its combination of MP3/WAV player, Digital Camera, Personal Organizer, Student Planner, Voice Recorder,
64 MB of memory, best bang for buck, and much more, it truly is the best Plug-and-Play PDA on the market! I'm not joking!

I recently bought the Viewsonic V36 as a Christmas gift. Although this is easily the least expensive PDA at this processor/memory level (Intel 300MHz XScale processor, 64MB RAM, 32MB ROM), it performs extremely well and is very well designed. I originally intended to purchase the HP IPAQ 1945 which has very similar specs to the V36 but was sold on the Viewsonic with the $100 lower price tag (the actual cost is $299 less a $100 mail-in rebate; the HP is $299 with no rebate). The HP 1945 has integrated Bluetooth which the V36 lacks but the V36 has a nice integrated 300KP camera which is not available on the HP (the camera works quite nicely in well-lit conditions and can take both still and moving images). (Note: If you need WiFi capability, there is an optional 802.11b SDIO card available for the V36 for $129 that plugs into the sole SD card expansion port.) Also, the V36 will accept a standard headphone plug for listening to MP3s while the HP requires an adapter for its miniplug. The 3.5" screen is clear and bright and identical in quality to the HP. All other hardware/software specs for the HP 1945 and V36 are identical (well, okay the HP is a half inch shorter and half an ounce lighter but that's not really worth the hundred bucks price difference to me).

Setup of the unit is a breeze (you'll barely need the included manual) and synchronizing the unit with a PC is fast and effortless. Everything you need to get up and running is included in the box (USB adapter cable, power cable, companion CD with MS ActiveSync and MS Outlook 2002, and a carry case). I highly recommend the Viewsonic V36 PDA.

with a retail price of about $300. and a $100 rebate how could you go wrong?! i have had a pda for as long as i can remember and they just keep getting better. i went from having the original palm pilot to a handspring visor to a jornada 525 pocket pc and now this. in comparison to my old jornada, the v36 is faster, thinner, lighter and has more built-in memory. other features i like are the removeable battery pack (so you can carry a spare) and the stylus has a removeable twist off end piece to reveal a pointed end for those inevitable resets, so no more searching for a paper clip or pen to reset. the camera feature is nice but with today's camera technology in cell phones it could be better. some cell phone camera's have a small flash which would help the viewsonic alot and a better resolution would be nice too (1.0 megapixel would do). once in awhile i used my jornada as an mp3 player and it sucked the battery life out of the pda, maybe a good 2-3 hours before the battery need recharging. the viewsonic battery life does fair better at about 3-4 hours at full power. which bring me to another nice feature, the viewsonic has a "tunable" power setting (full, medium or low). unfortunately, i havent tested battery life at the time of this review at the low setting.
another complaint i have is that i can not use all my compact flash accessories (modem, wireless and expansion memory) from my jornada on the viewsonic (uses mmc/sd type cards), but i can live with it.

I went to [a local store]and saw the ViewSonic V36 and the iPaq side by side. I was planning on the iPaq, but the ViewSonic was $100 cheaper, and had the digital camera. With the same specs, except minus integrated WiFi and plus camera, it evened out. It performs well, has a long lasting battery, and is increadibly slim. It also charges quickly. It may not have as crisp a display as the iPaq, but it does its job. Besides, I can't really tell the difference. The camera does appear to be more of an after-thought though. It needs just the right amount of light. In a partially dark room, the whole thing goes black. In a light room, it goes bright white. Even if the camera was excluded, it would still be a better deal then most PDA's. No problems yet. I would give it 4.5, but I need to choose between 4 and 5, so I give it 5.