Casio Cassiopeia EM-500

If the Rolodex was the ?in? organizer of the 80s, and the day-planer was the sheik thing to have in the 90s, then it would seem that the PDA is the new fad of 2000. Of all the PDA?s that stand out, a few lead the charge into the wireless internet realm. In a world where the Palm VII and IPAQ stand out as the leaders in the field, I was surprised to find that Casio?s <b>Cassiopeia EM500</b> leaves its rivals behind in many aspects. The most important factor in choosing the <b>Cassiopeia EM500</b>, was simply the fact that it was available when it was time to give up my beloved trial version of the Compaq IPAQ. I find it quite funny that I have an old IBM ...  Read the complete review

The EM500 is the latest fix in my years of PDA addiction that started with the Sharp Zaurus and Apple Newton. Since then, I've had HP Omnibooks, Palms, HandSprings and Psions (Revo and 5mx). So you could say I'd know a little about living with these pocket-sized miracles. One thing to consider when buying a PDA - it'll be out of date in 6 months. These things don't tend to have an upgrade path outside of memory expansion. I'm assuming that you know a little about Pocket PC - the latest incarnation of Windows CE - a cut-down version of Windows. Don't believe any salesman who tells you that it is Windows - because it isn't - ...  Read the complete review

I have been a PSION fan for some time now mainly because of its reliability and speed, and powerful tools like the database. Unfortunately my Revo went to heaven recently - faulty battery or something following my 5mx which was stolen) so I decided to try out a palm of sometype (I was thinking about Palm V or IIIc). Having had an MP3 player (Rio) I opted for the Cassiopeia EM500 (Compaq was not available) because of a) the beautiful colour screen b) the great sexy stuff like internet explorer and colour avantgo c)the built in MP3/WMA element. After a few teething problems I must say Microsoft have made an excellent piece of kit that is fairly reliable ...  Read the complete review

Casio's first attempt at the pocket pc, the E-115 was good. It has arguably the best screen of all the pocket pcs. However, it lacked certain key factors. It had no USB syncronisation, which is essential. It also lacked a good design, it was just the E-105 with a different OS. The were key things that were missing. The new EM-500 has these features and more! However, the new EM-500 is the only real rival for compaq's top spot. Firstly, the design has been totally changed. It looks glamourous and eye catching. It's available in several colours, red being my personal favourite. It has a rubber grip where you can err.... grip the device unlike ...  Read the complete review

I've had my Casio for nearly 6 months now, and think it's a great little machine. I moved up from a palm, and although the learning curve was a little steep, it was well worth it. The screen on this handheld is incredible, so rich, but can be hard to read in bright, direct sunlight (although I've used it regularly on the train in sunlight and it was readable). Also the value is very hard to beat, but you should also buy a MMC card with it for storing extra programs and music. The casio can also play video clips as well, which is a great way of impressing people. And the buttons are laid out in a game-boy fashion, so games are really easy to ...  Read the complete review