Hardware

We often receive e-mails from prospective customers who are interested in buying a handheld or smartphone primarily to run our software and want to know which particular type/model would work best. What follows is our attempt to answer that question - scroll down to the "Suggested Models" section if you just want the names of some Pleco-compatible handhelds.

Feel free to contact us if you have any more questions after reading this page. Our discussion forums have a whole area devoted to hardware-related issues, so you can also take a look at those to find out what Pleco users are saying about the latest handheld models.

This page only covers the Palm OS and Windows Mobile version of Pleco, but Pleco also works on iPhone and iPod Touch now; see this page for more information on that version.

Which Platform?

Pleco is compatible with both Windows Mobile and Palm OS handhelds; however, since Palm has now discontinued Palm OS, when buying a new handheld we strongly recommend that you purchase one running Windows Mobile. The next major version of Pleco (2.1) may not be released on Palm OS, so Windows Mobile is a lot more future-proof, and even the current version (2.0) tends to run a little faster / more smoothly on Windows Mobile than on Palm OS (though it's certainly still usable on Palm).

For Mac users, Windows Mobile handhelds can be synced with Mac OS using Missing Sync or PocketMac (both of which offer more features than Palm's Mac OS sync software, in fact) - you can also install Pleco to a Windows Mobile handheld using a memory card reader. We include Mac OS installation instructions for Pleco in the instruction manual.

We allow free switches between the Palm OS and Windows Mobile versions of Pleco, so if you purchase a copy of Pleco to use on a Palm and switch to Windows Mobile in the future you won't have to buy the software again (though you may have to upgrade to a newer version if the one you already own is not compatible with your new phone).

Note that some Treo smartphones made by Palm (specifically the 700w, 700wx, 750, 800w, and Pro) actually run Windows Mobile rather than Palm OS, and hence should run Pleco 2.0 (and future versions) as well as any other Windows Mobile device.

Memory Card

Along with your new phone/handheld, you'll also need to purchase a memory expansion card in order to have enough storage space for all of Pleco's data files. A 1 GB card generally won't cost more than US$10 or so, and should be more than adequate for Pleco 2.0.

Which type of card you need depends on which model of phone/handheld you buy - the iPAQs and Palm TX below use regular SD cards (like what you'd find in a digital camera) while most of the HTC models use the smaller microSD cards and the Treos use a mix of SD, Mini SD and microSD.

A few phones (like the HTC Touch Diamond) have a lot of internal memory but no memory expansion card slot; as long as there's at least 1 GB of internal memory (the Touch Diamond has 4 GB) you should be able to install all of Pleco's data files without a memory card.

Also, please note that some handhelds can't deal with cards larger than a certain size; several Palm OS handhelds have trouble with cards larger than 2 GB, as do some older Windows Mobile handhelds, and a few Palms can't even handle more than 1 GB. All of the models listed below should be able to handle 4 GB cards, though, and most can handle even larger ones too.

Suggested Models

Windows Mobile

Smartphones: HTC (Touch Series, Verizon XV6700/XV6800/XV6850/XV6900, AT&T Tilt / FUZE, T-Mobile Wing, Sprint Mogul), Palm Treo Pro / 800w, Samsung Epix / Omnia.

HTC is the biggest name in Windows Mobile smartphones now, and they offer a wide variety of models to choose from. The US-carrier-specific models listed above are all rebrands of a couple of HTC designs; they're very widely used among our customers and should be quite stable for running Pleco. Price is generally around US $200-$300 with a contract (a few sites like Amazon occasionally offer them for free), or US $500-$600 unlocked.

Non-phone Handhelds: HP iPAQ 110 and 210 series.

There aren't a lot of standalone handhelds available anymore, but these two recent models by HP are the best bet among what's out there. The 110 series (also known as the 111, 112, or 114 - the specifications for all four are identical) usually costs around US $300 and the 210 series (211/212/214) around US $400 - the main benefit to the 210 is the larger / higher-resolution screen, which makes it easier to see the details of Chinese characters. Both of these models also include 802.11 WiFi, so you can use them to check e-mail or browse the internet if you're within WiFi coverage, and with a large enough memory card would also make perfectly good MP3 or video players.

Palm OS

Smartphones: Palm Treo 680, Treo 755p, or Centro.

Palm hasn't updated its Palm OS-based phones much lately, but they do tend to be significantly cheaper than their Windows Mobile counterparts, and should run Pleco 2.0 quite well; the Centro is available with a contract for just US $100 and the other models may be almost that cheap if you shop around. In spite of the built-in keyboards, these models all also have touchscreens and therefore can still use Pleco's Chinese character handwriting recognizer.

Non-phone Handhelds: Palm TX.

Generally costs around US $300; the only other widely-available Palm handheld, the Tungsten E2, is a bit cheaper at $200, but it has extremely little cache memory and is not recommended for running Pleco 2.0 (though it would be fine with our older version 1.0). These have nice big screens and are very popular among our customers, and like the iPAQs they support WiFi so you can use them to browse the internet / check e-mail if you're in a WiFi-connected area.

Used Models

Many people are surprised to learn that our software will actually run quite well on a used handheld; in some cases these can be had for well under US $100, so they're an economical way to get started using our products. eBay, Amazon, and other online classified and auction sites are the best place to find used handhelds.

There are dozens of different used Palm OS handhelds available, most of them made by Palm and Sony. The three main features to look for are Palm OS version 5.2 or later, a 320x320 or 320x480 high-resolution screen (not required, but it makes Chinese characters a lot easier to read), and an SD or Memory Stick expansion card slot (needed in order to accommodate PlecoDict's massive data files). Also, if you're using Windows Vista, make sure that the model of Palm you buy is compatible with the Vista version of Palm Desktop (available here) - according to Palm, only the Palm Centro, Treo 650/680/700p/755p, TX, Z22, and Tungsten E2 are compatible, so with any other model, your only way to install Pleco from a Vista system would be with a memory card reader.

For Windows Mobile, the main thing to look for is that the device you're buying has Windows Mobile 2003, Windows Mobile 5, or Windows Mobile 6, and a touchscreen. The Dell Axim X51/X51v seem to be pretty widely available in the used market, and are a fine choice for running both Pleco 1.0 and 2.0; most of HP's iPAQ models will also work.

Note that most used handhelds come with little or no warranty support, so try to purchase one from a seller with a generous return policy and be prepared for the possibility that they could stop working after a while. If the cost of a handheld represents a serious investment for you, it would probably be best to purchase a new model so that you'll be covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

Some of the new models discussed above may also be available used at a substantial discount over their retail price, though the same warranty concerns apply.

PlecoDict 1.0 will run on considerably older / cheaper Palm OS hardware than 2.0, so if you're really looking to save money you could consider buying that and upgrading to 2.0 (and a 2.0-compatible handheld/smartphone) later on.