Entered CNET Catalog: 01/20/2003
SKU: 0079767696900
Manufacturer: Casio, Inc.
Manufacturer description
The BE-300 is a 32K color, personal digital assistant (PDA) with an open development framework based on Windows CE 3.0 that has revolutionized the Windows CE environment. The BE-300 Pocket Manager boasts superior expandability, user-friendly controls, and a great price! A powerful and versatile device offers a robust line of business accessories, software and expandability features for both the business professionals and students alike. The BE-300 runs Windows CE 3.0. This operating system features a unique user interface that emphasizes the user, while also offering superior connectivity with Windows PCs all at prices that allow for widespread adoption. The BE-300 Pocket Manager is equipped with a Type II CompactFlash (CF) card slot, enabling it to use memory cards, wireless network cards, LAN cards and Bluetooth cards.Product summary
The good: Color screen; plays MP3s; CompactFlash expansion slot.
The bad: Doesn't include a PC-based PIM; sync software works with only Outlook; small library of third-party applications.
The bottom line: Casio's affordable color PDA is a capable organizer, but it's no match for competing Palm and Handspring PDAs.
Average user rating: from 166 users
3.5 stars
Editors' review
- Editors' Choice: No
- Reviewed on: 10/28/2001
A welcoming start
At 5.6 ounces, the BE-300 is about the same weight and size as the Palm IIIc. The Casio PDA's interface isn't as snazzy as that of Pocket PC 2002, but we liked how simple and straightforward it is. Rather than icons, you get a list of applications showing on the bright, 15-bit color screen, which displays an impressive 32,768 colors.
Double-tap on an application with the stylus, and it launches relatively swiftly, thanks to the handheld's 166MHz processor. As with Palms and Pocket PCs, you can use handwriting recognition or an onscreen virtual keyboard to enter text.
You get the standard suite of PIM applications--calendar, contacts, tasks, notes (including a sketchpad), and a calculator--plus an Internet browser and an e-mail client. However, these applications' interfaces are inelegant; the contact list is especially cluttered with buttons. And while we're griping, the sound to alert you to upcoming appointments is too quiet to really grab your attention.
On a more positive note, the CD-ROM that ships with the BE-300 includes several add-on programs: a file manager, to find files as you would on a Pocket PC; a digital music player--MP3s play back just fine over headphones, which aren't included; a movie player; a photo viewer; and Quick View, which lets you look at files in common formats, such as Word and Excel, but won't let you edit them. We are, however, a little concerned about additional software for this device. Some of the applications written for older Casio devices--the E-100 and E-110, for example--also run on the BE-300, and there's a small but growing library of third-party software for sale. According to Casio, developers need only recompile their existing Windows CE and Pocket PC applications to make them run on the BE-300.
Outlook not included
Though many users have Outlook installed on their computers, Casio doesn't package a desktop PIM for sharing data between the BE-300 and your PC. Palm and Handspring devices come with the Palm Desktop PIM for Mac and Windows and a conduit for syncing up to Microsoft Outlook on the PC. The PC Connect synchronization program that comes with the BE-300 will exchange data with only Outlook (Outlook Express won't do). To sync up, you just drop the BE-300 into the included USB cradle.
The BE-300 stores all programs and data in its 16MB of flash ROM and uses the 16MB of RAM only for running programs. Consequently, unlike most PDAs, the BE-300 won't lose your data if the batteries die. But you'll quickly fill that 16MB of flash memory with basic applications and data, so factor in the cost of a CompactFlash card to take advantage of this PDA's multimedia abilities. There is a CompactFlash Type II slot for adding memory cards, modems, digital cameras, and other devices. Casio claims a four-hour battery life with the display on the lowest brightness setting, which isn't too hot compared to the battery life of the Palm IIIc or the Handspring Visor Prism.
User opinions
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4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
BE-300 User
Pros: I have used the BE-300 for awhile and out of the box it really isn't looking like the PDA you wanted. Years have past though and times change. Now there are different OE (Operating Environments) that can be loaded on the BE-300 allowing it to have more
Cons: Original Specs are very poor because of the original OE known as Casio Top Menu. With an alternative OE installed such as beeV2 you can get it to do more. From playing mp3s, games, even mpeg movies!
Review:
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Hackable and loveable its the Palm-Killer of PPC's!
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Review: If anyone should look around the net a bit the BE now has overclocking(to 200 MHZ), Activesync connection and sync,and a Interface supeiour to the Pocket Pc 2002/3 devices all because of its hackablilty and GooFather's help with a cool forum and people ready to help you its got a better third-party support than Casio has and they made this device! Note: WinCE.net is not reconomed for www.expod.net has a simpler way of adding more for less (free for alot or DONATE not a fixed fee it could be $100's to $5.00) all going to support furterBE devlopment. Plus Hardware mods and or addons are also covered here at www.expod.net (don't mind the PPX name change)List of know working Programs and or features WMP 1.1 and 7.1 Pocket IE 3.0 PocketNES PocketSNES PocketDOS OpenDOS other alt web browsers Microsoft pocket Paint Microsoft pocket Image Viewer True Windows "feel" and look +"Customizable" too (i.e. Color,ect) PPC program support(varing) PocketSCUMM (Lucus arts games) and Virturaly any Game and or program made for WinCE 2.11 or higher or some PPC programs will run on it with Expod 6.1 on it stay tuned to www.expod.net for more info.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
What's up, cnet?
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Review: I wrote my review a week or so ago and never got posted! I check back almost everyday and the latest review date on this product is May 6, 2002! Are you reviewing the submitted comments or what?
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Get Expod Gold for your BE-300
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Review: I wasn't too impressed with this pda in the beginning(except for maybe the color screen and mp3 player) when I first received it as a gift for Christmas. But that has all changed with my encounter with an OS called Expod. It truly changed the face of my Be-300, literally. From the drab top-menu format from Casio, it changed into a beautiful window background setting comparable to a much, much expensive ipacs and toshibas. Get the Casio AND Expod (www.expod.net). It takes a little bit of getting used to this forum at first, but once you do, you will definitely not regret it. You can download tons of freeware and numerous cool looking skins to play around with, and you may become a part of a 5,000+ BE-300 user community who share problems and solutions to various topics related to the BE-300. I read all the negative comments in this site, and almost all of them would not been posted if they had gotten the Expod and visited the aforementioned forum.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Okay product-can't view screen in daytime.
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Review: I purchased the BE-300 at Sam's for $129.00. I thought it would be a really good way to get into the Pocket PC clan cheaply. It had really nice color but was only viewable in the nighttime. Something else wrong was that it was being operated on the old Windows system. I promptly boxed it back up and returned it. No thank you to really good deals!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Wreckin shop on all other ppcs
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Review: Has excellent operations, but there arent enough compatible programs out.....yet
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best Bang For the Buck!
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Review: Not wanting to drop $200+ for a PPC, I turned to the BE-300 and would have to say this thing rocks for the price. Expod is a necessity and there are a ton of support forums out there.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
BEST PDA EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Review: Some people THINK that this is a bad pda, but is the best one out there! long batterylife, simple os, and MANY programs available. I have:CE Explorer, PocketNes, Pocket Gameboy, Xaudio mp3 player etc!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
For $130.00 and eXpod, it rivals the $300.00 and up ppc's
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Review: I admit that out of the box the BE with it's Casio software is not too impressive. But, if you do a little searching in the BE community's on the www, you will come accross a site called expod.net. This site is run by a guy named Goofather, and he has made available a GUI/OS called eXpod. If you are at all familiar with windows, this is what eXpod offers on a PDA. You can get a public version 5.1 for free, and a higher end Gold version for a donation of $10.00. It's just like carrying my desktop around in my pocket. Expod gives the BE the custom function of windows and more. You can change the wallpaper, make your own taskbars, play games. look at photos, play mp3's, watch movies, edit word docs., view pdf files, and the list of software is growing. I can't even list all the things you can do with the BE. You can sync with Outlook, surf the web, send and recieve email, and on and on. So, if you are looking for a PDA, the BE is definately the best deal. If you want the best GUI/OS to put on it, go to www.expod.net. Oh yeah, eXpod has live support and forums at the site 24/7.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Excellent Handheld
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Review: I have owened my BE-300 for one week and love it. If I had set out with a team of designers to design a PDA for me, this would be it. I wanted CF support, mp3 playback, color, everything the BE-300 has. I highly reccomend this handheld to anyone in the market.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
THE BEST IN PDA THERE IS!! even better than a labtop computer!!!!!!!!!!
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Review: Go to www.be-300.net This is the best hand held there is!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
I think its excellent!
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Review: I have a BE-300, and I really enjoy it. I can get online, play NES games, and I can also play the Atari games. I enjoy the included Mp3 player, and the movie player. There is a wide selection of software for the BE-300, and that is good.If you check out radio shack,they have a GPS adaptr, for the BE-300,that turns your Casio, into a Global positioning system. I recently purchased the 32 MB compact flash card, and It holds everythng that I need to have to enjoy it. I would really suggest that you get one of these, if you are going to get a PDA. I wouldnt worry, about Palm devices, because tey cannot run nearly as much as the BE-300.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
New OS
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Review: I bought this device thinking it was a Pocket PC. Boy, was I WRONG! Its a terrible OS, the only thing by Microsoft is their logo. But, after a little bit of looking around, I found an alternitive OS called eXpod. This is pretty much WinCE 3.0. It runs almost all of the WinCE software I've downloaded, and some Pocket PC. Just a day ago, I downloaded Sim City 2000 from Zio, and it runs great! A great game for boring english class. eXpod was the successor to EpodXP. The most recent version is eXpod Gold, which is 6.0, and is supposed to be GREAT! Pocket PC DLL's are downloadable from the excellent eXpod forums, which makes the BE able to run many Pocket PC apps. The "small handful" of apps is now as much as any other device. The hardware isn't bad, especially for the price. The only thing I complain about is a relatively low battery life, about an hour or a little less on full backlight, or when playing high-demand games or movies the battery is drained pretty quickly. I've had my device for about a year, and use it a lot, not charging the battery at the wisest times either, which did also contribute to the low life. www.expod.net
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
OK as it, but it can get better.
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Review: I've had mine for a couple of months and am thrilled, but not originally. Being a bit of a gadget man and wasn't thrilled with Casio's version of WIN CE. Efficient but bland. I found an OS called ExPOD. It takes a little know-how to get it running, but once it is, you'll have PPC clone. It looks just like a Windows screen and there numerous apps for it. Try it, you'll like it!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
The best Handheld for the Money
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Review: "Out of the box" this handheld is nothing to "write home about". But, with a little bit of poking around on the internet, patience and the ability to follow directions, you can have a very powerful and easy to use pocket computer, for under $150. There are many web sites and forums available with loads of information about the BE-300 and its true capabilities. I would recommend the BE-300 to anyone who enjoys "tinkering" with computers.
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
A PDA is supposed to SYNC!!!
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Review: I compromised on the OS thinking I'd be fine with being able to sync my Outlook, and use a host of pseudo-windows apps available from the BE300 user community. I got it going for a couple of months, then suddenly lost the sync feature - actually it became kind of random (more down than up). Now it might sync for a few minutes, but you can NEVER complete the operation. Called an emailed tech "support" - yeah right! No response via email - not to even tell me where to take it for repairs if necessary (and I'm willing to pay - although I wonder why). The phone support was voicemail - again with no reply. We have 3 PDAs in our home, with 2 Sonys, and this PDA imposter. I will never buy another CASIO product. Dell Axiom, here I come!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Awesome value once you change the OS
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Review: Can't be beat for the price - period. Loaded with features. You definitely need to change the OS to make it a fully functioning PDA. I use expod and love it (www.expod.net). Expod is a free download and once you've installed it, you're good to go with any application supported on Windows CE. I highly recommend this product!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
CASIO BE-300
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Review: You know it's just to bad that this particular website thinks of the BE-300 as a mediocre palm-sized pc. It's also strange that much better websites said it is a "palm killer". So before you go and talk about things you might want to check with your rival websites.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Get expod...
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Review: If you want the best value PDA... this is it... just make sure you get expod (www.expod.net) with the new expod 6.0 it can play some of the latest PPC products (PPC 2002 software and more)
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Out of the package, it's garbage, but with a little work...
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Review: Visit www.groomfamily.com. This will revolutionize the BE-300. Based on Windows CE 3.0, the "TopMenu" GUI on the BE 300 is enough to give any user diarrhea. However, as you'll soon see at the above website, independant developers have come up with what is called E-Xpod 5.1. While Pocket PCs featuring PocketPC 2002 feature something similar to Windows, E-XPOD 5.1 is almost identical to Windows XP blended with 2000, on your BE. With a capable MIPS processor, this program runs extremely well. Because it is so fast, stable and the website above features EXCELLENT support in the form of a forum with experts on the BE and programming for the unit, I prefer the BE-300 to my Compaq iPaq. When you've made a few adjustments to the BE with some help from the home-grown users of the forum, the BE-300 transformed into a compact version of your home computer. Featuring a Start menu in the bottom left, not like PPCs, but exactly like the real START menu, and exactly the same menu and explorer setup, as well as a real desktop which PPCs technically lack, the BE-300 offers comfort and ease of use that outperforms any other CE based model I have worked with. I work in electronics retail- with a little bit of work, the BE-300 is perfect. The iPaq/Jornada/Toshiba handhelds are somewhat alienating as you really need to find out how the proprietary windows system works on them. It's really a whole new ball game. With the new revised instructions and superb support offered by the above forum, the BE becomes something you can really work with, conveniently. And at that price, it IS too good to be true. There ARE a few catches: the lack of IR, the general dependance on the independant developers to "port" Palm and PPC programs to be supported by the BE make it a proprietary system. Casio offers little useful support for the BE. The screen quality, while it is bearable, it is not nearly as impressive as any other PPC out there. Sony color Palm screens far outperform this screen. Brightness is not the problem, overall design, make, and quality of the screen are low. However, as I mentioned, for everyday use, even watching movies (EXTREMELY compressed by the BE conversion program, quite nice to use, and because CompactFlash is featured on the BE, you can even view DivX files.) The only other main kink in the hose is that it does take some work. You do need to spend some amount of time on the forum, determining what to do and when, and installing things. This, however, is something all Palm and PPC users are encouraged to do- out of the box, the units are extremely basic. Another drawback to the BE is while there is a working Pocket Excel program, there is no useful Word program. Text is preinstalled, but is a basic notepad that really doesn't support any rich text formatting. All in all, the BE, with a bit of time, is WELL worth its low price. This is ALL in thanks to the hard work and dedication of the developers who frequent groomfamily.com. They're great with questions, polite, and friendly, as well as dedicated to helping people make the most of the BE. They've managed to install open ended software with no limits, and it is quite impressive. I am COMPLETELY pleased with my unit, and for now, my iPaq will have to sit in its box, and my Toshiba...it was returned. With E-XPOD 5.1, the BE is BRILLIANT and I highly reccommend it. The BE is otherwise USELESS without the above address, this I guarantee.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
bad directions hard to understand!!!
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Review: it is hared to download stuff and to find apps to download on to it!! but it has a MP3 player nad is a very very good vaule!!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Quite a bang for the buck.
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Review: For $50 more than the palm M100 I got a year ago, this is a wonderful tool.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
What a great value!!
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Review: I bought the BE-300 about a year ago for $200, and I must say I am very happy about my decision. I must admit that it can be a hassle if you don't have to Outlook and have to buy it, but luckily I do so thats great. The MP3 player built in sounds great. Its also a great help having the expandable CF slot. I have 1 128MB card that I got at Fry's Electronics for $30 and thats more than enough to hold all of the things I use it for. There are plenty of programs now, (at first there was little selection, but now it is fairly vast), I particualarly enjoyed the Golf game. I would also recommend getting the Windows CE.NET upgrade. It includes Windows Media Player (better), Internet explorer, and some great ******** like a customizable backround and colors. Overall a great product at a great price.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Look online for Support!
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Review: Out of the box it's poor - just an expensive address book. It's OS also isn't true WinCE, so some things like GPS units don't work with it (yet). But there are some great support sites out there - like be-central.be - where you can find help & apps for it. For the price, compared to other devices, it's a pretty good deal! Before you pass it up, look at some of the user sites & figure out if the things it CAN'T do are all that important.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great value but only after installing expod
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Review: This is a fantastic tool at a bargain price once you install the freeware OS eXpod.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Most bang for your buck
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Review: Wow i just got one of these as an early x-mas gift and it's simply the best value out there at the moment. I booted it up and played with it for about 5 hours straight got used to the interface and at first wasn't too impressed sure it played mp3's , movies etc but the interface wasn't that great i'd give it a 5 outta 10. I then went to a site and downloaded xpod (free OS) for the be-300 and WOW it looks like win 98b and has ALOT of features those guys at that site really rock now i have the feel of a $400 pocket pc for the price of < $200 even including a 128mb CF card... simply amazing.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great PDA for a fraction of the cost of an iPAQ!
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Review: If you like the PocketPC interface, you'll definitely fall in love with the Casio BE 300 (hacked) interface. I'm saying hacked because you need to install eXpod to see the real potential of this PDA. The beauty of it's OS (Win CE 3.0) versus the Pocket PC is that you could easily hack it to change it's settings and configurations. making it a very customizable PDA. Love it! Although, i just hope the battery could easily be replaced.
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Test It And Return It
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Review: After reading the online comments, I found a retailer that didn't charge a restocking fee and bought this product. I thought I'd run it for the standard month of use to see how it worked and was sorely disappointed after 5 days. The next 25 were spent trying to get any response from Casio's support services. Finally I simply returned it. I will be glad to let Casio know that they can stick their tech support because, based on this test run, I don't even consider any Casio products any longer. Neither should you. I suppose that the principal thing is whether you will use it or "show off" with a color display. For the latter group I suppose this PDA is a good deal. They can oogle with their friend at all them purty colors and say: "Ahhhhhh, cooowwwl, dude" and enter a couple of addresses and notes. If you actually need to use it as a Personal Digital Assistan, stay clear.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
eXpod
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Review: There are people out there making this an incredible machine. I have one, and with these new OS's, it is able to do almost as much as any other PDA
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
CASIO HAS THE WORST SUPPORT IN THE INDUSTRY
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Review: If something goes wring you might want to resort to religion because no help will come from Casio support and don't even think of returning it to them
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
It is not a Pocket PC
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Review: Even it is MS CE3.0 based operating system. But it is not a Pocket PC, many pocket PC software can not be load / run on this unit. very poor software on PC connection for data or folder synchronization.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Compact, easily hackable, great little PDA!
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Review: This really is the PDA that could. Out of the box, you will notice the attractive outside, but once you turn on the screen, you may wonder why you shelled out $150-200 for a crappy, grey interface (sure, there are a few other color schemes, but they suck as well), that is kind of clunky and not very easy to use. However, once you download one of the Epods (EXPod or EpodXP) it is the greatest value PDA of its kind. One more downside to this product is the crappy application used to connect the BE-300 to your PC. This "PC Connect" is a very crappy program that seems to work only when it wants. Like I said, that uis one of the few downsides to this wonderful device.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
One great PDA (almost a Pocket PC), poor software from Casio.
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Review: You can't beat the price and features of this unit -$129 at Sam's Club (256cf $74) so for $200 dollars you basically have a pocket PC. That is, once you load-up a better operating environment @ expod.com. An eXpodded BE300 beats palms hands down. With 166mhz processor and color display you can: -watch full color movies -run emulators (snes,gnuboy,PALM) -read books -listen to MP3's -play games(solitare, doom, etc) -manage your schedule -manage contacts (incl. birthdays & anniversaries) -etc. If it came stock with eXpod type software (or full version CE), IR, and internal speakers it would be a Pocket Pc. Which can't be had without paying at least twice as much. In a sense you have to thank Casio for loading it with a crippled version of wince!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Color display, and fast processor make it cool. Downloadind tons of free software makes it cooler.
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Review: I bought this at Sam's club for $130. I was excited to play around with it as soon as I got it out of the box (well, after I let the battery charge for 4 hours). If you expect to use the bundled software for business functionality or note taking, think again. It's not a Pocket PC, it's a "Pocket Manager." You can only use programs that are made specially for the BE-300 Cassiopeia. You can't just go out and buy WindowsCE 3.0 software. It won't run. The outside of the Cassiopeia box says "WindowsCE 3.0", but when you get into the box, or visit Casio's website, you find out that it's "based" on the WindowsCE 3.0 Operating System. Still, I love my Casiopeia! Why? I searched the internet and found an free Operating System (really and operating environment) called Expod. Expod still uses WindowsCE architecture, but is more like windows than the "Top Menu" Casio thing. In some ways, the look and feel of Expod is better than win98!! There are many programs that you can get for free (on the internet). If you are looking for a way to take notes on your computer while you sit in bed, get the Cassiopeia. If you want to play Gameboy, SNES, or NES roms (which are illegal), get the Cassiopeia. If you want to convert full-length movies to mpeg and have the words smallest movie screen, get the Cassiopeia (Gotta get a Compact Flash card for that). My overall vote:Two Thumbs UP!!!
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Impossible to work with!!!
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Review: Can't use PC Connect and Activsync on the same computer. have to delete activesynce to use pcconnect. bought a wireless compact flash card can't get it to work. asked for help but got nowhere. All programs i bought don't install right or work because of some error. this thing sucks i am going to try to sell it and get my self the best out there a DELL AXIM X5. Which will be the way to go. what a pile of junk. if you want to buy it inthe next month email me.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great Value.
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Review: It is a great value for any one. The features are great. It's the only windows based PDA under $300 price.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Can you say "Fun & Affordable"?
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Review: This PDA is awesome. I originally bought it cuz you cant get a Pocket PC or a Palm PDA with a color screen for less than $250 and this was $130 at Sams Club. But I didnt just go on price. I went online and I found several great websites of BE lovers! I learned of its capabilities and its weaknesses and I found that it was a way better value than any Palm or Pocket PC. The color screen is beautiful, but tough to use outdoors. The stylus is better than the one that most PDAs come with. The case of the BE is sturdy but mostly out of plastic, so dont drop it! BE is a WinCE 3 PDA, but its no Pocket PC. You cant run all Pocket PC software. But dont fret, BE users/developers have helped this PDA a lot! Since the ROM on this PDA is flashable, you can change or upgrade the OS easily (you cant do that on any under $300 Palm or Pocket PC). Syncing is easy BUT you need Outlook, not Outlook Express. That sucks, but most PC users have Office so its no big deal. Installing apps is easy, and you should update the factory cd software as soon as you can. The BE has a good Excel like program called SpreadCE and a couple useful word processing programs. You can also view, but no edit powerpoint presentations with Quick View Plus. Tons of games are also available. I personally love the NES, Gameboy, and SNES emulators. I love that I can watch movies and listen to my mp3s on this PDA. You have to use headphones cuz it doest come with an external speaker. BOTTOM LINE: If you want a fun PDA that gives you so much more than what you pay for, then buy the BE-300. You wont regret it. But remember that it is not a Pocket PC. So if you want Pocket Word, Excel, and Powerpoint, you will have to waste your money on a PDA 2x or 3x more expensive.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Took ages to sync/process
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Review: Bought mine one month ago, thought it was the best value in town with a colour LCD. I was looking for an upgrade from my old Palm V. Overall okay in terms of features. However, the BE300 took nearly 3 hours to sync/process 1.5 years of calendar appointments with Outlook. Quite ridiculous. Emailed myCasio.com but no one bothered to reply. Wouldn't recommend to heavy-duty users. Screen display too crammy for long description.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Casio sucks, but help is available.
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Review: Casio ******************, but there is BE300 help available on the net.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Expod makes the Be300 Better
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Review: Out of the package the Be300 is a decent deal, but once you replace the oe with expod you gain a huge increase in speed, the 4mb ram limit is removed, and the interface becomes as simple and easy to use as any windows desktop interface. Thanks to Goofather, the developer of expod, there is a today screen application fused with the system, greater compatibility with all ce applications. The future of the be300 is that with expod it has and will become faster and better than most pocket pc's out there. If you are thinking of buying a be300, i suggest taking a quick trip to expod.net and see what over 1000 users think. Goofather does all his work free of charge, and his efforts are furthered by a donation based membership area of the forum that gives beta and new releases, as well as writeups and installation instructions for games and applications that run well on a be300 running expod. I hope anyone considering a be will look at expod, as it is the best choice, and i hope the reviewer will look into expod if he/she considers rewriting this review.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
i dig it
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Review: been using it for a long time, the xpod interface is excellent (thanks goo) textmaker by softmaker is a FULL wordprocessor that works with this MIPS unit...i don't need infrared or microphone or speaker bells and whistles and this does me fine.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Get this! Then Customize it!
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Review: Bundled software stinks, but can be upgraded SO EASILY to look and act just as a $500 IPaq. The screen is great and I love everything about this guy!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
The Best Bang for the Buck
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Review: Great PDA and you will be amazed by it's capability if when you get the BE-300 immediately install XPOD 5.1 operating system over the casio system and then install KC Menu which is the operating interface. It will look just like windows XP. Go to mycasio.com to see the availabilty of software, MP3, ebooks and movies available. Tons of great color games at Jimmysoftware.com for the BE-300. This is an awesome deal for $125 from Dell.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
NOT bad for the price
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Review: Is alot better than some of the more expensive palms as good as a palm 505 You can get this for under 130.00 at dell and amazon.com
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Very good PDA for the price.
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Cons:
Review: The Cassiopeia BE-300 is a very good PDA considering the price. It is the most inexpensive color screen on the market (that I know of at least). It comes with 16 MB of memory which sounds great, but if and when you start putting applications, games, and other programs on it, you will find that the memory does not go very far. I have a backup file, golf game (and extra courses), a start menu, and all of the other standard programs (calendar, tasks, notes, etc.) on mine, and I have used up half of the program memory, and MOST of my application memory. In fact, I am going to buy a 128 MB memory card for it next week. It uses a compact flash type II card for memory and internet connection. This makes for a simple buy when you want to upgrade memory or internet connections. While I am talking about memory and programs, you will find it very frustrating when you go to the store to look for programs. You will notice that there are programs, keyboards, and pretty much anything else that you can think of for PALM, Compaq, and PALM OS (the SONY CLIE uses PALM OS), but most of the time you will find almost (if not completely) nothing for the CASSIOPEIA BE-300. You have to really look (and most of the time you will have to go on the internet to find programs and accessories) for merchandise for the BE-300. Even when you are downloading games off the internet, they are hard to find. Everything has to have a special version for the BE-300. This goes with programs as well as accessories such as keyboards, cases, screen protectors, etc. Another thing, the BE-300 is quite large in comparison to the other PDAs on the market. It is longer, wider, and thicker. It is quite durable though. As far as transfering data from your PC to your B3-300 (via the Cassiopeia cradle which comes free with the PDA) goes, it is simple once you firgure out what you are doing. There are no detailed instructions included with the BE-300. It took me a while to finally firgure out what I was doing, but once I did, it is simple. Finally, the battery life sucks (for lack of a better word). I have to recharge my battery every night or two if I really use the PDA. This is because of the color screen. You can change the brightness of the screen and conserve battery life, but it still drains it. There is, however, an external battery source that the BE-300slides into. The bad thing about this is that it adds to the already large size. You can buy this rechargeable battery source for about $50. I have tried to be very critical about the Cassiopeia BE-300 in this review to help you make a wise buying decision by letting you know all of the negative traits. I actually like mine. I wanted a color screen, but I did not want to spend a lot of money. When I ran across the BE-300, I was a little unsure myself. But now that I have it, I really enjoy it. After all, it does serve its purpose. At about $150, it is an affordable PDA/Organizer with the capability of being a pretty sweet handheld game console too.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
can get for 129.99 at sams club
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Review: really good deal can get lots of games and apps. for this in line if you take the time to looh for them
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Good for what you use it for
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Review: The Casio works well for what I (and I think most) use a PDA for. Appointments & phone numbers - at this level it is great, but I already had Outlook!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Get it, youll be surprised...
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Review: This is the one i've been looking for the last 2 years! Outperforms every machine $300 more expensive in terms of versatility, expandability, customization posibilities and just about every other aspect... i got mine 1 month ago for only $129 at SAMs Club, and in this month, after I discarded the useless Casio original interface and Instaled the great piece of programming called Xpod (by the way its free!!) Voila!, it transformed into a full fletged PPC, capable of playing full length movies, to browse the internet, listen to MP3, read every Ebook available. Gosh, I even play Doom on it!!. Get it, you wont regret...
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Most Versatile PDA
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Review: A very capable and one of the most versatile PDAs made to date. You can add/remove apps. from flash memory, even the OS itself and add a different OS (for free) if you want, no other PDA can do this! If you want a basic PDA with a decent color LCD that can play MPEG-1 & DivX movie files as well as MP3 music for $149 (US), and have the option to have a mini-Windows98 OS for free (XPod v5), check it out! Also check out: http://www.gootron.com/xpod/index.html and http://myweb.cableone.net/evalondon/be300/index.html http://www.be-central.be/
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
More flexibility!
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Review: I think that this is the most versatil units of this kind to come at an affordable price. For this price you will have difficulty to find an mp3 player. And this one does it all, to the flash animation to the viewing of a whole movie (with a good flash card). Sorry Cnet but your review as come to an age!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
works great if you know how to use it
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Review: all it takes is a little bit of reading about ur device, and then u can start using it to whatever extend u would like, oh and dont worry about buying outlook express, its free on the microsoft website
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
I can't say anything, BE-300 is just THE BEST PDA!
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Review: I can't blame the person that gave "thumbs down". I have the same experience at the first time. I was very disappointed with this product. The bundled software is "SUCKS" compared with others PDA that i used before. I just decided to throw it away and keep using my m505 palm. BUT.. After several months, I've found the power of BE on the Internet. It's like a miracle. I just don't believe it. You can find a lot of FREE good software (SpreadCE, Pocket Street and Trips, WMP, XPod "the best", etc.). For gamers, with PocketNES/SNES/etc. and Flash, you can have more than 10000 games available!! I can do everything like Pocket PC 2002 does, except Active TFT, IR and Audio Record support. But for the cost only 1/5, WHO CAN BEAT THIS PRODUCT. There are no comparable product at this time. FYI, I was a Palm & Psion users before. I also developed some industrial applications for those both devices. I THINK CASIO SHOULD ADD LINKS TO WEB SITEs THAT PROVIDE A GREAT FREE SOFTWARE FROM THEIR WEB!! SHOW THE WORLD THAT YOU HAVE THE BEST MOST BANG FOR THE BUCK PRODUCT. You don't need to protect the software developer like in Handango, I haven't seen any good product over there. Just a pricy software. CASIO, You've done a great job! Visit http://www.gootron.com/xpod/index.html and http://myweb.cableone.net/evalondon/be300/index.html for a great FREE software.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
BEST DEAL OUT THERE!!!
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Review: The BE-300 is an AWESOME deal for the hardware, but NOT with the default software on it, DO YOURSELF A FAVOR and get EXPOD, you will not regret it!!! Can't beat this unit for the price, it works great with DivX and everything!!!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
"BE-300 is awsome for the price"
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Review: I use the MP3 everywhere I go. I got it hooked up on my stero and my car. People who know about computers know that the majority of them come with MS Outlook. Outlook is better then express anyways. Now, you can get CE.net which updates your software. I recommend it!!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
For the price, you can't beat it.
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Review: okay, here's the deal: The Casio BE-300 obviously does not have the amount of third party programs available for it that Palm-powered devices have because it is a fairly new item. It cannot run Windows CE-based programs, as other reviewers have stated, but THIS CAN BE CHANGED. This is a very powerful device if you download the right programs and learn how to use it. www.be-300.net has all the info you need. you can change the standard boring interface to a Windows-style taskbar interface with one of two VERY powerful programs: ePod or KCMenuII. You can play mp3s, movie clips, view pictures, everything. In short, the BE-300 is very limited out of the box, but if you have the dedication to tweaking it and researching a few programs, it is awesome. The future is bright for this little machine.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Very easy to customize.
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Cons:
Review: Dump the out of box interface and get the ePodXP. Once that is done it can run most Win CE 3.0 apps & games. The BE 300 is a great video player, mp3 player and PDA. The screen is the best i've seen on any PDA.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
It need more
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Review: Soft but the programer and working on them and there are alot of support web sites for it.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
good product, don't like their windows
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Review: good, but their proprietary software installer is just horrible, creating major compatability issues.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Blows away competition
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Review: Forget Palm and Handspring. The Pocket Manager has great color, easy to use print character-recognition software, cursive note-taking, Flash ROM for data and applications [so no worries if the battery runs down], smooth running and upgradable Windows operating system, and it runs games, mp3's, movies, anamine, and Flashplayer, all for a 1/3 of the price of other color PDA's. I can't believe it was only $150 with so many features. The more I use it, the more I like it.
User Rating:
0.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great if you know where to look afterwards!
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Review: I got mine for $150 at Sams Club (I hear it's now $130 there now!) I was disappointed to find out that tho' it may be WinCE 3.0 powered, it is not completely CE3 compatible. I have since found a replacement for 'Top Menu' (what Casio calls it's front end) called Xpod (at www.gootron.com/xpod). This allows me to run many CE 2.0 programs like Microsoft Pocket Streets 2002. There is also an excellent unofficial help forum at www.groom-family.com/forum/ With the Xpod mod, It competes easily with and beats Palm devices around the same price. If onley CNET had reviewed the BE300 with the XPod OS installed. Also with a little work the BE300 will work with Activesync
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
It's great for taking notes for school.
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Review: The main thing I didn't like about it was the first menu. But if you go to www.epodxp.net for a five dollars suggested donation you get a awsome windows program. It comes with some great programs and contary to what reviews say I have found tons of applications and games. I will buy another casio when this one goes
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
EXACTLY !! what I was looking for
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Review: I've had a Sharp electronic organizer for years. Finally the LCD screen had so many blacked out spaces I couldn't read it anymore. Found a great deal (99 + s/h) on a BE-300 and decided to join the 21st century -- a piece of it anyway Don't need fancy software, don't need synching, don't need to surf /check email from a handheld. DO need calendar, scheduler, notes, to do's and contacts to be available on the fly -- and the ease of use / screen resolution of this device beats my old faithful Sharp hands down. Plus the price was only 20 bucks more than the fanciest Sharp I could find. Life is good.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Easy for beginner
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Review: The BE-300 is easy to use for a beginner and the user's manual is available online. I love downloading video, music and games from their webpage. Very easy to use. I contacted support for a PC-Connect problem and they walked me through the whole process. There also are a lot of extras available through their homepage.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Good for what they say it does
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Review: I wanted a PDA to keep my numbers and appointments in line. This device also plays mp3s very well and displays jpegs just like the box says. The box does NOT say "works just like a palm or handspring," nor would I expect it to. It cost me $150 and it exceeds my needs. If you need a device that integrates with all the programs on your desktop, look elsewhere.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Awesome And SIMPLE TO USE INTERFACE
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Review: I bought one a few days ago and It is helping alot with reminders for college and those LONG breaks i take at the college..(GAMES) I never thought I could have a Mini Computer that does everything...I can even write down Code during breaks and play Arcade and 3d games in FULL color!!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best Value PDS for Tech Savy
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Review: This PDA has a great display, 32M memory (16 Ram/16Rom), comes with the USB cradle and AC battery recharger at Sams Club for $150. Out of box is So-So-but web sites abound with software upgrades that makes the GUI just look and act like your Win DeskTop or even allow you to play game boy or Super NES games or - but some of these require allot of researching to get them installed just right. If you're the type who has trouble installing new software, don't get it - If you are comfortable diging around for the tesh help and installing the software avail (for free) then you get a $500+ bang for your $150 buck!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Casio Gives Great Support
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Review: With many handhelds in my collection, HP660LX, Palm III, Palm V, and this BE-300 it is the one that I choose to carry everyday, and this one is the best. I now even have two, one for myself and one for my wife. When we have needed it casio has given great support. To tell them apart I have changed the look and feel of mine with software from the Casio site.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
This looks GREAT!
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Review: I have been reading all of the reviews and this sounds like a GREAT Handheld! Can someone please tell me where I can get the Type 2 Compact Flash cards for this, or do you use the Type I with some sort of adapter? Also, are you able to surf the web with this? To what capacity can you use this on the internet? As you can tell, I am new to the Handhelds, although I do have a Casio Pocket Viewer PDA. Any help would be greatly appreciated as to how well this works with Movies, Photos, Internet, etc. Thanks, Mike
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great deal for a powerfull machine
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Review: This is the cheapest color PDA around, it has so many features and people allready cracked it so it works with activesync 3.5 and has a start menu.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
DON'T BUY IT
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Review: I made a HUGE mistake !! 1]Can't find any accessories 2]To difficult to sink 3]NO PROGRAMS available (NO it DOES NOT support CE programs) .. REMEMBER it's "CE" based NOT true CE !!! 4] NO DEVELOPMENT sdk available.. SO I can't even fix the F**k ups in the OS SAVE YOUR MONEY and buy a Ipaq .. if you want I'll sell my BE-300 for $5.00 !!!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
$130 - GREAT DEAL
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Review: This is totaly worth it. $130 at CompUSA!! AND EpodXP 2.2 and KCSkinner Changes everything!!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Don't pay more...
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Cons:
Review: It's a great PDA. Notice that most of the negative comments on BE-300 is about the lack of applications. I say, with this price, it will not take much time to reach the critical number of users to encourage developers design and develop new applications for BE-300. Watch out! And never pay anything more than this to a PDA...
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best value for money
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Review: The number of applications will increase in time. Offers very good value for oyour money. A "sleeper".
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Good value for money.
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Cons:
Review: Just compare the features side by side by with other available models and you will see BE-300 is very good value for money.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Terrible battery life!
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Review: Bought one in January. Battery tended to last only 30 minutes before dying (not doing any online-type stuff -- just checking my calendar and adding an occasional note). Sent for repair. Two months later, finally received an entirely new unit. Customer service at Casio awful. New unit's batter ALSO only lasts about half an hour. Should've kept my paper calendar and address book!
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Only if you already have MS Outlook!!
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Review: At first this was great, color screen, 16mbs, and a price of just under $200. This was it, Ya right! Doesn't come with all you need to get started, like the software for your PC. You have to go out and buy MS Outlook (Outlook Express a no go) so add the additional $100 or so for the added software and good luck finding add on software for the BE-300. Not a friendly device, you really have to be tech savy to understand the directions that come on the disk provided as it does not come with a manual to read before you start wasting your time. I'm trading mine in for something else, if only I came here first.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
best deal on the market!!
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Review: The BE-300 offers an easy to use interface, with out-of-the-box functions. Provides excellent support with a growing library (for crying out loud this is a new product, it takes time to build a software library). Best feature, the ability to use new technology at an affordable price.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Excellent for games!!
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Cons:
Review: I know that the most people who are reading this at the moment are adults, but if you are a child at heart, or if you really like games, then this PDA is for you. I'm in high school, and i bought this for the games. They are incredible!!!! 3D shooters, sports games, even SNES and gameboy games are available for this. PALM games absolutely pale in contrast, with half of their games resembling PONG or battleship. And for those who say it's bad because it doesn't have an infrared port, it's because most of the files are to big, so the port would take 10 minutes to send the files.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Note To Self - Casio: Never Again
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Review: I have to say that I have been had by schemer on this one. Features: 1 - color Quality: of Feature Good Support: Noone is rushing to create 3rd Party software for it. Quality: How can you rate a product on quality when all you bought is the shell of a "Pocket Manager" Finally - If I were to make a recommendation - buy a Palm Pilot - even the m125 is better than this.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best Value PDA
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Review: I found lots of freeware for BE 300 on the Internet. I don't know why those people still complaining about BE 300 software. I think they don't know anything about BE 300. They are 'zero knowledge' user. They should do some homework on the Internet and soon they will discover the real power of Be 300. Casio BE 300 is not like Palm, it is not 'ready to use' unless you do some changes and hacks.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
flashable rom!!!
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Review: this thing is wonderfull with a lil work for all those say nay just look at all th epocket pc websites if you get rid of the retarded gui and upgrade to epod or any of the other guis youll realize what a bargain you got
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
I Love my BE 300
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Review: This is a great little product, cheap, configurable (as in hackable!!). The official casio handango site lacks software but you can find almost anything you need (shareware, full price for most products is under $20) at the forums (do a google). You can even tweak activesync to get it working. Its more than a great mp3 player, and you can't beat it for its price/power
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
OUT OF THE BOX -NOT SO IMPRESSIVE
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Review: bUT JUST CHECK AROUND THE NET YOU'LL FIND A HACKED WinCE OS, WMP 1, MS NOTE, MS PAINT ALL HACKED TO WORK ON THIS PLATFORM.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Good price, but could be better...
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Cons:
Review: Even though the BE-300 comes equiped with many software, it still is limited by the fact that it cannot play VBR mp3 or MPEG movie (you need to by a software). I also find that the battery life is quite short when playing MP3. But for such a low price, the color LCD display, the 16Mb RAM and the possibility to plug a 1Gb IBM microdrive with it give a product wich may be rated good.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Beautiful Screen and easy to use!
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Cons:
Review: I really enjoy my BE300. The only drawbacks are - no iR port and limited software. Luckily, casio's music player, photo viewer, and PIM programs are all excellent! Much better than my palm. Hopefully more software will be available with the WindowsCE .net upgrade due out(supposedly) in April 2002.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
use BE-300 with Casio JK-710DC Digital Camera Card?
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Review: Casio JK-710DC Digital Camera Card, have anybody use it before? use this CF digital camera card with BE-300 or other Cassiopeia before? like to hear your review. Do you know of other BE-300 accesssories... esp. these miniature gadgets??
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
where are the softwares!!
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Review: A disappointing Casio products. Never exp[ect Casio to make such mistake. What went wrong, R&D...?? I bought a BE-300 but E-200 seem more worth it even though it is pricey. BE-300 lacks all the common windows software, namely, Powerpoint, MS Words, Excel. Casio please dun make us buy all the vital softwares, you should have bundled with BE-300. I should have get myself a EM-500 or E-200.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Nice PDA for the basic user
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Cons:
Review: Does not have many supported apps, does not have built in speakers, but does offer an easy-to-use interface in saving addresses, to-do's, phone numbers, etc. The built-in alarm clock also wakes me up while I'm on the road. Overall, nice features, nice screen, great price!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
MANY apps,Customizable Interfaces,Expandable,Alterna te OS,GREAT user community-Great Value!
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Review: For the price, YOU CAN'T BEAT THIS WITH A STICK!! A LARGE base of Tech-savvy users have created a wide variety of Applications for the BE-300 which are available free on numerous websites (check out the links section at www.be300.cjb.net). While the Default interface is decent,one can easily change it to a "Pocket PC" interface(take your pick of programs). You can even convert to a different Windows CE-based Operating System(EPOD)!Try that with a Palm, Jornada or IPAQ! For an indication of how BE-users feel about their machine, check out some of the discussion forums! I paid $150 for my BE after rebate @ CompUSA. At that price/value ratio, a Palm or Visor should sell for about $10!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great PDA for all
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Review: This is the best PDA out there. Has many accessories and everyday comes out new games and applications. What came to me is the MP3 playback, price, and color screen. I like it way better than Palm or Handspring.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
No way, that much power?
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Review: this is the best way to join power, and price. I have one and I do not miss a thing and it is ease to use, and carry
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
ONE OF THE BEST PDA's EVER MADE !
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Cons:
Review: This rocks it's very small in size and has 32,768 coloer screen with a 166MHz that's powerul for 200 $ man now there is a flash player for it that means you can download flash games there is 100s of flash games and mini flash moives, and the softwere for it is gorwning i think this is going to be a hit but i think Casio should put some adds on TV for it the good about this is it can play mp3 and moives and you also can put you photos in it and much more the bad is there is no mic but that not a biggy for me so over all this thing ROCKS
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Incredible what you get for the money
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Cons:
Review: I was actually in the market for an MP3 player not a pda. I stumbled across the be-300 while looking at the mp3 players. For just a little more than the cost of an average mp3 player I got a great little PDA that also plays mp3's. I added a 256mb compact flash card and I'm set. This thing sooooo blows away my friends palm it's not even funny. I couldn't believe someone made a windows ce, color dispay pda and sold it for under $200. Wow.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
BEST PDA OF THE 21st CENTURY
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Review: The Cassiopeia BE-300 is an excellent device to purchase. It is very light, screen is very sharp. The colors are great (32,768). Fast processor and great sound quality when listening to music on headphones. No built in speaker, sadly. But everything else is great! Have a nice day and please follow my review and purchase this spectacular device.
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Colorful PDA
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Cons:
Review: The BE-300 is a nice PDA with alot of features. Unfortunately this PDA lacks Software and Freeware applications. Its MP3 play back is excellent, and it is also good for watching music videos.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
the best pda for the money
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Review: looking for the best colored expandable pda i came across a lot of options.but then i discovered the casio be300. why cnet rated this powerhouse pda a menial 5 out of 10 is beyond me. i bought one for 169 and the mp3 capablity and the beautiful display alone is worth it.all the functionality i require this pda delivers. the mp3 playback is excellent and the ease of use is bar none. im so happy i did not go for the more expensive jordanas or ipaqs or even the clie.i put in 128 mb cf card and its like i have a 166 mhz mini computer in my pocket. the software titles are growing and im loving this pocket manager.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best value on the market
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Review: I actually bought a BE-300 and returned it because I was unhapy with the visibility outdoors, short battery life, and restricted photo viewing. However after using trial periods on the Palm M505(YUK!)and the Jordana 565 (not worth the cost) I returned to the BE-300 as the best value on the market, and I will stick with it untill somebody comes up with a unit that provides solid functionality and value for money that will match, or improve on the Cassio. I would rather drop a $300 great unit than trash a $1000 piece of high end marketing.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
No software available
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Review: I bought one about 8 weeks ago at COMP USA.But I have not yet been able to find any software for it.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
best on a budget
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Review: This is what the Cnet review says. "The bottom line: Casio delivers an affordable color PDA that's a capable electronic organizer but is no match for similarly priced color PDAs from Palm and Handspring." I looked right here on Cnet and apparently "similarly priced" means $100 or more. There is more and more you can do with this every day. I bought this simply because it had the most for my money. I was upset for awhile that software was so scarce but this is getting better every day. As a matter of fact there are only a couple more things that I even want for it. I can already surf the web, check and write email, listen to mp3s, and play a lot of games.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best PricePerformance PDA available
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Review: The things that this device does not have compared to a pocketPC are not worthy 350-400 $ plus you have to pay for the second.
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Lots o razzle, no dazzle
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Review: I can't find any free software for this, it doesn't so much as come with a word processor, no internal speaker, most win ce 3 software is incompatible, but is a great way to play movie and mp3 but is not worth the proce considering other available handhelds
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
What more can you ask for?
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Review: For $150, you definitely get your money's worth! If you want some pretty fancy software for this baby, you have to wait for it since this is a rather new PDA. Just like you had to wait for compatible software when the other name brand PDAs first came out. Hang on tight and let's see what this PDA can do in the long run. This will be the best investment you will ever make. I know it was mine!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
So What???
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Review: This device at $150 is a value out of the box. Despite all the harping about interface, GUI and third party software support, this product is a capable performer with advanced features as configured out of the box. After comparing the BE-300 to other Palm devices; there are no other WinCE devices in the $150. price range, I can't see the merits of the GUI complaints directed at this device. The included Contacts, Calendar, eMail, Internet and To Do apps are better than adequate. The interface is simplistic but visually appealing. What's wrong with simple? I have downloaded better than adequate media players which support all the popular formats, a good text and document viewer, Notepad and a spreadsheet app.. I would trade the BE-300 for a top end CE device if someone offered an even trade but the BE-300 and $250. cash in my pocket is a pretty sweet deal. Especially considering I haven't found any general task that the BE-300 cannot be programmed to perform. Maybe it's just my age now but I have never appreciated just what real value a Pocket PC delivers to justify a $500. price tag although I appreciate it's gadget appeal. I think vanity and one-up-manship is a key issue here. The $150. price range on the BE-300 seems more realistic to me. I'm very pleased, thank you.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Look no further, this is the one!
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Review: This is an incredible product at a laughable price. It's packaged with really bad software, but it is extremely re-configurable. Great for a developer like me looking for a cool little dev platform. Thanks Casio for a great piece of hardware, I'll take care of the software part.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Bang for the Buck!!
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Review: I spent a couple of weeks reviewing and tring different products to find the PDA for me. You can't beat the 16 MB of Rom & 16 MB of flash ram, the 166mhz proccessor and 32K color screen and CF typeII expansion slot for $150 US or $270 Can. It has some limitations, although if you check out Brighthands Forum on the BE300 they're working around them. Compare it to an mp3 player. For the extra $50 you get an incredible machine. The list of freeware and shareware grows everyday. Don't discount this little gem because it's not a full blown PPC, it soon will be...
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
It is a pocket manager after all..
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Review: This is my first PDA, and the reason i bought be300 is to organize my appointment, and to jot down something. do some window shopping, and compared it with, what else.. visor and ipaq, and no one ever come nearer be300 in term of price. visor/handspring lack of color display, ipaq is way too expensive. come back to the reason why i'm going out looking for a pda, be300 caught my wallet. i need to manage my schedule only, and not using it as my 'small notebook'. i don't like the idea of pocket pc. how fast can u do ur work with that tiny machine? get a life, buy a notebook! so, here i am, playing around with my new be300. and after two weeks spends my time surfing the net and found many great websites provide software for be300, i have convert the pocket manager to be mp3 player, 'gameboy', ebook reader, and my pim. what else do i want? ohh.. don't forget to buy ibm microdrive 1GB.. you wont regret it 
=
= User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great forum Support
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Review: Lots of people working hard to make this a success, and not necessarily casio. Many cudo's to those working hard to port software for this machine.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great Deal for the Money
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Review: I crack up looking at some of the complaints about this product. I paid just over $150 on sale and I realize some of the reviews are dated and people paid much more for the BE 300 a year ago, but what do you expect for the price. I love it and it functions well for what I ask of it. Some people were complaining about the interface ?? Did you look at the machine before you bought it? I think the application list is much easier and affective than icons are on a handheld, and I have not seen a color display from Palm or Handspring in this price range. Expandibility may be less than the Palm, but most of the add on programs available people buy them because they think they will really use them but they just end up collecting dust and slowing other functions. The CF expandibility allows for a nice amount of memory and it does more than many over priced and over hyped machines. Bottom line is I have not seen a Palm with 16 MB and a color display for this price. If you want a nice inexpensive handheld buy the BE 300, if you want a million software titles on your machine, buy a laptop or a backpack for your desktop.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
So cheap & easy to use. You can't go wrong.
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Review: Being an ex-high school teacher when the letters PDA are used, I automatically think of "Public Display of Affection". I guess that's why they call these things PDA's, because you'll love them. The BE-300 that I got on 02/01/02 is fantastic amd it was so easy to use. Just plug it in & start entering your information. The color screen, MP3 Player, Video Player, & the ability to store photographs aslo makes this a great handheld. Before I purchased this I did my homework. I looked @ the Handspring Prism, the Sony's, the PALM's and other color PDA's which all sold for way over 299 bucks. What made this even more attractive is that I go it @ COMPUSA for $149. That's even $40 cheaper than what the Home Shopping Network @ QVC were selling them for on 02/02/02. As a Corporate Training Specialist now, I find that owning the BE-300 PDA is "Pretty Darn Awesome". You cannot go wrong with this PDA!!!!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
REAL WINDOWS COMING
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Review: Hey all. Just wanteds to let all know that the guys at Brighthand BE-300 forum are using the MS SDK to develop a full licensed version on Windows for the BE-300. Barring the 4mb RAM operating limit, here is the compatibility list: 1) Settings (with memory alocator) 2) Windows Explorer 3) Pocket IE 4) Pocket Word 5) Pocket Inbox 6) WMP 8.0 7) ActiveSync 3.5 support 8) Terminal Services Client 9) MS Reader 10) MS Messenger 11) Screen Rotation Utility The BE can now become the MONSTER it was meant to BE! For more info, http://discussion.brighthand.com/showthread.php?s=800aea422aed46b8d60e6e5ef1ff9884&threadid=44447
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Awesome but should run on ActiveSync
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Review: Nice screen,apps, great for school, but needs better sync software.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Very good buy for $150 on sale at CompUSA
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Review: My son got this as an MP3 player/organizer for Christmas. He can't fill his 256Mb compact flash card with music. He has logged onto the intranet and it works well with the modem but explorer is balky. Sync is not too good won't coexist with active sync. I like my Compaq 3135 ($170) better but I need the Sync function at work. It is also a good MP3 player for traveling and a voice recorder. I leave my laptop and CD player at home now when I travel. Not many products out there for this yet.
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
The worst handheld I have seen!
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Review: I bought the BE 300 thinking I had got a good deal but boy was I wrong! It doesn't work with anyones software, I had troubles with the synch software and overall it is very slow. Save your time and effort and buy a Sony!!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
I'm Greatly Surprised!
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Review: This is my first PDA. I did not want to spend $299 but was looking at a Visor Prism because of color screen (highly pixilated!). Just did not want monochrome. Instead I just happened on the BE-300 and was impressed with it's great color screen and $149 price tag at CompUSA on sale. I know it doesn't have much software but it looks like it has enough for my needs. I'm going slow with it but think it's great compared to all those more expensive Visors and Palm's with monochrome. I would like to see a Word and Excel program for them. You would think these would be a necessity. If not, I still see myself being very please with the purchase. Quality looks good and it is quick enough with the operating system and 166mhz chip.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
NEEDS WIN CE 4.0
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Review: The hardware A+, If Casio were to add Win CE.NET and Activesynch, this would be a monster!!! It's a ferrari trapped by bad gas and bad timing. But, I haven't had so much fun hacking a machine since my TRS-80, 20 years ago!!!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
works great but it would be better with a true ce os
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Review: I saw the price and thought it was too good to be true. it was kinda. with some modifications though it wasok and seems to be a solid machine. hopefully casio will go ahead and release 4.0 in regular version. please sign the petition at this site. http://www.petitiononline.com/be300/petition.html
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Support stinks
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Review: I have had my BE-300 for several weeks. I use Windows 98SE at work and ME at home. the PDA would not sync at all getting a page fault kernel 32. Finally Casio support sent me a patched PC Connect software and it now will sync with ME. For weeks now they have been working on the failure to sync with 98SE. I have sent e-mails to support over the past two weeks to get an update and I get no response. Is anyone else having this problem w/ 98SE? I love the layout and the color is fabulous. The price was right, but if it does not function on my work 98SE system, it is basically useless. I wish support would be upfront with me if they are not going to devote adequate and competent resources to resolve this issue!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Just got it. Looks good
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Review: Need to work on how much I can really do with it. Price was the selling point.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Better than one might think.
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Review: I bought this PDA on impulse. The color screen and CF slot looked pretty good at $169. After getting the machine home I learned it was a "h'aint". Aint Palm or WinCE(purely) but an odd combo of Casio programming on a WinCE 3.0 platform. After looking around, I discoveverd several good sources for software. It bothers me that I cannot use the myriad WinCe apps but there is a fair amount of good and free software available if you look. The features shipped are better than one might think. I bought a 128MB CF and made a great MP3 player out of it. I have downloaded ebooks, photos, games, made an environmental ambient noise generator out of it, use it as an organizer and in general have felt that I have gotten a tremendous bargin. My biggest disappointment is only what I believe it could have been with full WinCe support.
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
The Best Bang for the Buck!!
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Review: After using several PDA's such as Palm, and older casio's, this is the most incredible value on today's market! The LCD screen is unbelievable considering the cost of this unit. This Organizer provides EVERYTHING that I ever wanted out of a Organizer. Pictures,Movies,(yes Movies),MP3's, sync with Outlook, and you can view Word & Excel documents using the quick view app. A must though is to buy a Compact Flash memory card, (64MB would be ideal) because the internal 16MB just plain isn't enough with all this unit has to offer. Oh, let's not forget the ability to surf the web with this unit as well. "Hat's off" to Casio for this wonderful product!!!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
At this price, you can't go wrong!
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Review: I wanted an iPaq very badly. But on a limited budget I went out and started shopping around. The BE-300 from Casio caught my eye at CompUSA because of it's brilliant screen. The software is not PocketPC nor is it Palm or WindowsCE so I was a bit confused. I went and read about it in reviews and found out it WILL do everything that an iPaq will do...$300 cheaper! I bought 2 of them at CompUSA for $149.99 ea. and added 2 64MB CF cards and was out the door with one for me and one for my fiancee for less than 1 iPaq 3675. Within a few hours I had games, MP3s and all the software installed. Today at work, I got Outlook synched up with all my calendar and contacts and emails within a few minutes....although my fiancee walked me through it. She struggled a bit as there isn't much documentation on how to do it. But it is simpled, just not intuitive. Email if you need help. I'm going to go play with my new toy some more!
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Good buy. Great value for money
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Review: Better than the visor at comparable cost. Only drawback prsently a lack of third party software.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best money I ever spent
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Review: When I first got it, I was so surprised how clear the color was, and then I started porting over programs! pocket divx, ebook readers, midi players Spreadsheets, there is tons of stuff out there and growing check out my site for newest programs http://be300.tk
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
where can i download software.
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Review: where can i get software for this such as diffent skins and games and and movies and how can you play video games on this. email me. stang19922@aol.com
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Very good...has a couple buts..
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Review: If you are looking for a PDA..not a handheld computer...I really think this is your day. Purchased it at CompUSA for $150. Was going to buy a Handspring Deluxe, but the Casio BE 300 comes with a color screen, and a really easy format to use. Not alot of programs for it right now...but it is still new, other comperable machines have been out for quite a while longer. Support and manuals kind of hard to access, and it only syncs with outlook. Other than that seems pretty good. Ebay has some programs for it. Great value for the money...next step up was at least $300.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best handheld under $600
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Review: The battery dies and you don't lose your contacts. That is absolutely priceless. The reviewer who said the Visor is superior because this consumer Casio is too hard to use should not be writing for the computer industry! A child could figure this simple thing out in 2 minutes. MP3 ability; Microdrive compatibility; 1GB. You would need to buy over a 100 Visors and find 100 pockets for them and 100 optional proprietary mp3 snap-on adapters to approach the functionality of this device. Why are reviewers encouraging mass adoption of bad design?
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
WinCE 4.0 coming out for iT!
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Review: Means IE and Windows Media Player for it! Great GUI for it too when it comes this april. These things will be like hotcakes. Screenshots around the net forums. It's a great media player box with cool notepad.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Exactly what I needed!
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Review: I'm an audio book fan and was thrilled to see audio.com's offer to purchase this PDA for $99 if you subscribed to their service. I nearly got an MP3 player but the features of the BE300 caught my attention. For the first time ever, I have my calendar up-to-date and it matches my work calendar! Plus I listen to hours and hours of what would be cassette tapes on something about the size of a pad of paper. LOVE IT!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
It zigs, while other PDAs zag
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Review: The BE-300 is for those individuals who like to run free from the pack. If you're looking for a PDA with calendaring, Internet and email access, storing names and addresses, AND listening to MP3 files, this could be for you. For under $200, you get all this plus color display and a rechargeable battery with USB synching cradle. I really enjoy my BE-300. From the color display to the MP3 player, this PDA has met my expectations. The best thing, though, is I got mine for $150!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Very good for the Price
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Review: The OS is DIFFERENT but for me a first time PDA user this thing works great. I was looking for a PDA that had a color screen, store all my phone numbers and addresses, and be able to play MP3s and this one does it all. Sync is a snap and fast with the USB cradle. I was looking at getting the Casio E-125 but for a hundred bucks less the BE-300 is worth it.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great built in functions for price
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Review: I purchased mine for $190, with 32mb memory card. For that price, it works great for organizer and MP3 player. The MP3 player is pretty good and has nice detailed screen. Have had no problems linking up with my Outlook contacts, calendar, notes, and task. Very easy to install and remove programs. Would have been nice to have built in speakers, but not a problem.
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Do not buy this!!
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Review: The good: nice color screen, easy net surfing The bad: everything else. Forget storing pics, forget finding your files, forget turning the alarm off, forget setting deadlines for tasks. The interface sucks big time, maybe good for AOLers, but if you have any sense about computers you will hate this thing. Returning it today.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Its a nice COLOR PDA
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Review: i am a college student and this thing rocks, plays mp3 music..keeps all my party pictures..also movies. Ok on the other hand it keeps all my class schedules, payments etc. its really cool...i just wonder how come cnet gave it 5 out of 10. They need to re-evaluate this thing again, because for the price of less than 200 you cant go wrong with this.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Get this if your a student or a businessman!
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Review: Really good! Really great screen and hand recognition! Pocket Pcs are good but are too darn expensive over $400!!! It plays mp3's video, and view pictures! If your a student who can't get a laptop may i suggest get this even if u have a desktop computer!!
User Rating:
1.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
No third party software
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Review: The screen is nice but the software support for be-300 is terrible. goto handago.com and see for yourself. You can only use software that is designed or ported over to the be-300. Sad mistake by Casio.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Beats the Plam IIIC Hands down
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Review: If nothing else Casio had the fore thought to include a battery door so one can change the rechargeable battery; with out having to pay $25.00 + shipping and handling to get it replaced. excellent color; vary readable display even in direct light. vary expandable.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best Value!
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Review: If you're familiar with windows and don't mind a little bit of tweaking in terms of software installation. This unit will give you the most bang for your buck. In less than two weeks, the 128 MB compact flash were filled up with programs. Spreadsheet, CAD, Paint, Movie Player, music player, ebook reader, Acrobat reader, map program, calculators, PIM, games.....
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Why get something else?
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Review: I have been using this little do-dad for about a week and I love it, it is quite addicting. The only thing I don't like about it is that(like all color screens) is that it is hard to see in direct daylight. Other than that, Everything is just gravy.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Just takes a bit of tweaking.
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Review: I love this device- with a little bit of fiddling with a third-party shell I was able to get the organizational and multimedia capabilities I wanted for half of what pocketPC devices cost
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Forces you to use Outlook
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Review: Great piece of hardware but it forces you to sync with Outlook (not Outlook Express). Cannot size fonts or even make them bold. Their online presence MyCasio is very limited and lame. Wish I was a programmer I'd put something else into this wondeful piece of hardware.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
BE happy with the BE-300
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Review: color and power for under $200 brought me to the BE-300, and I couldn't BE happier! Everything you want in a PDA, with the power of the more expensive PocketPC's.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great PDA for a Great Price
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Review: The only downside is the lack of available software. Besides that.. great color screen, good MP3 playback, and an easy-to-use interface. They'll eventually develop more software for it, too. I got it on sale for $180. What a bargain, what a PDA!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Best PDA on the market!!
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Review: Does what a PDA should WITHOUT ripping you off, if you need features the BE 300 doesn't have then either get a Toshiba Libretto or a Laptop. For support go to the Brighthand forums. http://discussion.brighthand.com/forumdisplay.php?s=172d439503c953310f34b37aec157172&daysprune=&forumid=140&x=14&y=15
User Rating:
3.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Affordable Color PDA, Great Value!
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Review: Not nearly as good as my Casio E115 but again, the BE300 is the only Color PDA sold for under $150. If you want a good basic PDA at an affordable price, this is IT! Wish list: Larger screen (E series size), Better hard cover, louder reminder sound, musical tune alarm sounds, user replaceable LiOn battery. Overall, I think Casio could have done a better job by thinking throught and ask what users want and need. But this is certain a good value color PDA. It is not made in third world country like its competitors in similar price range.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Fast Fun and Cheap I can play nintendo games on it!"
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Review: I got it at CompUSA for $150. The BE300 includes a 166mhz 64bit processor, faster than a lot of Pocket PC CPUs. The color screen is really nice and clear, some people say that you cant see it outside very well, but it isnt bad at all if you turn the contrast up. Here are a few things I can do with my BE300: Play Nintendo Games, Listen to MP3's, Watch Movies, Read Ebooks, View .jpg files. This thing does EVERYTHING. The only bad thing is that it uses a one of a kind OS, so it will be a while before lots of programs are available for it, also there is no pocket word or pocket Excel. something i was very sad about, but not to worry because it will be ported over soon. GREAT VALUE!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Normal People Read this...
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Review: Ok, I must have read everything there was to read about the BE-300 before I shelled out all $170 for it. Obviously the BE-300 is not a Pocket PC. It is not supposed to be. You can't compare the two. It's apples and oranges. If you have $500 plus to burn get a Pocket PC. If you live in the real world with normal people who aren't sitting on $500 to spend on a gadget then get the BE-300. The BE-300 is very cool. The color screen is awesome. I have seen Pocket PC's that look much worse. Obviously the MP3 player is a huge deal at the price point, and it works very good. My favorite thing is the video playback capabilities. For $50 get a 128mb flash card download some episodes of the Simpson and sit back and watch TV on the plane...very cool feature. Remember this is still only costing you $220!!! The on screen keyboard is best and most responsive I have used to date. While you can only view word and excel files, third party software does exist now that will allow you to edit. Calendar is good and so it the alarm and task manager. There are also some pretty cool color games available too. The only real negative is the software library is small (but growing) and there is no IR port. So ask yourself is $170 a good deal for a color PDA/MP3player/movie player/picture viewer/game player???? If you have more money get the Pocket PC but if not this is the best thing out there (don't waste your money on a low end Palm).
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
ARRRGGGG!!!
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Review: After a week or 7 days of using this product I would have to say, I DESPISE THE CASIO BE-300!!!! The reason? -It has no Irda port -It has VERY few third party software for it, which means that it can only use software that is made specifically for the BE-300 -The mp3 player included in the player DOES NOT allow you to fast forward to certain parts of the song -What I know of, you can only play mpeg video files at this moment -The main page of the O.S. is just a list of the applications, which I, and most people don't prefer -Its EXTREMELY HARD to work with. I syinc-ed a Mp3 song and some pictures and tried all night to delete the Mp3 from it but couldn't.... great! This product, before purchasing, seemed like the perfect PDA. Then, after actually experimenting it, I got fustrated with it. Especially with the modified OS and because it does not have an infrared port, but that doesn't really matter since THE O.S. IS ONLY USED ON THIS PDA!!! BUT..... for those who, after reading all of these negative comments, but still want to buy this product, the good on this product is: -It has 32-bit colour. I've got to say, after sync-ing some molly sims and victoria silvstedt pictures, it looks AMAZING!! -ITS CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP!!! All in all, I have to say if you want your PDA to act like a electronic schedule-book, then buy the BE-300. If you want you PDA to mimic a PC, then get a Pocket PC ( hence the name "Pocket PC") even if you have to shell in 200 more green. What I am thinking of buying is the casio E-125, and not the Compaq H3650 cause of the picture quality, and since you don't have to buy a sleeve in order to add compact flash. E-mail me if you have any comments on MY comment at kokonaut@yahoo.com
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
excellent and under-rated by all
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Review: there are few points where the Plam OS is better than this device, and the built-in MP3 player, and true video playback can't be equalled by any Palm at 3 times the price.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
its sounds better on the computer than when you have it
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Review: i found this handheld device to be fine if your not doing anything except keeping phone numbers, and such. There is vertually no software to be found for it and with out an expandable memory card this would be a total waste of money. but there are the possitive aspects of color and the expansion slot. there is also the fact of the casio web site that is lacking in usefull support but is supior to any other website of its kind by any other manufacturer. Overall it is ok but useless in any kind of realworld senario and i found it to be better than my plam m100 and in close compition with my new palm m505, with a much lower price.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Much nicer than my Visor!
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Review: This thing is really nice! The color is great, cheap memory upgrades, syncs with outlook, easy to use. Is much easier on the eyes and does much more than my old Visor Deluxe. The address book however is slower to respond, but still works fine.
User Rating:
2.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
glorified PDA not Pocket PC
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Review: I bought this to work on documents, download mapquest maps and sync e-mail. So far 1 out of 3! No software support anywhere and not compatible with any winCE. I would recommend it as a glorified PDA but don't let them fool you it's no pocket PC (HSN viewers)!
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great looking pda but...
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Review: This is my first pda was a daVinci.I got it for $99 and did nothing with {it sucked}. I have aways thought casio pdas are the best looking. I got my BE-300 form HSN {when it frist came out} for $189 when everyone else had it for $399. But there isn`t alot of software.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
What a Great PDA
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Review: For the price, this is an excellent choice. Got it for 189.00 on HSN. Doesn't have all the bells and whistles the pocket pc has but I have been satisfied with this device. I'm able to listen to mp3s at work and store and view important documents. For the price you probably won't find a better PDA. Software is limited now but I'm starting to see an increase in software being offered for this device. Before you know it there will be many titles to choose from.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Type II Flash!! Good luck Palm m505
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Review: I have had an E-100 and now I have the EM500. I wish I had the new BE 300. I played with one and the speed was uncomparable for the price. I also think that Windows CE 3.0 gets a bad wrap. I have used the previous operating systems CE 2.1 and 2.0. This operating system works great. Of course the Palm OS works great if you want stupid colorless applications. Just face it Palm you can't compete with the new Pocket PCs.
User Rating:
4.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
can't be beat at under $200
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Review: The BE-300 Plays movies music games organizes with the big boys at less than half the price, and all I needed was an organizer viewer.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
A very nice PDA, very much worth the $200!
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Review: Well, I'm not the latest PDA user...I've used a simple and old PalmIII for almost a year now. I was looking for a low-cost, effective PDA when I ran across the BE-300. I bought it and took it home. I experimented with it, and discovered the built-in MP3 support. Only thing I have a gripe with is the lack of software for it. As a College Student / Gamer, I was hoping to find some games for this awesome system. Then again this is a relatively new PDA, so I'll give it some time. Devinitely thumbs up.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Well done, simple to use
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Review: Casio did away with the icons on this one, and it really makes things look and go smoother. the add ons are a little expensive, but if your a power user its worth it. but on that note, it is highly expandable and well made for the price
User Rating:
3.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Great value for money.
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Review: I've been using pocket manager for downloading three demo games, a few pictures and one MPG songs. All those big files I've managed to fit into the 16MB RAM that's given factory default. I need a flash card if I want to fit in more files. All I can say is this device is good for those people who are always on the move, and since it's targeted at Palm customers, I think it is worth it. Just imagine, it has multimedia capabilities and weighs only 167g in your pocket. Light, durable and the OS is easy to switch on. The only drawback is the screen easily get dust but I'm happy with it. It's for a budget user like myself before I'd upgrade to a much more expensive Pocket PC. As the value for your money spend, I'd agreed that this product is the best!
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
USER-FRIENDLY
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Review: EXCELLENT HANDHELD! I HAVE USED THE PALM AND HANDSPRING AND THE CASIO BE-300 SMOKES THEM. THE UNIT IS VERY USER FRIENDLY. IT IS LIGHTNING FAST AND IS VERY COMPACT. I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH ABOUT IT. OH, AND IT IS SCALABLE WITH THE EXPANSION SLOT FOR ITEMS SUCH AS A CAMERA, WIRELESS MODEM, ETC...BUYYYYYYYYY IT!!!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
A lot of bang for under $200 street price.
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Review: By adding a 64MB Compact Flash ($40.00) it is a great MP3 player. It will also it will store immense amounts of text. It will view and edit text files and view most types of word processing and graphic files. I love BE300!
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Excellent Performance/Cost
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Review: Remember! Aways compare Apple with Apple. Where can you get a high performance PDA for just under $200. What BE-300 offers is impressive-sharp Color Screen, USB Syn with PC, Unlimited memory expansion with Compact Flash Type II slot, MP3 music player, Picture and Movie viewers,Window CE OS with a true u-processor @166MHz. So far, I have the BE-300 for 3 days. I have uploaded all contacts from outlook to the device with no problem. At the same time, I have inserted a 128Mb Compact Flash Memory Card and listen to the MP3 music while I am typing this review. For sure, there is plenty of PocketPC devices have better features then the BE-300, but at a 2.5X to 3X the cost.
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
I'm Happy with it!!!
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Review: I didn't think that your review was very fair of the BE-300. It's an excellent value at 199.00 (CompUSA). You apparently slammed the unit with a rating of 5 because you didn't like the software bundle??? I understand that the unit is limited somewhat with it's included software but that shouldn't reflect on the overall score. Maybe a seperate catagory for rating the software bundle is a good idea. The screen is gorgeous!! The build quality is nice with the exception of the included folding screen cover. I took mine off. I had an HP Jornada 548 before this one, (500.00) and the only thing I liked about it was the build quality of the case. The screen SUCKED!!! Hands down it had the worst color display I have ever seen. Problems with it crashing. HP sent me another unit and it still sucked. Their tech support guy even admitted to me that they were having problems with lines on the screens and washed out colors. My Casio E-100 display blew the HP 548 out of the water!! By the way, HP's tech support is horrible. I liked the Compaq Ipaq but could not justify the price for me needs. Anyhow, I was disappointed in your review and wanted to give my input. For the money, I think it is a bigtime winner!!
User Rating:
2.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Highly disappointed
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Review: With a software selection so limited I was forced to remember the mistake I made when I chose Sega Saturn over Sony PlayStation--I guess I failed again.
User Rating:
1.5 stars
out of 166 user reviews
It's the OS, Stupid
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Review: What made the Palm Pilot a success; 1) simple intuitive interface 2) out-of-the-box ability to sync and backup information, and 3) the ability to add software, the library of which has grown to over 10,000 applications. What does Casio do with this formula? Throws it out the window(s).
User Rating:
4.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
what a "pocket organizer" should be
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Review: i bought one and i think it's great! it's got some advantages and disadvantages compared with ppc'02. to me, the compromises made to get the $300 price tag make sense... memory: 16mb seems small, but you can install and run applications directly from the compact flash card. i don't know if you can do this with ppc'02. backup battery: no backup battery is required! applications and data are stored in flash memory! this is a big deal and it's a wonder why it wasn't mentioned in the review. speed: basic applications run as fast as they do with ppc'02. the processor handles video and mp3 very well. screen: problems, it's small, the edges are washed out, it take time to warm up, video motion is blurred... etc. but it's sharp, clear and bright-- more than good enough for viewing text and pictures. stability: i've had it a week and it hasn't crashed yet. software: this is the biggest problem. until developers start offering more, this product isn't going to sell. the bundle that comes with the unit is good... a little basic. the document viewer is good... i wish the mp3 player let you jump to any point in a song like most do... i wish that you could find names in the address book the same way you can with palm-- the casio has a search feature where you enter what you're looking for and then search. with the palm, it starts to eliminate choices and zeros in on a name while you type battery life: it's good! i haven't run them down yet, but 1 week of normal use is about as good as it gets with a ppc device. gui: it's simple and clean, very easy to understand. it makes sense to me considering that they're after the "pocket organizer" market instead of the "pocket pc" market. synchronization: it seems to work well but it's slow. the be-300 is most useful as a mp3 player and mobile web browser. it's PIM functions are ok, but palm is still faster and better. starbucks was considering putting ipaqs with 802.11 cards in their shops to allow customers wireless mobile access to the internet. the be-300 makes a lot more sense as they're much cheaper and have better battery life. knowing casio, the be-300 probably costs a lot less than $300 to make. it probably won't be too long before they're at $200 or lower. i think that $600 is way too much to pay for a ppc'02 device. sure the price might come down a little... maybe to $400 something. but considering that you can get a older model notebook for $800... the value is pretty poor. if you're going to carry something with you everywhere, you're better off with a palm because, if you drop or lose it, you're out only $150 (or less). if i were to drop a $650 ppc (and knowing me, i would) i would just cry. i mean unless you're going to connect wirelessly to the net or to watch movies, you don't need a pocket pc. at one time, wireless web pads were supposed to be the next big thing. this is what the be-300 is, except it's being marketed as an organizer/PDA.
User Rating:
5.0 stars
out of 166 user reviews
Excellent out does m505
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Review: Great value for the money, Also color very brilliant, also screen display very bright in Sunlight or dark room, clear and sharp, 16megs and 166mHz very fast system, Small in Size like m505. Has a see through lid, easy to hold and work. Also comes with leather holster.
