Hello, i was looking for an PDA, and now i've seen the Nokia 770.

Do you think an Nokia 770 can substitue an Windows Mobile 5.0 PDA like the Dell Axim?

I would like to have an easy to access Calendar, E-Mail Software and Adressbook, which should be easily synced with Thunderbird/Lightning under Ubuntu Linux and Windows XP.

Is that possible?
And would you overall suggest to use it instead of an normal PDA?

Honestly ? Those are not its strong points at all. It's not marketed that way, and most people use for other things.

I'm an enthusiastic 770-user and would recommend this device to everyone - except to those who look for a PDA. A PDA is a specialized device that can do only a few things. This allows for speed and a high level of software integration.

The 770, on the other hand, is an all purpose PC. It is smaller than your desktop PC and lacks a HD and a keyboard, but actually I think it has more in common with my GNU/Linux desktop PC than with PDAs or smartphones. This means its more powerful, more flexible - but less suited for your needs.

So while you probably can use it as a PDA (depending on your needs and your willingness to experiment with new cutting-edge software), I would not recommend it.

I have had a 770 for a year now, and I never take it out of the house; in the house, it is now the primary device for web browsing and email, with a few games being played.

Two of my friends have got one after playing with mine; one so that he can use it as a SIP phone now he's gone off to Australia (from UK) and another so that he can use it as a remote control for his Slimplayer.

To be honest I've never had a PDA; I DO use my Nokia E50 as my calendar device and that synchronises nicely with outlook (which we have to use for work).

What you say above could be done probably. The 770 fits in my trouser pocket, but I only ever really put it there when I'm going from upstairs to downstairs...

The person who got a 770 for Slimserver remote's wife said she didn't like the 770 because the handwriting recognition wasn't anywhere near as good as on the iPaq; that would affect your ability to do email responses. They are going to try the full screen keyboard to see if that is any better.

(perhaps that person would like to comment directly?)

Not yet, if you are a long-time PDA user the functionality isn't there yet. check back in a couple years

I don't think the 770 is a PDA yet. Don't buy it if you're coming from a Windows background. The only way you could make a 770 into a PDA with those features you want would be programming/porting them yourself. If you can do that and think it would be fun to port applications to a handheld device, on the other hand, go ahead. That's what I did. But the 770 won't do any of what you require out of the box. Well, technically it does E-Mail, but in all honesty, you don't even want to look at the client that comes with it. Technically also, you can install third party software to give you a calendar etc. Just don't expect anything that works right from the start as a PDA - that's not what the 770 was designed for.

The software community could have it act as a full-fledged PDA in far, far less time.

It could, but probably won't. Ever owned a Zaurus ?...

And so we come back to the real reason the 770 didn't gain mass market appeal. If Nokia had put some simple, easy to use PIM apps in the 770, they would have dominated both the PDA and UMPC markets with the sheer number of customers.

There's installable PIM apps available, but if you're used to the "Palm" way of doing things, they probably won't suit your needs anyway.

Heh! Basically, you're asking for interoperability with MS products... and I don't think the boys in Redmond would be offering any niceties to a Linux based tablet.