Hi for all.

I bought a Palm da Vinci and i realize that it's so difficult find softwares for it.

Could you please send me some links where i can find softwares for it? My email: marcus.vendruscolo@ic.unicamp.br Thanks.

Marcus Vinicius Vendruscolo

Hi my name is David Martin I brought a DaVinci {2MB } PDA at Odd Job Traders store in Coney Island in Brooklyn about three weeks ago it was working fine until I left it on the docking cradle for one day and since then I cannot get to work the only thing I tried was to change the batteries that didn't help it not even coming on and I have data listed on it that I was trying to received my computer program is carries WINDOW XP version and I notice that the driver was not for windows XP but that should not stop my PDA from working I really like the product but it's not functioning at all.
And there is no number to call for help support or any address to return the product for a replacement or to fix which I rather get a replacement because it's newly never really used much and never been tampered with also it was not mistreated or never fell but it just went out of service, I will like information on what to do or where to send it either for repairs or replacement. Please send me these information as soon as possible so I can enjoy my PDA the price was just right $39.99 and I like it but it's not working now.

I have had a DaVinci for over one year. I wish I had never bought it. I have never been able to use the handwriting memo section, it just takes to long to go back and correct every other letter.

I have been the owner of my DaVinci3 for a few months now. Here are my
favorite features:
*Backlight
*Sketch (Palm dosn't have)
*Magnatized cover
*Case
*Free Keyboard
*and more

I agree you do have a point with the davinci-script. It is hard to write.

But for me, all in all, it is better than a Palm. For instance- my DaVinci
has fallen on the floor so many times I couldn't count how many, wheras the
first time my dad dropped his the screen broke into a zillion pieces and he
had to spend $$$ to have it replaced (it would've cost more to fix it than
to just replace it).

Well, thanks for letting me share my opinion.

Yes it's me again.

I just wanted to tell you one more thing. I don't think your [article] was
written as a "review."
I think it was written as a nice way of saying "I don't like DaVinci's- go
with Palm." If so, JUST COME OUT AND SAY SO!!! No need to fake it up and
say, "Oh, this is a review." It's OK.

BE HONEST!!!

Miss R, USA

I have been using the Royal DV3 since December. At first, I was
satisfied with the PDA. Later, I began to realize why it is so cheap. The
data synchronization and handwriting recognition are totally unacceptable.
I'll not elaborate since there are comments from other users on the same
subject.

The customer service and lack of contacts at Royal are frustrating. It
seems that the company is trying to shield itself from customers because of
their inferior product. I hope the will get their QC act together and be
more out front with customer relations.

When making my purchase decision, I compared the DV3 with a model of
the Palm and thought that the extra money for the Palm was "brand name
tax". I was wrong. In retrospect, I would have been well worth paying
more money for a product (Palm) that delivers on its promises.

-SVP

Hi, 

I wish I would have read your review BEFORE I bought mine. It came with companionlink software which is supposed to work with Outlook97. I want to sync this (on a network) with my davinci but no can do. Error..Time Out! is the result. And so, I am taking it back to OfficeMax today and wait until I can get a Palm without breaking the bank.

Thank you for reinforcing my instincts that the davinci is not what I want or need. 

Ann Martin 
amartin@mscfs.edu 

My Da Vinci was given to me, I can't complain that much. I have experienced all the negatives that others have commented about and then some. I wish I could recognize it's DaVinci Script. As far as everything else, you do get what you pay for.

I've had a daVinci for a couple of months now, and it is my first PDA,
although I have written software for, and used, an HP Jornado (sic?).

There are little stick-on screen covers which apparently have some
texture to them that makes OCR work better. The screen surface is so
smooth that it is difficult to tell which direction the initial stroke is
going,

The included PIM and sync reminded me of early Windows utilities:
they gave me a taste of what was possible but did not really work at all.
So, I have ordered the $39 commercial software in the hope that I can
sync with Outlook and not dupe everything on both sides.

Why has the SDK been removed from their site? Can anyone send me
an email attachment including the SDK?

aprichard@home.com

I had actually took a chance and bought the daVinci.  Overall, a pretty
nice unit for the price.  The graphics are much better than the Casio
PV-100/PV-200 which are closer to the daVinci price range.

Lack of repeat events and Today button are hassles, as you pointed out.

You are also dead on with your SmartSync comments.  I get additional
duplicate entries with each 'synchronization'.  I have contacted tech
support by email and had zero response.  I suspect this is a known
problem.  Perhaps a firmware revision is forthcoming.  I believe the
problem is on the daVinci, not with the PIM software.  A 3rd party
freeware package called CompanionLink (for Outlook) reproduces the
problem as well.

Dave Thomson

My comments:
I too have looked at the DaVinci and felt that it was "cheap".  When I was
looking for a PDA, I opted to spend the extra $100.00 and go for the Pilot Pro
instead of the DaVinci.  I am glad I did!  Remember, you get what you pay for!

Officer Tom Slovenski
Polish Palm Pilot Police

pbft.. 1. the daVinci script is hard to use becuase you are used to Palm
graffiti, trust me, i've never used it, and now have about a 98%
accuracy rating with the daVinci
2. New cases will be out soon, designed by me, you'll have your choice
to change it yourself, or have me do it for a small fee, S&H included
(US only) they will be clear at first, and then later, the apple iMac(!)
colors.. I will change the case a little bit in shape and feel, and I
will have it use Palm stylii since they are more readily availble, and
more 'sturdy'
3. You can get it at WOW for $69.99
4. It just says you need to recalibrate, I haven't in months
5. There will be the daVinci2 coming out soon, with 2 megs of RAM, same
price ($99.99)
6. Have you looked in the cradle, or taken your daVinci apart? very
similar (daVinci) to palm pilot, the cradle has something to be desired
though.

Give this comment to Aryeh
I have taken my daVinci apart, and the operating system is installed on
roughly (i think) 1/2 meg or 1 meg Flash EEPROMS, not removable, and I
have never seen these type before, so don't even think about it.

--
Dustin Destree

Come on
it takes some time to get used to the script
if I had been using the palm for a long time
I would have a hard time using the script. But guess
what I have no palm and think the script is very easy
to use and calibrating isn't that bad all you have to do is hit
two little squares. In my opinion there is too much negativity in your
review.

I've been a daVinci owner since its release;  November 21st 1998 was the
day I went to my local OfficeMax and Picked it up.  The truth of the
matter is that I needed a replacement for my aging Newton, and the
Philips Nino I wanted was just too expensive, and so I compromised.  I
realise it wasn't that bad of a compromise now.

The thing that struck me and first was its size and feel.  Having used a
metal cased 1.3 pound Newton 110 for 2 years, the daVinci Felt obscenely
light, and so small i though it was a toy.  I never really realised how
much size could count, but I now understand what all those Palm users
were meaning when they said the Newton was Huge.

daVinci Script took me a long time to master, having been in love with
the Newton Rossetta HWR Engine.  But once I used it for about a week,
and remembered to *slow down*, I learned to enter something like 20 WPM
with no errors whilst walking down the corridor.  True, Graffiti is more
popular, but its expensive to license.

The PIM software was very lightweight, but I was happy to have any at
all, coming from my Newton Past.  Not that I actually need o sync up the
data much anyway.  For the amount I enter data on my PC, its fine.  And
used in conjunction with software like Mona linka and V-Note, its really
quite nice.  I do miss not having A button on the cradle to trigger a
sync.

All in all, Having used my daVinci daily for nearly 4 months in my
duties as a SysAdmin, It's been very good to me;  a worth Newton
Successor.  And its tough-  Don't let the light weight fool you.  I've
dropped mine on the floor and down the stairs more times that I care to
say, and all it has to show is a scuff on the side.

And if I may plug myself here, I was/am the first person to have a
Davinci Web site at come.to/royal_davinci .  You know the word "dV-OS"?
I made that up :)

Legacy 'Xunker' Ironstone

Hello,

I went out and got a Royal daVinci and the optional keyboard.  It does
feel cheap, compared to the other palm-sized PC's.  You are not the only
person who had trouble with the handwriting recognition.  Hopefully, this
is something which can be updated without returning the device for repair
(I could not find any information about whether the operating system is
installed in an EEPROM or not).

The daVinci also had trouble recognizing input from its own keyboard.  This
may have been due to problems with the fit of the keyboard's connector into
the daVinci.  I think the reason Royal decided to make the keyboard was
because they had to; the handwriting recognition is that bad.

Regards,

Aryeh