Do I have to convert video files to play them on PALM OS?

Question

I used to have a Palm Tungsten T, and i had to convert video files to a certain format to play them on my Palm. I am thinking about getting a Palm TX (new palm pilot out) and I was wondering if i had to convert different types of files like MPEG, DOC, PPT, AVI, PDF, for me to play it on my Palm pilot? please let me know so i can make a informed decision weather to get one or buy a Pocket PC where I dont need to convert files (which is a hassle). Also would anyone know the approximate battery life on these Palms if i was using an wireless keyboard and typeing notes or other documents at my University, maybe going back and forth with the internet via WIFI

Answer 1

You do not need to convert certain files, such as mpeg or AVI or even PDF or DOC if you have the correct application installed on your palm to open these files, and if you have enough space on the handheld (put the files on an SD card).

For video, use TCPMP (open-source and free player) for mpeg or avi:
http://tcpmp.corecodec.org/about

For PDF and DOC, I would highly recommend purchasing DocumentsToGo from Dataviz at http://www.dataviz.com/documents

Also, you can encode DVDs and put them on your Palm and play with the TCPMP player. The encoding program is called Palm Media Studio and you can buy it at http://www.makayama.com/dvdtopalm.html It is a great, easy-to-use program. When encoded, each full movie from your DVD is about 250 MB of space.

I would suggest getting a SanDisk 1 or 2 GB SD card for storage purposes.

As for your battery question, the Palm T/X should have about 3 hours or so of battery if you constantly use the Internet. The wireless keyboard does not take too much from your battery. WiFi takes a lot more.

I have the Palm LifeDrive, and if I use WiFi, I get approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes of consistant use. Also, when I watch DVD on it, a full movie takes about 15 - 20% of the battery. The battery use would really depends on the program you use, whether application, games, Web surfind, IMing. It really depends. Also, there other ways of extending your battery such as reducing screen brightness. I would greatly recommend getting a travel kit which includes a charger. I use both a home and a car charger. They are both very useful.

Answer 2

On a TX, The new Media section in Palm Desktop automatically converts the files to a size reasonable for your TX to handle, thus saving memory. You just drag and drop a video into media, and it automatically converts it. It does work with MPEGs, AVIs, and more. Same goes for pictures.

It includes Documents to Go, so it can handle DOCs and PPTs easily. Off of the disk that comes with it, you can get a special version of Adobe Reader, so you can view PDFs on it, too!

Answer 3

I had a palm130 and I downloaded kinoma player to play video.You can buy kinoma producer to convert your video format to play in kinoma player in your palm.
Check this site
http://www.kinoma.com/