Deciding Between 860 C1000 And C3000

[TerekKincaid]

Hi, I'm new to the forum, and in true fashion, I'm starting with a real noobish thread  .  I know this is one of those awful topics, but I really would like some help.

I'm in Japan now with my wife visiting the in-laws.  I went to Akihabara yesterday for about an hour (made my way to Softmap 5  ), and I'm going back on Monday to make a purchase.  

I'm trying to decide whether to buy a new C1000 (about $330) or a used 860 (about $230) or used C3000 (about $350).

I do not plan on converting it to English;  I want to use the device out of the box.  Therefore, I'd like advice on which models have a lot going for them in their stock configuration, mostly in the dictionary and translation areas.  I don't really need the 4 GB drive, so I would like the "zippiest" device.  I don't really plan on watching too many movies or playing music files.  I mostly want to use it for PIM, dictionary, and word processing/spreadsheets.

The 860 is the cheapest, but I've heard it is slower (not just by 16 MHz, but by optimization?).  Also, I've heard that the C3000 is a bit sluggish because everything has to be pulled from the microdrive (since the flash memory is miniscule).  The C1000 seems like a good bet, but how does the dictionary compare to the "multimedia" dictionary on the C3000?  

I would love to hear from anyone that has experience using any of these unmodified.

Thanks.

[Mjolinor]

Personal opinions
I have an 860 and a 3000, the 3000 has no microdrive in but has a big CF card in it's place.

The 860 is slower in all areas, than the 3000 by much much more than the clock speed difference would suggest.
USB host (3000) is a big advantage
Screen is the same.
I prefer the 860 keyboard (I reckon that would be split down the middle between all users though)
The 860 is much easier to fit in the pocket particularly if you fit a small battery
I have not noticed any significant difference in the battery life.

All in all I found it a really hard call but I have settled on the 3000, the 860 is on eBay at the moment.

[chiark]

I had a 760 and a 1000, and sold the 760.  The 1000 is faster in use, and the screen technology is better/brighter.  

I personally wouldn't go for a 3000 due to the lack of flash, but on the other hand the major ROMs for the z seem to be working with the 3k now.

Right now, I'd wait for the announcement on March 7th/8th as per Trisoft's post (but it could be a windup) as if there's a new model out then there'll be a few 3100s around as people who have to have the latest upgrade flog theirs off

[bluedevils]

With no hard drive, does the 1000 use the same dictionary as the 3x00 series?  Waiting for prices to drop after march 7th seems like a good idea.  The 1000/3100 is zippier than the 3000 on boot up because the OS is on the flash drive.

[rokugo]

I do not plan on converting it to English;  I want to use the device out of the box.  Therefore, I'd like advice on which models have a lot going for them in their stock configuration, mostly in the dictionary and translation areas.  I don't really need the 4 GB drive, so I would like the "zippiest" device.  I don't really plan on watching too many movies or playing music files.  I mostly want to use it for PIM, dictionary, and word processing/spreadsheets.

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As a former C860(stock ROM) user and current C1000 owner, with similar usage to yours:

I did not perceive any difference in processing speed between the 2 models when running my dictionary apps, PIM software or the occasional word processing. They're both equally "zippy".

The C1000 feels noticeably bulkier, and it's larger than a PDA needs to be.  This is accentuated by the fact that I had been using the C860 with the slim battery which reduced its overall size to something closer to a Palm or Clie.

The C1000 keyboard is slightly better, you'll have to try it out to see if its worth $100 and the added bulk.

Finally the C3000's multimedia dictionary. As I've mentioned in another thread, Koujien entries tend to use rather archaic and scholarly terms, which makes its less readable. And interestingly, in all the latest Canon WordTanks it has been replaced with Daijirin (which I prefer) as the main dictionary. So for the price difference between the C860 and the C3000 you can get a better dictionary package (like Daijirin) plus a big enough CF card to store it in. You will need a memory card anyway for backups etc. And of course the C860(and C1000)'s built-in Gakken dictionary isn't too shabby either.

[TerekKincaid]

Thanks for the replies so far.  I appreciate the advice.

I was able to head down to a Yamada denki last night and try out the 1000 and 3000 a little more, mostly comparing the dictionaries.  I'm not 100% sure on the specs of each dictionary, but I noticed just messing around that the one on the 3000 was much nicer than the 1000.  At any rate, the 3000 had "electrophoresis" while the 1000 did not.  Kanji lookup seemed similar (like others, I'm considering this partly over a Wordtank, since I don't need that much Kanji power).  

Rokugo, you mentioned I could outfit the 860 with a better dictionary (available separately for purchase, I guess)?  Where is this dictionary available from?  Is there a page I can check the specifics and some screen shots?

Otherwise, it looks like I may need to get a 3000.  I don't mind the price too much, and I'd rather not get a model that has already been phased out (plus I like the idea of USB host for transfering camera pictures).

Unfortunately, Monday is the only day I'll really have to get to Akihabara again before I go.  That means I'll probably be the last sucker to buy it at high price (though prices have been falling considerably already).

[TerekKincaid]

Ok, I've done some searching, and I've found all kinds of info on dictionaries (like Zten).  I think if I add some extra words to the C1000's dictionary or use something like Zten, I don't really need the fancy dictionary from the C3000.  (And I think I am going to pass on the 860 for now).

One more quick question.  There is a database program included with these, but am I right in noticing that the C1000 and C3100 both come with a full version while the C3000 has a stripped-down version?  I may actually use the database feature, so can anyone explain the differences?  Thanks.

[TerekKincaid]

Just a quick update, I went with the 3000.  The more I learned about it, the more impressed I became.  I got it at Softmap 5 for $385 (the $350 one had some scratches on it).  I was sold by the much nicer dictionary, the translation software, USB host capability, and in the end, the 4 GB microdrive (I know I'm going to load this thing up with junk now).  I don't really need the database software or the train schedules (since I'm heading back to NC in a week).

Thanks to everyone for your advice.  Now I know I'll be hear asking a million questions in the future.