Rating: 
Summary: Still Young
Review: A lot of reviews I have read about the new Cassiopeia EM-500 say that the multi-media capabilities will appeal to the younger buyers - well at age 56 they strongly appeal to me. To think that I can load MPGs, AVIs, JPGs and play them back at work for all my jealous co-workers is worth every penny of the price. For years I have used a Casio Boss and then the Casio Digital Diary NX-6000 wishing some day to have the ability to change the names of some of the pre-set folders in them - now my dream has more than come true! I have used my EM-500 only one week - but what an intensive week it has been. 124 hours on the battery meter and still ticking (had to go to work at Wal-Mart or usage would have been much higher). I loaded the optional 32 mb MMC card with funny video clips, pictures of my family and Mitzi, our dog, and WOW'd all my friends and co-workers. One of the people at work yesterday was searching the breakroom at lunchtime for our local newspaper, The Benton Courier, I said "Here you can read it on my Cassiopeia because I downloaded it this morning" What a big suprise that was! I work in the One Hour Photo Lab and share my digital photos with customers who have questions about resolution and size of files. Having used "Vuepro" on my home computers for years when I loaded the included "Picture & Video Player" I was sorely dissappointed. No zoom or controls at all, then I found Resco's "Picture Viewer" online and now I'm a "Happy Camper" again. The only downside of owning a EM-500 so far has been "Loss of Sleep".
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Technology
Review: As one of the first users of Palm Vx I was speechless about what this little thing was able to do...that was, until I finally got ahold of an EM 500 ! The looks alone are stunning as well as the feel of the matted surface but whats inside is unbelievable: colour, sound, Microsoft software including Pocket Outlook, Adresses, Tasks, Calendar, Memo function with which you can write in your own handwriting (the EM 500 learns to recognize it), Pocket Excel, Money, Word, Internet Explorer, Win Media Player (plays MP3s and WMA's) and MS Pocket Reader for books. Did I forget something ? I probably did, but you name it, its there... Colours are clear and crisp, programs function without glitches (so far), communication with Outlook 2000 on the desktop (has to be installed to keep track of adresses,calendar etc.) and Active Sync (the program needed for the exchange between computer and Pocket PC) works smoothly and best of all, everything is included in the box along with a hotsync USB cable, recharger cable and a little slip-in case for the Pocket PC, so no extra buys upfront. I played music on the EM 500 which sounds a bit hollow when listened to without headphones but has alot of "boom" when headphones are used. I uploaded pictures onto it, just try it, you will not believe the quality (tip: resize or cut your pictures on your desktop first to what you really want to see , it saves memory and displays the picture without having to scroll on the Pocket PC). I uploaded books unto the MS Reader, who needs paper anymore ? I dictated notes to myself (yes, it has a little voice recorder built in), I moved and removed programs, users who are familiar with Win OS will have no problems with the Pocket PC OS called Win CE. So where is the catch? first of all the EM 500 is a heavy brick compared to the Palm Vx which on second thought is not that bad for all you get. But right now accessories are almost impossible to find, so one has to be patient and insistant with checking around for a modem (of course it is internet capable, E-Mail function included), the little Multi Media Cards for storage and other neat items. I finally managed to get ahold of a 64 MB MMC card for a pretty hefty prize but the reward is great...just slip in the postage stamp sized card, find it in your document folder and move games, programs, pictures and songs onto it and you will see that 16 MB of basic memory on the EM 500 is more than enough for everything that cannot be moved. Games are rare and most of the time expensive but worth it, books for the MS Reader are even rarer (but 20+ come along with the Active Sync CD Rom) and utilities have their prize as well, as opposed to the Palm Platform where you can find virtually myriads of free goodies. My advice: think about what you want/need a palmsized computer for... is it business or pleasure ? do you want to combine both ? For pure business go with the Palm Vx, for all other uses do not hesitate and at least check out the EM 500. You will most likely end up like me, that is buying it anyway even though a little voice asks you whether you really need another techy item, "making up" excuses that with not having to buy an extra MP3 player you will save at least a buck or twohundred :o)
Rating: 
Summary: EM-500, cutting edge or missing the mark
Review: Casio's Cassiopedia is a very nice unit. Is it the best value available? Well it could have been, but unfortunately they scrimped in a couple of key areas. I base this on what I feel is their closet competitor, the Compaq Ipaq. The first thing you'll need to do after purchasing the Casio is run down to the store and purchase a very expensive MMC card. You'll want to pick up at least a 32mb card (currently between $76.00 and $99.00). Now you'll have some breathing room to work in. The Compaq comes with this additional memory with the purchase price. The last feature that is a little disappointing is the TFT backlit feature. Because of the basic design, the Ipaq does a much better job in very bright conditions. But get your Cassiopedia in a little shade and with the 65,000 plus colors you'll blow the Compaq Ipaq away. In conclusion, I guess there's pluses and negatives with most very thing, and if you don't mind having to immediately spent another $100.00 to get the space you'll need the Cassiopedia is the better unit. I would argue that the Compaq Ipaq is probably the better value.
Rating:
Summary: Feature packed but but EM-200 is worth the extra money.
Review: Great product for the price with the ... rebate. This thing does everything Windows does... including crash! The processor needs to be faster and Windows needs to fix their crash problems (but whats new). I also did not get good battery life. It has to be recharged every day or you lose your info. I have had to reinstall everything 3 times! Casio helpdesk claims that I am turning it on in the case because there is a flaw in the design of the buttons on the front. But the power gets low even when sitting around the house for a day.Otherwise, with the right software downloads this little gadget is the most useful thing I've ever owned and has transformed me into an organizing maniac. For the software go to "Freeware.com" or "TwoCows.com" and try "Listpro" for great organization. Also check out "StarTap." GREAT programs!
Rating:
Summary: Cassiopeia -125
Review: I am really pleased with the way the Casio works, the memories, the screen colors etc- i had a palm before and took it back=- I was really disappointed in it- to me the Casio is quick, colorful, and has tons of capabilities- hats off to Casio
Rating: 
Summary: No Compact Flash a big let down.
Review: I bought the EM-500 about four months ago. I love the Software that it came with (Microsoft Pocket PC) but since all pocket PCs come with the same software I'm not going to write about how cool the transcriber is and how nice it is to write notes down, and save them. The things that I don't like about this model are that it doesn't support compact flash. It only supports the Casio micro memory cards which are hard to come by. This also means that you will miss out on all those cool accessories that are compact flash compatible. I also don't like the placement of the IR port (on the right side). If you want to send something, you have to turn it to the right for the IR ports to see each other. Other than that I really like my EM-500 and I use it all the time for work and personal notes and reminders. I also love reading books on it - I can read a book in bed with all the lights out so my wife can sleep. The one recommendation I would make to all pocket pc buyers is to invest in a screen cover - the screen can get scratched very easily and if you want to keep it for a while the scratches will start to add up.
Rating:
Summary: Great, but with Warnings
Review: I bought the EM-500 recently to replace my Handspring Visor. I was always more than happy with the Visor, but wanted to go with a device with a color screen and the Pocket PC operating system. My overall satisfaction has been great, but you really have to know what you're getting yourself into. Generally speaking, my computer skills are well above average. This has turned out to be a very good thing with the Pocket PC system. I've found it at times more versatile than Palm, at times more familiar (due to the Windowsesque interface), but also frequently frustrating. Because everything's a little more "tweakable" than Palm, you'll find more of a need to get into the details and settings a bit more. If you're comfortable with that, then Pocket PC is for you. If you're looking for simplicity and ease of use, then stick with Palm, even if you're a desktop Windows junkie. Palm is certainly expandable (though arguably not as much as Pocket PC), it's just easier to do so. A few other things to keep in mind: While the MMC slot allows you additional storage space, it's no help for program memory. Some programs require quite a bit of memory to run (PocketDOOM comes to mind), and if you've stored a lot of stuff on your RAM, then you're out of luck. A 32MB version would've been smart on Casio's part. This brings up another point ... Casio has discontinued the EM-500 line now that the PocketPC 2002 OS is out, so you may want to think about how that might affect you. The EM-500 is NOT upgradeable, and never will be. That said, my experience with the EM-500 has been great. It's got stereo MP3 playback out of the box, a beautifully rich color screen (though difficult to see out-of-doors), and outstanding expandability. It's given me just about everything the Visor did, and more. Its size (just a tiny bit larger than the Visor) and weight (probably at least twice the weight of the Visor) weren't an issue for me, though you might consider it if you plan to carry this in a pocket. Overall, a great purchase, and I believe the best tradeoff between price and quality on the Pocket PC devices.
Rating: 
Summary: In a word...don't
Review: I bought this at a club warehouse-type store. I thought it was a good deal since it was packaged with a 32mb multi media card at an incredible price. I knew it did not have all the bells and whistles of a good HP or Compaq, but for my needs it seemed like it would work out fine. Wrong. I could never get it to communicate with my computer. My computer is no lightweight; I am running Windows 2000 Professional with a 1.5 gig Pentium 4. I called the Casio support line, and after 25 minutes of following their suggestions it still didn't work. I took it back for a refund. I will now forget I have ever heard of Casio pocket PCs, and suggest you do the same.
Rating:
Summary: This Pocket Pc Is Great!!!...
Review: I bought this pocket pc last year ... i enjoy using it and have done what i want with it i use every free software i can find on it and it seems to keep up pretty well considering it is a 2001 model ;) it is a good value for its prize BUT... the battery doesent seem to keep up with me :( but if you want to spend a little more you can buy an extended life battery from casio :) so in conclusion it is a great handheld but its battery life could have been better
Rating:
Summary: Excelent Performance At Low Cost!!
Review: I buy this because i needed an organiser (addresses/phone book, notes, etc) and need advance features like Word Excel Money, and this little jewel do it and much more.
Very Good PDA, stable and fast.
Only problem is the low factory memory but
the solution is my 64mb of MMC memory i
buy with it :)
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