Oh dear! PDA stolen in Beijing, need to buy another

[donneh]

As the topic says, my iPAQ has just been stolen, and I need to get up and running again with pleco...
Going down to zhongguancun has been a headache. I don't know what I'm getting becuase no-one seems to sell PDA's (I wanted to simply buy a new iPAQ 114 as the recommended 'simplist' device for pleco 2) - in all the basement floors there just seems to be hundreds of stalls selling mostly the same smart phones (so much for choice eh). I finally found ONE place that sold an iPAQ 112, but he said you couldn't convert it to english language.

So then I figured I should get an HTC TyTNII as they seem to get rave reviews online. But they don't seem to sell them by that name in China. The "HTC 4550" seems to be an alternative name for a similar looking device, but when asking around everyone said they sold the HTC 4450 (notice the slight numbering difference). I'm scared I'd be getting an inferior model, or something else entirely.

So basically as a second-to-last resort (the last being getting my parents to buy the same PDA back home and shipping it to me) I'm asking here if anyone knows:

a) If the HTC TyTNII is also called the HTC 皇帝 4450 (NOT 4550, and I'm good to get it.
b) If I can run the OS it in english mode etc - one stall owner said I could becuase it was made in taiwan, but another said I couldn't.
c) If that is the next best thing to run pleco 2 on. Basically I just want to use it for pleco, but don't want anything too big to carry around - also wondering the screen is ok, and if a keyboard really benefits. (I Mainly use pleco to look up characters I don't know by drawing them in).
d) Anything else I should consider looking at, and rough prices.

I know its a lot of questions but any help is greatly appreciated....I feel lost without my dictionary!

 

[Azabu]

You might want to check out the range of PDA and smartphones available at the electronics market in Super Bar Street, just off Ladies Street Market. They have a range of grey market imports which they can readily restore to an English ROM.

 

[longngo]

You can also order one online via www.expansys.com.hk. They charge about HK$110 for shipment. I ordered a phone 2 weeks ago and since they send it from Shenzhen they seem to avoid import duty.

 

[blair]

I bought a PDA last week in Zhongguancun they have a range of windows mobile based devices and palms. Go to the second floor of the top electronics city its listed in the insiders guide then go to the second floor they have quite a few first and second hand ones available. I bought a Palm but also looked at an ipaq it was more expensive so went for the palm regretting it now after reading the windows based one is a better idea for 2.0
Good luck

 

[Trobert]

At Zhongguancun you can get an HP Ipaq 6818/6828 for 1700-1800 rmb. There are two model numbers but they're the same device. I verified the price last week by showing them my 6828 and asking 'how much are they down to now'? I've had one for two years and I am very satisfied with it. It's got WM5 running on a 416 mhz processor. Also has BT and WIFI. I use skype and pleco on it all the time, and it even can play movies and video games.