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AvantGo, Mazingo, Vindigo: Internet on the Go
Posted Wednesday, June 26, 2002 by PDA Center
AvantGo
If you're looking for a service that provides you with great content, and ease of use, then AvantGo is the answer. AvantGo allows you to view the mobile internet while on the go. Even if you don't have a modem or wireless modem, you can still view the internet offline. AvantGo allows you to see many sites on your PDA, using their special software. AvantGo is completely free, and has over 4.5 million users. Most sites on the web now are making special sites designed specifically for PDAs. So whether you're looking for that special recipe 100 miles away from your computer, or completing a transaction on the way to work, you can use AvantGo. AvantGo has both an offline and an online version. Using the offline version, you can sync your PDA with the AvantGo server, and the latest version of the pages you select will be downloaded. With the online version, you can browse the internet anywhere, as long as you have a wireless modem. A hardwired modem will work too; it just won't allow you as much portablity.
Vindigo
Vindigo is a service, much like AvantGo, except that it gives you only tourist information. For example, if you are in Washington D.C., at Constitution and 14th, and are looking for a place to relax and eat, then Vindigo would provide you with all the restaurants that fit a description you would like. It isn't limited only to restaurants. Vindigo provides you with places where you can eat, shop, play, and in addition, reviews, maps, directions, and movie times. It is available for Palm handhelds, mobile phones, and Pocket PCs, although you have to pay for the Pocket PC service. It is available wirelessly for your Palm and/or mobile phone, but it is available only for offline browsing on your Pocket PC.
Mazingo
Mazingo, standing for "Magazines to go," is a service not unlike AvantGo. It comes in a free and premium (paid) service. It is possibly the first web service to offer PDA users the ability to view any type of file online, on their PDA. According to Mazingo, it is "designed to handle video, audio, images, Web pages, corporate databases, software updates, and any other file type." Of course with the ability to view any and all file type comes the problem of storage. Mazingo suggests having a storage card, and using it. I would recommend at least a 16 megabyte card, because many files online can be quite large. The average song file is about 3-4 megabytes, the average photo size is around the same, to a little larger, and the average video is quite a bit larger, probably around 5-10 megabytes, so if you plan on downloading a lot of audio, images, or videos, you might want to consider a significantly larger storage card, possibly a 64MB or 128MB one.
In conclusion, I would recommend getting Mazingo for all your mobile internet browsing and usage. AvantGo is very good, but it lacks in the ability to let you view other files. You are limited to what it provides you. Vindigo is perhaps the most limiting, having only tourist information. But, the choice is yours.
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