This is topic Hatrackers with PDAs in forum Books, Films, Food and Culture at Hatrack River Forum.


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Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
 
Who here uses a PDA? If so, what kind. What do you like about it and what do you hate (if anything).
 

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Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
 
I think Icarus has one grafted to his body or something.

Icarus?
 

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Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
I have one.

A simple, older model Handspring visor. Back before they offered color screens and all the usual good stuff.

I like it very much -- easy to use, especially if you take the time to teach yourself graffiti, which I found to be quite easy.

What I don't like about it is that it eats batteries faster than a Gameboy. Get one that is rechargable (I think most of them are now)

Farmgirl
 

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Posted by aretee (Member # 1743) on :
 
I have an iPAQ 4155.

I love it. I let the battery get too low one time and I lost everything, but since I (finally) synced it with Outlook, I won't have that problems anymore.

I've written lesson plans on vacation and printed them from my PDA. I love having Word on my PDA. I play solitare. I've written a post on Hatrack because we have wireless internet at the house. And, it's made planning and gathering addresses and other information really easy for my wedding.

I'm still learning what all it will do, because I haven't had it that long. But, I LOVE it.

[ April 22, 2004, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: aretee ]
 

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Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
My understanding (from back when I worked at CompUSA) was that there were three guys who originally started Palm -- and the whole Palm OS and everything. Then these three guys eventually got "bought out" -- so they went out and started Handspring (must of not signed a no-compete clause), and began offering Handsprings with the Palm OS that were better and less expensive. That was about the time I got mine.

So the only real difference between those two is price.

Farmgirl
 

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Posted by celia60 (Member # 2039) on :
 
Hey, FG, did you know you can turn a GBA into a PDA?

I also have a Visor from the good ol' days. I haven't used it in a while, but if this new funding source works out, I might start having meetings again and actually need it. I liked it when I was using it, I just don't have any current need for it. For space purposes (physical purse space, not memory) I might mod the GBA if I need an organizer again. But the not-touchscreen interface would be a pain....

Let's see. Yeah, eats batteries. Love graffiti, and if David's reading, that's what I read both books you sent me on. Bill's got a Pocket PC and that's just way more than what I'd ever want in a PDA. I mean, I could actually get work done on it! Ack! Why would I want to have the option of working everywhere I went?
 

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Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
 
Other thing -- I really don't feel PDA's are made for women. I mean, really. It used to frustrate the heck out of me because all the guys were carrying their PDA's in handy little cases that clipped to their belts for ready access. Or in the inside pocket of their suit jackets.

We women, who usually have to dress in something nicer than pants w/belts for corporate work, have no place to "carry" our PDAs except in our purses or day planners, which makes the whole idea very bulky.

So someone needs to invent a way for a woman to easily carry a PDA without it being a burden and/or not stylish.

FG

[ April 22, 2004, 09:39 AM: Message edited by: Farmgirl ]
 

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Posted by ak (Member # 90) on :
 
I'm highly in favor of PDAs, thinking they dress up a park considerably, particularly in springtime when all the flowers are in bloom, and love is in the air.
 

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Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
 


Oh, good one, ak! I was just pondering on the effects technology has on semantics.

PDA when I was a kid = public display of affection. Something to be interested in, certainly, but NOT to be exhibited in the hallowed hallways of the old high school.

(Left out a crucial word!)

[ April 22, 2004, 10:20 AM: Message edited by: Shan ]
 

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Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
 
I have one of the Visor Handspring PDAs. It's black and white, small, has a decent amount of storage space (and you can always use a memory card with it too), has pretty good battery life (but I have a charger at home and one at work). I love it. I can more easilly keep track of appointments and contacts for work, plus I have something to do while I'm sitting around waiting (which I have to do a lot) - I can play games and read books. Since getting it a little more than a year ago, I have read probably hundreds of books.

Slacker has a Dell Axim. It's really nice - color screen, can play mp3s and movies, wireless capable (for email, messaging, etc), etc.

[ April 22, 2004, 10:53 AM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
 

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Posted by skillery (Member # 6209) on :
 
I haven't used my clunky old Palm IIIc for over a year. The screen isn't daylight-viewable.

Some of the Sony Clies look cool.

But I'm holding out for an OQO .

Edit: To fit screen without scrolling.

Note to aretee: Try tinyurl.com

[ April 22, 2004, 11:11 AM: Message edited by: skillery ]
 

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Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
 
A Palm Tungsten E. It is with me always.

Color, high resolution, cheap compared to similar models ($179-$200). Uses the same SD expansion cards as my camera, and can use the same car charger as my cell phone. Can play mp3s, watch movies, see photo galleries, play games, read web pages offline, write. I wrote most of my 2003 NaNoWriMo novel on it.

But mostly what I use my Palm for is reading. There are about 40 books on it right now, completely vanguishing that creeping fear that you're about to finish the book you have with you but you didn't bring a spare. E-books are cheaper, occasionally become available before the print editions, and are way easier to store. I've been slowly replacing my favorite books with either e-versions or hardbacks, depending on whether or not other people in my household like them and what their sentimental value is.
 

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Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
 
Christy and I use an iPaq 36xx model when traveling.
 

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Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :
 
I love my HP 2215 . I had a 1945 before but I found that it was easy to drain the processors power by leaving apps open. The 2215 has never given me trouble. I had a visor before that that finally died, but I'm very happy with my PocketPC. Excel is great to have and it syncs better with my computer than Palm OS did.
 

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Posted by Homestarrunner (Member # 5090) on :
 
I have a dinky old Palm m100. I made a valiant effort to use it, but it just is not useful. Trying to conduct my life from such a small, monochrome screen was a ridiculous farce. Trying to enter text, even though I got fast at it, was irritating at best.

I'd buy a better one if it was at all a priority, but it's not even on my top 100 things to get. Notepad/Pencil OS works just fine.
 

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Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
 
I love my Palm. The m100 I used to have was a gift, and I didn't expect to use it much, not being a calendar/organizer fan. But it was so easy to put in my class schedule (thanks to repeating events), and it was GREAT to have all my phone numbers and such with me everywhere.

The games I have on it are a fun way to deal with spending time in line . . . or just waste time anywhere. And I like having lots of fanfic I can read whenever. I tend to prefer reading printed words, so I'm not a big ebook fan; however, since the fanfics I read are all electronic, my choices are read them on the computer, print 'em out (which gets ridiculous on the longer ones), or read 'em on my Palm. I generally go with option 3.

When my m100 died I replaced it with a (now discontinued) m125 . It's monochrome and was significantly cheaper than many other options. And it takes memory cards, which the m100 did not.

OTOH, one of my brothers has a Handspring which he adores, and another has the Trio (a combo of PDA and cell-phone) and likes it a lot.

Deciding which PDA to buy really depends a LOT on what you'll be doing with it -- how important is it to you to be able to read and manipulate Word or Excel files, for example? They're the reason a friend of mine went with a Palm PC.
 

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Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
 
I have an inexpensive Palm zire and it's great for what I need it for - to help me keep track of appointments, a handy place to store lists and phone numbers, and a calculator in a pinch when I need to calculate some fabric in the fabric store.

My husband has a much more expensive version that allows him to run Excel spreadsheets and Word - because when he's on a job he can pull up his pricing spreadsheet and calculate a job price for someone, and he stores all his contracts/quotes which are Word files so he can access them.
 

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Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
 
i wish i had the PomPalm thingy that Strong bad uses in the "The Bird" e-mail.
 

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Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
 
Palm Pilot M500

Monochrome, but with a 64MB SD Card (why buy anything less?).

I've stepped on the stupid thing at least twice, and it still works great!

E-Books (check)
Avant-Go (lets me store mapquest maps, the NY Times daily sub-edition)

Contacts & Appointments, of course (sync it every day!)

Stupid Noises (Terminator theme for alarms, for instance)

Universal remote (Novii)

Adobe reader

Mind Manager (not the best for such a small thing)

etc., etc.
 

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Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
 
Back when I had a job, and a life, and went to school, and bought cards for Gospel Supplies, and sold cosmetics, I used my old Palm IIIe constantly. (I called it Palmy. ) But now that I'm a housewife, I use it for a calculator.

Oh well.
 

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Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
 
My favorite PDAs have all been Sony ones. Their design is good, and their low-end ones are a great value.
 

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Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
 
I'm holding out. I have a Franklin planner my grandparents gave me when I graduated from high school. THe planners have a lifetime guarantee, so when it gets worn or something on it breaks, they'll replace it for free.

I really love it. I especially love that all my money stuff is in one place, and the section of quotes and poetry in the back that I've been building since I got the planner. It's like a history of my thoughts and authors, since what I was reading at any given point is in there.

I'll get an electronic one when Franklin goes out of business and my planner is finally too worn to be useful.
 

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Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
 
@ Storm

This is my PDA. It is also my cellphone. I absolutely love it. It has literally changed my life. I never forget anything. I never forget to do anything. People view me as unbelievably responsible. I keep track of my finances instantly. I have lost forty pounds. I can download maps when I travel, or make Priceline reservations for that night. I have instant access to all sorts of information. I have used it to post at Hatrack (but not GreNME--GreNME is not friendly to my browser); in fact, almost all of my posting on my New Jersey trip last month was done on it.

I've had it for about a year and a half, and I paid a lot less than Amazonn says it retails for. I did get a government employee discount, but still, given that it's an older PDA phone, I think Amazon is clearly high. In price. They're high in price.

I really love that it's both a PDA and a cell phone. I knew there was no way I wanted to carry two different pieces of technology on my waist. If I had a separate one, I probably would have stopped using it or lost it.

There. That enough gushing for you, Storm?
 

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Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
 
Now THAT'S a cellpone. All I have is a Blueberry Siemens T56...
 

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Posted by aretee (Member # 1743) on :
 
My link didn't work.

I'll try again.

I love my PDA. I need to get a cell phone with blue tooth so I can sync stuff. I'm still not sure exactly how blue tooth works.
Though, I don't think I'll start toothing.
 

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Posted by Megachirops (Member # 4325) on :
 

 

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Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
 
You know the old saw about getting what you pay for? It definitely applies to sex. I can only imagine what some of these characters look like who engage in this 'anonymous' sex.
 

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Posted by Homestarrunner (Member # 5090) on :
 
Hopefully they have enough teeth to justify the term.
 

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Posted by ssywak (Member # 807) on :
 
Yeah, but it's typically not a Public Display of Affection.

(and now the thread has gone full circle!)
 

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Posted by peterh (Member # 5208) on :
 


Yeah, my wife is constantly referring to my handheld computer as my "public display of affection". Just adds to her belief that I'm having a relationship with my computer.
 

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Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
 
*whistles innocently*


 

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Posted by Homestarrunner (Member # 5090) on :
 


The music is perfect.
 

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Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
 
If anyone clicked on the other link that I provided, it's kind of amusing in its own right. I had provided it as a kind of counterbalance to the first link, thinking it would refute the idea that the British had bad teeth, but after actually reading the posts on that page, I think I failed.

"Any truth to the American stereotype that you Brits have bad teeth?"

"We Brits are just more comfortable with who we are."

"We're just not as vain as Americans with their high falutin' 'dentistry'"

"Yes. We Brits have bad teeth and are proud of it."

What I thought was kind of funny was

quote:

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I don't know about the States, but here in Mexico the common phrase to describle 'wonky' teeth is 'dientes ingles' (English teeth).

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