Do People Really Use Their PDAs? 814
TAL asks: "With Dell entering the market with their new PDA, the PDA market appears saturated. I work in a high-tech industry and I see more people carrying their PDAs than actually using them. At the same time, I see many people actually going back to their paper planners. I've ran the PDA gauntlet myself and have found that much time is wasted syncing, charging and reinstalling the software. Have there been any studies on PDA turnover? I think the PDA has become more of a status symbol than a useful tool."
I'm carrying my PDA (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I'm carrying my PDA (Score:3, Funny)
Well, until the bird nicked it... for the sole purpose of playing Dopewars.
*sigh*
Re:I'm carrying my PDA to play Missile Command (Score:2)
P.S. Will you share the source?
Re:I'm carrying my PDA (Score:3, Insightful)
every once in a while when i need to remind myself to call someone, do something or be somewhere, the organizer in my phone is more than enough. it lets you set the event and its time, and the time you want the reminder alarm to go off.
to be honest, i'm not all that organized a person and i rely mostly on my memory, so that might be a reason why i didn't have much of a use for a PDA. i noticed that most geeks aren't exactly organized, what with the huge pile of papers and other misc items their desks are usually cluttered with. if that's representative of most of slashdot's reader demographic, then most probably the majority of slashdot users don't have a need for PDAs. most just buy it for the cool-gadget factor, in my opinion.
so before you go out and get yourself a PDA, ask yourself if you even have a paper organizer now. if you can live without the organizer, you definitely can do without the PDA, since the latter is just an electronic version of it.
PDA vs. ADHD (Score:3, Interesting)
I've suspected I've had a low-level variety of ADHD for the longest time. I forget to do routine household tasks, because I'm distracted by the next shiny thing. Unless I have something written down for me to do, I'll forget to do it.
I have programmed my PDA to remind me to do dishes, vacuum, clean the kitchen, do my laundry, take my vitamins, go to class, and other regularly recurring tasks. They follow me from day to day, and don't go away until I delete them, or check them off as done.
I don't tend to remember non-recurring or long-cycle events either. I have yearly doctor's appointment reminders, holidays, birthdays, et cetera, as well as deviations from routine (such as when I'm supposed to pick up the kid).
In the past year, my room, and indeed entire household, have progressed from extreme untidiness and mass confusion into something that actually has places to walk, no risk of mice, and everything done with at least a semblance of timeliness. For the first time in my life, I'm setting aside time to do my homework.
For that alone, I could love the thing. The idea that it has an address book, games, e-books, et cetera, is just plain cool, even though I don't rely on those.
I use mine every day, because I need it. If I didn't have that, I'd be using a whiteboard, sticky-tabs, notes on the back of my hand, and innumerable lists.
No they don't (Score:2, Funny)
Satus symbols? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Satus symbols? (Score:4, Funny)
My PDA is... (Score:2, Informative)
Usage (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Usage (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Usage (Score:3, Informative)
eBook:
PDA:
Of course, I've been waiting for the less-than-a-pound tablet PC to arrive. In a couple years I suspect I'll have what I want (and maybe be able to afford it), then the PDA, eBook, and the computer in the living room are all out the window...
Re:Usage (Score:4, Interesting)
I always thought the idea of an ebook was dumb, before I got a pda. Then, when I got my HP Jornada, it came with a couple free ebooks, and I tried reading one. It was great! The screen's backlit, so I don't have to worry about light (I can even read in bed after my wife's gone to sleep), it's flat, so it's easier to hold with one hand, and I never lose my place. I've got 32MB (or is it 64? I forget...) so I can hold a few dozen books. I went on some file-sharing networks and found a few archives containing several thousand books, so every couple of weeks I put another 10 or 15 books on my PDA. Also, since I carry it around with me all the time, I always have whatever books I'm reading right in my pocket. Comes in really handy when waiting in line at the deli, etc. Now, if instead of having to buy a $400 pda to do this, if they could make a $75 ebook reader with a nice screen and large memory card, I'd be happy.
Re:Usage (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Usage (Score:4, Funny)
Reading in bed with one hand after your wife goes to sleep? Just what kind of ebooks are these?
Re:Usage (Score:3, Interesting)
http://tom.iahu.ca [see left frame for link]
Tom
Re:Usage (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Usage (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Usage (Score:3, Informative)
It's old stuff, but it's free.
Re:Usage (Score:3, Interesting)
After electronic books, I use my palm mostly for scheduling. I have terrible memory for non-technical stuff, and the fact that it beeps at me to remind me of something is a huge help. I also set a lot of daily tasks with reminders so that I can remember to do them. They may sound simple to others, but a reminder to "spend an hour or two on your business Disaster Recovery Plan" leads to the important but long-term projects being completed in time.
My wife also uses her PDA for ebooks, contacts, and calendars. She's caught on to the trick of using the calendar as the to-do list, and really prefers it to the built-in to-do. She's gone from carrying around an enormous, clunky planner with her everywhere, and often jotting down notes on sticky pads to get lost later, to jotting all the notes down in her PDA as a note attachment to the calendar event, and then liberally using the Palm's search function to locate those notes later. It's much easier to find that note you jotted down in your PDA three months later than it is to find that yellow sticky you stuck on a page that later fluttered out.
Re:Usage (Score:3, Insightful)
DAmn straight. I use mine for keeping track of technical installation info at job sites (I install telecom systems), but the most important thing my Palm M500 provides is reading material while I'm taking a crap.
Re:Usage (Score:3, Insightful)
Actually you could reverse the order and I wouldn't complain, they are both utter sh-one-t.
Re:Usage (Score:3, Interesting)
If that works for you then great, but I guess your reading material consists mostly of mass-market paperbacks. Quite often, I can't easily locate copies of stuff I read in dead-tree form. For example, lately I've gotten into George Orwell. Sure, you can find "1984" and "Animal Farm" in any bookshop, but finding "Down and Out in London and Paris" or "Burmese Days" is a bit harder. Luckily, one can find them on the web.
Re:Usage (Score:5, Interesting)
All this on a little Palm M500 I picked up for $125 at the time. Yes, the screen is small. However, it's perfectly adequate for reading electronic books. My only worry is that I'll wear out the "down" button on the front of my M500.
I agree... (Score:5, Insightful)
So then I get a CE device from work. I thought I would give PDA's another chance. While this time, I had color and ethernet, and a decent media player, it fell prey to the same problems at before. I stopped using it within a month and it now sits in a drawer never to be used again.
I think PDA's are cool, but no matter how much I want to like them, they just aren't useful.
Re:I agree... (Score:5, Funny)
Can I have it then
--
Billwashere
Not to knock PocketPC, but... (Score:5, Insightful)
On top of that, the PocketPC devices-- despite being way more powerful and generally cooler-- are much less suited to the basic tasks of a PDA (storing numbers, calendar, etc.) They're just too big, eat too much battery, and the software isn't as concise as Palm's.
I really thought my shiny iPaq would be a great replacement for my Palm and my laptop, with it's ability to handle an 802.11 card (and Ricochet back when that existed). Turned out that it was an enormous and inferior substitute for both, and it crashed a lot with the network card in. Now I don't use either, because I'm dissatisfied with the inflexibility of my Palm and the flaws of the PocketPC.
Re:I agree... (Score:4, Insightful)
With the Blackberry you don't. So with that said, I am a major RIM fan (I'd imagine that the Good Technologies or Danger devices ought to be about the same). People get addicted to the Blackberry: they call them Crack-berries.
When I had a RIM for my last job, I used it constantly. I responded to important emails as soon as they came in, religiously added people to my address book, and kept my entire personal and work schedule in the calendar (which meant, it popped into Exchange at work, too.)
For all its flaws, the one test of how useful it is is "Do I use it?" Hell, yeah. Constantly. Without having it now, I feel more than ever how my schedule, dinners with friends, my dragonlance game, birthdays, etc. was always at my fingertips and accessable.
OK, so what made blackberry different? The little minikeyboard was a better data entry system than a touchscreen. A jog dial means that everything has the same UI and you control it all from your thumb. The built-in wireless was slow, but communicated in the background constantly, so you didn't have to cradle except for recharges (once per week or two: I've had mine last for three weeks). The wireless coverage footprint is incredible, but the device continues to work fine withotu coverage... it just catches up when you pop back in. It is a durable device that you keep on your belt: it turns on when you take it out of its holster, then turns the screen off when you put it back in. No frills: no color, no music, no filesystem, nothing that drains power, makes the device more complicated, and adds 'coolness'.
That's the message. The more cool the device is, the more it trades away essentials. If you want an MP3 player, buy a dedicated device. If you want a phone, buy a phone. If you want a PDA, decide what you want to run. For me it was email, schedule, address book, and a memo to jot stuff down in. RIM was perfect. Your mileage, of course, may vary.
Not a job issue... (Score:4, Insightful)
The point is, some people don't like to be organized and others do. If you like to be organized, the first trick is to find a system that works for you. Any time management class will teach you that. What works for 95% of the world may not work for you which is why we have options.
Constantly (Score:2, Interesting)
The built-in address book, to-do lists, and calendar are all I use it for, with two entertainment apps loaded on it. One is an app that spits out Homer-isms and Bart-isms from The Simpsons, the other is called Space Trader, very much like the old Elite from the Commodore 64 of yore.
PDA's need killer apps (Score:2, Funny)
Of course I use it. (Score:2, Informative)
It was definately a good investment in my case.
I agree (Score:5, Insightful)
Need too much discipline. (Score:5, Insightful)
Now if only I had a personal human analog assistant inputting everything into my digital one.
Not Really (Score:2, Insightful)
I used to (Score:5, Informative)
Now it sits in my deskdrawer and I don't use it anymore. Batteries, syncing, and everything else weren't problems at all. In the end it was too cumbersome to enter data (even if you knew it well), and the software offered was minimal.
I probably would have been happier with a Windows CE device, since they come with a much larger, easier to use range of applications. It's hard to say. But, I don't miss it much.
On that note, how much is someone willing to give me for an old Palm V? =]
Re:I used to (Score:4, Funny)
How about 47 AOL disks?
I don't know about "studies" (Score:5, Informative)
My boss wouldn't survive without his blackberry! I make do with an iPAQ and sync when I get to my desk. The only way I get work done is that I don't have a cellphone or a pager. My boss keeps threatening to get me one and I respond with threats to quit.
Re:I don't know about "studies" (Score:4, Insightful)
That was easy for him to say: he sat in his cabin and wrote all day, and had Ralph Waldo Emerson's wife make cookies for him, feed him, and in general do all those day-to-day chores for which he had no interest.
(Really, I'm not making this up...)
Re:I don't know about "studies" (Score:3, Insightful)
If you don't storm castles, a catapult is of no use.
If you don't need to build something out of steel, you probably don't have an arc welder.
If you don't have to juggle too many pieces of information while driving/flying hither and yon, then you don't need a PDA.
I didn't have one when I was a student. I did have one when I was an SE. I don't have one now that I'm on a long-term contract with a single company, but when the contract is over and I need to have my calendar and more phone numbers than my cell can handle in my pocket beeping to remind me what I'm doing now, then I'll get another one.
I don't (Score:2)
Yes. (Score:5, Interesting)
At my office the directors and VPs use theirs like crazy. They'd be lost without them. The guys on my team (network team) don't use them much, since we don't have all the meetings and contacts to track.
Re:Yes. (Score:5, Funny)
My PDA... *is* useful (!) (Score:2)
You can't beat the convenience... until a dead-tree-organiser can tell me where I'm supposed to be, anyway...
Sometimes (Score:2, Insightful)
Sometimes I'm fortunate enough to be working on one project with undivided attention. Then I usually don't carry my PDA -- it's easy to remember what I should be doing.
When I'm in my more scattered mode (meetings-R-us), my PDA is a godsend, keeping me on track.
In the past, I've always carried my PDA while travelling because of the address book feature. But I've just purchased a cell phone (Motorola V60i) that allegedly syncs to my Windows address book, so the PDA might not be as necessary for this purpose anymore -- we'll see.
I could not survive w/o my PDA (Score:5, Informative)
But the BEST use for my pda I've had so far is basically as a gameboy
Visor rocks at the plant. (Score:3, Interesting)
The visor's improvements to Palm software were substantial and I completely replaced my paper planner. I had been using calendar creator plus to print a weekly view on 8.5x11 with hours between six in the morning and ten at night. I also kept a rolling do list on the back of the weeks. Visor's "floating events" with attached note pages took the place of the rolling do list very well. The contact list and calculator were also nice to have in the back pocket. It was also nice to have a word search, though it was not as good as grep.
The thing that convinced me to buy one in the first place was a conversation with a spacey peer. As we were talking, his little palm peeped and told him it was time to go to a stupid meeting [yimg.com]. It worked better than paper. I was never late to a meeting.
I got fired anyway, but that's another story.
Do I use a PDA? (Score:2, Interesting)
1. It's easier to bring a synced PDA of information to do quick errands than it is to enter said info into a laptop. As in, I'm more likely to use a grocery list ina PDA that fits in my hand than bring the iBook.
2. I don't tend to install many applications beyond the included suite. So far, the only things I've installed on my PDA since I got it are: an enhanced calculator, an eBook reader, and a couple of text games. If I need a full office-program or media apps, then I bring the notebook computer.
As for paper/pencil, I tend to lose the pieces of paper easily, whereas I'm more likely to pay attention to a piece of electronics gone missing. Yeah, the PDA also won't handle a bunch of the accessibility functions that the iBook does, but for me, it's easier than lugging a several-pound book or relatively large notebook while on the go.
Constantly (Score:5, Informative)
My IIIx is very useful because it's simple, reliable and omni-present. I carry it everywhere.
Your entire life? (Score:3, Insightful)
Your whole life... Wow, and I can't even fit my entire Pr0n and MP3 collection on my desktop system with an 80 GB drive. Oh wait, actually that is my life. Now that is sad...
palm Vx used daily for 3 years + (Score:2, Insightful)
I've used my palm Vx nearly everyday for last 3 years. The ONE thing keeps me using it is the rechargeable battery, and LONG battery life. If I had to run out to buy a set of AA every week I would have stopped using it. The Long battery life of 3 weeks on a full charge is great for extended trip. Palm Vx and mobile with infrared means I can keep checking emails quickly and easily.
Avantgo is another program for adding value. Free editions of all main magazines and newspapers. Defiantly payed for itself that way.(Economist, Wired, Guardian, BBC)
Use of PDAs depends on features/abilities (Score:2)
Finally I decided it was more trouble than it was worth. A backlit color PDA with an internal rechargeable battery would be much more useful to me, and I imagine that if I had one of those I'd still be using it today. Also, those Treo's have been
Re:Use of PDAs depends on features/abilities (Score:3, Informative)
I know, because I shocked my friend who owns one by showing him how to turn it on.
I've also never lost data during battery replacement. I am in the habit of syncing first, but even so I've never had the batteries out long enough to lose info. I don't know what I'm doin differently, but your experience is different from mine.
Yes. (Score:2)
I find the Palm units superior for this functinon.
I've owned every kind of PDA, and most ended up in a drawer. The Palm is the first one that I've used every day for almost 2 years.
Oh, the games are a definite bonus.
PDAs are useful for the right person (Score:2, Insightful)
Yes and no (Score:2)
So, it doesn't *need* to be a life-defining piece of hardware to be essential.
Oh, and Bejeweled. Can't forget Bejeweled. Stupid, addictive game...
All the time (Score:2)
I use mine (Score:2)
You said it yourself (Score:5, Insightful)
If people carry them is because they use them. Sure, you can carry some gadget for a week for its novelty factor but if you don't use it sooner than later you will stop taking it with you.
Having said that PDAs are not for everybody. Unless you spend certain amount of time away from you desk and in need of contact information, scheduling or some specific application maybe a PDA is not for you.
Personally I love my XDA [t-mobile.com] especially because I have my email always updated anywhere I go. I don't use it as a phone very often but when I do it works very well although certainly not as well as a normal cell phone.
Why I Used My PDA and Why I Stopped (Score:4, Informative)
- Meeting schedule always handy even when I wasn't at work (plus beeping reminders).
- Todo list always handy (plus beeping reminders).
- Games to play during boring meetings.
- Email Inbox always available
- No more scrabbling for a pen when I want to get a girl's phone number
reason I stopped using itRe:Why I Used My PDA and Why I Stopped (Score:5, Funny)
After she see you whip out your Palm IIIxe with custom linux faceplate, h4x0r3d memory and linux plugin any non-geek chick would probably give you a fake number. Of course, I wouldn't
Re:Why I Used My PDA and Why I Stopped (Score:3, Insightful)
you tossed out the wrong end (Score:3, Informative)
Looks like you abandoned the useful end of that connection. Where I worked they put in pop up screen that said, "Another application is attmpting to look at Outlook's contact information. allow this?" Yes it was a pain but it was worth it because Outlook never did a thing for me but my Handspring was very useful [slashdot.org].
I imagine this pop up headache did not happen with WinCE crap, but I could be wrong. Microsoft would never use it's monopoly position to favor their own projects and programs, would they? When did it start taking ten freaking minutes? Because NT did not have USB support, I did all my transfers over a normal serial cable and it never took that long, unless I missed the stupid popup then the whole computer hung.
Do I use it? (Score:2, Interesting)
Not only the usual basics, agenda, planner, but also checklists of things to do that you can actually archive (and not just dump on top of that pile of paper that is already eating up more than half your desk), but for me, most important was to have a database.
I have been collecting Sci-Fi books since I was about fifteen, and used to keep track of them in DBase, keep a printed version of it with me, whenever I went into a used bookstore, so I knew I didn't get titles double (which is hard to keep track of once you go over a thousand).
Now it's so much easier to have it all in a small carrying form (instead of a bulk of papers you have to scribble the new titles on untill you do a new printout), a quick search to see if I already have the title of an author.
Also, I use it to keep track of the things I order at the comic shop, to see when I ordered something, and if it should have arrived already. And with a few touches to the screen, I change the order list into the list of comics I already own if I need to make sure I should backorder anything.
So yes, it started out as a toy I wasn't using too often, all I did was write some appointments in it, but now I'm using it quite a lot.
(As a side note, I have heard that the use of the PDA depends a lot on how easy it is to access, and that some PDA's are just so slow that you rather find the information some other way. So your question might actually result in different answers for different models and PDA OS-es)
PDA / cellphone is a big win (Score:4, Informative)
~ Patrick
I use my PDA all the time (Score:2, Funny)
Bordering on PDA twoard my PDA (Score:2, Interesting)
Honestly, the main thing I can't do is write code on it.
But, on an airplane, wandering around, on the train, in meetings, whatever, my Treo rules.
As a side note, it feels VERY much like an early 90s personal computer. The screen resolutions, the performance, etc. all make it very interesting, especially for a small-scale developer. If I wanted to pursue a career as a shareware or very small scall (aka "income replacement" as opposed to "fast burn and flameout VC-funded dot com") developer, I'd take a strong look at the PDA market.
As a final comment, note the GameBoy - it's something like $89, doesn't even have a (much needed) backlight, and kids are hauling them around everywhere. Or cellphones, for that matter. We're all getting used to hauling around these little devices, it's just a question of what they are going to do & look like.
Use it constantly... (Score:4, Interesting)
Every few days I synch it to the computer, and every other week, I sit down and put the information into a time&billing system. I've tried many times to keep a pad and pen in the car to track this stuff, but it never happens. Since I've had the PDA (about a year and a half) I've been MUCH better about tracking my time.
Also, it plays a good game of cribbage.
I use my Palm every day (Score:2)
PDAs? (Score:2)
I had a Palm III once (received as a gift), but there was nothing I could do on it that I couldn't do with a notepad and pencil. Now it sits in a drawer with run down batteries, like 75% of a PDA's i'd imagine.
My use has been on and off lately (Score:4, Interesting)
Lately, though, I find that my Palm Vx sits in its cradle most of the time. I still need the planner, but a palm-top is just too big a pain. I'm so keyboard-centered. I can use Graphiti just fine (faster than I can legibly write), but it is still to much of a shift.
For my next laptop I'm seriously considering an ultra-light such as the Fujitsu P2000 series. My previous laptop was a Sony Z505ls, and it was almost small and light enough. Too bad the base battery only lasted a hour and a half. Reguardless, something with the following features would be perfect for me:
Best fit I know of is the P2000 series. I think I could work with that. The Apple iBook is in the running, but all the samples I have examined have seemed cheap and fragile. Perhaps just perception. The keybards do have a lot of flex to them, though. Yuck. Also, sigle button "mouse" is a pain. (yes, I know I can define keys as mouse buttons. so what. when I'm using the pointer I want to use the pointer, not the keyboard, and vise versa)
Anyway, that's my take. I still like the Palm the best of all the PDAs I've tried, and I still go through stages where I use I quite a bit. Perhaps if it were even smaller and lighter, like the new ones.
.....not a status symbol. (Score:5, Interesting)
You think so? I think atleast here in Finland the trend is beginning to reverse - if you carry a communicator - like I do - that is a sign of you being just a workhorse :) If you have the luxury of not needing it - then that's a real status symbol :)
Anyway, I don't think just the PDA functionality would be enough a reason for me to carry it. But when it is at the same time your only phone, and a use anywhere SSH client then there is enough value.
PDA == PAC (Personal Alarm Clock) (Score:2)
Theyre all missing something (Score:3, Insightful)
Of course (Score:2, Informative)
In college now, it is like my best friend. I store a backup copy of class notes; many of the handouts (posted online only) are in Word format so I download them to my ipaq and read them off there. I couldn't do it any other way. The only time I print anything out these days are when my professors ask for a physical copy. I can play games in between classes. Listen to music when I work out, take notes, highlight handouts posted online. I store my daily assignments and tasks.
When I am driving home from class and I forgot to do something, I would pull out my ipaq press the record button on the side and talk to it. When I get home I usually take a break before starting my homework and sometimes I forget what I was supposed to do. I play my recorded message and do what I was supposed to.
I do so many things on my ipaq I couldn't even name everything. I don't think I could ever go back to pencil and paper again. I do other things like securely store my passwords, I have phone numbers in there, email address's of friends, family, people I am working with on a project etc... The ipaq was by far the greatest school investment for me...
Also my ipaq case stores my College ID, Drivers License, Credit card, $40, and a phone card. So I don't have to carry around a wallet. My ipaq is truly an all in one device.
I'm just waiting for the new ipaqs to drop a little so I can replace so I don't have to carry around a wallet. My ipaq is truly an all in one device.
I'm just waiting for the new ipaqs to drop a little so I can replace my older one and at the same time replace my cell phone.
Many people do (Score:4, Interesting)
I had a PDA for awhile, and there were a lot of neat things you could do with it, but it never really stuck with me. Toward the end of my use of my PDA (an older Palm) all I basically used it for was to play chess in the bathroom. Addresses I keep on my laptop, which is almost always on (or closed and asleep for quick access). It's much easier to take notes on my laptop than my Palm. Syching was always a pain in the rear.
Guess it just depends on the person. Some people just love them. Some people can't stand them. Different strokes for different folks. *shrugs*
All the time. (Score:4, Interesting)
These days I'm carrying around a Sony SJ-30 model, running PalmOS 4.1. Color, 16 megabytes, hi-res screen.
What do I use it for? My calendar and address book, certainly. As a diabetic, I use it to record all my blood sugar readings. I have a very nice multifunction scientific calculator on it which I use all the time for anything for simple math or better. I have several games on it. I have a dozen e-books on it, which I read whenever I've got an idle moment. I have a dozen of my less-used passwords stored on it in a triple-DES encrypted form using Gnu Keyring. I use Plucker to download and carry around web clippings from national newspapers, and the Austin Chronicle's movie listings and reviews. I have several technical references stored as well, along with some utility calculators for special purpose conversions.
I carry my Sony around with me all the time; I would feel rather naked without it.
tablet? (Score:3, Interesting)
Comment removed (Score:3, Informative)
A rather funny use of a PDA.... (Score:4, Funny)
He sketched the design he wanted, then fished the PDA out of his bag. The thing was covered with little yellow post-it notes with phone numbers, addresses, and appointment times scrawled on them. There must have been 6 or 8 at least!
I'd been thnking about getting a PDA myself, but that made me think again.
Can't Live Without It (Score:3, Interesting)
Second ... I use mine to: track my schedule, track my tasks, track my weight, track my diet, track my exercise, read my Bible (in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and English), listen to mp3's, and keep notes. Oh yeah, I use it as a shopping list too. And it has a calorie database for my diet. And I play video games on it. It goes everywhere I go, remembers everything I can't. It has a company phonebook imported, and I"m more likely to use that one than the web-based one.
Geesh... How could I live without it? It must be confessed, however, that I'm ADD, which makes external organization very important. But still... Join the revolution!
PDAs are pretty useless... (Score:5, Interesting)
Bad input systems (Score:3, Interesting)
Sony Clie... (Score:3, Insightful)
I've been using my Sony Clie every day for the last 6 months. In the past I've owned 2 palms, a Newton, a cassiopeia, an ipaq, and the clie. The Newton was probably the most useful - except for the size. It's size made it nice to write on, but a pain to carry around (still a beautiful piece of technology though). The Ipaq has a great screen, but runs wince and I can't easily carry it in my pocket. The best organiser I've ever had has been the clie. It's got a nice clear color screen and fits in my pocket. The case is pretty scratched from my keys. It has been a pain getting it to sync with Linux, but it's working now. If you have a device running PalmOS, I'd defintely recommend installing DateBk5 [pimlicosoftware.com].
Yes I do. (Score:3, Interesting)
Creative PDA uses (yes, I use it) (Score:4, Interesting)
- Surrogate laptop.. until I become re-employed (and buy my iBook) it subs as a laptop.. ok, more of a compact email/web terminal. Between PalmEudora and AvantGo/EudoraWeb I still manage to get my various mail/web fixes. I only wish I could find a better NNTP client than the few out there so I could sync ASR.
- Along those lines, AvantGo is great for snagging latest site content from news.com (I can hear the hissing here), AnandTech, BBC, Kernel Traffic (hey, you can roll your own), etc. Nice to read online content while sitting at a park, waiting at an airport, before going to sleep.
- With pocket telnet/term programs, it makes a GREAT serial console in a pinch. I've used my Palm to reconfigure ethernet stacks and capture kernel oopses (doing that right now to debug an aic7xxx error).
- Yes input can be a little cumbersome, but you can pick up a keyboard for ~$30 these days.. and I do a few journal entries.
- I think I have the PDF for Linux LVM1 and a set of release notes for Tru64 in there.
- When all else fails, I have a good Euchre program and DopeWars.
:)
So yes, I still use my Palm. It's not as fancy or new as the latest crap, but for what it is and what it does, it is and does better than I expected.Useless gadget (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't need a PDA. The important phone numbers I need I have memorized (all 4 of them plus 911). My calendar is basic, nothing I can't remember.
I have a simple life as do most people. These gadgets just make things more complex to us simple folk. I can acknowledge there are people who could use this stuff but honestly, I'd rather have an iPod. It does all the basic functions your typical PDA does plus plays all my music.
I've never understood the fuss over these things. Maybe some people like being bothered 24/7. I'm sure arguments can be made one way or another, i just don't see how these things have significantly improved peoples lives. If anything I think they degrade the quality of life. Email 24/7? Phone calls 24/7? Being paged when on the toilet? Nah, it's my life, I'll talk to you when I feel like it, after I take a shit.
Vindigo (Score:3, Interesting)
I agree that using a Palm to hold phone numbers and addresses is a waste of a device. Paper can do that. The useful part of a PDA is it's extension of your computer.
When I first got my Palm, and saw all the fancy net-capable ones as well, and each time I needed directions, I wished I had one. MapQuest was the part of my computer that I wished I had with me when I wasn't at my computer. Vindigo does that for me.
Vindigo costs me about $25 per year, and I can load any collection of cities from their list. I mostly just use Atlanta (since I live here), but load vacation cities when I travel. The information they have on each city contains (but probably isn't limited to)
-every resteraunt and bar, with address and phone number, organized by price and location and genre
-movie times and locations and summaries
-maps of the area, with the ability to zoom in and out, AND give walking or driving directions from any location to any other. This feature is linked with the above databases of addresses.
Now, the information is never completely up to date. It only updates when I synch. But I never need information that's newer than a week old. I needed connectivity on my Palm, but I was ok with a week lag.
Most of what I use my Palm for is Vindigo, now. I still hold phone numbers and addresses and stuff, but when I leave my Palm in my other pair of pants, I can get by without everything except Vindigo.
Sam
(Usual disclaimers apply. I don't work for Vindigo. Just a happy customer.)
My very non-technical Dad.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Nifty little program that takes into account, arrow weight, draw length, draw weight, etc, and generates precise "pin" lications for various target yardages.
He has never sent an email in his life, but somehow figured out how to install the cradle, select the correct COM port, install and synched the device. I was impressed.
PDA no, cell phone with PDA functionality, yes (Score:3, Interesting)
I used my cell phone (Nokia 7110) instead, just to keep track of phone numbers and jot down notes. Then I got my Nokia 7650 [nokia.com]. I carry around a cell phone all day anyway, but this phone also doubles as a very capable PDA. I can even play Doom [wildpalm.co.uk] on it.
The classic PDAs are converging with cell phones to create a new class of devices that people actually do carry around and use everyday. The sheer volume of phones produced by the likes of Nokia and Sony Ericsson will ensure that prices will continue to fall, the devices will become smaller and more capable and the traditional PDAs will morph into cell phones or disappear.
The Pen is Mightier then the PDA Sword (Score:5, Funny)
OtherTechGuy: "I got the newest Palm"
Me: "I got a pen knife"
OtherTechGuy: "So..?"
Me: "I'll cut yah"
OtherTechGuy: "Here..take the Palm pilot..." (nervously hands me his PDA)
could you do that with a PDA? I thought not. Now mod me up, or i'll cut yah.
It depends on lifestyle. (Score:4, Insightful)
I got one as a cheap bonus with my ibook during my senior year in college. I used it *everywhere*. Since I walked to and from everything I did, it was permanently inside my jacket, frequently synched with my newest music, always synched with my contacts.
Then I graduated and started driving to work every morning. The ipod immediately offered me nothing. Sure, it can play in my car stereo, but with a 20 minute drive, I may as well play MP3 CDs. I didn't use it for months.
Now I've got a new job where the commute includes a 40 minute ferry ride and a 15 minute walk, each direction, every day. I'd shoot myself without my ipod. But I never use the contacts/scheduling features because I can do all that with my PC at work.
Blah, blah, blah. The point is, PDAs, or any other such device, are useful if your life fits their uses. They don't conform to you. You shouldn't conform to them either. If you're a homebody, drive only between work and home, or home and the bar, your PDA isn't going to do anything for you. If you constantly find yourself not having your information when you need it, get a PDA. This is, at max, like 5% of the population.
The PDA as a tool to get free beer. (Score:3, Funny)
Example: I head down to the bar w/ my Visor and find a good place to camp (preferably between the TV & the bartender). When the bartender aims his remote at the TV to change the channel, I lock onto the signal w/ my Remote app and save it. A few minutes later, I turn my Visor's IR port towards the television and set a script to continually change the station every 5 minutes or so.
Once the bartender is swearing loud enough... I offer to "take a look", fix the problem and drink free beer for awhile.
And yes, that's free as in beer AS IN free beer.
Paper is Cliche (Score:3, Insightful)
It's going to be very hard getting honost results on any poll about who uses them becuase 'the man' doesn't want that data to become public no matter what it says.
Personally, I use mine for all the stuff they market them for, plus reading eBooks and astronomy stuff. Given time a lot more people will have PDA's than computers, once they replace the need for a computer. They are already as powerful as some sucesful personal computers.
Really, I'm suprised slashdot would stoop to this level. Maybe it's a joke and I didn't get it?
M@
GNU Keyring (Score:3, Interesting)
Yeah, a single password is a single point of failure, but since the data is stored on my person, encrypted, and password-locked by me, if someone were to get at my account information, I'd probably have more to worry about than someone making a mess out of my credit. Combined with JotLoc (or a superior gesture-based device security system - I'm sure mine isn't that great), it'd take a rather monumental effort to get at my data.
I also use it to store license keys for software I frequently install. It's really really handy.
Oh...and of course, since it's open source, it'll settle the stomachs of most
I'd be lost without my Psion 5mx (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't have any of the problems you mention. The Psion runs for about a month on two AA batteries. It is my only calendar and contacts database so I don't synch it with a PC. And once software is installed on it, that software tends to just work.
But eventually it will give out of course. I just hope that someone launches a decent PDA before then.
I love my Palm PDA (Score:3, Interesting)
I've owned three PalmOS devices over the years and I would hate to live without one. However, I don't think PDAs are for everyone. Too many people are thinking "hey, neat" and purchasing one without thinking about why they want one and what they're going to do with it.
When I purchased my first PalmOS device, I had a number of very specific goals: I was already carrying a little addressbook in which I recorded appointments, phone numbers, addresses, and various notes (shopping lists, books to consider, ideas for stories). I knew I needed the book (it replaced my existing habit of having pockets full of scraps of paper with nodes), but I had problems with it. I was frustrated that as the book filled and the year passed, I needed to purchase a new book and transcribe everything into it. (I could get a book with removable pages, but they were too large to be comfortable to always carry.) The book certainly wasn't large enough for my never ending stream of notes (my list of restaurants, movies, and video games that others have recommended I check out, my notes of my flash of insight into something I'm doing at work). Also, as a geek, I was uncomfortable having that one book not be safely backed up somewhere else. (True, I could transcribe it, taking up my time, or photocopy it, but if I lose or damage the original my restore process involves buying a new book and transcribing.) Finally, my little book couldn't remind me that I was missing an appointment.
So, when I looked seriously at my first PalmOS device (a Palm III), I knew specifically what it would do for me. It would hold as much information as I could practically throw at it. It would be backed up to my computer frequently, ensuring the safety of my data. I would never transcribe by hand from one source to another, once it's digital I can copy it easily. And it can beep when appointments come up. Sure enough, it worked perfectly.
Of course, once I always had a small computer at my side, I started doing additional things with it. While I'm not a big fan of reading books on the small screen, when I'm forced to wait for something (picking up a friend at the airport and the flight is delayed, doctor's appointment, etc), having something to read of my choice is certainly convient. And it turns out that with the keyboard, it's still much smaller than a laptop computer, but powerful enough to do real writing on.
In fact, the only thing I dislike about various PDAs is the size. Most PDAs, including much of Palm's line, are uncomfortably large. As a result, I upgraded to the much slimmer Palm V. I know other people who purchased the Handspring Razor for the same reason. These days any PDA is more than powerful enough for my needs. I don't need 16MB of memory, 8 is plenty (and if I'm a bit more picky about what books I upload into my PDA, 2 is plenty). I certainly don't need color, I'm just reading text. I need a long battery life and a small size. I will not trade any battery life or size for memory or color.
Sure, lots of clueless people purchased various PDAs but have no use for them. But there are plenty of people who love their PDAs, use them frequently, and would be very disorganized without them. I know. I am such a person.
Re:Do People Really Use Their PDAs? (Score:3, Interesting)
Wow, I haven't noticed any mention of "ToDo" lists. This is my personal PDA "killer app" - over 3 years on a Palm V and now a 515. I use the todo list in DateBook5. Whenever I think of something I "ought to do sometime" I slap it in there and it carries along on my schedule every day until I finally finish it off. Once I put something in that ToDo list, I know it will get done sooner or later. I wouldn't bother with paper because there's no decent way to carry over items until I do them.
The key to PDAs ia "small and light." My first PDA, a Psion 3a, fell into disuse because it was a hassle to carry.
Re:Do People Really Use Their PDAs? (Score:3, Interesting)
I bought another one for myself a month ago after I lost it in ohio.
Yes, shopping lists beamed to her are excellent.
Plus at work it synchs with my meetings from Outlook, then alarms so I dont forget to go to them. Then the location is in the pda. everyone at work uses them.
plus when I get paged, I do a search on the number and see who it is.
million uses. if you cant find one, you must be on vacation.
Re:Do People Really Use Their PDAs? (Score:3, Interesting)
I'd never go back to a paper planner - if I lose or accidentally destroy my palm pilot (which is 6 years old by the way, an original 512k USR Pilot upgraded to 2mb w/ IR), I have a spare I bought off of eBay for $40 sitting in my desk drawer, ready to be resynched with all of my data. If I manage to kill my spare, then I have a great excuse for picking up that Sony Clie with the WiFi card slot and the nice screen for eBook reading, which would then let me play mp3s while on the road... If I lost my paper planner, I'd have to shoot myself, unless I made scans or photocopies on a regular basis of the stuff in it. You don't know what panic is until you loose that faux-leather patterned Dayrunner, with your entire life stored in it. With the electronic equivalent, I just keep it hotsynced regularly. Much better.