PDA?

[stormrider]

I am thinking about moving into the PDA market.

I don't need a new phone and I have a laptop already. I am looking for something to carry contacts and more importantly my calendar

Do you guys / gals have any insight on these newfangled things?

 

[twowheelnut]

I have two palms. Both are hairy.

 

[stormrider]

I have two palms. Both are hairy.

hairy good or hairy bad?

 

[sonicspeed]

how much do you actually plan to do with it? if just for contacts and phone numbers, walmart has some small pda like contact devices. if you actually plan on utilizing all the other programs then go with a palm.

i have had palms and now i use a dell pda that i got with a laptop i bought my daughter a couple of years ago.

 

[Richouse]

I use a Palm Tungsten E2. It has a color screen and works well, and they are pretty cheap. Its pretty basic but it sounds like thats all you want. It does have bluetooth so you can connect it to your bluetooth phone, then you select the contact on the palm and it will send it to your phone and dial. all you have to do is pick up the phone and talk. It also has an expansion slot to put a SD card for more memory if you need it. I also use mine as a MP3 player. Good luck....

 

[uctofeej]

FWIW, I'm a recovering gadgeteer, had to have all the latest and greatest stuff. I still have a PDA, but I chucked that puppy in a box somewhere when I moved last summer and haven't missed it since. Too much crap to carry around. I opted for a phone that handles my contacts, calendar, and syncs with my laptop and PC.

Most phones can handle the basics, but the real bonus is that you have one less device to carry around.

For the price of a cheap pda ($100-200), you could get a smartphone that will do the same things, but limit you to one device.

Not trying to dissuade you, just saying....

I've had Palms, Dell Axims, Sony Clies, and HPs. Any one of them can handle the basics and they all work fine until you drop 'em. If you use Microsoft Office to handle your calendar and contacts, you'd be better off going with one of the Windows platforms for less frustration. If you use any other flavor of calendaring and contacts than Microsoft, then you'll want to do some research on which ones work with which PDA platforms.

EDIT: I now use a Blackberry Pearl. It's small like a phone, smart like a pda and does most things my laptop will do. Much like Pony's.

 

[ponyfool]

I've had a PDA of one type or another for the better part of 20 years. It started with a Sharp Organizer, and progressed through nearly a dozen different Palm products.

About 4 years ago, I got fed up having to carry both a Palm and a phone, and I made the leap to a Palm based smart phone. I started with the Samsung I-500, then the Treo 650, and now the Palm Centro. I will never be without a smart phone again. While my Centro won't do EVERYTHING my laptop will, it comes pretty close.

Contacts, calendar, MS Office (including Word, Excel, Powerpoint), .pdf reader, GoogleMaps, fast internet connection, camera (a bit cheesy though, only 1.3megapixel), email (home and work). It's a great tool to have. The search function for finding people, and then just clicking on the number you want to call or text message, it gets to where you will not want to have two devices.

 

[wfooshee]

+1 on the smartphone. I used to be a phone/iPAQ guy, didn't see the sense of fusion, but when they got us smartphones at work, I was converted.

 

[Fred W]

Anyone have a Palm Treo 550W (I think that's the right model number)? When my current Verizon phone contract is over I was thinking of getting one of these (on my company's dime). The "W" is Windows OS, vs Palm OS. The reason I wanted that was so I could run certain excel spreadsheet applications to keep track of my track athletes during multievents. But I don't really want to have a seperate PDA and phone if possible.

[edit] BTW - I never expected to see this discussion on here...

 

[jekirby]

I prefer a windows mobile based pda. I had an early palm but needed a little better functionality, specifically to be able to work with multiple windows. A palm os pda may do this now, but when I bought an ipac, I started using it more. My sister was a treo (palm os) user and updated to a treo (win mobile) phione. She likes windows better. New windows open on top of, not in smaller window and you can close one window and the one underneath pops up. Now I have a verizon pocket pc phone.....great tool if you need one. When at work, I sometimes surf the web and reply to this forum with my phone- as I am now. Call me a nerd.......

 

[Jazzzzz]

I have an AT&T Tilt, and other than a couple of minor complaints I love it. WiFi, bluetooth, dsl-like download speeds over the cell network (if you cough up the $$ for the data plan), built in GPS, media player, etc. It's not perfect but it gets the job done and then some.There are other smartphones out there that are just as good.

I used to carry around a Toshiba PDA and have owned an iPaq before as well, and after having the Tilt I will not go back to the days of carrying around a PDA and a separate cell phone.

 

[1FJR]

I have had a Palm Tungsten T2. Then I switched to a Palm Treo 755P. I like my palm. My fiance has one also and we can share our schedules very easy this way. She works a rotating schedule and mine stays the same. I have my old T2 for sale if you want it.

 

[BrunDog]

Like mentioned above (and in other posts on this forum if you search), I am a Windows Pocket PC guy. My PPC phone does it all: GPS, phone, MP3 player (now with an 8GB card), sirius streaming internet radio. I have it connected to my Autocomm and mounted in a Ram Aquabox (waterproof, with clear front lens) on a Techmount stand. The audio cable connecting the Autocomm is a custom one I made, and the power is via a USB cable, wired to the bike. I can listen to tunes no problem, and if a call comes in, the music pauses and I can answer it (only if it is the wife or a friend I am meeting up with).

I created a custom skin in landscape mode for the music player that allows me to easily change tracks or volume. Better yet, I use Microsoft Voice Command to tell the unit to dial a call or play music or start a program, etc.

When I park, I just unplug and run. Beats any dedicated hardware like a Zumo in my opinion. Someday I will try a BT headset and eliminate the Autocomm altogether. Anyhoo, it works for me!

-BD

 

[squeezer]

I guess I'm bucking the trend here, but I prefer two devices. I want a tiny phone that I can carry with me all the time in a jeans pocket with other junk, and a bigger screen than smartphones have for stuff I use the PDA for. I also upgrade my phone a lot more often than I upgrade my PDA.

I have a Palm TX. Has wi-fi if I want to browse or check email (can't do it everywhere like a smartphone -- need a hot spot-- but that hasn't been a problem) and bluetooth if I want it to dial my phone for me. I use the wi-fi, not the bluetooth. It's my calendar, contact list, ebook reader, mp3 player, audio book reader, to-do list, memo pad, recordkeeper, and a bunch of other stuff. Handles Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through a 3rd party program (bundled with the device). Syncs with Microsoft Outlook calendar and email and/or Palm's desktop program. It's an impressive little computer.

My wife and I both use and love them. It's my 4th Palm, her 1st. They can be had pretty easily for under $200.

 

[twistedcricket]

I guess I'm bucking the trend here, but I prefer two devices. I want a tiny phone that I can carry with me all the time in a jeans pocket with other junk, and a bigger screen than smartphones have for stuff I use the PDA for. I also upgrade my phone a lot more often than I upgrade my PDA.
I have a Palm TX. Has wi-fi if I want to browse or check email (can't do it everywhere like a smartphone -- need a hot spot-- but that hasn't been a problem) and bluetooth if I want it to dial my phone for me. I use the wi-fi, not the bluetooth. It's my calendar, contact list, ebook reader, mp3 player, audio book reader, to-do list, memo pad, recordkeeper, and a bunch of other stuff. Handles Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through a 3rd party program (bundled with the device). Syncs with Microsoft Outlook calendar and email and/or Palm's desktop program. It's an impressive little computer.

My wife and I both use and love them. It's my 4th Palm, her 1st. They can be had pretty easily for under $200.

GUNNY!

I carry the Palm LifeDrive. Work provided a crackberry, but I won't be putting my personal contacts/events/lists on that. The LifeDrive (discontinued I think) has 4gb internal storage, mp3 playback, bluetooth, wifi, no gps (that's on the bike now) plus an SD card slot. Will run office apps, pdf reader, etc.

I keep them separate because I'm not paying for a cell phone service. Work is providing it and I'm not carrying two phones

If work didn't provide the phone, I'd probably just use the PDA (I hate mobile phones).

 

[OhioFJR1300]

I have a Palm Tungsten E2 and love it. I guess it is what ever you get used to. I had friends with smartphones and the battery was always going dead because they were using them as PDA's and using up the battery. My Palm could (but never has) go dead and I can still use my phone to make a call.YMMV

 

[feejer222]

A palm is overkill for just contacts and diary. I use my phone for both of those. I have a palm, but its an old one bought second hand for use with sat nav. It's easier to take out of the vehicle in a pocket than a stealable sat nav.

 

[LDRydr]

I guess I'm bucking the trend here, but I prefer two devices. I want a tiny phone that I can carry with me all the time in a jeans pocket with other junk, and a bigger screen than smartphones have for stuff I use the PDA for. I also upgrade my phone a lot more often than I upgrade my PDA.
I have a Palm TX. Has wi-fi if I want to browse or check email (can't do it everywhere like a smartphone -- need a hot spot-- but that hasn't been a problem) and bluetooth if I want it to dial my phone for me. I use the wi-fi, not the bluetooth. It's my calendar, contact list, ebook reader, mp3 player, audio book reader, to-do list, memo pad, recordkeeper, and a bunch of other stuff. Handles Word, Excel, and PowerPoint through a 3rd party program (bundled with the device). Syncs with Microsoft Outlook calendar and email and/or Palm's desktop program. It's an impressive little computer.

My wife and I both use and love them. It's my 4th Palm, her 1st. They can be had pretty easily for under $200.

GUNNY!

I carry the Palm LifeDrive. Work provided a crackberry, but I won't be putting my personal contacts/events/lists on that. The LifeDrive (discontinued I think) has 4gb internal storage, mp3 playback, bluetooth, wifi, no gps (that's on the bike now) plus an SD card slot. Will run office apps, pdf reader, etc.

I keep them separate because I'm not paying for a cell phone service. Work is providing it and I'm not carrying two phones

If work didn't provide the phone, I'd probably just use the PDA (I hate mobile phones).

Gunny on both of these. I've used Palm devices since they first came out. Tried a Dell Axim but traded it off to a friend. I had a Treo 600 and hated it (the phone sucked), sold it to another rider. I'm currently using the Palm TX and a Motorola Razor phone as I like having them seperate. I like the Wi-Fi on the Palm and I sync email to it, and it's free. I was using a Palm Life Drive but found it too big. I'm selling it if anybody reading this is interested...I'll make you a good deal.

 

[stormrider]

Thanks everyone for your replys.

I certianly have some decisions to make