why do you need pda? (1 Viewer)

[felix_suwarno]

i just returned from my home country ( spent a month there for holiday ) and pda is really popular there. it reminds me a few years ago when everybody WANTED a cellphone or two.

i really want to know WHY do you need a PDA? i dont know much about pda, really. is there something that makes it absolutely useful for something? a feature that once you are get used to it you cannot live without it? like, going from 15 inch monitor to 19 inch...you cannot go back.

please share some opinion with me. btw i am not asking this because i want a pda, i am just curious.

 

[Ted Lee]

are you talking about PDA as in a palm-pilot, etc?
if so, i can certainly attest to how valuable mine has become. just a few of the things i keep in mine include:

• address & phone info
• passwords
• account info (credit, banking, retail, etc.)
• employment history
• education history
• residential history

i can keep all this stuff safe too with a password. with a regular day-planner, if someone finds it all your info is right there. also, everything is backed up on my pc.
for me, i can't see not having one anymore.

 

[Peter Kim]

I just received my first ever pda for Christmas. Previously, I poo-poohed all pda's as badges of geek indulgence. Especially laughed at those who wore them on their belts.

But since I received one, I'm very pleased with aids in my daily efficiency. Much like Ted, I've found that it's become invaluable in storing information that I need to access quickly and consistently.

It's amazing how many passwords/user names we're saddled with in the cyber era. I always forgot some password/username/combination of both at the worst time. No longer. Also, I've been able to essentially replace my laptop in most situations with the addition of the new Palm Ultra-Thin keyboard. It's an engineering feat - almost as small as my Palm when folded up. I'll head over to the corner cafe with nary a backpack - only my Palm and keyboard in my front and back pants pocket.

Plus, the toy-geek factor is also fun. I've got the entire collection of O. Henry shorts on my pda, along with an episode of Wallace & Gromit, and a slew of family photos. Not to mention games and an mp3 player.

Still will never clip anything to my belt.

 

[Joseph S]

i really want to know WHY do you need a PDA?

My school forces me to own and use one. We have to enter patient data daily, yet nothing whatsoever is done with all this anonymous info. Other than that it saves me about two books space.

 

[JoshF]

I've had a couple PDAs, and I still have a Palm.

I no longer carry it with me on a daily basis because I was really just using it for contact information, calendar, and occasional notes. Basically it was an electronic organizer.

Living in Manhattan, I have to be very stingy about what I carry with me on a daily basis. Less and smaller is better. As such, I have recently picked up a Sony Ericsson T68i phone. This thing has a whole organizer built in, color screen, WAP access, and bluetooth. This means that I can sync it with my laptop once a day and it has all the stuff my Palm had in it.

Works for me.

 

[MikeAlletto]

I bought a palm 3 a long time ago. Thought I would use it a lot. I did for the first few months because of the initial wow factor. I really haven't used it since. A waste of money for me. My brother and sister use theirs all the time but I'm convinced that it is just to play yahtzee.

 

[Masood Ali]

At the beginning of each new term at school, I enter my daily schedule, assignment due dates, and test dates into my PDA. It keeps me on track, and lets me prioritize my work.

I don't use it for contact info very much, but I do use it to keep track of things like shopping lists, registration information, and bank balances.

 

[JasenP]

I have a Palm M500 for work (provided by my employer) which I use for scheduling meetings, task lists, contact info, and Video Conferencing apps. I also have an old Palm Pro in my car to track mileage and service.
Many people become dependant on the them (me included) if I didn't hear that alarm beep many times a day, I wouldn't know where I am supposed to be.

 

[Rob Gardiner]

I replaced the built in datebook application with DateBook 5. This allows me to keep 2 (or more) separate datebooks -- one for all my work projects (I have dozens of little projects that used to go onto post-it notes) and one for DVD release dates.
Also I keep lists of TOS DVDs, Zappa CDs, etc. that I am looking for.
Checkbook register -- many transactions today (online, phone) do not provide you with a printed receipt. Now I know my balance at all times.
E-books -- I bought the doorstop-sized single volume Lord of the Rings at Costco a year ago but it is much easier to read them on my Clie than hauling around a big brick of bleached wood pulp.
Web clippings -- I used to find interesting news articles, print them out, read them once, and recycle. Now I simply clip them to my palm with HandStory and save a lot of paper.
Phone numbers -- no more post-it notes in my wallet with friends phone numbers on them. Also I have all my favorite take-out & delivery places in here. And my most used work-related numbers as it is faster to locate them on here than on our office PC rolodex system.
Usernames & Passwords & Registration numbers -- very convenient and secure to store them this way, as other have pointed out.
World clock -- when I call my sister in France, it is nice to know what time it is over there so I don't wake her up in the middle of the night.

 

[felix_suwarno]

"Now I simply clip them to my palm "

clip? what does that mean?

and how long do most pdas boot up?

whats the best operating system?

do you need color screen?

how long do the batteries go?

thanks a looot.

 

[Andre F]

I use mine to keep track of my appointments, details and mostly gaming!

 

[Sacha_C]

Sorry but palm's are a complete ripoff, like the new palm tungsten, its $500 cand cant even play mp3s, its also only 144mhz with 16mb!
You can get a 400mhz pocket pc with 64mb ram for MUCH less than a palm.
I also have a 2GB card in it so I can store hundreds of MP3s and a couple of full lenght movies to watch in the bus. This is the Pocket PC I have and it is much cheaper than the new palm that can;t do half what this can:

 

[Camp]

Blah...blah

 

[Masood Ali]

Actually Sacha, the new Dell Axim PDAs make the Compaq models seem like a ripoff. You can score the 300MHz model for under $200, the 400MHz model for around $225.

 

[Sacha_C]

I know that but the compaq's are much better and the dells do not support my 2GB card.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

And, of course, playing mp3s is the only reason to have a PDA.
-Vince

 

[Brian Ruth]

I'd look at the HP H1910 also... supposed to be pretty darned small.
As for other brands, Sony makes pretty good high end PalmOS PDAs, Compaq and Dell seem to make the best Pocket PC devices. As for your questions, most of them can be answered here.
But on to the ones I can actually answer... A clip is designed to hold a PDA, usually on the belt. Think of it as a holster for nerds.
From what I hear, most PDAs boot up almost instantaneously. They ARE getting more and more complex as time goes on, so I'm not sure if they're still quick on the boot-up.
According to the reviews, battery life on Pocket PC devices usually ranges from 3 to 6 hours, with most PalmOS models lasting longer.
As for which brand is better - you'll have to decide that for yourself. GENERALLY SPEAKING, if you want an inexpensive machine, you'll want a PalmOS, if you're more interested in function (and ability to perform tasks) than price, Pocket PC is the way to go.
The problem with this is that both companies are moving to cover the respective strong spots of the other - Sony PDA's are getting as complex (and as expensive) as some of the Pocket PC models, and the Pocket PC models are slowly coming down in price, though I think in general they are still quite a bit more expensive.
Hope that all helps.

 

[JasenP]

...palm's are a complete ripoff...

I find that most people overbuy when it comes to a PDA, do you need a 400mhz processor to look up addresses and phone numbers? The iPaq is a very cool little toy, and I don't own one for two reasons:

1)I couldn't justify the price.

2) They are just too big (that enormus expansion sleeve was a really poor design move) for a shirt pocket.

 

[DaveF]

I've got a Sony Clie, a PalmOS machine, which I bought when I started my new job here at Kodak. I didn't know how much I'd really use, but I've found it handy. My uses are similar to everyone elses:
* Schedule. I can synch with our Lotus Notes calendar so business meetings are added effortlessly to my PDA calendar. I also use it for personal appointments like my Toastmasters meetings.

* Address book. I synchronize with my Outlook contacts list on my home PC so I always have my current address list with me. A handy thing.

* Finances. I've never been able to track my cash expenses until now. I add cash purchases to my money program and then upload them to my PC at my convenience.

* Games. Useful during some dreadfully boring meetings.

* Handy info: I keep useful info like parking lot passcodes for work, new members to my Toastmasters club, notes on TVs when browsing BestBuy etc.

* Grocery lists: I've just started using a shopping-list program to make my grocery lists.

* Passwords: I keep track of all of my passwords, email sources, credit card numbers, etc here.

* Calculator: I've replaced my HP-28S calculator with a scientific calc I bought for the PDA.

All of this can be done with regular calendars, notepads, etc. That's also much cheaper than buying a PDA. And paper can be more effective in some cases (like quickly writing directions to someplace, or jotting a quick note to yourself).

But I find it much easier to use a small PDA instead of many pieces of paper.

 

[Bob Hill]

I couldn't do without my PDA, presently a basic Sony Clie. I own a small company and the amount of day to day information that I have to keep up with would be impossible without a tool like this. It allows me to keep track of my production schedule, sales, employees, inventory and much more. That said I have to agree with JasenP in that many people do overbuy on their PDA's. I have been using Palm based units for all of the previous activities since the Palm III. So you don't really need the big wiz bang units to really do a lot.

Bob Hill