Poll: How often do you use your PDA?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: How often do you use your PDA? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=316)

[KAKOsc]

yaay i was the second person to vote! yay for me.
PDAs are crap, i dont see what all the fuss is about.

[manitoubalck]

I'm old school, If it's not important enough to remember it's probabley not worth your time.

Or buy a diary.

[yossele]

My T610 does the job very well, I've no need in a PDA, of course if Apple will release one I'll find already a reason why to buy it, but right now I've no need in it.

[MattG]

I use my Tungsten T everyday. I don't know what I'd do without it. Not only do I sync it with my Mac for personal stuff, but I sync it at work every day with my Lotus Notes account. It keeps track of my meetings, gives me alarms when it's time to go to one, etc.

[arqsagi]

When the first windows handhelds were release I buy it, then I had two different palms, now with my ipod and my T610 why do you need a pda?, maybe some people do to work on files but just for adress book and calendar is better with the phone.
And the best thing of iSync is how easy it is just find the phone from the mac, ad device to iSync, and sync. I would like to know how long a windows user takes to sync their phone

[fixyourthinking]

I have an iPaq 5455. I have the PCMCIA sleeve and use the hard drive from an iPod to hold all my MP3's on it. Much more elegant/detailed playlist management (although not as simple to use as iTunes like /Pixo iPod OS)

I can also control my home lights and audio/video equipment, keep my contacts (I have a t610 too), I can even use it to control my Mac.

With Pocket Mac, I've installed a theme that makes it look like OS X on the dektop of the PDA as well.

Not to mention I can store all my inventory information (I do Apple tech, sales, service)

I can keep up with finances and sync with Quicken (Pocket Quicken)

Keep my receipts and paperwork in MS Word form

And get on the internet on any open Wifi network on the go.

Plus - play scrabble, tetris, and columns, and all gameboy games

AND I use the GPS (Navman) in my car for turn by turn directions

[Chilton]

I have a variety of handhelds I have tried over the years to replace the Newton I used to own. None of them stood up to the challenge.

I'm waiting, Apple. I'll wait for a long, long time if necessary. But I doubt anyone else will create a handheld that does what I want.

-Chilton

[gerror]

I occasionally put a reminder in my Nokia 7650 but I have a very boring life
monday to friday:
daytime - work
evening - mac/tv/book

weekend:
see my girlfriend, hang out with my mates, drink beer, watching football

Oh my god, what a boring life ;-)
I don't need a pda, only if it is from Apple ;-) ;-)

[Jerry Spoon]

As of now we've got 40% of PDA users voting that they don't use their PDA's on a regular basis. That's pretty telling when you also see that 50% of votes don't even have a PDA. Seems like the need, and the market, is pretty limited.

That being said, I'm one of the non-pda owners, and I would buy an Apple PDA in a minute.

[jkojima]

I was an original Newton owner - in fact, I still have it packed away at home.

I am now on my 4th PDA, a Palm Zire 71, after having switched from a Casio PocketPC unit.

I voted "daily" because, as a business student with half a dozen projects and teams on the go at any one time, my day's schedule changes rapidly. I can start the morning off with a practically clear schedule, and by noon have accumulated so many meeting requests and to-do items for that afternoon/evening that I'd be lost without my PDA.

My iPod, by the way, makes an excellent backup. :-)

[pimentoLoaf]

Hmmm... Just noticed this is the 47,200 thread on Macrumors. :eek:

Anyway...

What's really nice about the Palm Tungsten T (http://www.palmone.com/us/community/myhandheld/tungsten-t/) is the compact form it takes when collapsed.

[SiliconAddict]

I use my Jornada 568 on a daily basis. I have a 1GB CF card in it that stores 2 movies, about 30 songs, several dozen documents, numerous apps, about 8 games, and about 15 Palm e-books. It's my portable multimedia station. Then for day to day use I have my out of date Palm V. The device is B&W and archaic by current standards but its size and battery life are sweet and its what I use to manage my calendar day in/out at work.

Currently I'm looking at upgrading to the iPaq 4155 because of the size and built in functionality. Its .53 thick and weighing in at 4.6 OZ. But also includes WIFI and BT built in with SDIO support.

http://brighthand.com/images/ipaq4155_t3.jpg

The problem is that MS is releasing a new Pocket PC version next spring. Its going to do for the Pocket PC what Windows 2000/XP did for the PC. Bring some serious stability to the platform. MS already upgraded the core OS in PPC 2003 by moving to CE 4.2 which is like moving from the god awful Win 9x to NT which is a good jump but the GUI still needs an update. One of the cooler features that are rumored is built in landscape mode (about freaking time.) and full support for VGA screens. Toshiba aprox 2 weeks ago released a new PPC that has VGA support NOW but its a proprietary method right now.

However I'm sort of on the sidelines because as much as I want to get a new PDA now I'm starting to hear good things from Palm OS 6 that is expected to be released to manufacturers by EOY. This should be a major overhaul of the Palm OS (Again about freaking time.) I'm sorry but anyone that supports Palm OS 5 and below most likely also supports monocrome terminals at the desktop. The OS, while functional, is still primitive. The new components such as high res screens, color, sound, etc have been tacked onto the OS until OS 5 which was a transition step from the aging Palm OS. Its 6 that will give new life to the aging Palm OS.
If you haven't guessed yet I do support the Pocket PC and this is simply from experience. I run a Pocket PC/Palm user group here in the Minneapolis area. In addition to that the office I do tech support for I support 43 Palm's, 6 Clie's, 2 symbian phones, 1 Palm smartphone, and 32 Pocket PC's. I KNOW these devices.

So next spring will determine what I get. If I stick with the PPC or move back to Palm. Right now from the specs I'm seeing I'm leaning towards PPC again but very little info has been released from Palm at this point so who knows.

For those that don't get the PDA then I will give you a little clue. Its having your data in the palm of your hand. Anywhere, anytime access to your info/entertainment. My Jornada is an extension of my desktop/Laptop allowing me to do anything that I can do on the desktop side on my PPC. View word excel docs? No problem with Softmaker's software. PDF's? Easy with Adobe Acrobat for PDA's. Audio/video? Simple. Web? Not a problem. E-mail? Designed to do that from the start. Hell you want to do CAD? If nothing else you can view CAD files on PDA's.

In the past the PDA was thought as nothing more then a PIM device. We've gone past that and moved into a highly functional supplement to a desktop/Laptop. I don't care what people say. Smartphones will never take over the PDA simply because of inherent limitations in the form. The PDA and its form and function are here to stay.

[jrv3034]

Originally posted by SiliconAddict
In the past the PDA was thought as nothing more then a PIM device. We've gone past that and moved into a highly functional supplement to a desktop/Laptop. I don't care what people say. Smartphones will never take over the PDA simply because of inherent limitations in the form. The PDA and its form and function are here to stay.

Well I have a smartphone. I use the Handspring Treo 300 with Sprint service. It's wonderful. I have all my info, contacts, emails, and games in the same unit I use to call people. It's incredibly convenient, and for my needs, it's much better than carrying a PDA and a phone. Yes, the PDA is here to stay, but so is the smartphone.;)

[bensisko]

Even though I have an iPaq, I still rely heavily on my Newton 2100. The biggest thing it does for me is Notes. I subscribe to Einstien's theory of 'why bother to memorize something you can look up.' Not only do I use it for keeping alot of information, it has also replaced sticky notes and random pieces of scrap paper. Yes the size is a problem, but most of the times I can find a way around it. The best part is being able to sketch out ideas during meetings. It has also been invaluable for catching up on science-related articles that I never seem to have time to read. I find an article I like, create a Newton book and install it... all in about five minutes, and now I have all the article I want to read with me at all times.

BTW - Those of you looking for Tablet Macs: There is a company that makes them. They take the latest iBooks and create Tablet Macs from them. A google search for Tablet iBook should do it. If not, I can post a link later.

[JohnStrass]

Originally posted by jkojima
I was an original Newton owner - in fact, I still have it packed away at home.

I am now on my 4th PDA, a Palm Zire 71, after having switched from a Casio PocketPC unit.

I voted "daily" because, as a business student with half a dozen projects and teams on the go at any one time, my day's schedule changes rapidly. I can start the morning off with a practically clear schedule, and by noon have accumulated so many meeting requests and to-do items for that afternoon/evening that I'd be lost without my PDA.

My iPod, by the way, makes an excellent backup. :-)

I gave up trying to get my PDA (a clie I bought for 199) to be a Newton replacement. It just aint. That said, I have a very UNboring schedule, and cant imagine working without it. Dome things are really not doable on a paper diary (repeating meetings, etc). I use it at least 10 times a day

Its funny that after so many years of palms, I find it really only helpful for Address book, calendar mostly. I also purchased a few HUGE language disctionaries, so thats something I could not do without a PDA.
I still dont know why someone cant drop a Palm interface on part of the iPod. at lease to use the palm programs....

[xelterran]

PDA's just remind me of mobile phones... i hate them too =[ now.. if apple were to make one.. that would be a different story!

[sethwerkheiser]

If I could store all my contact info and other PDA goodness on my Nintendo GBA SP - man, I'd be set. hehe

[Bunzi2k4]

yea i've got a sony clie somewher, its the cheap one 16 megs of ram, no color screem backlit displat though. got it for $44 i use it a couple times a week, although, not for schedules, although i should start.

[Rajj]

I use my 1945 everyday for excel, email, and Internet access while I am on the go via Bluetooth.

I have been using PDA’s for about eight years now, mainly palm until recently I switch to PPC 2003, and I will never use another palm again!!

[Qunchuy]

Originally posted by manitoubalck
I'm old school, If it's not important enough to remember it's probabley not worth your time.

If it's important for me to remember, I'd better darn well have it written down somewhere. Preferably in a computer-searchable form, and definitely in a pocketable package.

I used to carry a paper Franklin Planner binder. A PalmPilot replaced it years ago for several reasons: it was small enough to take with me literally everywhere; it could beep to remind me of appoinments; it sychronized with my Mac to give me a backup in case I lost it; it let me search for information easily and quickly; and it was small enough to take with me everywhere. Yes, I said that one twice, because I think it's the most important feature.

Or buy a diary.

"You can't grep dead trees."

[wdlove]

I voted for my wife, she uses it daily. She owns a Palm that she purchased at MWNY 2001. Works great for scheduling and all her medical information.

[mrsebastian]

very interesting numbers. if you own one and use it religiously or not at all.

[iShater]

I got a used Palm m100 over a year ago from a friend of mine for $30. At first I used it for EVERYTHING, addresses, appointments, games, etc.

Then I finally got used to it and use it mainly for my calendar. I sync it at work with Lotus Notes, and I can't imagine being able to track all my meetings and todos with out it.

That being said, even though I would love to have a color, hi-res, fast, cool PDA, this monochrome 2MB one has been more than enough for me.

[azdude]

I love my Tungsten C almost as much as I love my iPod!

Daily use on both, for sure!

[TomSmithMacEd]

I had a Handspring Visor Deluxe. I use to use it all the time. The nI had some battery problems and I always lost all my data. Plus wiht my old PC it never synced well. So I just stopped using it all together.

[SiliconAddict]

Originally posted by iShater
That being said, even though I would love to have a color, hi-res, fast, cool PDA, this monochrome 2MB one has been more than enough for me.

Hence the reason the Zire is flying off the shelves. Palm realized there is a market for simple basic devices, something that I've preached on Pocket PC forums but no one listens.
There will always be a market for your $100 PDA because keeping track of your time, contacts, and todo list is a fundamental thing everyone wants to do. While multimedia is cool its not essential for everyone. Something Palm understands. They just didn’t realize that there is a segment of the market that also does high end devices and this, until VERY recently, was the domain of the Pocket PC. I honestly think if Sony hadn’t stepped up to the plate with some out of the box designs for Palm OS based devices you still would have nothing more then monochrome screens on all Palm devices.

[iLilana]

I bought a zire71 about 3 months ago and wondered how I got along without it. The camera feature it most used but addresses are great to have in this compact unit. I carry a small purse adn do have room for the old rolodex daytimer. Paper is horribly messy and my calligraphic skills are lacking. I would love to have a newton or another apple OS pda so I can retire the palm. I'm horribly faithful to apple but refuse to buy an iPod until it has an OS that allows more. MP3 playing is nice but with a 256 mb SD card and the Kinoma player my entertainment needs are met. My biggest complaint is lack of storage on the Palm which means lack of addressability. I deal with large media files and would prefer to be able to portablaize them. iPods are too proprietary at this time. Too limited. A handheld MAC would be perfect. It doesn't even have to have a huge screen. It just has to have the general tactile nature of the newton or palm with a major storage and faster speed capacity. They could even integrate "iChat mobile" as a video phone compatable with ichat networks and conference. (which I use on a regular basis because its as good or better than VOIP). Just being able to sidemount and iSight to the device would be great.

Small tablet vidfone mac... the "min-iMac" maybe? or the (iDia) (iDea).

I love the Palm but would change to an apple handheld full featured device in a second... and I would pay about 600.00 US for it.

[Centris 650]

My ipod has all my contact info and calendars. Really don't need a PDA.

[rueyeet]

How often do I use my PDA? not so often that I remembered to charge it lately. Thanks for the reminder!

Really, all I'd need is a Weight Watchers journaling program for cell phones; that's the only thing that the Palm did for me that I couldn't replace with any cell phone, or do without.

[Giaguara]

no pda. just ipod and mobile, enuff.

[howard]

some one mentioned an ibook tablet that someone makes? anyway have a link? cause i couldn't find it by searching on google.

also someone mentioned a pocket mac os for pdas...any photos or links for that?

[bousozoku]

The AA batteries drain before I get much use of it. I spend more time backing up and restoring and draining the batteries than I spend using it to organise.

[gopher]

I own a kind of PDA you must hook the computer to.
The iPod. So to some that's not a "modern PDA", but that is still a PDA since addresses, calendar items, and phone numbers and other info can be put on there. I also have a Powerbook which is a PDA, but an oversized one.

[bensisko]

Here is the link for adding touch-screen functionality to an iBook: http://www.trolltouch.com/pages/products/ibook.html


Also, just for clarification, PocketMac refers to the sync application that allows PocketPCs and Macs to talk. There is, however, a way to install OS 7.6 on an iPaq. You have to fisrt install Linux, then you can run the Mac OS 7.6 emulator on an iPaq.

[pimentoLoaf]

What do I use my PDA for?

Contacts, story & script ideas, and newspapers via AvantGo.

BTW: You can now have AvantGo under MacOS X:

http://homepage.mac.com/s_d/malsyncx/malsyncx_en.html

[iLilana]

Originally posted by bensisko
Here is the link for adding touch-screen functionality to an iBook: http://www.trolltouch.com/pages/products/ibook.html


Also, just for clarification, PocketMac refers to the sync application that allows PocketPCs and Macs to talk. There is, however, a way to install OS 7.6 on an iPaq. You have to fisrt install Linux, then you can run the Mac OS 7.6 emulator on an iPaq.

You have to be more detailed about this... I knew nothing about it. Do you think it would work on a palm? There has to be a way.

[bensisko]

Here is the link for Mac OS 7.5.3 running on Linux on a Pocket PC:

http://www.capsgetpeeled.com/blog/archives/000170.html

Can it be done on a Palm?
I don't know, but, assuming you can get Linux running on a Palm, then get Basilisk running on that Palm, you might, in theory get Mac OS 7 running on a Palm.

BTW - I found it by googleing "iPaq Linux Mac OS."

Don't know why you'd want to do this, I suppose you could, in theory, then run Photoshop and similar apps on your iPaq.

Now, what I would like to see is being able to Sync my Newton with this thing... Why? Because it might be fun to do....

[Stinkysteve]

Originally posted by rueyeet
How often do I use my PDA? not so often that I remembered to charge it lately. Thanks for the reminder!



Same here! The battery on my Newton 2100 was totally drained!
This thing is great for notes and to use for directions. This machine is still a fine piece of equipment.

[idkew]

i use mine daily since i have a sony ericsson p800 cell phone / pda / coolest gadget in the world.

[Potus]

Handspring Prism: use daily: calendar, address book, notes, expense, calculator, Klondike, books that I've downloaded, also use it to carry digital photos. Use the camera occasionally. Also have a gps device: only used it on one trip.

[MoparShaha]

I bought a Tungsten T awhile back, because I though "it would organize my life" and most importantly, it was cool. After awhile, I realized I never used it, and ended up selling it. Good thing actually, sold it a week before the T|2 came out, so I got a good price.

[scat999999]

I upgraded from the Vx to the Wi-Fi Tungsten C. I basically keep my entire "office" in my Palm. For both compliance reasons and convenience, I keep records on every phone conversation or meeting with my clients, along with all the other necessary info I need. That way whether I'm at home, office or in my car, I can say "well, On June 10th at 3:11pm, we discussed...." When my PC died, I still had all my client info and was able to restore it to the PC with a simple Synch. I couldn't exist without my Palm now.

[sjk]

I recently replaced a flakey Visor Platinum with a Tungsten E, which is the near-optimal PDA for me since I don't have need for phone, camera, or network capabilities right now. Finally, not yet another +$300 PDA with features I wouldn't pay for just to get a faster CPU and decent hi-res color display.

[Awimoway]

I was once a technologically impaired Humanities major who then bought a Palm m505. I fell in love with my little gadget and used it every day, for hours at a time. I became a power user by discovering PDA discussion boards (the best was PDABuzz before it was bought up by greedy corporate bastards who fired its creator and editor--let this be a warning to you, Arn). I soon upgraded to a Sony T615C and then to a Sony NR70.

It was on one of those boards that I once fielded a question about recommendations for a new computer, and somebody sold me on the idea of getting a Mac. 15 months later, I can't even remember where my PDA is because I'm always on my Mac. :D

[-hh]

Originally posted by Qunchuy
If it's important for me to remember, I'd better darn well have it written down somewhere. Preferably in a computer-searchable form, and definitely in a pocketable package.

I used to carry a paper Franklin Planner binder. A PalmPilot replaced it years ago for several reasons: it was small enough to take with me literally everywhere; it could beep to remind me of appoinments; it sychronized with my Mac to give me a backup in case I lost it; it let me search for information easily and quickly; and it was small enough to take with me everywhere. Yes, I said that one twice, because I think it's the most important feature.


Each technology has its advantages and disadvantages, and when it comes to various "productivity tools", you have to keep on trying different ones until you find the one that works for you. In my case, a Palm OS PDA was probably my 6th or 7th "tool", and it finally had the characterisistics that I needed. I use it dozens of times per day on weekdays (work days).

The paper "Daytimer" types of systems didn't really work for me, because they didn't have electronic nags...er, "Appointment Alarms" :-)

The Desktop synchronization feature is critical because all PDA's and PIM's eventually get trashed, so you need simple reconstruction. This is one of the bigger differences between a PDA and old PIM's I've tried.

What I'd say the strength of the Palm PDA is that it can be as simple or complex as you want, and it is flexible in terms of the type of information it stores.

For example, on "simple", I don't use mine for email. Period.

And on information flexibility, I maintain a ~150 contacts list that's synchronized with MS-Outlook, plus another ~450 person "occasionally needed" contacts list that's a MS-Word file - - the person who maintains the list sends it out quarterly, and I print out one hardcopy for the office, plus "weightlessly" carry a duplicate in the PDA with me at all times - - its one of several things that I wouldn't otherwise carry if I had to do it in paper; another example of this are complete airline schedules.

I might consider an iPod to do this someday, but I generally doubt it: what "works for me" includes its size being small enough to live in my shirt pocket; an iPod is thicker than my m505.


When it comes to the PDA market, I agree with the poster who said that you can go far with a cheap $99 device. What matters to me more than BS features like an integrated camera is if it will fit in my shirt pocket, followed by if its battery will last 4-5 days so that I don't need to carry a charger while I'm on the road.

Currently, a Palm m505 and a USB memory stick are the core of my "travel light and fast" kit.



-hh

[noel4r]

personally, i've no use for it. i think they're a waste of time and money....

[sjk]

Originally posted by noel4r
personally, i've no use for it. i think they're a waste of time and money.... Yeah, a waste of your time and money. ;)

Harder for me to justify buying an iPod now since I can store enough audio on a 256MB CD card to satisfy my mobile listening before adding new data (e.g. from iTunes via Missing Sync) and recharging the battery. The benefits of a general purpose PDA are less of a compromise in useful functionality. FireWire and longer battery life would be nice but aren't essential for me right now.

[visor]

I used to use a psion all the time, but had it replaced with an ibook and symbian phone. the two make a very nice pda replacement.

I never liked to scratch my display with a platic stick...just not my style.
(terrible handwriting you know...)

[runningman]

Daily. Use it for drug references, calculator for varioius formulas and have a pocket billing program

[FightTheFuture]

blah. got a palm m100 for free when i bought windows xp from office depot. so.. basically for $25 after several months complaining where my rebate was, after of course it wasn't free. eh.

glorified calculator now. i'd rather isync my ipod. maybe when i get a hybrid phone perhaps i'll actually put one to use.