How many PDAs have you had before your iPhone?

[iMacZealot]

^^^
My problems with Palm are that they haven't changed their OS at all since I bought my last Palm, which was 2003.

I don't know how they still make it...

 

[Marvin1379]

For all those who used more PDAs than I did, does anything even compare to the iPhone? That awfulness of graffiti, the monotone screens, the lack of a bazillion features (Internet access, knowing what the heck it's doing while syncing, needing 30 different 3rd-party apps to actually sync). Just ouch. I had given up on all such devices before this thing.

Handera 330
Palm TX
Treo 650 ... doesn't sync right with leopard

i totally forgot about graffiti!! and graffiti 2 was even worse...you got used to making up symbols and then they go and change those symbols on you!!

 

[izibo]

I've had a ton (sad to admit it, really):

Handspring Visor
Palm V
Palm m505
Original iPaq
hp h4150

and now, iPhone. Still keep the h4150 around for ePocrates, but it will finally get retired in a few short months!

 

[Michael CM1]

The newer PDAs were much better than it sounds like you experienced and actually do some things that PDAs are supposed to do much better than the iPhone. Disclaimer: I love my iPhone! I'm not complaining!

Back to your post, however, the newer PDAs (like Treos) didn't need graffiti, it was available, but not necessary. Color screens available, of course. It did have Internet access which was not terrible, but a screen half the size of the iPhone which was limiting...and not able to open more than one browser screen at a time was frustrating. Syncing didn't need 3rd party apps anymore...it synced great with Outlook. You could see what the sync was doing on the PC.

Some things that the Treo did great that the iPhone could do better:
- Calendar functionality was more robust, including color coding items. Month view that allowed you to see which days had appointments scheduled. Maybe I have this wrong, but if I add a birthday to a contact on the iPhone it doesn't show up on the calendar. If I add it through Outlook, it shows up on the calendar.
- Task lists are great...the iPhone does need one.
- The notes functionality needs to sync. It was great to be able to cut and paste into notes on Outlook and have them sync. I used them for Technical notes and other random information (like Christmas lists).
- Saving pictures from Web pages was awesome!
- Bluetooth functionality was much more robust - bluetooth syncing was very nice, although I don't mind the dock too much. Being able to bluetooth ringtones, files, contacts, calendar appointments, etc.
- Voice dialing was great - it was a 3rd party app, but worked great with no "training" it to recognize my voice. It worked on all of my contacts.
- Using the Treo as a modem was great for the laptop when out and about.
- Thousands of 3rd party applications available. Of course, we'll have that soon enough on the iPhone!

That being said, the iPhone does everything that it does in such an incredibly elegant, slick way that make it an awesome device, especially for being out less than a year! It holds such promise for what it can offer in the future that it is exciting to be in on the early stages! The Treo looks terribly old-fashioned, even when it is doing stuff that the iPhone can't. However, I can understand why some heavy business users might have a hard time with the transition if there are functions that they already have and don't want to give up.

You definitely sound like you had your fill. Stuff like Contacts is really just a gimmick unless it's tied into your phone. I synced mine to my iPod, but I almost never looked at them b/c my RAZR would sync contacts. Same thing with Calendar, but the RAZR did a crappy job of managing that stuff.

You also make some great suggestions for the future. I do wish the Calendar app looked more like iCal with multi-colored stuff. I also really need some sort of disk function where files (like saved images from Web, documents synced from a PC via Bluetooth) could be stored. I start covering soccer games in less than a month and REALLY want to figure out a way to get the story from my MBP to my iPhone so I can mail it off!!!

I hope 3rd-party apps fix a lot of this. The hardware for voice recording, voice dialing, tethering, etc. is all there.

 

[kdarling]

In my opinion, PDAs are useless without internet access, and you're less inclined to use a PDA or iPod if it's not tied into your phone, which is the device you use the most and carry with you everywhere.

Heh. There were PDAs before most people had cell phones or personal Internet access. And they were still very useful for storing contacts, notes and calendar.

But yes, internet access is nice.

Cheers.

 

[Hawkeye411]

I started with an electronic organizer then I have had 5 different Palm PDA's and I have been using the Sony Clie UX50 for a number of years now. With the extra memory card it cost me almost $1200.00 around 4 years ago

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1843/

It works pretty well. However, I'm anxiously waiting for the iPhone in Canada. I thought about buying the iPod touch in the mean time. But I certain that it will arrive and then the iPhone will be released the next week LOL.

Cheers.

 

[iMacZealot]

Heh. There were PDAs before most people had cell phones or personal Internet access. And they were still very useful for storing contacts, notes and calendar.

But yes, internet access is nice.

Cheers.

But those people who had those early PDAs were mostly power corporate customers who probably had a large address book. For the average person, it wasn't a useful product at that time, and they were very expensive until after the turn of the century.

 

[iphonewiz]

It's official, I'm a gadget freak!

Wow folks, I forgot about some the PDA's that have come and gone through the years. The funny thing is, on top of the list I started this thread with, I was reminded of at least 3 or four more models I owned, but completely forgot about!

I do remember selling my Newton MP2100 back in 2001 for almost $700 on eBay! Boy time flys!

Still the coolest effect goes to the Newton. Remember when you scrubbed an item with your pen.....then POOF! An animated cloud of smoke erased the item! It wasn't until the iPhone scrolling effect came along to knock that one out of first place!

Memories, memories!

 

[BOSS10L]

Palm V - Bought used on Ebay solely for reading my "little black box" from Scuba dives (http://reefnet.ca/products/sensus/)
Palm TX - Was a gift, I've only used it 2-3 times max, I'll probably sell it to Second Rotation if I don't get anyone interested soon

 

[scott99]

I started with an electronic organizer then I have had 5 different Palm PDA's and I have been using the Sony Clie UX50 for a number of years now. With the extra memory card it cost me almost $1200.00 around 4 years ago

http://www.mobilemag.com/content/100/333/C1843/

It works pretty well. However, I'm anxiously waiting for the iPhone in Canada. I thought about buying the iPod touch in the mean time. But I certain that it will arrive and then the iPhone will be released the next week LOL.

Cheers.

Man, back then I thought that was the coolest PDA ever. Used to go to the Sony Store (In San Francisco) after work just to play around with that CLIE. Awesome.

P.S.-Can we vote for this thread as one of the best threads on this message board ?

 

[Monkaaay]

I've personally had two Blackberries before my iPhone. RIM has nothing on Apple.

 

[oldimac]

Sony Clie NX 70! On second battery but it now dies after about 20 minutes or so

Still use on a daily basis tho to enter clients passwords, time spent on their job, etc. - iPhone should be in today. Now how the h*ll am I going to get all my contacts, notes, to do's, over?

Not going to be fun that's for sure.

I thought I needed the keyboard on the Clie but have never used it once - I can enter whatever I need pretty fast with the stylus and graffiti. Not sure how I will take to the little keyboard on the iPhone.

I will miss most the 3rd party apps - Date Book, Car Payment app, McSchedule, Memo Pad, TealAuto, To Do List and Converter (converts everything).

Geeze, I can't wait for June and maybe some apps to replace the ones I'm losing.

 

[0098386]

Just a Pocket PC. Toshiba something or other.

Never liked Palm. The OS didn't look so great and the machines themselves weren't as good quality as rival systems. At least back when I bought my Toshiba. It's still going now.