PDA's...are they worth it?

Hobot · Post by **Hobot** » 2003-09-28 11:30pm

I am now in the exciting world of post-secondary education and I have decided I should make an effort to be more organized. Now, I know I can do that the old fashioned way (agenda book, or the like) but being a technophile I am leaning towards a more complicated and electronic way of doing it. I was thinking of getting a PDA, but there is such a wide variety in terms of price and functionality that I'm overwhelmed; I need some direction!

Crayz9000 · Post by **Crayz9000** » 2003-09-28 11:37pm

Just get a low-end Palm. They have most of the stuff you'll need, come with synchronization software and are supported by a bunch of organizer programs.

SPOOFE · Post by **SPOOFE** » 2003-09-29 12:31am

A PDA is only worth it if you remember to actually use it. I knew a guy that got a Palm, and didn't use it for anything other than cheapo PDA games and a Palm version of the Kama Sutra. 'Twas pretty much a waste of money for him.

Then there's me eldest bro, who uses his PDA for pretty much everything.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-29 01:42am

Buy a Sony CLIE and welcome into the world of Cheep (read FREE!) ebooks!

kojikun · Post by **kojikun** » 2003-09-29 02:08am

The newer Sony PDAs have built in video and audio recording, which could be very useful for lectures and such.

Post by **Dalton** » 2003-09-29 02:22am

I always carry a pen and paper on me. Much more convenient than a fragile battery-hog like a Palm, and you can even tear off bits of paper and give them to people!

Shep, how much is that CLIE thing? It would be more convenient than carrying a book everywhere.

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-09-29 02:39am

Dalton wrote:I always carry a pen and paper on me. Much more convenient than a fragile battery-hog like a Palm, and you can even tear off bits of paper and give them to people!

Shep, how much is that CLIE thing? It would be more convenient than carrying a book everywhere.

And so Dalton is laid to waste by the fact that the "fragile battery-hog" is more versatile than his palty pen and paper.

Thus endeth the old age...

Seriously though, I use a Palm m515, and it does good work for most of what I need it for, though eventually I'd like to upgrade to something like the Zire 71 so that I can have smaller fonts (higher res) and maybe a faster processor (the built-in camera would be handy too...my photographic memory doesn't translate to others as well as a digital photo).

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-29 03:07am

Dalton wrote: Shep, how much is that CLIE thing? It would be more convenient than carrying a book everywhere.

I got my B&W Clie for about $128 off Ebay, I'll let you know how it
turns out

TrailerParkJawa · Post by **TrailerParkJawa** » 2003-09-29 03:49am

Im of the mind that only very busy and very organized people need a Palm. ie) Sales, Sales Support, or other folks that travel alot.

I dont see them being much use for students. I dont use one at work, a trusty compostition notebook and pencil are cheap and easy. Plus I can spill soda on it, drop it, lose it, etc and Im not out much money.

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-09-29 05:53am

My PDA Megumi-chan is a basic Palm Zire. I've found it to be pretty useful for the rather lowend stuff I use it for.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-29 10:13am

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:My PDA Megumi-chan is a basic Palm Zire. I've found it to be pretty useful for the rather lowend stuff I use it for.

Out of curiosity, do you name everything you own

I named my Palm IIIxe Guderian, only because I had to when I installed
the Palm Software on my computer

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-09-29 12:49pm

I have a Palm VII, but I hardly use it.

GrandMasterTerwynn · Post by **GrandMasterTerwynn** » 2003-09-29 01:57pm

Hah, I own an old HP 360LX handheld PC. It runs Windows CE (gasp!), uses AA batteries, and has a paltry 8 MB of internal memory. But, it reads CF cards and can use a fair number of PCMCIA cards. And it has a built-in keyboard.

Like the others have said, a PDA is only worth as much as you use it. I've used mine to do book editing and reading while on the go (Using Pocket Word)

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2003-09-29 01:59pm

I've been toying with the idea of getting one but I am so inherently disorganized that I don't know if I'll be able to use the PDAs to their potential to make it worth the expense.

Post by **Ghost Rider** » 2003-09-29 02:00pm

I could see the usage but the problem is the amount of usage.

Sorta like phongn and Stravo, if I got one...I would either not use it, or because of the general mess that I have of things...who knows what would happen to it(So far only my watch, keys and wallet are the only things I truly know where they are at all times)

Spanky The Dolphin · Post by **Spanky The Dolphin** » 2003-09-29 02:01pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Spanky The Dolphin wrote:My PDA Megumi-chan is a basic Palm Zire. I've found it to be pretty useful for the rather lowend stuff I use it for.
Out of curiosity, do you name everything you own

I named my Palm IIIxe Guderian, only because I had to when I installed
the Palm Software on my computer

Nah, only things like computers and the like.

Sarah and Megumi-chan are so far the only things that I've named. The PDA was mostly named for the same reason as yours.

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-09-29 09:02pm

I'm highly tempted to get an old Newton MessagePad 2100.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-30 12:22am

Stravo wrote:I've been toying with the idea of getting one but I am so inherently disorganized that I don't know if I'll be able to use the PDAs to their potential to make it worth the expense.

Always buy the second generation models going out on the discount
market for roughly the $100~ and under range each year if you want
a PDA. Let the morons with more money than common sense fund
every PDA manufacturer's R&D efforts.

Hobot · Post by **Hobot** » 2003-09-30 12:29am

Wow, my problems were solved today when a guy brought in two big boxes full of Palm IIIe's and portable keyboards and sold them for 60 Canadian (40 odd US) each. According to him, he bought them wholesale. I searched the web for free useful software and now I have a lean mean organizing machine! I even found a neat little circuit diagram design program which might be useful (I'm doing electronics).

phongn · Post by **phongn** » 2003-09-30 09:12am

Is that the folding Palm/Targus keyboard?

Soulman · Post by **Soulman** » 2003-09-30 01:57pm

I don't use my PDA as a PDA. I mainly use it as a ebook reader (thanks Baen) and when I get an SD card I'll be able to watch tv programmes that I've recorded on my PC. I rarely use it for organising anything.

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-30 03:52pm

Soulman wrote:I don't use my PDA as a PDA. I mainly use it as a ebook reader (thanks Baen) and when I get an SD card I'll be able to watch tv programmes that I've recorded on my PC. I rarely use it for organising anything.

Wait...how the hell can you record a damned TV show and make it fit on
a SD card?

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-09-30 03:58pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Soulman wrote:I don't use my PDA as a PDA. I mainly use it as a ebook reader (thanks Baen) and when I get an SD card I'll be able to watch tv programmes that I've recorded on my PC. I rarely use it for organising anything.
Wait...how the hell can you record a damned TV show and make it fit on
a SD card?

Using DiVX compression and turning down the resolution slightly, you could easily make a half-hour show show smaller than 120MB, and there are 256MB SD cards out there (heck, I've seen 512MB cards, though those are usually a different type).

MKSheppard · Post by **MKSheppard** » 2003-09-30 04:01pm

Hotfoot wrote:(heck, I've seen 512MB cards, though those are usually a different type).

Cost you $400 tho

Hotfoot · Post by **Hotfoot** » 2003-09-30 04:05pm

MKSheppard wrote:
Hotfoot wrote:(heck, I've seen 512MB cards, though those are usually a different type).
Cost you $400 tho

What? No way. Heck, the 256MB ones I saw were as low as $80. The 512s were something like $140 I think, but then they don't fit in a standard palm expansion slot.