Re: OT - PDA's

That's one of the PDA's I was looking at. The editorial review says that the screen cover is so flimsy that they recommend not using it. That's really the only thing they didn't like about it.

Deni,

Sometimes I think I need a Personal Disaster Assistant! Or, at least someone to keep track of things for me! :-)

The backlight is not important, unless you regularly need to read the screen in darkness. Just think about how you'll use it and you'll be able to figure out if you'd be in trouble or not. For example, in the car at night, you could turn on the map light (not while driving, please).

I can't speak for everyone, but the flimsy screen covers are better replaced by a little case made from leather (or vinyl) and there are many stylish and clever PDA cases that are much more desirable anyway.

Trust me, the Palm OS is a winner.

My husband bought a sony Clie and is very happy with it. He had Palm Pilots in the past, but the buttons often broke and are not very sturdy. The Clie is totally compatible with Palm software and you can get color or black and white screens. Prices are very reasonable.

As someone who now owns one with no backlight, I wish I had paid more attention to that (lack of a) feature. With my aging eyes, I find that I have difficulty reading the screen except for those rare instances when I'm in a position to hold it at the exact right angle to exactly the right amount of availalbe light. Very frustrating.

Other than that, the Zire has been perfect for me. I got it for just the same simple purposes you did: addresses and appointments. If you can find something as simple, but with a backlight, that's what you want.

Nurse Ratched (remove "cuckoo" from address to reply) We'll all get back to normal if we put our nation first, But the trouble with "normal" is, it always gets worse. ~Bruce Cockburn

Speaking from someone who is now on their third Palm (Palm III, Palm VII, Tungsten C), I can vouch for the need for a backlight. I use mine all the time. The Palm VII and Tungsten are high end PDAs which probably contain more features than most folks need, but I like the wireless internet connection that I get with both. I have even sent emails from the AutoTrain while it moved from state to state.

Color is another issue. If you are sure you will never use an app with color, it's ok to stay with grayscale, but many of the programs coming out now are being developed for color and they don't work well in grayscale.

No need to spend alot if all you are looking for is an electronic address book and calendar. There are some good choices out there. I would recommend going to something like a Staples, Office Max or Best Buy where you can see them in person and see what works for you. Rechargeable batteries are a big issue for me. I used regular batteries in my Palm VII and had to replace them often. The Tungsten has a rechargeable battery in it which is wonderful.

As for cases, I never use the one that comes with the PDA. I have a Coach case for my Palm III, a Dooney and Bourke case for my Palm VII and I just got a case from Sena for my Tungsten C. The Sena case, by far, is my favorite. Nice color, nice leather, not a bad price and you can recharge the PDA without taking it out of the case first. There are a variety of online sites that carry cases for all kinds of PDAs.

I'd be a little concerned about having only 2 Mb of memory... My address book, calendar, to do list and shopping list take about that much combined, without leaving anything more.

Okay, here's my novel. :)

First, look at the battery. You want a lithium ion battery -- that's the kind you can charge a lot without hurting the battery. I have a couple of friends who have PDA's that run on AA's, and they never have the PDA with them because they need new batteries. It's not much use if it's not with you

24/7.

As to operating system, it's pretty much shaken out that Palm OS and Pocket PC are the big contenders. If you want to work with a Mac, you need Palm OS, otherwise you can go either way. More programs are available for Palm OS, but Pocket PC is catching up fast. If you go with a Palm OS platform and you're sync'ing with a PC, you can use Palm's software (which is free) or you can sync up directly with Outlook, which is what I'm doing. You can also sync multiple computers -- I sync to two computers at work and one at home so my schedule is readily available to DH and employees, and they can leave me notes at any of those places.

I'd recommend at least 8 Mb of memory, but if you can pick up a 16 Mb system for not much more, go for it. I've used 11 Mb of 16 on my Handspring (Palm OS), but I have some big memory hogs -- 2 weeks of TV schedules take up over

2 Mb, and my genealogy database takes up another 1.5 Mb. Plus a number of games, err, mental stimulation programs, yeah, that's it. :)

To get an idea of everything you can do with a PDA, take a look at

(NAYY). I checked that site out when DH wasinitially making noises about getting himself a PDA, and it convinced methat there was *nothing* I couldn't do with a PDA. So I went out thatmorning and bought one for myself. :) Is there one model you're looking at in particular? I'd be glad to give you my opinion.

If all you want is addresses 'n' such, consider the Sharp YO 520 electronic organizer. It does have a backlight---which I never use. My main objection is lack of cut-&-paste, which its dearly beloved predecessor had.

-- Jean S

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for all the info. I'm just in the initial stage of looking. I kinda like the looks (and price) of the Handspring Treo 90. Do you know anything about it? My DDIL got a Handspring a year or so ago and I think she's been happy with it.

The more I look at PDA's I think I want a little more than just addresses!

At our house we have a variety (Handspring, Palm, Sony). Here's a couple of tidbits we've discovered in the process:

Down side to the Zire: screen isn't backlit. Might not matter to you, but is worth being aware of. Is the only real downside to it that DD Jen has found.

The bottom of the line Sony Clie doesn't recharge, but uses disposable batteries. Royal PITA, especially since you've got about one minute to change batteries before it turns stupid. (And drop it even a short bit to a soft surface---say from standing hand to couch---and those batteries are

*out*. Lots of luck finding them and getting them reinserted in time.)

Now, having said that, I have the Clie just above it, and I love it. Clie uses Sony memory sticks for onboard backup, so if you do forget to recharge or sync quite often enough, but remember to occasionally backup to your memory stick, then reloading doesn't require that you be near your computer to resync (say, on vacation). Since I also use Sony digital cameras and have a number of memory sticks about, that's wonderful for me.

You can also use the memory stick as expanded memory and even run programs from it.

--pig

If you don't need color or the keyboard, you could probably do better with a Handspring Visor Pro.

I have the Visor Proand love it, my BIL has a Treo 90 and loves it, so I'd say either would be agood choice.

When I bought my Visor Pro last year, I looked at the Treo 90 also. I didn't think my fat fingers would be too great with those tiny keys, so I got the Visor and a detachable full size folding keyboard from Targus. ($25 on ebay). So when I'm on the go, I use Graffiti (a way to input data with handwriting -- standard on all Palm OS), and when I'm stationary I either enter with the computer or the keyboard. (For example, last night we were interviewing new employees. I set up my PDA and keyboard -- they were so small it didn't seem to bother the interviewees at all, and I was able to take all the notes I wanted).

Hope that helps!

Once you get one, you won't be able to live without it! Bwah ha ha ha!!!! ;)

Let's see, what have I done with mine in the first three hours today... used the address book, used the to do list (I *live* by that!), used the appointment calendar, used my database program (tracking my baseball swap squares, doncha know), used my shopping list, used my password protected list of web sign ins and passwords, checked the weather (updated daily by my computer off the internet), and did a crossword puzzle (because there wasn't a magazine in the bathroom! LOL)

Later on I'll use it to enter the check I write at the grocery store so I won't have to enter it later in Quicken (it updates Quicken automatically), and probably half a dozen other things. If I'm ever captured by a madman set on world domination, he won't have to threaten to kill DH, just threaten to take away my PDA. :)

To me PDA means public displays of affection.. They need to be kept modest and discrete. Anything else is gauche. Sooooo.. get a PDA thats discrete... ok? :-) Diana

family/friends

I definitely want back lighting. My 'old' eyes need that!