What I use instead of a PDA...

[Slicksuit]

Oldhat and Canadave - thanks for your input.

I don't mean to take this question way off-topic from the forum, but I have to ask...Oldhat, which distribution of Linux do you prefer? (I'm asking publicly, as opposed to PM"ing you because it could be of value to other members, and my feeling is that many of our members are in IT).

I am considering giving Mepis a try, maybe SUSE as well. I don't have much programming experience, but am an intermediate Windows user. Do you prefer the Gnome or KDE GUI, and why? Is the latest Kernel always the best bet? I understand that there is DVD players for Linux, but are there DVD rippers available on Linux as well?

I will try both distros with live CD before I make a commitment, but I'd appreciate your opinion. I use Firefox for virtually all web browsing now, given IE's vulnerabilities...and I'm just hooked on tabbed browsing now . I look to Linux as viable alternative to Windows, and an improvement in terms of stability and security.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

Old Hat, I am not at all dissing PDAs. Honestly, I think they're an impressive piece of technology, and the technology just keeps getting better and better. Mine was a Palm Pilot (I can't recall the model, but it was a basic unit) that I won at a holiday party. I doubt I ever would have bought myself one prior, but getting one for free offered me the chance to see what these puppies were like.

To tell the truth, it is a handy little thing, but as far as "handwritten notes" and viable idea sketches (I'm a graphic designer by trade) the stylus and pad frustrated me. I ended up getting a carry case which also had a paper note pad inside.

The Palm was great for keeping an address book and calendar, but I never used mine for anything else. I admit that I never synced it with a computer (yes, I know, not the "smartest" of ideas) but I'm not nearly as tech savy as a lot of people I know. I'm an analogue thinker.

The models which have voice recorders and all kinds of bels and whistles are cool, but I simply don't have the money for one. That, and I'd likely end up using the money for other things I need. Personally, I can keep track of paper better than bytes. I have have a system which allows me to avoid carrying an overstuffed daytimer, so notebook size is not much of an issue for me.

Though I share a cell phone with my wife and have bits of technology around me, for where I am right now, a PDA doesn't suit me. I'll keep my paper and pen.

bink

 

[The Wingnut]

In high school, I carried a PDA...it had 256k of memory, an address book, notepad, perpetual calendar, date minder, security features...

And it croaked when the batteries died...or I should say, the information in it was wiped out...not only that, but the multiple daily alarms it had got me in trouble on more than one occasion while class was in session. Today's PDAs are obviously far more advanced and won't lose their memory when the batteries die, and most will vibrate instead of chime.

In 2000, I started my first 'real' job. I had to meet many deadlines and remember copious amounts of information. Instead of buying a PDA, which I could have done on my meager salary(and had ready access to them as a close friend worked at now-defunct Pilot), I went to Malm Luggage and bought another wallet. This one held 3"x5" index cards, a pen, had a billfold section for money, card holders, and many hidden storage areas. It still was the size of the average wallet. I still carry it(along with my 'normal' wallet), and it's showing its age. It holds a pen, numerous business cards, a miniature address book, blank index cards, a few novelty items, my comb and some other assorted junk. When it comes time to replace it, I'll be getting another like it...I don't need a digital leash, the same reason I don't and will likely never use a cell phone. PDAs are a great tool, it's when you become enslaved to them or their utility that there's a problem. If I were to lose my notepad, I'd simply buy another and refill it with index cards.

It all depends what you need a PDA or notepad for and just how dependant you are on the features the item offers. I always have pen and paper handy, and I have most of the funtionality that any person with a PDA would have, with the added advantage of never needing to recharge, or worry much about data loss / security issues. I have the added advantage that if a mugger were to demand my wallet, he'd get it...and I'd keep the other one that had money in it.

 

[Canadave]

...If I were to lose my notepad, I'd simply buy another and refill it with index cards...

Yeah, but how would you reclaim all your lost info (or "data", for the techies )?.

David

 

[Slicksuit]

I would admit that it could be a pain being reachable with a cell phone 24/7, but has anyone here noticed how sparse the offerings are for pay phones nowadays? So slim that a cell phone is almost a matter of necessity.

I like the security that having a cell provides a well. The thing I don't understand is how some people seem to have the phone plastered to their head all the time. And cell phones in restaurants just drive me crazy :rage: . Since when did staying connected all the time become so important?

 

[MK]

Since when did staying connected all the time become so important?

Ask an expecting father if his wife will mind if he shuts off his phone.

 

[Slicksuit]

Ask an expecting father if his wife will mind if he shuts off his phone.

Good example. There will always be extenuating circumstances. My comment was geared more towards teenagers, who seem to constantly be on the phone (and yes, I was one of those, I suppose). When I was that age, pagers were the status symbol.

I agree with the landline comment too, why pay for 2 bills? Some people had concerns after the great blackout of 2003 out in the Northeast USA, but the systems are now designed with backup power.

I would consider VoIP as a replacement to landlines as well, especially if I was a business owner. It's my understanding that older folks prefer the security of landlines. Even at my age (27), I'm sometimes suprised that my cell connection isn't flaky.

 

[Mycroft]

Along the lines of the PDA thread, I recomend an "idea book for traveliers," I have a little notebook that I am starting take on all my trips with my space pen. I plan to write down ideas, quotes, cities, numbers, and random info. I highly recomend it. Just a thought.

 

[CoffeeDude]

I bought a Dell Axim X5 a couple of years ago and in just 6 months of owning it, the thing quit working. I went back to a paper daytimer and never looked back. Of course IMHO modern paper daytimers have no style at all, so I bought a 5x6 travel journal from Renaissance Arts and modified it to be a daytimer. Style and substance.

Of course, I prefer 'real letter' correspondence over email, but that's another story - or rant.

 

[happyfilmluvguy]

I need one of those leather note pad holders....


I carry around a little composite notebook. It doesn't last that long, since it's made of paper, and it gets wet. I've tried using a PDA, but it's just too heavy for me. I used to carry numerous things in my pockets, it does come in handy for certain occasions, but over all I'd prefer weight over quality.

 

[raiderrescuer]

For the Pen and Paper types:

http://www.nextactioncards.com/Getting%20Things%20Done-GTD%20Links.htm

http://www.pocketmod.com/app/index.html

http://www.diyplanner.com/templates/official

http://www.43folders.com/2004/09/03/introducing-the-hipster-pda/

Suppose to help the unorganized to use paper like a PDA.

 

[J. M. Stovall]

I used a Palm for about a year (back in 2001 or so) and decided for me it was just more trouble than it was worth. Things like that can be like a new hobby, too much time invested just to keep it going, updated, charged and current. I'll take my $5 Dayminder from Office Depot and a Moleskine sketchbook over a Palm anytime.

 

[Mr. Sable]

How long does a PDA last when it gets wet?

 

[Zach R.]

I carry a "reporter/detective-style" Moleskine these days, and I can't say enough nice things about these little suckers (they are a tad expensive at most places, but if you know where to look you can find them considerably cheaper).

 

[RedShoesGirl]

...
I went from an m505 to a Tungsten E, and though I thought I would, I don't miss the cradle.

David

I went from the Tungsten T original to the E2 and really love it. I would not have switched except the T would NOT stay "digitized" while playing scrabble. very frustrating when the stylus is not selecting at what you are pointing.

i use the palm for three things, contacts, appointments and scrabble. i don't spend hardly any time doing all the other things one can do.

and you gotta back the info/data up to your computer! it would be an ugly picture if i lost "him" - the pda — and had not backed up the data.

rsg