What I use instead of a PDA...

[matei]

Greetings all!

I thought that some of you who yearn to take a "lo-fi" approach jotting down tasks might find this interesting. It only dawned on me to share this with you all because someone made a comment earlier on in the lift when I took it out to check something... They said that I looked like an old-time private eye.

After several years of dealing with Palm, Compaq and then Dell PDAs, I have switched to a unit that requires neither batteries nor Windows.

It is an old fashioned leather flip notepad - exactly what the police used to use. As a matter of fact - I ordered it years ago from a law enforcement gear catalogue (my dad is in law enforcement and has all kinds of cool stuff lying around). It is made from thick, black leather. It was very, very stiff at first, but it has finally started to wear in. It has a little window where you could put ID or something. I use it for my work ID/pass - instead of having it dangle about my neck.

When I needed to jot something down, I had to unholster my pda, turn it on, navigate to the notepad function, write in some bizarre stylised alphabet... by that time I forgot what I needed to write.

I will post a picture of it when I can. The only consumable you need worry about is the pads that it uses - but almost any old small paper pad will do as a refill. No fancy-smancy expensive custom refills here!

So, for those going for the private eye look - this is worth investigating.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

I used to carry a PDA. After several information dumps, I stopped using it and went back to a small, leather-type organizer that fits in my pocket. That, and a small moleskine notebook are always with me. Besides, I always need paper and pen or pencil. I develop ideas easier on paper most of the time and I'm a graphic designer by trade. I still prefer analogue over digital.

bink

 

[matei]

Interesting...

Although I work in IT, I really hate how the world has become a smaller, less exotic place due to the Internet. Granted, you woudn't have cool forums like The Fedora Lounge, but...

After reading numerous ebooks on my last PDA, I remarked how I missed the weight of a real book, the paper, the way a good story sucks you in... I also missed the feel of pen to paper.

The data dumps are also something I can live without.

 

[binkmeisterRick]

I'm very tactile (man, is THAT an open door!) and also prefer the feel of ink and paper. Besides, you can't really sketch on a PDA when you're out in public and need to scratch down ideas and drawings.

bink

 

[matei]

True, nor can you write down a number or address, tear the page off and give it to someone.

I'm sure they'll invent wee printers (the waiters over here already have 'em when you pay for a meal via credit card) that techophiles will carry around as well... Ugh.

 

[Mr. Sable]

This is as hi-tech as I get; I keep it in my Indybag at all time (a buck each at the local Safeway grocery store). I didn't even know what a PDA was until reading your posts.

 

[Slicksuit]

As digital of a guy as I am, I still prefer the look and feel of a genuine book. As much as Microsoft tries to develop it, I agree that there's nothing like a book that I can hold and flip-through. A digital book might have been a god-send back when I had to lug a 10 pound microbiology text around campus,though .

 

[Mycroft]

Cool, suposivly notebooks are comming into style now, also can you give me the link for the police pad, I have always wanted one.

 

[matei]

Ah, I found the link to the company:
http://www.kynd.com/~fnj/leaccessories.html

I have this one: http://www.kynd.com/~fnj/images/accessories/nbp2_sm.jpg

It isn't a very good picture.

They have one that is slightly larger, but this one suits me fine. It is no-frills. Thick (for a notepad), tough, black leather, with an id "window".

In a way I wish it had a pen loop, but that isn't a big deal. I get to use one of my nice pens and carry it in me shirt pocket.

Sans pocket protector, of course. I don't want to live up to the IT nerd stereotype.

 

[Canadave]

.

I'm in sales, and I have 1600 contacts in my Palm. It would be hard to carry those in a pocket notepad.

...nor can you write down a number or address, tear the page off and give it to someone...

No, but you could beam it to someone!

David

 

[matei]

Good point Canadave. There are certain professions that require this type of functionality.

I admit that I do have a ton of addresses and number in my mobile. I do have a little leather address book, but I don't carry it much because I don't have that many pockets!

 

[matei]

There are genuine reasons to use a PDA - you and Canadave have pointed out quite a few... The use of a PDA in my line of work aided me to some degree - I've used them before for remote access, keeping track of all sorts of data etc, but it also tied me in more closely to my work - a side effect that I didn't like.

I think that the Palm PDAs are far superior to the ones running the MS o/s. I had a Palm IIIxe that served me very well. I ended getting rid of it when the screen was too scratched and hard to read (should've used a screen protector).

However, my choice in going "old school'' was made knowing full well that I was trading practicality and flexibility for... impracticality!

That is just me - I enjoy being a bit old fashioned and impractical. To a point, that is... I'm not going to go and give up the auto for a horse and buggy!

 

[ginobarracuda]

I've worked in I.S. since...uhmm.. yikes 1984 (that's a bad omen)
and I still laugh when they call it 'computer science' uh...right... more like art, if you ask me...

And I agree with Matei on the ebooks... give me the smell and texture and feeling of a real book any day.
Same with music.. I remember when I was really young, you got out and buy an album and go home and pour through the notes on, and in sometimes, the jacket and read about any guest musicians or odd little notes of thanks etc. You lose all that when you go to direct download... ah well.. "We'll always have 'The Fedora Lounge' LOL

Oh well enough with my spleen venting...off to work and month-end backups for the next 8 hrs today... tomorrow the same... :coffee:

caio all..

 

[Slicksuit]

I went from there to an Apple Newton (which was a fraud) and am now on my fourth Palm. I carry around 20 times as much information as I used to, and it never gets bigger or heavier or more cumbersome- it slips into a shirt pocket. I carry hundreds of contacts and addresses, lots of programming code I use frequently (cut-and-paste right into the programs) and notes on syntax and techniques, emergency information, interactive, detailed maps of the city and subway system, business expense records, travel and vehicle records, billable hours records, all of which can be exported to PC programs (spreadsheets) at any time. I can read my favorite web pages (downloaded at the last hotsync) on the subway, listen to music (built-in MP3 player), play games or read books. It actively reminds me (with audible alarms or vibrate mode, like a cell phone) of appointments, meetings, and things I have to get done- sometimes entered years in advance.

Oldhat, which model of Palm do you use?

I like Palm, too. Some tech gurus believe that standalone PDAs are going to become less popular in the coming years, in favor of cell phone/PDA hybrids, like the Treo. The rationale is that people want to have less to carry about. Sony just recently got out of the business, and Palm is having a tough time. It seems that owners of PDAs hold onto their particular model for some time before upgrading.

I love technology myself. However, I think that with the offering of increased productivity, the work world comes to expect more and more, at a faster and faster pace. Instead of giving us the increased free time such productivity promises, that time and energy savings just gets funneled back into the workday. People go on vacation...but with a notebook, cell-phone, PDA, and maybe even a pager or blackberry at their side...is it really a vacation? We are, in effect, "plugged into" work more and more nowadays. I agree also that we have to find a balance.

 

[Mycroft]

I have a palm, do not use it since I bring a laptop to workevery day. Also, I will get a pick of it as soon as I can, but I have a 1920's or 1930's silver plate jotter, that resebles a cigattete case, matching pen too. It was $15.00 in an antique store in Maine.

 

[Canadave]

I've heard that a lot, but I'm not sure I really buy it. I'd love to get rid of one device, but there are a lot of times I need to use the Palm WHILE I'm on the cell phone...

That is a problem. Could one use the organizational elements of it WHILE on the phone if one used a handsfree device (earphone or other)?

...I'm still using a first-generation Tungsten T. I probably really should upgrade, but the hardware has taken some unfortunate turns lately- I insist on a charging/hotsync cradle, and a lot of the new models don't support them anymore, just cables.

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

David

 

[MK]

.

This has been interesting reading. I love the golden era and use items from when I can.....but I bet just about every member here has a cell/mobile phone. We embrace what we can from the era.

To each his own, when it comes to PDAs. I would never read a book on one...but that is not my purpose for having one. I have the HP 6315. It is my PDA/phone/internet when away from my home or office. It is one of the best purchases I have ever made. I able to share photos of all kinds of things with people. It has bluetooth so when in the car I have a wireless ear piece. Without a doubt the coolest part is having access to the net. In fact....I am posting this from my PDA!

To each his own.

 

[Canadave]

... I also sort of like the telescoping/small format of my old T...

Im into my Palm 40x/day...literally. I didn't think the slider would last.

Good luck with the job change!

David

 

[Slicksuit]

Think your Palm is old? Mine's an M125 back from four years ago. Not even a color screen. I admit to not using it all that much, preferably using MS Outlook. I gave up on the thing after a few battery failures, and not being able to find the charger add-on for the cradle. So now I use my cell for phone numbers, and Outlook for email/address needs.

Educate me...how does one charge up the new palm units? Seperate charger, like a cell phone? New AAA batteries, or rechargable batteries? Any new Palm that I purchase must have a rechargeable functionality to it, like my Ipod. It is just too much hassle, IMHO, to be fiddling with batteries on a constant basis. On my old unit, rehargable Li+ batteries only lasted 2 weeks tops, alkaline ones about a month. The rechargable batteries had to be removed from the Palm and put into a charger - a real pain. Memory would be wiped out, and would require a hotsinc to restore.

BTW-I prefer the desktop software myself, too. I found Graffiti to be a pain, onscreen keyboard typing to be slow, and I never wanted to pay to buy an add-on keyboard. If I had to do a quick note, I'd use the sketch pad function.

 

[Canadave]

...Educate me...how does one charge up the new palm units? ...

Yeah, an internal rechargable battery, so a charger charges the whole unit. It's a lot easier now.

David