Posted: 1/13/2004 2:01:57 PM EDT
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I have quite a few contacts I need to keep track of as well as having a need for calendaring/appointment reminder software. I'm looking at the Palm Tungsten E (~$185), but it only has a USB cable and no docking station (and can't work with a docking station either). Do I really need this gadget (I'm a lawyer)? Is the Tungsten E a good model? Any experience with the Sony Clie's? Thanks. |
| You'll be getting a ton of opinions on this, so I'll make mine brief. If you find yourself writing a lot of things on post-in notes, or often looking up names, addresses, phone numbers in your little black book, then by all means try one of these PDA's out. The Tungsten E is good model, especially if you're not sure if PDA's are for you. |
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i bought a phillips nino when pda's were first getting big. it ran win CE. I hated it. LOTS of bugs in win CE. traded it for a palmIII, more stable but never used it either. i find my address book and pencil is still faster and more reliable. IBM has given us all RIM blackberries. It has all the pda software and wireless so i can recieve service calls and place parts orders. Other than handling calls i don't use it either. PDA's are neat and if you have a LOT of data you access to quick they are handy. If not they are just a high priced toy. mike |
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I am also a lawyer who used to be at a big firm and now am at a small one. I can't even think about how my day would go without a palm system. I went from a real palm to a clie SJ30 and have had no problems at all with the clie, unlike the palm. One older lawyer I know uses a day runner, but the thing is huge and stuffed (and his sec has all these plots to get to look at it so she can update it and schedule appointments). My "day runner" is my car .45 holster. Some of the more gadget guys at work have gone to the combo phone and palms, and really love them, but I am not ready to bite yet (plus the wires hanging from their ears and the mike part looks sort of dumb). Palms are great for lawyers... your whole schedule at one place, the ability to put appointments in on the go, same with all contact info...your secretary can get at everything through the desktop outlook (big tip--get the outlook sync software--it comes with clie--palm desktop software sucks ass)--it beeps when you are going to have to do something--email on the go and the ability to download docs to review on the go (not as handy for me but good sometimes)--all in your pocket. Go as small as you can, with the biggest color and bright screen you can get, and the most memory you can get in that package. |
| I have a Treo 600, it is a fancy smancy telephone/pda. i love it and use it constantly. I believe it runs the Palm OS 5.0 I can use it to get on the web, check and send email, etc... Very cool. I had a Palm Vx before this and used it a lot. If you have contacts, calanders, etc it is a good way to keep on top of things. |
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One word: IPAQ. We buy the at work to assign to field crews to work outside in inclement weather, where the entire day's work is stored on the ipaq. I had used one at a former company, so when it was time to buy some, i was prejudiced towards the ipaq. But a comparison of features clinched it for me. Got three of 'em this summer. Battery quit charging on one of 'em. This was on a friday evening. By Wednesday morning, had it fixed, returned, and back to work. Outstanding customer service. |
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Quoted: Forget the Palm devices. Go for a handheld computer with Windows CE. Does everything your desktop does, except it fits in your shirt pocket (really a bad place for it though). A pocket PC is pretty cool - I've got one. The benefit is that it does everything a Palm-type device does, but it also can handle word, excel, powerpoint, etc - making it portable document storage as well. With modular SD cards (adding up to additional 512MB storage and a wireless card, it can be extremely versatile. (Plus, you can also use it to play mp3s and some video formats.) But, if you mostly need a planner (calender, reminders, phone numbers, etc), a pocket/handheld PC is probably not worth the extra money and the palm would be your best bet. |
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Quoted: A pocket PC is pretty cool - I've got one. Me too ;) With modular SD cards (adding up to additional 512MB storage and a wireless card, it can be extremely versatile. It's even more versatile if you have a digicam that uses the same format of memory cards, CompactFlash, that is. Cheap storage for both! Also, you rarely have to convert anything from your regular desktop format to make it readable on your handheld device, which was one of the major drawback with the Palm-powered devices I've owned. Major pain in the ass. you can also use it to play mp3s and some video formats. True, but it takes forever to copy mp3 files to a CF card. On mine it does. But, if you mostly need a planner (calender, reminders, phone numbers, etc), a pocket/handheld PC is probably not worth the extra money You'll laugh, I'm using my PocketPC as a mobile version of MS Outlook (mail, contacts, calendar, notes, to do) and to read e-books, and nothing much[1] else. I think the larger memory and better screen are worth it. Edited: [1] OK, OK, I also got CityTime from Codecity.net. a SAE/Metric conversion program, an electronic dictionary, and Scrabble on my handheld. |
| I had a palm 5 when they first came out. It was a blast and I loved the little thing. Unfortunetly it didn't do every thing that I wanted it to do. If I were to buy again I would get one of the dell offerings. Dell makes nice little pocket pc powered hand helds for less. If you use microsoft products like office powerpoint and word then you need the extra flexability that the pocket pc will give. Hell they can even surf the web now. |
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Thanks for the info guys (and your lawyerly insight Happyshooter ;)) But, now I'm more confused. Do I need a Palm OS type device or a pocket computer (MS-type OS)? I can't imagine typing emails and such with the unit (w/o an add-on keyboard at least--and if I'm doing that, I'd just as soon use my PC). It seems like I'd mostly be using it for contacts and tasks/scheduling (and to synch with Outlook). |
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My good buddy has one. Its great to see the look on dealers faces at gunshows when he pulls it out, brings up serisl numbers lists for everything from shotguns to preban ars. Saved enough in one purchase of an old Ithaca shotgun that it paid for itself. He has newer(6 months or so) Compaq. CH |
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Quoted: kar: how much time do you get out of a charge/set of batteries (?) when reading e-books? My Jornada has a built-in LiOn battery, and it gets about 6 hours of straight usage out of it, i.e. turn it on, and keep it on for eight hours, like reading a book on a plane or similar use. That's normally enough for about three days of normal use. The charger is about the size of a BIC lighter, plus the cable; so you don't have to drag the sync/charge cradle with you. In comparison, my Palm IIIc got about a week of use out of one charge, and the monochrome IIIxe I had before that worked for almost 3 weeks on a set of good AAA batteries. HOWEVER, I happily trade off some battery life for the superior screen, larger memory, and built-in capabilities of the PocketPCs. |
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Quoted: My good buddy has one. Its great to see the look on dealers faces at gunshows when he pulls it out, brings up serisl numbers lists for everything from shotguns to preban ars. I keep a list of German ordnance manufacturers and their marks on mine, from aaa = C. August Wagner, Kirschau in Saxony, through 945 = Waffenfabrik Bruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia. Same gee-whiz factor :-) |
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Quoted: Thanks for the info guys (and your lawyerly insight Happyshooter ;)) But, now I'm more confused. Do I need a Palm OS type device or a pocket computer (MS-type OS)? I can't imagine typing emails and such with the unit (w/o an add-on keyboard at least--and if I'm doing that, I'd just as soon use my PC). It seems like I'd mostly be using it for contacts and tasks/scheduling (and to synch with Outlook). For what you want it for, which is what I use it for, the palm system, with intellisync to use outlook, works great. I am really happy with the clie package as well, not too much device, not too little. That being said, the techie lovers at my firm really seem to love their combo PDAs and phones. That will be my next buy. |
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Get the Palm. Windows CE sucks even by microsoft standards. I've got a Tungsten C -clear hi-res color screen -built in keyboard(thumbboard)much faster than grafiti -64mb internal+SD memory slot -Documents to go handles word+excell files -built in wi-fi networking (need to upgrade browser to web pro 3.0) surf ARFCOM from bed,couch front porch wherever. |
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Quoted: Quoted: My good buddy has one. Its great to see the look on dealers faces at gunshows when he pulls it out, brings up serisl numbers lists for everything from shotguns to preban ars. I keep a list of German ordnance manufacturers and their marks on mine, from aaa = C. August Wagner, Kirschau in Saxony, through 945 = Waffenfabrik Bruenn AG, Brno, Czechoslovakia. Same gee-whiz factor :-) I am shopping for one with the thought of getting a 512 card and storing the Gun value blue book on it. That plus the serial info stored on the on board memory should prove handy at shows as well as pawn shops. CH |
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Well, the Tungsten E is priced right and I don't think I really need WiFi, 802.1 and all all of that other geekdome stuff. I would actually like to have the Ipaq but the model I want is over $300--that's too much. I'll look at the Clie as well though. Thanks again. |