All About Organizers & PDAs

[APCullip22]

I know a lot of people have pocket PC's and Palm Pilots...I was just wondering what kind do others have?

I bought a Tungston E for myself when they were new....have since bought FH the T3.

[Esq.]

Hewlett Packard iPAQ. I love it!

[2kCougar]

Dell Axim. Had it 3 years now and it's perfect!

[sublime311]

My IT hubby also has the HP iPAQ and loves it - he even got his boss to buy one.

[Pamela]

I've got the Tungsten E too. I really like it.

[EmilyZA]

I got a Palm IIIC, the first color Palm, as a graduation gift (in '00) when they first came out. Still have it and it still gets the job done!

[APCullip22]

I go through phases where I will use mine for everything...then after a while stop using it...it's great when I get it back out again...it's like a new toy! LOL

[swcolleen]

Dell aximx30 wireless for me. I used to have a handspring visor YEARS ago but they stopped making them or anything to expand them so I moved to the dell axim and I love it.

[smiles33]

My Palm is my second "brain" as I keep everything in there--dates, addresses, memos, shopping lists, and even passwords/account info (though I downloaded a special utility for that to keep the info safe). I also play Solitaire and other games on it when I'm waiting at a doctor's office, on mass transit, etc.

I started with an old Palm V back in 98 (which I even used to take my law school class notes on with the handy keyboard I bought) and JUST upgraded it last year, when the touch screen started having a spotty response (sometimes I couldn't click on anything). I have a Tungsten E now and love that color screen.

[southhavenjen]

I have a Palm Tungsten T3 that I use all the time. I LOVE it! I don't know how I could organize my life without it. I have it set up to remind me of all kinds of stuff that I would forget otherwise.

[EmilyZA]

I'm looking for a new PDA/Handheld. Preferably something with WIFI. I am also interested in the Blackberry... there's one available from my cell provider but I'm not sure if they include internet access, etc...

Please help!

[tigger8402]

Most cell phone places make u purchase an internet package along with the minutes package. i personnaly have never used blackberry but i have used handsprings, like the treo which is a phone too, and alot of people tell me that the palm software is much easier to use then blackberry.

[EmilyZA]

Most cell phone places make u purchase an internet package along with the minutes package. i personnaly have never used blackberry but i have used handsprings, like the treo which is a phone too, and alot of people tell me that the palm software is much easier to use then blackberry.

Do you have wireless internet on your Treo?

[txssenorita]

DH and I both have Dell Axim's. Both have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. I used to have a Palm Tungsten T and DH had a Sony Clie. We both really like the Axim's.

[2kCougar]

After my palm was unable to regain its memory after a battery change, I will never buy another palm again. I'm joining the class action suit against palm regarding this problem.

[kmmommy]

I agree with the Dell Axim. I've had mine for 3 1/2 years and it's great.

[EmilyZA]

Those of you who use Wi-Fi with yours... do you need anything additional? Do I need to sign up for any type of service? Or can I just get on the 'net anywhere that has a Wi-Fi hotspot?

[swcolleen]

Can anyone with Pocket PC recommend any "must have" applications??

As sad as it is i LOVE Jawbreaker game which came on my PDA-I like to keep things that will keep me occupied when when I bored somewhere!

[swcolleen]

I have a dell axim too and love it....to use the wireless I just have to be somewhere where there is a wireless access....its been handy when I have been to a few places/conferences and there was an available access (usually for people at the facility) some require a subscription to the service such as at starbucks but a lot of panera bread locations offer it free!

Of course I have wireless in my home and its the only place that I can NEVER get it to work! (anyone got any suggestions??)

[Sol]

After a couple days working on my thesis at Starbucks and the library and other places outside my home it dawned on me just how great it'd be to be able to do it all in a Palm or some other PDA that I can just tote around in my small purse, and read papers on the bus, jot ideas down while shopping, etc. Still, the Palm I decided I like (the T|X) is over $200, so I'd appreciate some comments from PDA users to see if it would really, really be can't-live-without-it useful, or if a $2 paper notebook can just get it done. I'm finishing my thesis in three months and not going back to college/not working until at least one year from now (but I'll be hopefully writing papers/doing research), so I need to decide if it's really useful now or if I just want a gadget on a whim.

[laura]

I think it depends on what exactly you would use it for. I don't have a PDA, but I have a cell phone w/ a similar keyboard as on a Treo and also internet access, and I get annoyed after typing a 1 paragraph email, so I can't imagine relying on that to do anything more significant; even logging in to my work email on my phone is a pain b/c of the way characters translate, speed of loading, etc. If you just want to make notes as they occur to you, I would say a notebook would be better. If you need web access specifically, I don't know - depends on your patience level, I think.

[Sol]

That's a good point, Laura. When I was in High School I used to have one of those tiny electronic diaries with the impossibly small keyboards, and yet I took notes with them, so I guess that I could adapt to a PDA; just being able to have files instead of processing everything again from my handwritten notes would be a plus, since I'm usually computer-based (e.g. I don't print the papers I read, I'd rather read them on screen). But I do want somewhat reliable e-mail/google while being out, especially if I go back to work as an editor sooner than I think. Hmm.

[BTB]

I have a Palm T/X. It is very handy, but not can't-live-without-it-handy. If you've got three months to go on your thesis, and then wouldn't be working or in school for a year, I'd delay the PDA purchase for those 15 months, then reassess when you re-enter the workforce/school. Technology can change a lot by then, and you'd get more bang for your buck if you wait.

[Katy]

When I worked as a therapist visiting in-home clients, my PDA was invaluable. My appointments changed from day to day and week to week and it was nice always having a full calendar available at all times. I'd also keep some basic client notes and team contact info in there as well. So it saved many a'meeting knowing that I had so many details at my finger tips. I also liked being able to keep lists of books or gift ideas or whatever struck my fancy.

Once I left that particular job, I no longer had a need for a PDA. Nowadays I don't even have much need to keep an online calendar. I tend to think that PDAs are better for those folks that have packed lives that can change on a dime. If your life is pretty calm, or your appointments don't change much, then I'm sure the calendar on your cell phone and a smallish notebook would be just fine and dandy.

[2kCougar]

I used to use mine all the time when I worked in a lab. I could have 5 or 6 different experiments running at the same time and it would be difficult to know when each would be done and multiple kitchen timers were out of the question. I would basically live out of that thing--it had all of my contacts, appointments and shopping lists on it. Now that I've had to limit the weight of what I carry, I've found that I can live just fine without it.
Also, I would look into Dell's handhelds. DH and I have had our axims for 5 years now (he relies on it heavily for work). They're the same price as the one you looked into, but they also sell refurbished ones for much less.

[Katy]

oh hell, we're actually about to throw away two Dell Axims that we bought and barely used. The hubby said they weren't even around any more (I guess he didn't know). I loved mine, it's just that I no longer needed to use a PDA, like I said.

[Sol]

Thanks for your replies. I've been pondering this, and I still honestly think I would get enough use out of it. Even if I don't need the calendar/schedule right now, being able to read PDFs on the go (I have over 1000 pages still to be read, and no printer), edit DOCs and google/e-mail would be so worth it for me. It also sounds like fun to entertain myself during the two 18+ hour flights I have in June. I've seen some T|X going for around $100 on ebay, so I'm considering going that route.

[Katy]

Sol, you're right, you will definitely find ways to be entertained with it while on a flight!! You'll find it very useful, I'm sure.

[Sol]

Thanks everyone! My used Palm T|X from ebay arrived today and I'm quite giddy. I still need to figure out how the separate keyboard communicates with the Palm and install something to let me read PDFs, but it is going smoothly so far. I've decided to keep it at least until June, and if I'm not using it that much I'm sure I can sell it for a profit once I'm in Argentina.

[FallingforPhil]

bump--any updated recs for 2007? I don't need anything terribly fancy, as I plan on using it mainly as a replacement for my paper planner.

[FallingforPhil]

I've been thinking about buying a PDA to keep track of my crazy work schedule. It seems I'm the only one in my department still using a paper calendar.

The more I look, though, it seems everyone is going to a Blackberry or something similar, with phone capabilities. Are regular old PDAs a thing of the past? Is it silly for me to buy a Palm and have a separate cell phone?

I need something that has a calendar/organizer function and can input information right to the device rather than entering the info on a computer and synching it. I hope I'm making sense.

Any thoughts?

[tlew12778]

I use my phone. It's a smartphone (Nokia e65). I really cannot be bothered carrying around a cell, an iPod, and a PDA. And I refuse to get the iPhone bc it doesn't have the capabilities I want/need.

[laura]

I'm going iphone for this reason. I just don't want to carry around a million devices, and since I commute on public transportation, right now I do carry a calendar, notepad, ipod, and cellphone. Looking forward to lightening the load!

[Jenyfer9]

I'm finally realizing that my freebie Hallmark pocket calendar isn't going to cut it anymore. I need to enter the digital age and get some sort of digital organizer (like a Palm Pilot). I don't need something with lots of bells and whistles ...just a good basic place to put my calendar.

Any suggestions? TIA!

[suzubeane]

Bumping this up to see if anyone has any recent opinions about PDAs that are NOT phones. I've been using a Palm for about 8 years, the last two of them with a Treo. But we're thinking of going to a pre-paid plan at end of our phone contract next month (Tracphone) so I'll need to give up the Treo and go back to having a phone, and some other device for everything else.

Does anyone have a non-phone PDA to recommend?

[FallingforPhil]

I ended up with a Palm Tungsten E2. It meets my needs quite well.
I've not explored much beyond the calendar, though I know it does have bluetooth capability, if that's something you need.

I think I paid around $180 at Best Buy, and got a free cradle/charging kit.