Pocket PCs Turn Me Into a Stalker

[Brad Adrian]

Most of us who love technology and our Pocket PCs recognize that we sometimes do strange or scary things because of our passion for our devices. (Take a look at the <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7144&">"W?BIC!"</a> or <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2342&">ScotteVest</a> threads if you need further convincing.) The times I see my behaviour most dramatically shaped by my love for Pocket PCs are when I see other people using theirs.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/handcuffs.jpg" /><br /> <br />For example, yesterday I was visiting my local home improvement store, sorting through a huge stack of plywood, searching for a sheet that wasn't horribly warped. Suddenly, my sixth sense told me that there was another Pocket PC user nearby, and I turned around in time to notice a man walking slowly down the aisle, carefully holding some kind of handheld. <!><br /><br />Believe it or not, I can be shy around strangers (stop laughing), and I didn't want to just stare at this guy and what he was doing. So, I let him walk past me, and I slowly made my way to the next aisle. Then, I peered through the open spots in the aisle, trying to figure out what he was using and what he was doing. It soon resembled a scene from an old sitcom, with me stumbling down the aisle, tripping with nearly every step, as I tried to grab peeks at what my "quarry" was up to.<br /><br />At one point I lost sight of the guy, so I struggled to climb onto a small stack of lumber and squeezed my head into a very small opening in the aisle. No sooner had my head popped out the other side when I heard an <i>ahem!</i> from behind me. I gulped, pulled my head back out and slowly turned around. There in front of me stood the guy with his handheld -- along with three store employees.<br /><br />"May we <i>help</i> you, sir?" the largest of the four asked me in a stern, condescending tone. "Or would you just like to climb around some more and stalk our plywood sales representative?"<br /><br />In the end, I don't think my explanation would have been nearly as convincing had I not been carrying both my Pocket PC Phone Edition and Pocket PC Thoughts business cards (Thanks, Jason!). Anyway, the guy I had been following was simply using an iPAQ with a barcode scanner and customized software to manage the inventory of his company's products. He'd scan the shelf tag under a stack of wood and type in the number of pieces in the pile. When he was done, he then hit a &lt;SEND> button and the iPAQ wirelessly dialed into the corporate server and submitted the data. By the next day, more lumber was on its way to the store.<br /><br />This kind of inventory management and replenishment is just the kind of thing Pocket PCs were made for. The capability to do what I saw has been around for quite a while, but it was still fun to see it firsthand. Not necessarily fun enough to get arrested for, but still fun.<br /><br />I wiggled out of trouble that time, but it made me wonder: What kind of trouble has YOUR love of Pocket PCs gotten YOU into?

[Abba Zabba]

Well nothing as fanatial as you 8O

But for the most part whenever I run into *ANYbody8 i know and I have my PPC in hand I make it my joy to show them the light. AND for any palm users that I know I take it upon myself to turn the away from palms.

Here's one. I have a friend at school an adimant PALM :evil: user. So one day he was talking crap about ppc's and what they can't do and all the software and blah blah that was available for the palm he was carrying. So obviously as my temperature began to rise and anger as well We got into this huge fight. It eventually ended up with a broken handheld that hit the concrete... and thats all i have to say so lets end the story here :wink:

[Abba Zabba]

Believe it or not, I can be shy around strangers (stop laughing)...

Well if your avatar has anything to say about personality... (in a freudian sort of way) I think you picked it because to you it closely resembles what you think of yourself or how you picture yourself :)

[Pony99CA]

I have a friend at school an adimant PALM :evil: user. So one day he was talking crap about ppc's and what they can't do and all the software and blah blah that was available for the palm he was carrying. So obviously as my temperature began to rise and anger as well We got into this huge fight. It eventually ended up with a broken handheld that hit the concrete... and thats all i have to say so lets end the story here :wink:
I'd say that's worse than Brad's -- physical violence. For future reference, what school is that? I hope the next school shootings won't be over PDAs. :-?

Steve

[Abba Zabba]

I have a friend at school an adimant PALM :evil: user. So one day he was talking crap about ppc's and what they can't do and all the software and blah blah that was available for the palm he was carrying. So obviously as my temperature began to rise and anger as well We got into this huge fight. It eventually ended up with a broken handheld that hit the concrete... and thats all i have to say so lets end the story here :wink:
I'd say that's worse than Brad's -- physical violence. For future reference, what school is that? I hope the next school shootings won't be over PDAs. :-?

Steve

I guess the words we got into a fight is misleading. An argument would have been proper :oops: But there was no physical violence. What ended up happening was he dropped it on the floor by *accident* in order to convince his parents to get him a ppc. Now I call that convincing :wink:

[lonesniper]

When I went to Wagamama (a noodle resturant chain in UK, lots in London) with my girlfriend, the young cute waitress came over to take our order on a wireless iPaq. I was completely transfixed on the shiny little device and could not take my eyes of her clicking away on the screen as we told her our order.

Of course what my girl saw was me eyeing up the waitress and did not beleive I was in fact eyeing up the handheld.

[cessquill]

I tried using mine as an alarm clock once. I got into work three hours late, but half an hour before the alarm decided it was time to go off and then it was very quiet). Time for a hard reset, methinks... :wink:

[FredMurphy]

the young cute waitress
You noticed she was cute, so there is still some hope for you. But, in your girlfriend's eyes, guilty! :D

btw, Has anyone got on to the Wagamama wireless LAN - ordered themselves a couple of free beers or anything? :wink:

[lonesniper]

If I ever managed to get into their Wireless LAN I would order myself lots of number 40 on the menu and a couple of those fried dumpling side dishes. :D

[daveh]

I was at the Parish Cafe in Boston this weekend and noticed the waiter on the outside deck was using a handheld to take orders. I was sitting at the inside bar and kept staring out the window at his handheld. I'm sure I must have/could have made him uncomfortable. Thinking about it, I think I unconsciously put all my gadgets (Pocket PC, Casio Exilim, VEO Photo Traveler, T68) on the bar as some sort of justification that I was a geek, so people would understand I was just checking out his Pocket PC.

As an aside, I also find myself checking out handhelds and phones on the T (Subway). Its probably breaks all T etiquette rules. Its kind of like reading a newspaper over someone shoulder.

[cherring]

I don't check out other people's equipment, I'm probably the only one in a 3 block radius with a pocketpc. I use the hp camera attachment to take pics of people dozing off in meetings etc.

[srbarts]

My love for the pocketpc caused great problems between my wife and I. I bought one with out telling her. She found out and wasn't happy with the large reduction in our bank balance. I thought £450 was a bargain. Some people are so unreasonable.

[lonesniper]

I just remembered that I stalked two people yesterday in London. At Charging Cross Station I made a U-Turn and double checked a man using a PDA, turned out to be cheap Sharp one, so I was not impressed. Then on Tottenham Court Road a man was literally shouting in to his cell phone (above the noise of the busses) and talking to someone about problems with his Tungsten T software, and that he was going to try with his Zaurus and was getting a laptop soon. I hung around the nearest store window listening for a while trying to work out if he was talking about anything interesting.

I am sure we are not the only one's who do this, others are probably too ashamed to admit it. :)

[Crystal Eitle]

As an aside, I also find myself checking out handhelds and phones on the T (Subway). Its probably breaks all T etiquette rules. Its kind of like reading a newspaper over someone shoulder.

I rarely see anyone using any kind of handheld device on my bus. One morning I sat down next to a guy who happened to be using a Palm device. I was impressed by how small his was, but then took out my iPaq and smugly noticed how nice my full-color screen looked compared to his monochrome one. I think we were both reading the news on AvantGo. I felt weirdly self-conscious in that the only two people a crowded bus using PDAs happened to be sitting next to each other.

[dazz]

I ride the train into Toronto for work and see a number of people using PocketPC's.

Usually there is an exchange of knowing nods and mutual respect of each other.

Kind of feels like two bikers or truckers passing each other. :D

Every now and then I nod at someone and they look at me a little strangely. Hmmmmm... :|

I guess they have no PPC etiquette. Ignorant so-and-so's! :lol:

dazz

[Brad Adrian]

I think you picked it because to you it closely resembles what you think of yourself or how you picture yourself :)
No, I have to use that avatar because my REAL picture is simply so stunningly handsome that it tends to intimidate people:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/goodbrad.jpg

edited by moderator. Site admins really should only post actual photos of themselves. Here is the most recent I have of you. :lol:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/goodbrad2.jpg

[MonolithicDawgX]

I was in Tokyo last year and was amazed at the speed of kids (ok, I'm 36, so anyone younger is a kid) txt messaging. I can't read Kanji so I wasn't really snooping, and the trains are really that crowded, and I wasn't pinching the girls like the stories you hear of Japanese men on the trains, but I was "caught" a couple of times and felt like the ugly American. It appeared that their phones have pre-loaded sentences that they edit on the fly to use with what they type in, as it appeared they switched screens, picked a phrase and then went back to what they were writing. But the speed is what got me. I answered Jason's survey about txt msgs as truthfully as I could, and I know I am nowhere in the league of kids today... by the way, my 6year old son uses txt messaging now to send me or my wife messages from our phones.

[kcchesnut]

whenever i'm developing a new ppc app, i have to take it out into the real-world for testing. the more memorable moments are almost getting hit by a bus testing out the location-based app in downtown pittsburgh ... because it threw an exception in the middle of an intersection. older lady asking me if i was talking to myself when testing out speech recognition at starbucks. pissing off a stripper because i wasnt giving her enough attention while trying out a new feature on my pie adult site. otherwise, im tough on my device (having accidently broken off every piece of plastic that was on it) so people are constantly asking me what it is; because it is no longer recognizable as to what it used to be. when i show them, they are basically disgusted by how much 'character' it now has

[ExtremeSIMS]

...I was impressed by how small his was...

Sorry, had to be quoted out of text.

When I see someone using a PDA, I just go up and ask about it. Most people do like to talk about themselves. :)

As a Mac user, I also get the same thing when I use my Powerbook or my iPod in public. My shiny Toshiba e740 draws some attention, but not as much as my Zaurus did. ("Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a PDA of infinite capability...") It's worse when someone DOES read over your shoulder with a PDA and you're SSH'd into some host somewhere. "Hey, there, are you typing in your pasword?" Sigh.... ;)

[felixdd]

I ride the train into Toronto for work and see a number of people using PocketPC's.


What do you use Dazz? I use a Jornada 568 with a flip screen.

Probably shouldn't think this way, but whenever I see someone in Toronto with a PPC I seriously wonder how much he knows about it. Yes there are enthusiasts out there, but there are more of those that don't really know the full capabilities of their PPC, or scour the web for great communities like this one.

That being said, I did see someone use an Axim right when it first came out -- that to me was really surprising!

EDIT: Not a Jornada with a flip screen -- a Jornada with a flip screen cover!! :?

[Janak Parekh]

Ah, none of you are in New York. I do see Pocket PCs and Palms all over the place, as in the subway, but it's a sidelong glance at best. Last thing you want to do is to start looking like a thief. :lol:

--janak

[dazz]

What do you use Dazz? I use a Jornada 568 with a flip screen.


I use a Toshiba GENIO e550g. Bought it when they were just out. I actually had to get my boss to pick one up from CompUSA as that is the only place to get them (or was at the time).

You are right that most people have no idea what they have in their hands. They use the basic stuff and *maybe* Avantgo. Makes me want to :bangin:

Actually, I have a good time going to the Ontario PocketPC Users Group meetings just because there are so many there that are in-the-know.

dazz

[ikesler]

I am in NYC and LA........ living in both cities.........
In NYC I see PPC's and Palms, and other devices on the subway all the time........... and I am always on my PPC..... reading something or going over my sched with PI.
My 1910 gets a whole lot of attention from Palm users, in fact I have been keeping track and in the last 2 weeks since being back here I have had 11 people come up and talk to me on the subway or at the station with there Palm in hand as a white flag.......... no thief........ although I think they would have grabbed it and ran if they thought they had a chance. :)
They are all soooo impressed with the device.
In LA at meetings people seem like they have never seen an Ipaq ever so a lot of questions there........
But for me as a stalker....... if I see anyone holding a phone, ppc, palm, handheld etc........ I am always trying to position myselft a little closer for a better view........ in NYC I seem to see things way before they come out........ I saw the new Zaurus, Ipaq 5400 series, and a bunch of palm and sumbian stuff months before release....... and one guy saw me staring on the train....... for a long, long time....... he looked at me and I held up my then Ipaq 3670 and he motioned to come over....... I did..... he had the P800....... worked for Ericsson and was in the US on business...... I got off at the wrong stop to talk to him and in the station he gave me a 15 minute demo........ it was pretty geeky cool...... my girlfriend hates when I tell that story at dinner with family/friends.:)
But sometimes stalking pays off!!!!!!!!

[Ekkie Tepsupornchai]

...most people have no idea what they have in their hands. They use the basic stuff and *maybe* Avantgo. Makes me want to :bangin:

I'm on a project here in New Jersey now and ran into a coworker using an iPaq. From looking at it, I knew it was either a 38xx or 39xx but couldn't see the screen clearly enough to determine for sure. I asked him what model he was using and was surprised to hear that he didn't know. Then I asked him what size SD card was he using (I've got 512MB myself) and was even more surprised when he said, "I don't use any".

Finally, he came clean and just said, "I only use this for appointments and contact information".

Suddenly a foreign thought crossed my mind that I decided not to verbalize... why not just use a palm?...

[bleeman]

I'm like lonesniper in the sense that I'm always focused on the hardware rather than who's using it. I had a similar experience where it looked like I was gaping at a woman and then my wife "catches" me and asks, "So, was it a PocketPC or a Palm?". After 27 years of putting up with me she knows me way to well :)

She also has fun telling people (especially the first time we meet them) that I go everywhere with my "mistress". :mrgreen:

She found a cartoon that fit me perfectly. A guy sitting on the bed in his hotel room with the suitcase open and he's on the phone saying, "Honey, I packed my software and hardware, but forgot my underwear".

[daveh]

My 1910 gets a whole lot of attention from Palm users, in fact I have been keeping track and in the last 2 weeks since being back here I have had 11 people come up and talk to me on the subway or at the station with there Palm in hand as a white flag.......... no thief........ although I think they would have grabbed it and ran if they thought they had a chance. :)
They are all soooo impressed with the device.

That is an interesting thought. The PPC does get alot of attention and it has helped me strike up quite few converstions and meet people. It is like having a baby or cute dog at your side. Unfortunately, it doesn't really attract the cute chicks. :D

[Don Tolson]

In my neck of the woods, I seem to be the Pocket PC 'lost' in a sea of Palms :roll:

There is one 'outpost' of IPAQs locally however, where the techies are much more enlightened and I retreat there for solace every once in a while.

Most days, I just smile obligingly when approached about my cool looking 'Palm' -- which is actually a J568, and VERY proud of it!! I'm finding people around here either just don't understand the differences or want to start some 'religious' war about which is better.

BUTTTTTTTTT, getting back to the original topic -- Nope, I've never gotten into trouble 'stalking' other PDA users. In most cases, I can tell right away what they've got, since the Palm users have that distinctive 'twiddle' to remind them of meetings (which they NEVER turn off and always have at high volume -- even during the meeting GRRRRR!) and are always using Graffitti to put in data. Pocket PC users, however, I find are much more subtle about their reminders and many around here use pocket keyboards, like me.

[dazz]

Oh, forgot to mention that I have a little different alarm sound that will catch people's attention. I have my 3 year old daughter saying "Daddy's PocketPC".

dazz

[lonesniper]

"Honey, I packed my software and hardware, but forgot my underwear". hehehe that's a funny one.

I find that having your gadgets out in public (hehehe that sounds rude) can actually help your business. Just a few weeks ago at a TechNet Roadshow for Win2003 I had my Sony SRX77 out during a break and even with all the T68i's, iPaq's and P800's around someone still came over for a peak. After a quick demo and a chat turns out we are in the same line of work in different area's and now I have another business contact and hopefully some more work.

[ikesler]

It also amazes me how many PPC'ers I meet that are still only using the stock apps.......... I always tell them of PPCthoughts and a couple other sites and show them software that will really improve their experience....... and my stalking has led to learning a lot of stuff too....... it's really pretty great.

[Gerard]

MonolithicDawgX; Kanji input uses a more complex character/word entry system than Latin-based languages. Typing in a string of characters, then going to a pop-up menu (or in the case of these text messaging phones, alternate screens) and selecting from a series of possible meanings or translations of these input characters is standard practice. When I watch my girlfriend typing on a PC, it makes me a bit dizzy. She'll be blasting away, typing in at impressive speeds, while seamlessly jumping back and forth between the main line of text and these multiple-choice lists of words. Confusing in the extreme to a non-Japanese person. My brain, unfortunately, seems reluctant to learn even the most basic elements of her language... :(
As for the stalking thing, my meagre efforts are scarcely worth reporting. Well, okay, I did once follow a guy briefly at Futre Shop. It was before the PPCPE devices had really got properly launched, and he had one sticking out of his back pocket. The guy looked that sort of globe-trotting, thin, well-tanned, semi-wealthy sort who frequently show up at yachting clubs or Umberto's, or ski Whistler every other weekend though they live at Aspen. Anyway, he popped the thing out and tapped on his screen a bit, leaving me a choice; do I approach, or stalk? I hesitated only a second, which was long enough to appear to him to be the latter, and he darted off for a different area in the store. From his apparent stylus hesitation and facial expression, I guessed he was a bit of a newbie, so I stayed away figuring he couldn't answer much anyway.
From the other side of the fence, I've been stalked a few times. Usually on busses. Anyone remember Bruce McCullough's character, the kid with baseball hat and glasses and backpack and a million questions for the guy painting a chair (played by the brilliantly arrogant Scott Thompson)? "Hey, did you know that in France, everyone gets just one spoon, and that if they lose it they starve to death?" and "I'm on a special diet. I can only eat onions." "Hey, can I help you paint that chair?" Well that's the sort who usually approaches me, usually near the beginning of a long bus trip. gack. "Hey, is that one of those Palm Pilot things? I heard that they can have like 5 Megabytes of information on them and stuff! How many Megabytes can you put on that Palm Pilot? Can it do the Internet? How much did you pay for that - I heard they cost like one thousand dollars, is that one a thousand dollars?" I don't get very far in whatever ebook I'm trying to read on those rides. Usually re-read the same one or two sentences about 50 times before I give up and put it away... sometimes faking that it's my stop if the weather's good enough to wait for the next bus, or if I'm not in a hurry.

[rlobrecht]

She also has fun telling people (especially the first time we meet them) that I go everywhere with my "mistress".

My wife calls my iPaq my mistress as well.

[ExtremeSIMS]

She also has fun telling people (especially the first time we meet them) that I go everywhere with my "mistress".

My wife calls my iPaq my mistress as well.

My wife asked if I wanted to be buried with my PDA (and now iPod). I figure I might as well - eternity is a long time to go without proper planning. I just hope that in the goodness beyond that ActiveSync works with Macs and Windows and Linux seamlessly...

Me: ActiveSync failed again! All my data blown away! Oh....no.... does this mean I am in-
Man in white: Er, you're not dead! Now put away the PDA so the paramedics can work on you!

[bjornkeizers]

She also has fun telling people (especially the first time we meet them) that I go everywhere with my "mistress".

My wife calls my iPaq my mistress as well.

Glad I don't have a wife or girlfriend :D I just have parents and siblings who don't understand my obsession in the least. I buy perhaps two new devices a year, and they're calling it an addition! Lol!

Sheesh.

Yesterday, I bought a new digital camera, Canon Digital Ixus V2 [sweet cam!] And I got all excited and my sister was like.. Whatever. I've given up on educating the unwashed masses :D

I wish I'd actually meet some people over here who use them, but apart from two usergroups, there's not much PPC folk over here in The Netherlands. I've never met another user!

[beq]

Brad did you ask the stalked guy to visit this site? Maybe it would help to finally convince him that you're NOT a loony :)

[Gerard]

or.... it could prove to the plywood surveyor guy that there are a lot more crazy techie nerds that he'd suspected, many of whom are not afraid to do a little stalking. :o

[docnilay]

Just today in clinic (as often) I pulled out my iPaq 1910 to look up some drugs a patient was taking that I hadn't heard of.... (medicines change too quickly). They actually appreciated the fact that I'd see what their drugs did, and what possible interactions it had with the meds I prescribed. My boss however, has caught me looking up items in my peripheral brain with a frown.... :lol:

- Nilay

[yvilla]

Brad, I have to thank you for the wonderful, out loud laughing spell your story gifted me with at the end of a long work day. :mrgreen: :rofl:

Thank you!

[Lotto]

Yes I agree. What a great laugh! :lol:

[ctmagnus]

This kind of inventory management and replenishment is just the kind of thing Pocket PCs were made for.

But couldn't that be done with a !@#$ (guess the four letter word) running a thin client? I mean, PPCs are capable of being media workhorses!

[ctmagnus]

There is one 'outpost' of IPAQs locally however, where the techies are much more enlightened and I retreat there for solace every once in a while.

Would that be HandHeldCanada?

[Brad Adrian]

Brad did you ask the stalked guy to visit this site? Maybe it would help to finally convince him that you're NOT a loony :)
Sure did. Gave him my Pocket PC Thoughts business card. He seemed convinced I wasn't DANGEROUS. He was not convinced I'm not loony.

[Brad Adrian]

But couldn't that be done with a !@#$ (guess the four letter word) running a thin client? I mean, PPCs are capable of being media workhorses!
Technically, yes, it could be done on a thin client, but I'm not convinced that is a good idea at all because of connection speed issues. The better idea is to use a "thicker" Pocket PC that has all the application and storage power needed to perform the tasks. Then, once the data is collected, it's sent. Thin client work certainly has its place, but until wireless connectivity (WAN, as opposed to WLAN) is faster, thick does the trick.

[Abba Zabba]

I think you picked it because to you it closely resembles what you think of yourself or how you picture yourself :)
No, I have to use that avatar because my REAL picture is simply so stunningly handsome that it tends to intimidate people:

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/goodbrad.jpg


Didn't I see you in that movie with that guy with that woman...? :wink:

[Brad Adrian]

Didn't I see you in that movie with that guy with that woman...? :wink:
Yeah, that was it. That movie that had a guy and a woman... ;)

[beq]

Yeah, that was it. That movie that had a guy and a woman... ;)

Now THAT cracked me up :)

[Pony99CA]

edited by moderator. Site admins really should only post actual photos of themselves. Here is the most recent I have of you. :lol:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/goodbrad2.jpg
:rofl: That must have been Brad I saw on "Cops" one night.

Steve

[Abba Zabba]

Didn't I see you in that movie with that guy with that woman...? :wink:
Yeah, that was it. That movie that had a guy and a woman... ;)

Now I gotcha :lol:

[peterawest]

When I stopped in at Walmart to have an oil change done, the service technician was using a wireless Pocket PC to take my order. All I had to do was walk up to the register and drop off my keys. Nice.

[bleeman]

She also has fun telling people (especially the first time we meet them) that I go everywhere with my "mistress".

My wife calls my iPaq my mistress as well.

Glad I don't have a wife or girlfriend :D I just have parents and siblings who don't understand my obsession in the least. I buy perhaps two new devices a year, and they're calling it an addition! Lol!

Sheesh.

Yesterday, I bought a new digital camera, Canon Digital Ixus V2 [sweet cam!] And I got all excited and my sister was like.. Whatever. I've given up on educating the unwashed masses :D

I wish I'd actually meet some people over here who use them, but apart from two usergroups, there's not much PPC folk over here in The Netherlands. I've never met another user!

I'm actually very lucky in that my wife puts up with my obsession. She only has two requirements. One, if it's going to be really expensive that we discuss it first and I don't just "surprise" her with it (Very reasonable) and two when we moved into our current home that a door be put on my office so that she could close it when I've left it a mess, or have everything up and running and she wants peace and quiet. :lol: Beyond that, after 27 years together I think I'm starting to wear on her, although she's still not a geek. :(

[bleeman]

Just today in clinic (as often) I pulled out my iPaq 1910 to look up some drugs a patient was taking that I hadn't heard of.... (medicines change too quickly). They actually appreciated the fact that I'd see what their drugs did, and what possible interactions it had with the meds I prescribed. My boss however, has caught me looking up items in my peripheral brain with a frown.... :lol:

- Nilay

I look forward to the day I can walk into the doctor's office and just "beam" my info to their system and not have to spend all the time filling out the insurance forms. :)

[stllhogan]

before i made the leap to a ppc i was using a palm, and saw another student with one. never talking to anyone, the quiet type, cool kid all the same. so i started to talk to him about his in the hallway one day and now we are great friends. actual got me to use my zire 71 a lot more and made me want to upgrade, when i saw a genio for sale i went for it. he's upgrading to. some pocket pc phone edition. btw he had a tungsten E in case anyone was curious.