What do you use your PPC for?

[Bruno Figueiredo]

What do you use your PPC for, anyway?

Like an organizer? MP3 player? E-book reader?

What is your daily use of it?

[TopDog]

This question comes up every once in a while, but thats nice, because we can see if people change their use :)

At the moment I mainly use it for:
---------------------------------------
Calendar
Tasks (more and more actually, never used it before I got a PPC)
Mail - espesially on holidays, business trips, etc... using my Pocketop Keyboard
MSN Messenger
WiFi surfing at home (PPCT mobile forum is great :werenotworthy: )
Reading eBooks (mostly SciFi)
Remotely controlling my Siemens S55 with Running Voice GSM (espesially in my car with a Arkon mount)
And of course playing games :D

[Bruno Figueiredo]

I tried surfing but it's Oh so frustrating... Lot's of srolling up and down and left and right...

Am I missing something?

[Duncan]

Daily use?

I use ClearVue and a Voyager CF VGA out card in the classroom as a teaching aid,
Pocket Informant to keep me up-to-date with what I am supposed to be doing where and when,
Media Player and various games keep me entertained on the way to and from work,
Reader and AvantGo give me daily fixes of reading material,
Pocket IE and Inbox help me keep track of stuff, update my website etc during the day and in bed at night - plus occasional research,
Roll Call comes out at the beginning of every lesson, and during free periods, to keep track of and mark students,
Worksheets and lesson plans are developed daily in TextMaker,
Twice a day (when I'm being good!;)) PocketBible and DailyReader come out to play,
Conversions in Hand and the calculator get frequent outings for everyday working out of stuff,
TomeRaider/Wikipedia and Lextionary get a lot of use for general research (and speedy answers to smartarse questions from some kids...!),
When out and about PQV (and other photo programs) help me select which photos to keep or junk on my digicam,
TomTom Navigator and Tube get me from A to B so effectively I can't remember the last time I had to look at a paper map...

That is, of course, only the things that come to mind right now - (BTW - I'm writing this while leaning against a corridor wall waiting for my form group to leave the last assembly of term...!)

Yet some people, despite all the evidence to the contrary, insist that Pocket PCs are just toys (or: that they can't replace a laptop!).... :roll:

[Duncan]

I tried surfing but it's Oh so frustrating... Lot's of srolling up and down and left and right...

Am I missing something?

Yes - hundreds of PPC formatted sites (and a few that PIE reformats quite well - PIE 2003 handles a lot of sites with no need for scrolling).

[Bruno Figueiredo]

TomeRaider/Wikipedia (...) get a lot of use for general research

Interesting... How can I have wikipedia on my pocket pc? I thought the instructions were quite complicated on the wikipedia site. Is there any site i can download it from?

[Duncan]

Dowload it as a TomeRaider file from http://pliny.wikipedia.org/tarballs/tomeraider/current/ - you need the one called WP_EN_(P)PC.zip

[Bruno Figueiredo]

8O 120 MB!!!

There goes nearly half of my CF card...

[Evee Ev]

daily...i probably use the following:

pocketbible
daily reader
pocket informant (basically tweaking the interface, templates, icons, etc. and writing quick alarm notes. i don' t have a real busy schedule)
resco file explorer (i'm always deleting old notes and compressing files and stuff)
Flex Wallet
PIE (avant go rocks!)
winamPAQ

[Bruno Figueiredo]

:angel: So many of you reading PocketBible...

To me its completely surprising. In Portugal, where i'm from,
only church ladies read the bible every day.

Almost all of you are about the same age as me. Well, none of
the people I know, and I know a lot, reads the bible daily.

Eck... Different cultures, I suppose...

[Duncan]

To me its completely surprising. In Portugal, where i'm from,
only church ladies read the bible every day.

Almost all of you are about the same age as me. Well, none of
the people I know, and I know a lot, reads the bible daily.


Personal reading of the Bible is less common in Catholic cultures (Portugal, Spain, Italy etc.) - where traditionally the Gospel is mediated by the Church through the priest - than in Protestant cultures (UK, USA, Germany etc.) where personal study of the Bible is encouraged.

[Prevost]

Although I use a Palm, I would give a Pocket PC the same use:

Taking field notes;
Preparing (on the move) lists of problems to address by contractors for sending later to them (usually in Word format);
Review and referencing on construction plans while inspecting or overviewing construction progress on CAD applications (well, not still in fact, but already have the means for it);
Preparing (on the fly) spreadsheets to evaluate cost variations due to changes in the architectural plans (excel format);
Replacement of my (now old) Casio calculator
Some games in spare time.

After quitting paper notepads, the PDA has become my workhorse and esential to perform my duties besides my Stanley measuring tape. And for my working environment, you'll understand why I give so much importance to size and easy access to programs and info. Many times I have to access it one hand (the other is keeping myself hanging on!)

I dream with the time when I could send and receive plan modifications via email directly in the field. Technology is ready...but not so my coworkers! :roll:

[ddavtian]

Here is my list:
AgendaFusion (always open) for appointments, tasks, contacts etc.
Reading news, books, work documents, wikipedia, dictionaries
Music/Video
CodePro Wallet
GPS when in car
Games
PIE for web
TV listings

[Jerry Raia]

I'm an Airline Pilot, one of the things I use my PPC for is Weather. When I pull up to the gate, most terminals have WAP's so from the cockpit and can usually get a signal, pull up weather radar maps etc.

I also use it for my schedules (PI). and games. I'm still looking for a good Logbook program.

[Default]

When I get mine I will use it for..

Agenda : For school assignments and stuff :)
MP3 Player : :rock on dude!:
Chatting (AIM, MSN, and in the future IRC) : :lurking:
Maybe Sometimes Games : :armed: :snipersmile: :2gunfire:
Books : What emo should I use for Books haha.
Internet (McDonalds WiFi soon, tmobile hot-spots, and at home) : Another unkown emo.
Weather, News and Stuff : :?:

thats it for now

[Thinkingman]

I use mine for keeping track of my finances. This is the days they are due and the amounts on the calendar. I find the quick monthly view of this is highly important and efficient for me to keep responsible.
I like being able to track my checking, saving, and other finances on there.
I have many contacts so that is second in importance to me. If I loose those contacts then I am up the creek. AS an example, last year I had a Psion REvo PLus, the thing was awesome. Anyway, I used it so hard and had dropped it a few times, so it began to reset itself. ON one of those times I lost all of my contact info. Not a problem, I had it all on Outlook. Anyway, I was slowly adding the contacts back in, but one day I realized/decided I was going to reformat my hard drive on my laptop. Well you guessed it, I erased OUtlook and there went over 350 contacts. Obviously I was disappointed. So now I keep my contacts from outlook in the Yahoo intellisync. Very useful:)
I use exel and word for sales and for personal writings.
Games are fun, just dont play them as much as I used to.

[Bruno Figueiredo]

Review and referencing on construction plans while inspecting or overviewing construction progress on CAD applications (well, not still in fact, but already have the means for it)

Just curious... Are you an architect like me? And ae you referring to pocket cad? I have it and it's very useful for taking the plans into the construction site and logging changes into it.

Also, the new PocketPlan seems very nice.

[dh]

I use mine everyday to look after my schedule and organise my contacts. (Pi)

If I'm away from the office it's my e-mail. (WebIS mail).

I check the BBC news every morning before I get up and read in bed every night.

On flights it's my music and movie entertainment system. (PocketMVP)

It seems to me that there is no limit to the usefulness of a PPC.

[CoreyJF]

Regularly use, no particular order

1. Calendar/scheduler
2. Ebook reader
3. IM&Email on the road
4. Notetaking in meetings
5. Audiobooks through audible
6. Personal video player/media
6a. converted TV shows or movies for travel
6b. Use snapstream pvr for wireless streaming of TV (live and prerecorded) to the outside deck.
6c. MP3/wma player
7. Web surfing on the road.
8. GPS with Mapoppolis for Door to Door directions.
9. Store pictures.
10. Creative writing.
11. Mindless entertainment, games and such.
12. more and more every day...

[ti2gr]

I use my Pocket PC primarily as a franklin planner replacement

I use the following virtually every day
Pocket Informant
Plan Plus for Microsoft Outlook Daily Record Module
Splash Photo
Microsoft Pocket Money
FlexWallet
Savvy Shopper
Personal Vehicle Manager
Word and Excel
Pocket streets
Cubicle Chaos (Game)
Solitaire (Game)
Tropical Nights (Slot Machine Game)

[Thinkingman]

HOw did it turn out using it in place of the franlin system? I found it hard to do because i just cant seem to find a program that really works out good for to do that. I am attmepting to find an all in one program, of course I think it is because I am attempting to match the paper version. I am attempting as well to match the principles. I have been using itt fro around five years, mmm, think i am going on six actually.

What is the longest movie anyone has seen on a ppc?????

My ppc needs a good project managing software, or something for manageing events in a timely and efficient manner. Still lookinf for the right one.

[ti2gr]

I've been using Plan Plus for Microsoft Outlook since it was released last year. All the principles used in the paper planner are there. The only bad thing is the PPC protion is weak, this is where the Pocket Informant comes in and as far as the Daily Record page goes the PPC app that comes with Plan Plus works great.

[tomtiguy]

You've got a [PDA], I've got this piece of paper...tell me why your [PDA] is better than this piece of paper.
(He is one of those that calls every handheld computer a "Palm Pilot".)

Here are 21 reasons I can rattle off the top of my head:
I listen to music (WMP 8.0)*
I write agendas and so forth for my Spanish Club (PWord)
-with a keyboard*
I create all kinds of spreadsheets (PExcel) for:
-course grade formulas*
-classes and credits earned
-databases using filters*
-shopping lists w/ automatic price calculation*
I take down assignments (Tasks)
I organize my contacts (contacts)*
I keep my meetings and plans at my fingetips (Calendar)*
I IR print my docs*
I record micsellaneous stuff like my cousin playing guitar so I can make
him a cd of it* (Notes and now NoteM)
I write lyrics on the go ... because that's where I am when I get inspired
translator (SlovoEd)*
videos (PocketTv)*
photo album (PIE)*
I use AIM while tethered to the comp when someone is using it*
I take long emails on the go (Pocket IE)*
Alarm (Clock)*
I love to play with computers*
flashlight for scary forests*

And the #1 reason I use an iPAQ 1910 instead of a piece of paper is:
I have been known to lose a piece of paper ... but I tend not to lose a $300 electronical device.

*Things you could never do with a piece of paper[/quote]