My Work Is Finished! [Archive] - Thoughts Media Forums

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Brad Adrian

08-19-2004, 09:00 AM

I have been SOOOO busy getting ready to send my oldest son off to college, doing things like making sure his notebook PC is configured correctly and keeps its antivirus definitions up to date. He's the least nerdy in the family, so I've had to make sure that his computer is protected without requiring much intervention. Just this afternoon, though, my un-nerdy son came to me with those words that every parent in my situation longs to hear: "Dad, can I have a Pocket PC to take with me to college?" BWAAAHAAAAAAAA!! FINALLY! The last holdout in my family has given into me and come to the dark side! Two of my kids had recently <a href="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=30767">become Pocket PC converts</a>, so now, my family consists of: <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/ppc_family.jpg" /> • Me, and my years-long fascination with Pocket PCs • My wife, who uses my old Casio EM500 for nothing but mahjong and Solitaire • My daughter, who has become a whiz at IM-ing her friends with a Pocket PC and folding keyboard • My second son, who loves to use a Pocket PC to write reports and to use our WiFi network to surf the 'Net. • And NOW, my oldest son, who will be taking a brand new iPAQ completely loaded with every application I think he might possibly want(Thank heaven for 512MB SD cards)! What more could "the geekiest geek to ever geek his way into Geektown" want?

klinux

08-19-2004, 09:02 AM

You win!

wocket

08-19-2004, 09:26 AM

You possibly are the most PDA'd family I know of. 8) I'm sure you had a tear in your eye when I asked for a pocketpc.

If he's got a notebook did you get him a syn 'n charge cable always handy and very portable, just a thought.

If he's taking a stack of music with him as well he might need extra storage.

Iznot Gold

08-19-2004, 09:43 AM

Way to go Brad...your work is done!

kahchong

08-19-2004, 09:45 AM

Actually, I think a pocket pc is very useful to our daily lives especially the inbuilt PIM program that is inside.

Also, it is just like a pc, you can do work processing, surf the net, install useful applicatons just like our desktop pc.
The best of all, it's so small, thin and so light that carrying around is so easy.

Therefore, I think it's great that your all your family members have a pocket pc each.
Your family will be a "High-Tech" family!!!

manywhere

08-19-2004, 10:18 AM

:rotfl:

"Brad, agent 1337, mission accomplished. The agency wishes to send their compliments for you well-done work with a pre-paid vacation at Hawaii." :lol:

Necrobard

08-19-2004, 10:59 AM

'grats, Brad!

I still cannot coerse or talk my wife into charging her Treo from USB since she has lost it's ac/dc adaptor. :twisted:

So she walks around home phoneless and PDAless. What a shame! :oops:

And, to make things worse, I had to sell my beefed-up X5 to get some most needed money so now I stuck with B/W PalmOS SL10 - feebly hoping to lay may hands on one of those *tasty* VGA gizmos when they'll beging losing their hunger for my money in... How much time will it take?...Half a-year, no less, it seems! :|

Hope you get your sooner than me ;)

Mike Temporale

08-19-2004, 11:30 AM

That's great news! Congrats. My daughter (2 years old) keeps asking to use my Pocket PC. Hopefuly it won't be long and she can have her own. :mrgreen:

popabawa

08-19-2004, 12:06 PM

What more could "the geekiest geek to ever geek his way into Geektown" want?

If you were a proper geek family you'd all be running your own custom Linux kernel's on Sharp Zaurus(s)!!! :mrgreen:

darrylb

08-19-2004, 12:17 PM

Way to go. My youngest is still a bit little, but my wife and my two oldest girls (5 & 6.5) are all using them.

Aint it grand!

EricMCarson

08-19-2004, 01:01 PM

Just converted my wife to an old iPaq 3650 I had laying around. She was wondering why she couldn't use the Laridian Pocket Bible on her Palm Tungsten E (she hated the Laridian Palm Software due to screen limitations). I thought she would have serious issues figuring out how to use programs, settings, start menu, etc., on the conversion from Palm OS, but, shockingly enough, the PPC (even ol' 2k2) was intuitive enough that she is cruising along after three days like she's had it forever.

Now, if only I can get the rest of my family up to date...

ucfgrad93

08-19-2004, 01:15 PM

• And NOW, my oldest son, who will be taking a brand new iPAQ completely loaded with every application I think he might possibly want(Thank heaven for 512MB SD cards)!

I can't believe that I'm the first to ask, but which iPAQ did you get him?

Wiggster

08-19-2004, 01:18 PM

felixdd

08-19-2004, 01:20 PM

BWAAAHAAAAAAAA!! FINALLY! The last holdout in my family has given into me and come to the dark side!

What blasphemy is this that spills forth from thine lips! We are the good guys -- use not the name reserved for the evil, retched enemy! :devilboy:

scargill

08-19-2004, 01:24 PM

No no no....if you was really geeky then you'd give your son your PDA and buy yourself one of the top of the range new models!!
I have just converted my Dad and Sister to PocketPC; mainly for work, before this they used, not palms, but Psion 3s!!!!
Although I thought I converted them, theres only one PDA at work today, and thats mine, my sister and my dad have forgotten theres. Thank god that its all synced.

thunderck

08-19-2004, 02:06 PM

I love the EM500 and it has the best screen of the bunch. :D Nice collection. 8)

Paragon

08-19-2004, 02:13 PM

Way to go Brad! You must feel so proud.

In our house I usually have more than one PPC that I use. My wife uses an X3i Axim. My eldest sone uses an X5 Axim. My 15 year old son has been after me for quite some time for his own. I think this will be the year. Lke your daughter mine loves to IM with all her friends, usually while sitting in front of the TV. My 10 year old son would be in absolute heaven if I gave him his own.

Now to put this in perspective...I have a Handspring that I have passed down through the family right down to the 10 year old. NONE of them wanted it.

Nothing bonds a family more than a bunch WiFi enabled PPCs. :)

Dave

Lday

08-19-2004, 02:14 PM

Way to go, Brad! Now all he needs is the complete Scott e-Vest wardrobe!

And here I can barely get my wife to use a Palm M130- the only thing she uses it for is Pocket TV Browser, and refuses to carry it with her. Sigh... what's a guy to do?

Robb Bates

08-19-2004, 02:17 PM

I'm starting mine young. My nine month old boy (see my avatar) is just starting to crawl and I'll put my cell phone (SE T610) on the ground to entice him to crawl towards it. You've never seen any baby move so fast to grab something. He already has a fascination for gadgets!!! Of course my wife doesn't find the humor in it. But ask her to give up HER PPC and "them's fightin' words"!!!

Robb

rocky_raher

08-19-2004, 02:53 PM

We are the good guys -- use not the name reserved for the evil, retched enemy! :devilboy:

I think you mean "wretched," not "retched."
Wretched:
1. appearing miserable
2. inadequate or of low quality
3. irritating

Retched:
1. Vomited

What blasphemy is this that spills forth from thine lips!

Or, maybe that is what you meant.

hawkeye

08-19-2004, 03:02 PM

My 4 year old daughter always asks to play "Your Father's Day Gift" (Ipaq 2215). Her favorite is playing Excitebike with a NES emulator.

My 1 year old son and wife also try to use it from time to time. :wink:

bjornkeizers

08-19-2004, 03:47 PM

I wish I could get some of my family members and friends hooked. Some days I feel like I'm the only person with a PDA in the entire world - only to be rudely awakened by one of Brad's ScotteVest posts :D The only thing they like about PDA's is tha fact that I have bejewelled on them.

Some of the things I can do with my Palm are pure magic to my family and friends - retrieve my homework from my laptop sitting in the attic, while typing an article, listening to a shoutcast stream, and sipping a coke at the dinner table - or across the street, if I was so inclined.

arnage2

08-19-2004, 03:52 PM

im 16 and have had almost 30 pdas since 2001. (yeah, its sad)

I wouldnt dare let my 12 year old sister touch any of my pdas.

Sounds selfish? let me explain. I built a new pc in june. I got it hooked up and running, and she wanted to IM. Sure, goahead and IM on it, just dont download anything.

She was on it for 2 hours. (keeping in mind i havent played around with it yet) There were 200 spyware files, a trojan, and some viruses.

After seeing that i said "dont frickin touch my laptop or any pocket pc, ever. How the hell to you **** up a computer that badly in 2 hours."

her answer "i didnt do it"

Janak Parekh

08-19-2004, 03:55 PM

I wouldnt dare let my 12 year old sister touch any of my pdas.
I understand the frustration, but you do realize spyware doesn't exist for Pocket PCs... yet. Dropping the PDA is a much more likely consequence.

Sounds selfish? let me explain. I built a new pc in june. I got it hooked up and running, and she wanted to IM. Sure, goahead and IM on it, just dont download anything.
You should set up a limited (non-admin) account, and then delete it shortly thereafter. ;)

--janak

arnage2

08-19-2004, 04:19 PM

actually, i worry most about her getting crud on the screen, or deleting stuff.

her computer is so dirty that i just gave up on it all together. (she spilled sprite and a milkshake on it)

bjornkeizers

08-19-2004, 04:23 PM

Some people shouldn't be allowed to own / use PC's. I have a little sister as well, and I'm cleaning out our family PC every week, because of all the crap she downloads (Think: emoticons, cursor mania, toolbars, helpers) I swear, one of these days I'll give her a damn etch-a-sketch or a Palm instead.

T-Will

08-19-2004, 04:29 PM

That story brings a tear to my eyes... :cry: ;) I can't wait to start my own PDA-enabled family! :D

Brad Adrian

08-19-2004, 04:41 PM

I still cannot coerse or talk my wife into charging her Treo from USB since she has lost it's ac/dc adaptor.
I ONLY use USB charge cables; they're just so convenient for me. Just yesterday I opened the "junk" drawer of my desk and found three cradles that had NEVER been used; their cords were still bound with wire twist-tie they came with.

Brad Adrian

08-19-2004, 04:45 PM

"dont frickin touch my laptop or any pocket pc...
I still have to fight the daily battle of keeping everybody's device charged; they haven't all gotten used to plugging it in whenever it's not is use. So, backups are a must, because my daughter has completely drained hers a couple of times.

arnage2

08-19-2004, 05:02 PM

my sister used to have a palm m100. i had to be sure that i replaced the batteries every friday for her. she lost it, after she fricked up the digitizer so bad that it didnt respond to touch

Paragon

08-19-2004, 05:15 PM

im 16 and have had almost 30 pdas since 2001.

Please, please, please, stay away from my kids!! I don't want them getting any ideas. :)

Dave

dodette

08-19-2004, 05:20 PM

Brad, would you adopt me? Pretty please? :D I can surely think of a few new ppc models I'd like to have, as you send me off to wherever I might be going.

What a great dad. Not just for getting your son a pda, but for waiting until he asked. That shows enormous self control. :wink:

arnage2

08-19-2004, 05:34 PM

i think of the PDAs ive had. then think about the fact that my dad has a Palm V (not a Vx. the 2mb palm V).

I offered to get him a Palm T3 or a ipaq 2215, but he doesnt want to upgrade.

Ipaq2210

08-19-2004, 05:58 PM

Well my work has just begun, I have managed to get my 4 year old son to type his name and "dAddY" (he has problems with caps lock and the little light that comes on when you press it :D ) into IM when I'm at work.

But saying that he is a devil with the mouse

Mark Johnson

08-19-2004, 07:06 PM

...so now, my family consists of:
http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/adrian/ppc_family.jpg

Sniff... This is just such a beautiful thing! Way to go Brad! :lol:

08-19-2004, 08:13 PM

Well, it took only 3 months to me... :lol:

<IMG SRC:"http://www.angelfire.com/home/cosas/P8190007.JPG">

alex_kac

08-19-2004, 08:23 PM

Now he just needs an iBook or Powerbook to get some real work done while his Windows laptop keeps rebooting for updated virus definitions/security patches ;)

Gremmie

08-19-2004, 08:26 PM

Actually, when it comes to a typical college student, I don't think a Pocket PC is adequate enough. (Much of it is because of small things Microsoft hasn't implemented) For instance:

-Homework: Programs can track homework and grades, but no application will sync with the PC. Tasks can keep track of homework, but not grades. Excel can keep track of grades, but is too akward to keep track of assignments
-Inbox: Many campuses have wireless connections (YAY!), but ActiveSync and Inbox containers parse out the email...we all know about this...
-Pocket Explorer: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
-Pocket Word (aka Notepad Lite): Don't open homework in this...the nicely formatted text you have? It's gone. Use Microsoft Equation to keep a nicely formatted math equation? That's gone too.

That being said...as a college student, I use a PDA. As an underclassman, it was a toy, just keeping track of a schedule and homework. Now, with a more diverse schedule and more activities, it has became more complex and less of a toy. I just think Microsoft has too many outstanding issues to make it an effective tool for all students.

08-19-2004, 08:31 PM

-Pocket Word (aka Notepad Lite): Don't open homework in this...the nicely formatted text you have? It's gone. Use Microsoft Equation to keep a nicely formatted math equation? That's gone too.

:twisted: :twisted:

Wiggster

08-19-2004, 08:36 PM

Actually, when it comes to a typical college student, I don't think a Pocket PC is adequate enough. (Much of it is because of small things Microsoft hasn't implemented)
As a typical college student, I'm going to debunk you :mrgreen:

-Homework: Programs can track homework and grades, but no application will sync with the PC. Tasks can keep track of homework, but not grades. Excel can keep track of grades, but is too akward to keep track of assignments

4.0Student (http://www.40student.com/) is one of the most sublime programs ever made. It does everything (except print out your schedule for you, rats. Guess I have to keep my Agenda for that)

-Inbox: Many campuses have wireless connections (YAY!), but ActiveSync and Inbox containers parse out the email...we all know about this...
Unless you set them NOT to.

-Pocket Explorer: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Resco Explorer (http://www.resco-net.com/explorer.asp).

-Pocket Word (aka Notepad Lite): Don't open homework in this...the nicely formatted text you have? It's gone. Use Microsoft Equation to keep a nicely formatted math equation? That's gone too.
Rich Text Files keep most of their formatting quite nicely. Since you're taking notes instead of making a presentation, it's more about readability and usability than pretty documents.
And here's news: computers aren't good for entering equations in on-the-fly. It takes forever to type them in, even WITH Microsoft Equation. It's much, much faster to just get out the old pen and write down the equation with your hand (which is what Notes is for on the Pocket PC).

That being said...as a college student, I use a PDA. As an underclassman, it was a toy, just keeping track of a schedule and homework. Now, with a more diverse schedule and more activities, it has became more complex and less of a toy. I just think Microsoft has too many outstanding issues to make it an effective tool for all students.
So how come it's fine to install gigabytes upon gigabytes of programs for your Windows PC (unless you paid extra and got a prefabbed computer with software installed, Microsoft Office had to be installed manually on your computer), but you want to use a PDA as-is without software? There's software out there for most needs, and it works great. A student doesn't need much, and I'm superlatively happy with using MY PDA as my sole means of education assistance.

alpax

08-19-2004, 09:19 PM

i think of the PDAs ive had. then think about the fact that my dad has a Palm V (not a Vx. the 2mb palm V).

I offered to get him a Palm T3 or a ipaq 2215, but he doesnt want to upgrade.
Heh... Did you compare the weight and the form-factor of Palm V with T3 or at least 2215? :lol:
Try to offer him an iPAQ 19xx! :)

I'm still holding my good old 1910 while trying to get used to Dell Axim X30 form-factor. Based on the numbers it's not much bigger that the iPAQ, but it feels waaay more bulky :roll:

I'm thinking - maybe keep this iPAQ for my son's birthday - he will be 5 this autumn. The Jornada 680, which still collects dust in my "computer room", can be considered as my younger daughter's device, my wife uses my old Jornada 568... Hey, this way my family is almost as geek as Brad's - we just have less family members! Maybe we need a pet, which will carry my old Sharp memory bank... :lol:

maximus

08-20-2004, 01:52 AM

Just curious, whether Brad's family is still communicating in voice or not.
With all the PDAs in the house, the temptation to IM each other ....

IM : Honey dinner is ready ..
IM : Steve, come down here and eat ...
IM : John, stop playing PS2 already ...
IM : Janet, you got a C in math ?
IM : Dad, stop eating my pizza ...

:mrgreen:

kosmicki

08-20-2004, 02:04 AM

Hmmph, you may NOT claim that high a title of geekness until you each have a satellite phone that you can use to get on the internet via bluetooth.

PPC Warwalking tools may also be acceptable.

:mrgreen:

arnage2

08-20-2004, 02:54 AM

Gremmie

08-20-2004, 04:33 PM

-Homework: Programs can track homework and grades, but no application will sync with the PC. Tasks can keep track of homework, but not grades. Excel can keep track of grades, but is too akward to keep track of assignments

4.0Student (http://www.40student.com/) is one of the most sublime programs ever made. It does everything (except print out your schedule for you, rats. Guess I have to keep my Agenda for that)

I am kinda thrown off by the 'subscription' thing, but I will try it.

-Inbox: Many campuses have wireless connections (YAY!), but ActiveSync and Inbox containers parse out the email...we all know about this...
Unless you set them NOT to.

If you sync, it puts the email in the ActiveSync container. If you download them through POP3 they are put in the Inbox container. So if you read an email in Inbox, you can't put it in the a subfolder and sync the changes.

-Pocket Explorer: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Resco Explorer (http://www.resco-net.com/explorer.asp).
I meant Pocket Internet Explorer...yes there is NetFront as an alternative, but I'm talking about the included software.

-Pocket Word (aka Notepad Lite): Don't open homework in this...the nicely formatted text you have? It's gone. Use Microsoft Equation to keep a nicely formatted math equation? That's gone too.
Rich Text Files keep most of their formatting quite nicely. Since you're taking notes instead of making a presentation, it's more about readability and usability than pretty documents.
And here's news: computers aren't good for entering equations in on-the-fly. It takes forever to type them in, even WITH Microsoft Equation. It's much, much faster to just get out the old pen and write down the equation with your hand (which is what Notes is for on the Pocket PC).
I was talking about homework, it'd be fine to lose format if it was notes. But homework usually requires a format (thus the use of Microsoft Equations and other add in's). I don't expect every add in to be supported by a pocket version of Word, even the Microsoft Equation is tongue-in-cheeck, but when basic formatting is lost, it is inadequate.

That being said...as a college student, I use a PDA. As an underclassman, it was a toy, just keeping track of a schedule and homework. Now, with a more diverse schedule and more activities, it has became more complex and less of a toy. I just think Microsoft has too many outstanding issues to make it an effective tool for all students.
So how come it's fine to install gigabytes upon gigabytes of programs for your Windows PC (unless you paid extra and got a prefabbed computer with software installed, Microsoft Office had to be installed manually on your computer), but you want to use a PDA as-is without software? There's software out there for most needs, and it works great. A student doesn't need much, and I'm superlatively happy with using MY PDA as my sole means of education assistance.
Because a PDA isn't a PC. PC's have the storage room, Pocket PCs do not. A lot of people agree that Pocket Word is not an adequate companion to the Desktop Word. None of these applications can be a full replica to the desktop, but they fall short of expectations. A few of the aforementioned comments are just directed at students, but are general complaints.

dean_shan

08-20-2004, 08:42 PM

Kati Compton

08-21-2004, 06:46 PM

Just curious, whether Brad's family is still communicating in voice or not.
With all the PDAs in the house, the temptation to IM each other ....

IM : Honey dinner is ready ..
IM : Steve, come down here and eat ...

You may joke but I have been called to dinner that way before.
Yeah - if I'm on my computer downstairs and my husband is upstairs, we'll IM. We also IM when I'm at work, as it's more convenient than calling.