PocketFactory: "The Sad State Of The Palm Economy, And Other PDA Ramblings"

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pocketfactory.com/archives/2004/11/the_sad_state_o_1.php' target='_blank'>http://www.pocketfactory.com/archiv...d_state_o_1.php</a><br /><br /></div><i>"October 24, 1929 marked the beginning of the Great Depression, an economic decline that lead to the loss of millions of jobs and livelihoods all over the world and eventually resulted in the largest military conflict in history. While this dark event may not seem to have much in common with the world of mobile devices, the same dark cloud of disappointment and lost hope seems to hang over another once major economy; the Palm Economy. After years of leadership and trailblazing innovation, today’s PalmOS platform is a pale shadow of its former self. Where a juggernaut of mobile technology once stood, a diminished figure now faces a market where PalmOS is often outclassed and outgunned in the very market it created."</i><br /><br />Kent Pribbernow, a.k.a. Foo Fighter, waxes philosophical about the state of Palm and the PDA industry in general. Give it a read and tell me what you think about what Kent is saying.

[Jeff Kirvin]

As I posted on my site:

Kent acknowledges that PalmOS devices lose some of their vaunted stability and ease of use when adding third party software. He also notes that Windows Mobile is a sub-par user interface and that the quality of Pocket PC hardware has been declining. But his conclusion is short sided.

Kent thinks that PDAs have become marginalized between notebooks and smartphones. I don't see it that way. I think that a PDA and a Bluetooth-enabled "dumbphone" make a better, more flexible solution than either a notebook or a smartphone, and I wouldn't trade my Zodiac for any Pocket PC, much less an unpocketable notebook. I like having a truly pocketable office that is with me all the time, and the ability to connect to the net for email, IM and web browsing anywhere. One of Kent's biggest problems with PalmOS offerings is that they generally don't offer built-in WiFi, and that's true. What Kent hasn't realized yet is that WiFi is over, that the combination of Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone makes WiFi irrevelant. Why limit myself to only connecting to the net at "hotspots"?

The sky isn't falling, and the PDA isn't dead. Nice as smartphones are, I can do things on my Zodiac/T608 combination that simply aren't possible on a Treo 650. And even if I had $2,000 to spend on one, I wouldn't try carrying a Sony VAIO U75 in my pocket. Sorry Kent, but I'll stick with my PDA and get some real work done.

[bvkeen]

I recently thought I would hold onto my Palm T3 as a backup to my hx4700. But I have recently come to depend on being able to assign multiple categories to tasks and Palm just doesn't support this. And there's the matter of no multitasking. And there's no handwriting recognition. A few of the reasons my T3 is up for sell.

It's a shame that another competitor to MS is biting the dust, because competition is important to ensure we get the best. But, when I look at the history of the failed competitors (e.g., Netscape and RealPlayer), I see that they did it to themselves. Sad.

[Jeff Kirvin]

I recently I thought I would hold onto my Palm T3 as a backup to my hx4700. But I have recently come to depend on being able to assign multiple categories to tasks and Palm just doesn't support this. And there's the matter of no multitasking. And there's no handwriting recognition. A few of the reasons my T3 is up for sell.

So explain to me how I have handwriting recognition on my Tapwave Zodiac. Explain how I can check email, have several IM chats going and listen to podcasts at the same time on my Zodiac. I'll grant you the multiple categories thing, but let's stay realistic about the differences between PalmOS and Windows Mobile.

[gregmills]

He makes some good points but it's too much doom and gloom or my tastes.

My Pocket PC is even more indispensible to me now than it was when I bought my TI Avigo 6 or 7 years ago (and I went tthrough two Palm devices in the journey). In addition to the PIM functions, I think it makes a great MP3 player and I wouldn't think of carrying another device specifically for that purpose. I have quite a few games installed as well and I play them anytime I have a free minute or two. eBooks and pocket eSword complete the package. I don't even go to the bathroom without my PPC.

This guy wants a PDA for e-mail and browsing the web and those things are cool but I very rarely need that. I would love a smartphone with gigs of memory a VGA screen in PPC-like form factor but until I see that type of device with a sub-$400 price tag I'll carry my e750 with the memory cards and my smallish Motorola flip with the camera built-in. I may not be on the bleeding edge but I have a combination that works for me.

There's still a lot of innovation left in the handheld market. I can imagine a day when my only computer would be a powerful OQO type device with mobile phone capabilities built-in and I'd dock it in terminal like stations at home, work, hotel rooms, etc. Yeah, and one charge lasts a month! Yeah, and I get OS upgrades direct from Microsoft not the OEM because it runs their desktop OS platform. YEAH! Handhelds are dead, long live handhelds!

[reidme]

Windows Mobile continues to evolve as Palm OS stagnates (or retreats.) That's how MS eventually dominates all markets it enters, it's got the resources to keep plugging away. Steamrollers may be slow and ugly, but not much stops them. It's a shame, because the Windows Mobile UI is just plain clumsy compared to Palm. But MS will probably get around to fixing that too someday, or at least someone will make a Palm emulator that runs on Pocket PC (if it doesn't already exist.)

[felixdd]

What Kent hasn't realized yet is that WiFi is over, that the combination of Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone makes WiFi irrevelant. Why limit myself to only connecting to the net at "hotspots"?

WiFi will not die and will, at least in the near future, be more ubiquitous than cell-phone dependent internet access.

Why? Because WiFi enables wireless access to an internet connection that's already there. There's no running cost, except if maintenance and the cost of having an internet provider. Every home, small business, and corporate building will have pre-existing internet service. Thus, it makes more sense to wirelessly distribute the current connection, then to tear it down and make everyone 3G.

And some places you are hard pressed to get a signal -- i.e. factory floor. You may still want WiFi -- to access your local area network. Try accessing your business's internal network on a 3G network. And in a large building, WiFi is a cheaper alternative to running wires all over the place.

Saying 3G will predict the doom of WiFi is like saying cell phones will replace cordless land-lines. It just isn't going to happen -- for costs and practicality (i.e. building on top of existing structure) reasons. Costs is something that can drop for cell phone prices, but it will probably be a very very long time before it will be as low as land-line costs. Practicality reasons is time-independent.

[bvkeen]

I recently I thought I would hold onto my Palm T3 as a backup to my hx4700. But I have recently come to depend on being able to assign multiple categories to tasks and Palm just doesn't support this. And there's the matter of no multitasking. And there's no handwriting recognition. A few of the reasons my T3 is up for sell.

So explain to me how I have handwriting recognition on my Tapwave Zodiac. Explain how I can check email, have several IM chats going and listen to podcasts at the same time on my Zodiac. I'll grant you the multiple categories thing, but let's stay realistic about the differences between PalmOS and Windows Mobile.

Jeff,
I'm not familiar with the Zodiac, but it apparently is not a pure Palm OS, or the handwriting recognition would not be there. I do not knock the Palm in terms of being useful, and in some ways I prefer it to the PPC (it is faster in many respects, for one). But, the only program I can have open on my T3 when another is opened is RealOne. I cannot have Documents To Go open along with the Notepad and along with e-mail and so on. I cannot copy more than 1Kb of text from one program to another without using a hack, and the hacks often create more problems than they are worth.

Palm had an opportunity to be a strong competitor with its T5, and it will sell a lot of them, but it is a far cry from what a lot of Palm owners were hoping for. Before the T5 came out, but when it was close to coming out, I had considered buying one instead of my hx4700. I went ahead and bought the 4700 and was glad I did: the T5 came out and I read one complaint about it after another in the posts on it at BrightHand. And, looking at the specs, I am not at all impressed. And, I do not think they have anything else in the offing for a while. I read a post by Alex Kac the other day, on his website, where he had responded to someone's question of whether he would develop PocketInformant for the Palm platform. He said he considered it for when they release a device with their Cobalt operating system, but that he understood that this would now be about 14 months away!

I'm glad you like your Tapwave, and a lot of Palm users, including me, have benefitted from your writing on how to get the most out of their Palms. I really, really do wish Palm could compete with MS, and maybe they will stay in the running (out of the Netscape "demise," we did get Firefox, e.g.). But, I have owned Palms for a long time, generally the high-end ones, and they don't seem to be getting noticeably better in terms of features. While Microsoft is not a shining star at its support for the PPC platform, I do see continued improvement with it.

Take care,
Bruce Keener

[Foo Fighter]

I can sum up this article in three words; bitch..bitch...bitch! What a whiner. This guy really needs to get a life and stop...WAIT! What am I saying?? 8O :lol:

[pgh1969pa]

As I posted on my site:

What Kent hasn't realized yet is that WiFi is over, that the combination of Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone makes WiFi irrevelant. Why limit myself to only connecting to the net at "hotspots"?



Jeff, rationalize your choices if you choose but Wifi is far from dead. It's so dead that more and more hotels and public facilities are adding it everyday. I'd rather have a fast, free wifi connection in my hotel room than use a slow, 3G phone while depleating my talk minutes. I view bluetooth/3g net access as a option of last resort instead of a first choice for connectivity. It has it's place as a method of connection when all else fails but definately after Wifi and CF ethernet connections are not available.

[sub_tex]

I'd rather have a fast, free wifi connection in my hotel room than use a slow, 3G phone while depleating my talk minutes.

Hey now, my GPRS doesn't use my talk minutes at all. it's a seperate bill entirely. It was even that way back when I was on Sprint's CDMA network.

[Jeff Kirvin]

Jeff, rationalize your choices if you choose but Wifi is far from dead. It's so dead that more and more hotels and public facilities are adding it everyday. I'd rather have a fast, free wifi connection in my hotel room than use a slow, 3G phone while depleating my talk minutes. I view bluetooth/3g net access as a option of last resort instead of a first choice for connectivity. It has it's place as a method of connection when all else fails but definately after Wifi and CF ethernet connections are not available.

Two minor factual corrections:

3G is significantly faster than you assume cellular data to be, up to 2.5 megabits per second (cable modem speed). On a handheld, I doubt you could tell the difference between 3G and WiFi, at least until you leave the building.

Cellular data is now packet-based, just like your DSL or cable modem. Most providers charge a flat monthly fee for all-you-can-eat data, and there is absolutely no connection between data use and voice minutes.

But other than being wrong, you have a point.

[pgh1969pa]

I'd rather have a fast, free wifi connection in my hotel room than use a slow, 3G phone while depleating my talk minutes.

Hey now, my GPRS doesn't use my talk minutes at all. it's a seperate bill entirely. It was even that way back when I was on Sprint's CDMA network.

Well, you seem to have used a different Sprint network than I currently use because any use of my phone (wireless web, talk, bluetooth modem) all count against my minutes.

[Jeff Kirvin]

Well, you seem to have used a different Sprint network than I currently use because any use of my phone (wireless web, talk, bluetooth modem) all count against my minutes.

You need to call Sprint and sign up for PCS Vision. I use Bluetooth through my phone to check email and RSS feeds all day long and it does not count against my minutes.

[pgh1969pa]

Jeff, rationalize your choices if you choose but Wifi is far from dead. It's so dead that more and more hotels and public facilities are adding it everyday. I'd rather have a fast, free wifi connection in my hotel room than use a slow, 3G phone while depleating my talk minutes. I view bluetooth/3g net access as a option of last resort instead of a first choice for connectivity. It has it's place as a method of connection when all else fails but definately after Wifi and CF ethernet connections are not available.

Two minor factual corrections:

3G is significantly faster than you assume cellular data to be, up to 2.5 megabits per second (cable modem speed). On a handheld, I doubt you could tell the difference between 3G and WiFi, at least until you leave the building.

Cellular data is now packet-based, just like your DSL or cable modem. Most providers charge a flat monthly fee for all-you-can-eat data, and there is absolutely no connection between data use and voice minutes.

But other than being wrong, you have a point.

Please, we all know theoretical speeds.... we can list them all day. What are the actual speeds you're getting? Other than being funny, you don't have a point.

[Foo Fighter]

WiFi is over, that the combination of Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone makes WiFi irrelevant. Why limit myself to only connecting to the net at "hotspots"?

Interesting point, but wrong. First of all, the last time I checked data access via BT enabled phones eats up your free minutes. Why would I waste my free minutes and eat up valuable air time to check my email and browse news sites when I can do it for free via WiFi? Second, and most important...no corporate environment will adopt such solution for its wireless framework. You think enterprise customers are going to hand out cell phones and BT based Tungstens to their knowledge workers? Not going to happen. From a consumer standpoint your analogy is a poor solution that would only appeal to PDA geeks, and desperate ones at that. Consumers don't want this solution, and you're fooling yourself to think otherwise.

WiFi dead? Ha! Reminds me of a scene from Monty Python. If WiFi is dead, then why is it a burgeoning market with hotspots appearing everywhere? I can't swing a dead giraffe without hitting a hotspot somewhere around me. Every school, hospital, business, coffee shop, restaurant, and household adds it every day. For a dead technology it certainly seems to be growing rapidly since the coffin lid was closed. It doesn't matter anyway because I anticipate that WiFi will eventually be added to Smartphones as well, and already is in some cases.

But the real killer to your argument is the obvious fact that there aren't that many BT equipped phones out there today, at least not here in the US. I'm a Verizon Wireless customer, and to my knowledge there isn't a single phone they offer that features Bluetooth. Perhaps BT phones are more prolific in Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile offerings, but not in my neck of the woods. To assume that you're right in thinking BT Phones+PDAs are the ultimate solution, you would have to assume that EVERYONE already has a BT phone. Since that is not the case, your argument is automatically void.

The answer (for consumers) is going to be a smartphone, which will negate the need for a second device. No offence Jeff, but the problem with PDA fans like yourself is that you look at this issue through the eyes of a PDA user, while failing to understand that most consumers don't use a PDA...and never will. Will PDAs still be around 5-10 years from now? Absolutely. Will they be the dominant tool of choice for most users? Not on your life. PDAs will ALWAYS be a niche category, and those who carry them will be a minority compared to basic phone/Smartphone users. The average consumer doesn't want to edit Word Docs or Excel spreadsheets on their mobile device like you do. They just want a simple communication device.

[pgh1969pa]

Well, you seem to have used a different Sprint network than I currently use because any use of my phone (wireless web, talk, bluetooth modem) all count against my minutes.

You need to call Sprint and sign up for PCS Vision. I use Bluetooth through my phone to check email and RSS feeds all day long and it does not count against my minutes.


Sorry to bust your bubble but I do have PCS Vision. Apparently you don't.

[pgh1969pa]

3G is significantly faster than you assume cellular data to be, up to 2.5 megabits per second (cable modem speed). On a handheld, I doubt you could tell the difference between 3G and WiFi, at least until you leave the building.

.

If GPRS works for you, that's great and you should continue to use it but you'll never prove your point with your 'wifi is dead" arguement when reality seems to contradict your statement. Wifi hardware (access points, routers, notebooks, & PDAs) is proliferating. Accepting your arguements requires total suspension of the facts. In the US what sells more, Wifi routers or bluetooth smartphones?

[Jeff Kirvin]

Well, you seem to have used a different Sprint network than I currently use because any use of my phone (wireless web, talk, bluetooth modem) all count against my minutes.

You need to call Sprint and sign up for PCS Vision. I use Bluetooth through my phone to check email and RSS feeds all day long and it does not count against my minutes.

Sorry to bust your bubble but I do have PCS Vision. Apparently you don't.

I don't even know what you mean by that. I have Vision. It doesn't come out of my minutes. If yours does, you have something misconfigured.

[Felix Torres]

I mostly agree with Kent...

These days, folks tend to judge computer markets by the history of desktop PCs, with its seemingly endless growth curve, which tends to ignore two facts:
1- some markets are transitory, the temporary result of a confluence of user needs and available technology, and that when the conditions that created the market change, the product dies (think: horse buggies)

2- all markets have an inherent upper limit on their penetration in the overall population beyond which the market simply will not grow because there are no more unserved customers

The expectation seems to be that market growth is supposed to be endless, that as time goes on, new customers will emerge from the unserved population.

Unfortunately, there is no law of nature that guarantees that a product line, once established, must survive forever. In fact, history shows the opposite; products die when the balance between capability and customer need is disrupted or when customer need simply goes away.

The problem Palm faces, corporate mismanagement aside, is that the original Palm Pilot was designed as a limited function device to meet a very specific market need at a very specific point in time; the need for an affordable electronic organizer circa 1995. To achieve closure on their design probblem, the creators of the PalmPilot made certain decisions that led to success at the time but over time have become problematic; things like partitioned memory, lack of multitasking, lack of support for installable device drivers, lack of a traditional file system...

Those were all reasonable decisions for 1995 but they also set limits on how far the architecture could stretch and maintain its identity. Which is to say that after ten years, the legacy of the past is getting in the way of the evolution of the product.

The second problem Palm faces is that they specifically chose to address a very specific customer with narrowly defined needs. And that over time, a significant part of their customer base has "graduated" to a higher level of functionality that Palm has failed to offer.

Basically, people want more than Palm can offer, or they want less.
They either need a device that is more capable and flexible than Palm can offer--more of a pocket computer than a connected organizer (a Pocket PC)--or they want less size, less bulk, less capability--just the basic PIM functions--but they want them inside a phone rather than in a second device.

Palm *is* slowly getting squeezed out of the market.
Their product isn't growing up fast enough to play at the high end nor generating enough volume to survive at the low end.
As a result, the unit market for small palm-sized computers is shrinking.

This does not however mean that the PocketPC market, which has *always* been a very different creature from the Palm market, is also dying.
Palm lives and dies with consumer sales; pocket PCs make a healthy living in the corporate and vertical markets.
Unlike Palm devices, which have remained at heart connected electronic organizers, PocketPCs started out as general-purpose multimedia PCs and are continuing to evolve from there.
Some are turning into cellphones, some into wireless internet terminals; some will become media players, and some will become literally pocket-sized PCs running XP instead of CE.

Pocket PCs have always been more computerlike than Palms; for years, that was a millstone around their necks; now, however, that is proving to be a strength as the installable device drivers and rich, Windows-based API set become a strength. The technology is now reaching a point where economically-viable devices can be built that not only exploit, but *require* the features of the PocketPC architecture.

The PDA market may be dying but the PocketPC is just starting to come into its own because of its ability to effectively handle multimedia in software, 3D graphics, image processing, voice recognition, wi-fi, and general-purpose USB and Bluetooth...

The perfect example of the different directions of the two platform can be seen in comparing the VGA pocket PCs from HP, Fujitsu, and Dell, with even the best Palm.

They really are very different prioucts with very different futures...

[reidme]

If you have the unlimited data plan ($15/month) you can use vision all you want without using plan minutes. I'm sure of this because I have it. If you don't have unlimited data, you can still use vision, but you pay according to your usage.

[Jeff Kirvin]

If GPRS works for you, that's great and you should continue to use it but you'll never prove your point with your 'wifi is dead" arguement when reality seems to contradict your statement. Wifi hardware (access points, routers, notebooks, & PDAs) is proliferating. Accepting your arguements requires total suspension of the facts.

I'm not using GPRS, I'm using 1xRTT through Sprint. I get about 80kbps, faster than dialup but slower than ISDN. That will change when Sprint finishes upgrading from 2.5G 1xRTT to 3G evDO. Then I'll get WiFi-like speeds through my phone.

Look, if you like WiFi, if you don't mind being tied down to specific locations, that's great. I'm not saying WiFi doesn't have a purpose, and things like factory floors and whatnot are great uses for it. But for a *mobile* device, Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone is more flexible. PalmOne sees that, hence their focus on Bluetooth over Wifi. WiFi in a PDA is really just a marketing bullet point more than a real tool.

[Jeff Kirvin]

Foo, you ignorant slut...

(apologies to Chevy Chase)
Interesting point, but wrong. First of all, the last time I checked data access via BT enabled phones eats up your free minutes. Why would I waste my free minutes and eat up valuable air time to check my email and browse news sites when I can do it for free via WiFi? Second, and most important...no corporate environment will adopt such solution for its wireless framework. You think enterprise customers are going to hand out cell phones and BT based Tungstens to their knowledge workers? Not going to happen. From a consumer standpoint your analogy is a poor solution that would only appeal to PDA geeks, and desperate ones at that. Consumers don't want this solution, and you're fooling yourself to think otherwise.
Check your facts, Foo Man Chu! Packet data access on all major US carriers is flat rate now. I pay $15/month in addition to voice to surf all I want for a month. And this works just as well from my Zod over Bluetooth as it would over WiFi. I'm not suggesting BT is the ideal solution inside a corporate network, and never said any such thing. But for a salesperson or executive loose in the outside world, far from the protective walls of Mother Corp, BT and 3G can connect them places WiFi simply cannot. This isn't as easy to explain to a technoprol as WiFi, but much more practical.
WiFi dead? Ha! Reminds me of a scene from Monty Python. If WiFi is dead, then why is it a burgeoning market with hotspots appearing everywhere? I can't swing a dead giraffe without hitting a hotspot somewhere around me. Every school, hospital, business, coffee shop, restaurant, and household adds it every day. For a dead technology it certainly seems to be growing rapidly since the coffin lid was closed. It doesn't matter anyway because I anticipate that WiFi will eventually be added to Smartphones as well, and already is in some cases.
Must be nice, Foo. Here in Denver, hotspots are few and far between, and often don't work when you can find them. Several times within just the past week I've mocked a friend of mine who owns a Tungsten C when I could grab my email and he could not. One of those cases was at Panera Bread Company, which is supposed to be a hotspot. He could connect ot the WiFi router, but their Internet connection was down, and he couldn't get outside the restaurant. I had no problems. Never even took the phone out of my pocket.
But the real killer to your argument is the obvious fact that there aren't that many BT equipped phones out there today, at least not here in the US. I'm a Verizon Wireless customer, and to my knowledge there isn't a single phone they offer that features Bluetooth. Perhaps BT phones are more prolific in Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile offerings, but not in my neck of the woods. To assume that you're right in thinking BT Phones+PDAs are the ultimate solution, you would have to assume that EVERYONE already has a BT phone. Since that is not the case, your argument is automatically void.
No more void than assuming everyone has WiFi and everyWHERE is a hotspot, also not true.

And Verizon does carry a BT cell phone, the Motorola v710. It's been out about three months now. Get a clue, already. Sprint carries the SE T608 (my phone) and is about to add another BT phone from LG. The days of BT being limited to GSM carriers is so 2003.
The answer (for consumers) is going to be a smartphone, which will negate the need for a second device. No offence Jeff, but the problem with PDA fans like yourself is that you look at this issue through the eyes of a PDA user, while failing to understand that most consumers don't use a PDA...and never will. Will PDAs still be around 5-10 years from now? Absolutely. Will they be the dominant tool of choice for most users? Not on your life. PDAs will ALWAYS be a niche category, and those who carry them will be a minority compared to basic phone/Smartphone users. The average consumer doesn't want to edit Word Docs or Excel spreadsheets on their mobile device like you do. They just want a simple communication device.
Convergence is great for some people, but I'll stick to a phone that's great at being a phone and a handheld computer that's great at being a handheld computer. Smartphones aren't perfect for the same reason VOIP hasn't killed landline phones.

Oh, and I'll keep my twice the battery life of smartphones. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[dorelse]

Interesting read FooFighter...if I recall, we both we're pretty active VisorCentral members...ah...the days of old.

Anyway...I am currently using a Treo 600. I've owned more PPC's than I'd care to remember. I'm pretty much on board with everything you've said, mainly b/c we both seem to be missing our perfect Palm device.

Althouth I've gone to a different solution for now, I'm waiting for the HTC (Harrier, or Blue Angel or whatever) to come to Cingular/ATT. The Treo 650 looks nice, but other than some basic PIM & Phone integration, I generally check e-mail & do some IM chatting. Other than that, its general utility value is losing its appeal. I'm sorry, but I have a Franklin planner (sorry everybody) that I still carry around b/c I've lost data too many times to count on both PPC & Palm. Plus...what's with the SD card popping out all the time? Dumb design flaw.

Anyway, I've grown tired of PalmOne's promises (SD WiFi Card - squeezing out SanDisk in favor of their own branded card) and delays...With out competition on their OS (Handera, Sony) they have no incentive to make better devices better, faster, cheaper. The T5....is a waste...I did actually like my T3, but love carrying 1 device...not 2.

Guess I'm still looking for the perfect device.

[Fishie]

I can't swing a dead giraffe without hitting a hotspot somewhere around me.

Intresting.

Do you often swing dead giraffe´s?

[Fishie]

Between the talk of wifi, bleutooth, gprs and dead giraffe´s we should start talking about how much Palm sucks again people.

[globaloffice]

I'm a Verizon Wireless customer, and to my knowledge there isn't a single phone they offer that features Bluetooth. Perhaps BT phones are more prolific in Cingular/AT&T or T-Mobile

Hmm, I'm sitting here with a Moto v710 Verizon phone, better tell it it doesn't have bluetooth cause it sure thinks it does when it's connected to my laptop or hx4700, but someone has pointed that out. :lol:

It was released in Sept, recalled in Oct for camera issues and re-released several weeks ago, but they're out there.

-Roger

[Jonathan1]

Jeff, rationalize your choices if you choose but Wifi is far from dead. It's so dead that more and more hotels and public facilities are adding it everyday. I'd rather have a fast, free wifi connection in my hotel room

Well relatively free. I was at a hotel this weekend. $10.00 for 24 hours of WIFI. Most hotel's don't give free net access.

[felixdd]

What I think you fail to see, Jeff, is that WiFi is not so much another method of accessing the internet as it is another form of LAN. 3G can never replace that. Do you really think a company will choose 3G over WLAN to build their network?

You're basing your judgment of WiFi vs. 3G on your usage patterns alone. For that, yes, 3G may be more feasible. But that's where the fallacy lie. You can't judge ubuiquity of WiFi by how man coffee-shops have it. Because that's only one use of WiFi. It's got a huge end-user base (i.e. setting up home network in house), and a corporate side already (I already talked about that).

So to go so far and say 3G is a replacement for WiFi? I don't think that argument will hold water. WiFi is a replacement of the tired NIC in your desktop...the one with the Cat5 cable coming out of it ;)

And a note about theoretical speeds: you may have packets going into and out of your 3G phone at breakneck speeds. But when the packets have to go through BT 1.1 to get from phone to PDA, you're still getting lower bandwidth than WiFi -- 1 mbps vs. 11 for 802.11b, and 100 for 802.11g.

This is probably how it's going to pan out in the future:

PAN = BT (or wireless USB)
LAN = WiFi
WAN = 3G (or any other high-speed, cellular-based data transfer method)

[Jonathan1]

What Kent hasn't realized yet is that WiFi is over, that the combination of Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone makes WiFi irrevelant. Why limit myself to only connecting to the net at "hotspots"?

Awww how cute. Someone who is completely out of touch with technology. Where ever I drive I bring along my wardriving rig and if WIFI is dead then you better tell that to the rest of the known world because I can't go 2 block anywhere in the Minneapolis twin cities area without hitting an access point. Saying WIFI is over is like saying BlueTooth is going to cream WIFI, or the PDA market is dead, or the net is just a fad, or, or, or. Reality check: 802.11x isn’t going anywhere if anything it’s going to be enhanced and extended with 802.16 in the coming years. In some areas it’s almost hitting critical mass. From the Mall of America I can pick up no less then 7 access points.
So please. The author is out of touch with reality. Please, please, please don’t continue it on the thread,

[Foo Fighter]

I pay $15/month in addition to voice to surf all I want for a month. And this works just as well from my Zod over Bluetooth as it would over WiFi.

That's nearly $200 a year for the "privilege" of having wireless data access on my PDA. Call me crazy but that doesn't sound like a very good deal to me. Especially when the alternative to your solution costs nothing. Thanks, but I'll keep my two Ben Franklins where they belong...in my wallet.

I'm not suggesting BT is the ideal solution inside a corporate network

Good, because it's not even a happy medium, or an errant substitute for mobility.

But for a salesperson or executive loose in the outside world, far from the protective walls of Mother Corp, BT and 3G can connect them places WiFi simply cannot.

Ah..where to begin. See, the thing that you fail to see is that nobody wants the two-piece solution you and your friends and PalmOne offer, which is why Smartphones are becoming so popular. PalmOne knows this, and that's why the handheld line is taking a backseat to the Treo Smartphone line. Not even a backseat, they're sticking the PDA line in the trunk along with Carl Yankowski's body.

This isn't as easy to explain to a technoprol as WiFi, but much more practical.

By your logic Bluetooth is as dead as WiFi because it is made irrelevant by cellular wireless networks. Why would I lug around a PDA when I can access the very same data with a device that already communicates with incumbent wireless networks?

But as I said, you're going to see more dual wireless (BT/WiFi) added to an increasing number of Smartphones, which makes the whole argument moot.

Here in Denver, hotspots are few and far between, and often don't work when you can find them. Several times within just the past week I've mocked a friend of mine who owns a Tungsten C when I could grab my email and he could not. One of those cases was at Panera Bread Company, which is supposed to be a hotspot. He could connect ot the WiFi router, but their Internet connection was down, and he couldn't get outside the restaurant. I had no problems. Never even took the phone out of my pocket.

Remind me never to go to Denver. Again, with a Smartphone you don't need to manage two devices. And you still haven't shown me what demographic wants this besides you.

And Verizon does carry a BT cell phone, the Motorola v710. It's been out about three months now. Get a clue, already.

Bwahahaahahahahaha!! One bloody phone??? That one slipped past my radar. Ok, so all Verizon customers are carrying this same phone, right? Thanks for proving my point. Bluetooth is as rare as the Tasmanian yellow-spotted horn toad.

Convergence is great for some people, but I'll stick to a phone that's great at being a phone and a handheld computer that's great at being a handheld computer.

Fine for you, but most people won't carry a handheld, as witnessed by the steep decline of PDA sales, and the paralled rise of Smartphones. RIM will soon eclipse PalmOne in sales, and that's no accident. Have you looked at the new Blackberry phone? This is a company that knows its market. Goodluck with your Zodiac + BT phone, escepically since Tapwave won't be around very long.

[Jonathan1]

PAN = BT (or wireless USB)
LAN = WiFi
MAN = WIMAX
WAN = 3G (or any other high-speed, cellular-based data transfer method)

Fixed that for you. ;) I expect Comcast, Roadrunner, et all to provide MAN's in the next 5 years picking up where Ricochet left off. So you want wireless broadband access for your laptop on the go. No prob that's another 10 a month on top of your home cable bill. You want broadband access on your PDA. Again no problem that's another $10 a month. All connecting to Comcast's WIMAX network. Its a ways out yet but I would not be at all surprised to see them branching out into the wireless market.

[felixdd]

PAN = BT (or wireless USB)
LAN = WiFi
MAN = WIMAX
WAN = 3G (or any other high-speed, cellular-based data transfer method)

Fixed that for you. ;) I expect Comcast, Roadrunner, et all to provide MAN's in the next 5 years picking up where Ricochet left off. So you want wireless broadband access for your laptop on the go. No prob that's another 10 a month on top of your home cable bill. You want broadband access on your PDA. Again no problem that's another $10 a month. All connecting to Comcast's WIMAX network. Its a ways out yet but I would not be at all surprised to see them branching out into the wireless market.

I agree MANs (or MEN? ;) ) is a superior technology on concept...but broadband and WiFi is so firmly entrenched it's going to take more than 5 years to displace them I think. Just like it took 5 years for MS to displace Palm.

[pgh1969pa]

Jeff, rationalize your choices if you choose but Wifi is far from dead. It's so dead that more and more hotels and public facilities are adding it everyday. I'd rather have a fast, free wifi connection in my hotel room

Well relatively free. I was at a hotel this weekend. $10.00 for 24 hours of WIFI. Most hotel's don't give free net access.

I never seem to have a problem finding hotels and motels with free wired or wireless internet access. I paid for wireless acess in France earlier this year but in the 15+ hotel stays this year that would be the only time I've paid. Excluding my trip to Ethiopia, I was always connected somehow at the hotel and only paid once.

[pgh1969pa]

I get about 80kbps, faster than dialup but slower than ISDN. That will change when Sprint finishes upgrading from 2.5G 1xRTT to 3G evDO. Then I'll get WiFi-like speeds through my phone.

Look, if you like WiFi, if you don't mind being tied down to specific locations, that's great. I'm not saying WiFi doesn't have a purpose, and things like factory floors and whatnot are great uses for it. But for a *mobile* device, Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone is more flexible. PalmOne sees that, hence their focus on Bluetooth over Wifi. WiFi in a PDA is really just a marketing bullet point more than a real tool.

Good for you and your 80 kbps. Now, please expound on your "wifi is dead" statement considering how fast access points, routers, and wifi enabled notebooks are flying off the shelves here in the states. Wifi PDAs are growing as a percentage of the overall PDA market. I've even read that a large percentage of smartphones will have wifi in addition to bluetooth by 2007. Mobile carriers are working out hand offs between wifi and cellular networks. Despite all of this, "wifi is dead". You've made a grand statement and haven't provided a single shread of evidence to support it. I hope I look this good when I'm dead!

[Typhoon]

I think that Palm OS is very easy to use, but after buying and trying numerous Palm OS and Pocket PC PDAs, I noticed that both have a significant amount of a learning curve. It seems that the only positive value and power of the Palm OS is its eye candy and easy on the eyes GUI. I don't see where they have improved anywhere else at all. In fact, this is the only power that Palm has started with and still only has today. Meanwhile, Pocket PC has improved from the bottom up. Why does Palm OS lack so much in functionality? I don't get it. Even the Zaurus Linux PDAs from Sharp supposively have good hand writing recognition. Why doesn't Palm have it? It's very odd. Palm needs some new management--at the top of the hierarchy.

It would be cool if Palm could utilize full handwriting recognition, somehow support .Net (which would rock), ...shez I can't think of anything else...what else does Palm need?

[Fishie]

Decuma is good.
Some PalmOS machines have it.

[volwrath]

I'm not using GPRS, I'm using 1xRTT through Sprint. I get about 80kbps, faster than dialup but slower than ISDN. That will change when Sprint finishes upgrading from 2.5G 1xRTT to 3G evDO. Then I'll get WiFi-like speeds through my phone.

True but you will have to upgrade your phone. I take it you have a T608? The LG325 is coming out soon. I think I am going to have to buy it and a new Dell X50v.


Look, if you like WiFi, if you don't mind being tied down to specific locations, that's great. But for a *mobile* device, Bluetooth and a 3G cell phone is more flexible. PalmOne sees that, hence their focus on Bluetooth over Wifi. WiFi in a PDA is really just a marketing bullet point more than a real tool.

I disagree with this. The optimal solution is if there is WIFI around, use it. If not use your bluetooth solution. Thats why PPCs come with BOTH built in. I surf in bed all the time on my X3i. Should I use my home network or my phone? Seeing how Sprint will crack down on a person for excessive usage (see SprintUsers.com), Id rather use my wifi.

[reidme]

I think I am going to have to buy it and a new Dell X50v.


Make sure to get an extra battery for the x50v. Go big vols!

[dequardo]

You guys can flap your gums ad infinitum. Let's try to stay on task here.
The simple truth (if you can handle the truth) is that MS passed Palm and the PalmOS long ago and Palm seems to have no way to catch up. If they have a way they are sure hiding it well.

Except for the most basic of PIM functions PPC dwarfs Palm on price, performance, technology, etc.

[Janak Parekh]

3G is significantly faster than you assume cellular data to be, up to 2.5 megabits per second (cable modem speed). On a handheld, I doubt you could tell the difference between 3G and WiFi, at least until you leave the building.
Not quite. The last "user" tests I've seen suggest 1xEV-DO will have practical speeds of ~ 500kbps, not 2.5MBps. There are multiple forms of 3G, and future versions will certainly break that barrier. There are latency issues as well. It's true, though, that 1xEV-DO will be fine enough for most casual webbrowsing. It may not be cheap, though: Verizon is starting out at $80/month for 1xEV-DO, unlike 1xRTT, and I suspect Sprint will follow a similar expensive strategy for the foreseeable future to recoup their costs.

Cellular data is now packet-based, just like your DSL or cable modem. Most providers charge a flat monthly fee for all-you-can-eat data, and there is absolutely no connection between data use and voice minutes.
Not quite true. Both Sprint and Verizon have per-minute and per-byte pricing for packet-based data. In general, unlimited per-byte is more expensive (on Verizon, the unlimited 1xRTT Smartphone plan $44.95/month, as opposed to free for per-minute use of 1xRTT -- even though it's packet data-based). Sprint has a few seemingly unofficial backdoors, like the $15 plan, but (as far as I know) that's not supposed to be used for heavy data and they may close it down in the future.

As for CDMA Bluetooth phones: Both the T608 (Sprint) and the V710 (Verizon) have rather significant issues. They're not great phones in-and-of-themselves. That's why I passed up the V710 and actually bought an i600 WM2003 Smartphone two weeks ago.

I hate to tell you this, Jeff, but even as a hardcore PDA user I'm forced to agree with Kent. Until you actually use one of these for an extended period of time, you can't appreciate how they will do just fine for 90%+ of the population. I'm not in that 90% (and, chances are neither are you), so I need and carry my e805 with me, but I've found that the Smartphone is more than a "good enough" PIM. My e805 is primarily now for word processing, spreadsheets, and a few other heavy tasks and games... even eBook reading and web surfing can be done on the Smartphone today in a surprisingly useable fashion. And the one-handedness and the compactness in your pocket is very compelling. The PDA will have its niches mainly amongst power users, the corporate market and vertical applications, where 802.11b support is increasingly critical. I think Microsoft has, in fact, played its cards right with respect to this.

--janak

[surur]

If this discussion is still alive, I would like to address the primary point of the article.

Palm is dying becuase they are limited, and have little functionality. PocketPC's are better, as they are flexible and have more fucntionality. However in Foofighter's usage, notebooks are even better, and he will nover use another PDA after his current one dies. (I hope that summerises his points)

I think what really happened is that Foofigher outgrew his PDA. His needs have changed, the world has cbahned, and internet access on a large screen is now much more important.

Foo has changed, but he does not recognize this. His old time tools are now inadequate, but they have not changed, he has.

Maybe PDA's are a transitory technology, but for a person. Maybe they dont deserve this scorn heaped on them, but like training wheels are usefull at time time, but are only temporary.

PDA's are still good, but no longer for Foo. I think its time you move on, and let younger ENTHUSIASTS become pundits. And in 3 years time they should move on too.

Surur

BTW: BT is very popular in europe, and wifi much less so.

[Typhoon]

lol Make PDAs with the specs and technology of the hx4705 in the form factor of the h2215 or h4000 series in a clamshell design all for $400, then maybe people will change their minds...

(Shez...I wonder how possible is this? Ever looked how compact a PDA is when taken apart?)

[Felix Torres]

lol Make PDAs with the specs and technology of the hx4705 in the form factor of the h2215 or h4000 series in a clamshell design all for $400, then maybe people will change their minds...

(Shez...I wonder how possible is this? Ever looked how compact a PDA is when taken apart?)

Very possible.
There is at least one far east model that comes very close.
The main issue is finding a source of 3" VGA screens.
Although at those sizes QVGA is hardly offensive.

[Typhoon]

Ok... if I had a $500 million, I would be making the most popular PDAs on the planet...seriously. How about w/a 5" screen... and not with huge borders that make people wonder...??? Why didn't they just fill the borders and make a wider screen?

[Felix Torres]

Ok... if I had a $500 million, I would be making the most popular PDAs on the planet...seriously. How about w/a 5" screen... and not with huge borders that make people wonder...??? Why didn't they just fill the borders and make a wider screen?

Uh, you do know that touch-screen digitizers require a quarter inch margin to anchor the sensors, right?
If you dropped the digitizer, then you could get away with thinner borders...

[Typhoon]

LOL oh ok... we just need alien technology. I guess 4" screens will do, like the Zaurus C3000.

[ADBrown]

Not quite. The last "user" tests I've seen suggest 1xEV-DO will have practical speeds of ~ 500kbps, not 2.5MBps. There are multiple forms of 3G, and future versions will certainly break that barrier. There are latency issues as well. It's true, though, that 1xEV-DO will be fine enough for most casual webbrowsing. It may not be cheap, though: Verizon is starting out at $80/month for 1xEV-DO, unlike 1xRTT, and I suspect Sprint will follow a similar expensive strategy for the foreseeable future to recoup their costs.


Thank you! I was just about to post a screed on this subject.

The fact is that compared to even the most basic cable or DSL internet connection via WiFi, 3G comes up rather lacking in price and performance. Unless you have to be on the move all the time, I suspect that most people will opt for WiFi, and maybe a less expensive EDGE or 1xRTT mobile connection.

[pgh1969pa]

I think that Palm OS is very easy to use, but after buying and trying numerous Palm OS and Pocket PC PDAs, I noticed that both have a significant amount of a learning curve.


Oddly enough, I own both and find neither difficult to learn or use.

[Typhoon]

I think that Palm OS is very easy to use, but after buying and trying numerous Palm OS and Pocket PC PDAs, I noticed that both have a significant amount of a learning curve.


Oddly enough, I own both and find neither difficult to learn or use.

Really? Yea some people might have that tech. expertise... but are you saying that you never had to refer to any reference or manual on how to do a particular something w/either Palm or Pocket PC? That is a bit hard to believe ...but I guess everyone is different. But I guess my point above was that deciding either between a Palm or a Pocket PC just because one might seem easier to learn or use than the other might not work well, because both have a significant learning curve in order to get off to a good start. Most people use Windows on their PC, so jumping into Pocket PC might not be too hard...jumping into the Palm OS might seem easier because everything seems so simplified, but at some point you will have to learn how to convert file formats, use graphiti right, etc. You know what I am saying?

[Vidge]

Just some observations after reading thru this thread:

- Where I live (southeastern Virginia), Wifi hotspots are few and far between. I have to have BT in order to access the internet for email and such. Most of my travel is local, but I was in a hotel in the state capitol recently with free hi-speed internet (not Wifi, mind you) - so poorly implemented that no matter what I tried, I could never connect. Had I not had my BT phone, I wouldn't have gotten anything done. (T-Mobile service with unlimited internet.)

- I have both a Palm T3 and an hp4155. Perhaps it is because I've used the Palm OS for so long (8+ years) that I find PPC difficult. After nearly 6 months, I'm still only doing what I consider basic tasks on my hp. (And I hang out here and on other PPC boards to try to learn more about how to do things on my PPC, so effort is not the issue.) I have learned to do some things on my hp, such as streaming, that I had never tried on my T3. So far, I've found that anything I can do on my hp I can do on my T3, although it may not be as easy.

- I understand why people are flocking to smartphones; however, I won't be one of them. Smartphones, as they currently exist, just don't cut it for me.

- I think Surur hit it right on the head: FooFighter has outgrown his PDA. And in my travels across the internet, I find that he is not alone. There is a PDA mailing list that I've been on since 1996. The current hot topic is the re-adoption of the paper planner. Many of the posters have come to the conclusion that the very thing that drove them to PDAs in the first place - organization - is now driving them away, as they can do it faster and easier in a Day Timer! I'm not quite there yet but I understand the sentiment.

[bvkeen]

- I have both a Palm T3 and an hp4155. Perhaps it is because I've used the Palm OS for so long (8+ years) that I find PPC difficult. After nearly 6 months, I'm still only doing what I consider basic tasks on my hp.

- I think Surur hit it right on the head: FooFighter has outgrown his PDA. And in my travels across the internet, I find that he is not alone. There is a PDA mailing list that I've been on since 1996. The current hot topic is the re-adoption of the paper planner. Many of the posters have come to the conclusion that the very thing that drove them to PDAs in the first place - organization - is now driving them away, as they can do it faster and easier in a Day Timer! I'm not quite there yet but I understand the sentiment.
Vidge,
You _might_ find my time management site (keen pda) helpful, as I try to help both Palm and PPC owners implement David Allen's GTD and Covey's methods, along with other thoughts based on nearly 30 years of experience in having to manage my time professionally: http://www.dkeener.com/keenstuff/index.html

Regardless, I am interested in hearing more about the return to paper trend, and would appreciate a link. It's interesting that I coincidentally updated my site a few hours ago to add a paragraph about PDA owners needing to remember that pen and paper can still be very handy.

Thanks,
Bruce

[ctmagnus]

Regardless, I am interested in hearing more about the return to paper trend, and would appreciate a link. It's interesting that I coincidentally updated my site a few hours ago to add a paragraph about PDA owners needing to remember that pen and paper can still be very handy.

Ditto! Although, in my situation, I'm more interested in a CYA thing just in case something happens that I can't carry a Pocket PC everywhere I go.

[Janak Parekh]

- I have both a Palm T3 and an hp4155. Perhaps it is because I've used the Palm OS for so long (8+ years) that I find PPC difficult.
That is indeed the case. Palm OS's UI interface is the "opposite" of the Pocket PC. It took me about 6-12 months before my hands automatically found the correct UI controls on Pocket PCs, and that was while I wasn't carrying a Palm so I immersed myself in Pocket PC. (I had carried a Palm for about 4 years before I picked up my first Pocket PC.)

Now, when I pick up a Palm, I find it highly cumbersome and unintuitive. I strongly believe it just has to do with what you're used to -- in most cases, both can be pretty efficient.

- I think Surur hit it right on the head: FooFighter has outgrown his PDA. And in my travels across the internet, I find that he is not alone. There is a PDA mailing list that I've been on since 1996. The current hot topic is the re-adoption of the paper planner. Many of the posters have come to the conclusion that the very thing that drove them to PDAs in the first place - organization - is now driving them away, as they can do it faster and easier in a Day Timer! I'm not quite there yet but I understand the sentiment.
Weird - I've personally never seen this. I can certainly say I'm the type that could never use paper planners any more. The ability to have my calendar and tasks sync'ed across my different machines and tied to my alarms on my Smartphone, Pocket PC and watch... well... paper just won't do that. ;)

In fact, I find I've gone nearly paperless with my work (not mail, etc. of course) and that I no longer keep blank paper or post-its around my desks, and it's very frustrating to have to write something on paper to give it to someone else -- I have to go over to the printer, grab a piece of paper from there, and then proceed to write stuff down on it. :P

--janak

[bvkeen]

Weird - I've personally never seen this. I can certainly say I'm the type that could never use paper planners any more. The ability to have my calendar and tasks sync'ed across my different machines and tied to my alarms on my Smartphone, Pocket PC and watch... well... paper just won't do that. ;)


I've come close to being paperless, but still use a binder to house some 11×17 spreadsheets that I use for planning (they're also Sync'd to my hx4700, but I often like to see a year at a glance), and I typically jot notes from phone calls down on paper and add to my PPC later. And, when I need to brainstorm, I still use paper. But, as you have shown, Janek, practice and developing good habits can take one to the point of being almost paperless.

I also want to second your point about it taking about 6 months to switch from one platform to another. After using Palms for about 4 years, it took me about 6 months to become proficient on my Pocket PC.

Bruce

[pgh1969pa]

Really? Yea some people might have that tech. expertise... but are you saying that you never had to refer to any reference or manual on how to do a particular something w/either Palm or Pocket PC? That is a bit hard to believe ...but I guess everyone is different. But I guess my point above was that deciding either between a Palm or a Pocket PC just because one might seem easier to learn or use than the other might not work well, because both have a significant learning curve in order to get off to a good start. Most people use Windows on their PC, so jumping into Pocket PC might not be too hard...jumping into the Palm OS might seem easier because everything seems so simplified, but at some point you will have to learn how to convert file formats, use graphiti right, etc. You know what I am saying?

I believe if it takes you too long to learn a 'productivity' tool, its better to not use it at all because your wasting time in an effort to be more productive. One thing of note, when I buy something unfamiliar I usually read the manual before I begin serious use. Thus, it's no longer unfamiliar. I don't equate reading the manual with a task being difficult. On the other hand, I don't recall ever reading a complete manual of any palm. Until Palm OS 5, they really didn't do enough for me to need to read about it. I skimed the manual of the first PPC I bought.

I simply never got the 'PPC is too hard to use' or the 'Zen of Palm' thing. Sure the Palm interface is a little cleaner but it also does less. It's not a quantum leap better than PPC...more different than simpler. I spent more time wondering why Palm limits the functionality of storage cards and the OS than trying to figure out how either of these devices work. It didn't take me long to learn how to learn graphitti on the palm or convert files. Not to be disrespectful but I never understood why PPCs were considered hard to use. Sometimes wireless access (syncing, terminal services client, network set up) can be somewhat clumsy but it's not nuclear phsysics.

[disconnected]

I've always thought that nuclear physics has to be easier than setting up connections on a Pocket PC. :?

[Jeff Rutledge]

it's very frustrating to have to write something on paper to give it to someone else -- I have to go over to the printer, grab a piece of paper from there, and then proceed to write stuff down on it.

I refuse. I email it to them. They can print it out if they want. :mrgreen:

[Janak Parekh]

Good points, bvkeen. One interesting comment:

I typically jot notes from phone calls down on paper and add to my PPC later.
I've switched to using OneNote instead of Post-its. If OneNote's taskbar icon is enabled, you can hit Windows+N to launch a new Post-It. Fantastic way of jotting down notes, and it does a good job of auto-saving, etc. Unfortunately, it doesn't sync to my Pocket PC -- I hope MS makes it bidirectional soon.

--janak

[bvkeen]

Good points, bvkeen. One interesting comment:

I typically jot notes from phone calls down on paper and add to my PPC later.
I've switched to using OneNote instead of Post-its. If OneNote's taskbar icon is enabled, you can hit Windows+N to launch a new Post-It. Fantastic way of jotting down notes, and it does a good job of auto-saving, etc. Unfortunately, it doesn't sync to my Pocket PC -- I hope MS makes it bidirectional soon.

--janak

I do love OneNote and have it on my home computer. Unfortunately, it is not installed on my work computer, which is where I need it the most!

I also would like to see a bidirectional update!