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View Full Version : Turning Over A New "Leaf"?


Janak Parekh
01-24-2005, 07:00 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/index.php?action=expand,7393' target='_blank'>http://www.smartphonethoughts.com/i...ion=expand,7393</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Jeremy Wagstaff has written a thought provoking article in the Wall Street Journal. [Paid subscription required] I completely agree with the author; modern PDA technology has seen a lot of innovations but it still lacks a certain something when it comes to seamless usability in our day-to-day lives. I have tried my level best to use the mobile technology to jot down the quick reminders and small to-do lists. But none of the gadgets, neither the thumbpad based BlackBerry, nor the touch screen based Pocket PC or more recently voice notes on my Smartphone, have compelled and convinced me that it is the alternative to paper and pen. And it is not the fault of these mobile gadgets and solutions, they are all functional and powerful, it is just that they lack a certain something. This statement made by Jeremy sums it up - "They're great for storing information, such as events, addresses and the like. But for capturing my thoughts -- from shopping lists to philosophies? Never." What are your thoughts? Will you be picking up the good old pen this weekend to jot down your thoughts?"</i><br /><br />Kris Kumar has started a fascinating discussion over at Smartphone Thoughts about using PDAs or Smartphones to go paperless. I disagree with his (and the original author's) assertion -- in my opinion, habits are the primary difference-maker, and since we've all grown up with paper we're <i>used</i> to it, but I've found that with sufficient self-training I use my Pocket PC as the primary note-taker. In fact, I've found I don't even carry a pen in my bag anymore. 8O I'm much happier this way, as I haven't lost that piece of paper in a while. What about you? Take a look at the linked discussion and feel free to post there... or, if you like, feel free to post your thoughts here. (Somehow, we need to be able to have joint conversations on the Thoughts Media sites. ;))

bkool2
01-24-2005, 07:35 PM
I would have to say that i disagree as well.

For the past year and a half my pocket pc has helped me take notes in class. I use Phatnoes, with a tagrus wireless keyboard and I absolutely love it.

I have not lost a note since and they have stayed much more organized. Along with being able to keep my notes, others have noticed as well and when exam time roles around its pretty easy to make a quick buck or two.

With acess to the internet, an Adobe acrobat reader, the ability to upload my sylibus's, being able keep track of when to be in class, class projects, asignments, group members, ect. I would go as far to say that my PDA has redefinded what it means to be organized in my life.

On top of all this, I can play a game or two when things get boring.

Its too bad many don't know how much you can do with a PDA and a little creativity.

I hate paper, I don't carry paper or pencil's any more and I couldn't be happier.

hewlpac
01-24-2005, 08:24 PM
I have to agree with the authors and premise. I love the PDAs and what they can do but it is still far too cumbersome to use. There are a number of issues. One is the difficulty getting info in. The PDA is a two handed operation. It is difficult to be on the phone or busy with one hand and effectively enter a note into a PDA. The PDA has to be turned on, program launched possibly with additional clicks to start a memo. Yeah some can be streamlined but it is not as easy as picking up a pen and writing on a notepad. The best I can come up with is to assign a button to voice notes but this does not work when you cannot speak (your on the phone or in public places).

Handwriting recognition is not extremely effective, especially cursive which is needed for any effective speed benefits…

ctmagnus
01-24-2005, 08:28 PM
After my recent stint of three iPaqs being sent back in a row all for the same reason I was seriously considering paper, but by no means a total switch. Now that I figured out what was causing the problem and I have an iPaq that functions to my specifications, I'm not leaning so heavily toward paper anymore but there's a terribly strong allure toward it, especially since I've found out about Moleskines (http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=navclient&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-51,GGLD:en&amp;q=moleskine).

On a side note, PhatPad has recently been upgraded to version 2.1.

dMores
01-24-2005, 08:33 PM
while i do tend to take notes with my pda, i have to rely on pen and paper when it comes to jotting down notes for work.
webdesign, videoediting, well multimedia in general requires visual aids when thinking up concepts. i haven't found a program that does what i want.
besides ... i'd need a bigger screen to jot down my design ideas. a tablet-pc would have the necessary screen real estate, but i'd probably not carry it around with me all the time.

Vincent M Ferrari
01-24-2005, 08:45 PM
If I'm sitting at my desk with my company-logo postits sitting next to me, I'll use pen and paper. Everywhere else (and I do mean everywhere else) I either use my Pocket PC or the voice recorder on my MPX 220.

I'm not a pen and paper person, and most of the pen and paper stuff on my desk is notes handed to me by other people.

Habit is the primary barrier to adopting the PPC or something similar as a note taking device. I completely agree with that. Think of it this way: How hard was it to start maintaining an address book on a digital device at the beginning? Somehow you adapt. Now it's a habit. I get a business card from someone, I enter the details into Outlook (on any of my Outlook-connected devices) and then toss the actual card in the wastebasket.

A few years ago we probably all had those huge card folders.

It's just a matter of changing habits.

superfaron
01-24-2005, 09:09 PM
I only use tiny post-its for short term notes (like remembering a phone number given to me on the fly until I can enter it into Outlook or my iPAQ), and then only when I am at my desk. For everything else, I use my iPAQ 4705.

I am a graduate student and I even use it for all lecture notes (along with a TO BT keyboard and mouse).

:D

dedman
01-24-2005, 09:59 PM
i go back and forth between paper and pda. I would like to be all pda, but like others struggle to implement a good "system"

I did have some software that I used on my Palm that helped me take notes and organize a lot better. It was called Shadow Plan and was an awesome outlining program with a ton of flexibility.

I haven't been able to find something on my pocket pc that works as well.
Any thoughts?

JD Silver
01-24-2005, 10:31 PM
I have been trying to change my habits from pen and paper to PPC for the last year or so. The limiting factors have always been speed and reliability for quick notes, and the small screen size. So far, the best solution has been PhatPad coupled with Calligrapher for quick notes, or recording the note using the voice recorder.

I also try to get into the discipline of entering data as it is provided to me, rather than procrastinating on the data entry. Once the habit is established, you begin to find the ways to use the PPC for all notes etc.. I think the greatest limitation right now is the small screen size for data entry, and the inability to convert voice to text. Once the data is in the system, my WM 2003 Phone Edition device is amazing!!

Ripper014
01-24-2005, 11:31 PM
As mentioned it totally depends on the task at hand... for most things I can easily just do it on the pocketpc and the nice thing about it is that I can find it when I need it. I do not need to worry if I have that piece if paper with me. And... my organizer does not get physically larger... just because I am carrying more data.

Currently I have enough technical data on me that it would load down a mule...

However if the task is to map out a large project then it just becomes a problem of having enough screen real estate... I find my Toshiba e830 much better than my Hp2210 for this task... but it would not replace a 11 x 17 inch piece of paper...

I feel that people that make these remarks just have not fully embraced the technology... A dingy is great for motoring over to the next pier... but I would not use it to sail across the Atlantic... The problem with the PocketPC... I believe is that some people's expectations are more than the abilities of the PocketPC... so the questions beckons... is it the fault of the PPC... that it shows so much promise... afterall it seems to be able to handle almost every task thrown at it. Should we not praise all it "CAN" do opposed to what it does not do well...

PatrickD
01-25-2005, 01:52 AM
I find the two methods compliment each other nicely. I use paper &amp; pen for quick temporary notes, because it is fast, accurate, and convenient. I use my PDA for more elaborate notes that I want to retain for an extended period of time. Using Phatnotes on my PPC allows me to edit, organize and search my notes easily, something I could never do with my paper notebook.

PatrickD
01-25-2005, 01:55 AM
I just noticed I won a copy of Fitaly. Maybe this will make me a faster notetaker :wink:

yslee
01-25-2005, 02:32 AM
For leisure activities, pen and paper is fine (My character sheets will always be paper).

For work stuff, however, I have two words for pen and paper: **** off!

Honestly honestly honestly, nothing pisses me off when I have to do something, or handed something, via paper. Let's see, information integrated into my knowledge sphere that cannot be searched and manipulated. Right. Big fat lot of good that is.

gorkon280
01-25-2005, 02:33 AM
Anything I need for more then 5 minutes gets wrote into my PDA (usually with digital in in the notes program). I use post its constantly at work.....for the reminder to call X person at Y company and for temporary scratch pad....like jotting down a ID number I need to look up to fix in the system or a userid or a phone number. Anything with a lifetime of 5 min or less gets written on paper...phone numbers and what have you that I need for a project or whatever get input into contacts.

bridgecrosser
01-25-2005, 03:14 AM
It's crazy - but I have to agree. I'm using pen and paper a lot more now than I have since buyng my first Palm PDA in october 1999. It's quicker when I'm in a hurry and I can create fast when the juices are flowing, unlike the PDA, where I have to find it, turn on the device, move to the right screen, click NEW and start typing or writing on the screen.

Hmmm

Vidge
01-25-2005, 03:25 AM
I was never a big note taker on my PDA, primarily because of how I work. I need to make notes in various client files, ofttimes providing the client with a copy of the notes. Even when I could make a note on my PDA, I found it a bit difficult. Handwriting recognition ain't all that great.

Now that I have the Sony U750P, I find that I am writing notes on it more often. Funny - the screen isn't that much bigger but One Note really works well. Being able to print directly without a whole lot of hassle is another issue. So far, it seems to be working for me.

Phillip Dyson
01-25-2005, 03:49 AM
I've actually made a decision to REALLY try to use my PDA as often as possible. Really push the envelope to see where it can fit and not fit.

I'm trying to decide if I should pick up PhatNotes and PhatPad or just go with the AlarmNotes that comes with PocketInformant.

Something tells me the former will be my choice.

I have gotten better now though. I atleast take my PDA to meetings and actually put it on the table next to my note pad. 8O

I do refer to it for dates now. Just trying to work up the courage to try to go all the way and actually take meaningful notes.

I know. I'm weak. :oops:

ppc4me
01-25-2005, 04:40 AM
http://www.evernote.com
If you are serious about your digital notes take a look at EverNote. PPC synch coming soon. I also use an AceCad DigiMemo to take handwritten notes on paper and import them and do handwriting recognition on them.

SassKwatch
01-25-2005, 02:32 PM
It was called Shadow Plan and was an awesome outlining program with a ton of flexibility.
SP is the one program on the Palm platform I've never been able to find an equal counterpart for on the PPC platform. It had more capabilities 3yr ago than anything on the PPC platform does today. The one I found that came closest, but still falls short, is TreNotes (http://www.fannsoftware.com).

Phillip Dyson
01-26-2005, 04:44 PM
There is ADB Idea Library (http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/ideaLibrary/idea.asp)

I even integrates with your task list. I do wish that you could also add Appointments and Contacts.

I had it for a while but I suspect that it somehow interfered with my Intellisync compatibility. :( So I uninstalled it. I may investigate further later.

ctmagnus
01-26-2005, 08:18 PM
There's also Pocket MindMap (www.pocketmindmap.com) if you're looking for task integration. It's ~$40USD, though.

GadgetMan
01-26-2005, 09:10 PM
Another interesting and related product is PocketThinker located at http://www.pocketthinker.com. It integrates with Outlook and Pocket Informant and overal represents an iteresting idea in hierarchial task manager/outliner genre.

Cheers,

bobbert
01-29-2005, 08:25 PM
I generally try to key in notes to my PPC rather than use post-its. It has advantages, but it's definitely harder. However, the primary problem is not PDA vs paper -- it's bad digitizer technology. If you write on a PDA it comes out like writing with a crayon on a post-it note. If I could write on the PDA with the same accuracy as on paper, it would be spectacular and I'd use it all the time.

Phillip Dyson
01-29-2005, 09:55 PM
I went to check out Pocket Mindmap's website. It seems a little to complicatd for me. I just want something that will help integrate thoughts, but not become a burden in and of itself. Ideally something that will just help me integrate all the stuff that I've already got. Notes, tasks, appointments, contacts ... etc

I actually installed the PPC version of Pocket Thinker. Again a bit to involved. Also, it didn't seem very intuitive. There didn't seem like much integration with my other PIM stuff. Although, I only spent a few minutes with it.

I still think that ADB Idea Libary (http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/ideaLibrary/idea.asp) seems like the best solution. If they add appontments and contact integration, then it would be killer. It seem to interfer with my Intellisync synchronization when I installed it last so I uninstalled. I may give it a try again though.

SassKwatch
01-29-2005, 10:25 PM
I still think that ADB Idea Libary (http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/ideaLibrary/idea.asp) seems like the best solution. If they add appontments and contact integration, then it would be killer.
After re-reading your posts, I take it Pocket Informant alone doesn't meet your needs?

I would think use of the Agenda View (to 'combine' Tasks &amp; Appointments), Contacts, and then Phatpad (or is it PhatNotes that integrates with PI?) would be about as much integration as is currently doable in one program.(??)

Lex
03-11-2005, 12:02 PM
...I'm not leaning so heavily toward paper anymore but there's a terribly strong allure toward it, especially since I've found out about Moleskines (http://www.google.ca/search?sourceid=navclient&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;rls=GGLD,GGLD:2004-51,GGLD:en&amp;q=moleskine).
Thanks for mentioning those notebooks. Ordered some this week. Great companion item to the PPC. The thin ones (Cahier or Volent) take very little pocket space. For N. American users: www.moleskineus.com .

Phillip Dyson
03-11-2005, 12:51 PM
I still think that ADB Idea Libary (http://www.happyjackroad.net/pocketpc/ideaLibrary/idea.asp) seems like the best solution. If they add appontments and contact integration, then it would be killer.
After re-reading your posts, I take it Pocket Informant alone doesn't meet your needs?

I would think use of the Agenda View (to 'combine' Tasks &amp; Appointments), Contacts, and then Phatpad (or is it PhatNotes that integrates with PI?) would be about as much integration as is currently doable in one program.(??)

PI is great feature wise. I think that one more view on features would close the deal. Atleast for now. I would like to have a project view.