Fast Memo App?

[macshimidh]

Hi,
With Palm's apparent abandonment of large-screen PDA's, I'm considering moving from my TX to a Windows Mobile device in the not-too-distant future. However, I've tried to make this switch before, and always ended up coming back to PalmOS devices.
The last time I tried a switch was when the Dell Axim 51v came out. One factor that made me abandon this device was its horrible battery life, which I understand may have been due to a bug corrected with a later patch. The second thing which made the Axim insufficient for my uses was the long lag time in launching the memo application. Whenever I would switch the device on and switch to the memo app, it would take literally 8 - 12 seconds of hourglass-churning before it would get to the point where I could begin inputing information (even with no other applications running in the background).
I use my handheld extensively for work, and am frequently in a position where I have to power on a device and take quick notes of conversations that often only last a minute or so in their entirety. The various PalmOS handhelds I've used in the past all allow me to go from a powered-off device in a launcher view to a new memo accepting input in little more than one second.
For me to successfully make the switch to Windows Mobile, I need a solution which will do the same. If it makes any difference, I currently have about six hundred memos on my handheld. Can anyone recommend a third-party solution which would give me rapid access to a generic text entry app? How about a hack which would allow the built-in memo app to load faster (within two seconds would be sufficient). This is really the only thing holding me back from picking up an HTC Polaris when they launch in October :-P

[macshimidh]

Hi,
With Palm's apparent abandonment of large-screen PDA's, I'm considering moving from my TX to a Windows Mobile device in the not-too-distant future. However, I've tried to make this switch before, and always ended up coming back to PalmOS devices.
The last time I tried a switch was when the Dell Axim 51v came out. One factor that made me abandon this device was its horrible battery life, which I understand may have been due to a bug corrected with a later patch. The second thing which made the Axim insufficient for my uses was the long lag time in launching the memo application. Whenever I would switch the device on and switch to the memo app, it would take literally 8 - 12 seconds of hourglass-churning before it would get to the point where I could begin inputing information (even with no other applications running in the background).
I use my handheld extensively for work, and am frequently in a position where I have to power on a device and take quick notes of conversations that often only last a minute or so in their entirety. The various PalmOS handhelds I've used in the past all allow me to go from a powered-off device in a launcher view to a new memo accepting input in little more than one second.
For me to successfully make the switch to Windows Mobile, I need a solution which will do the same. If it makes any difference, I currently have about six hundred memos on my handheld. Can anyone recommend a third-party solution which would give me rapid access to a generic text entry app? How about a hack which would allow the built-in memo app to load faster (within two seconds would be sufficient). This is really the only thing holding me back from picking up an HTC Polaris when they launch in October :-P

[schmenge]

I have an 8125, which is basically a HTC Wizard. This is arguably one of the slower WM5 devices. I can open the Notes application almost instantly. To be fair I only have a couple of dozen notes and I am not sure if this makes a difference or not. But since WM does not close an app when you tap on the X, once it is open it should stay open for you.

You don't say if you need your notes to sync with Outlook. The Notes app in WM syncs, but not categories. An option there, and this may be a better option for you anyway, is something like PhatNotes (www.phatware.com).

[macshimidh]

Thanks for the tip. I'll check out Phatnotes, as I do need to keep things categorized.