I tried to use my PDA as a replacement laptop,. I've got a fold away keyboard that I use with Text Maker. I've got a CF VGA card for presentations. I watch movies on it and listen to music. I did this to see if it was possible for me.
But... it doesn't do these things as well as a laptop. So where am I going wth this? For some people, even though the Pocket PC has lots of compromises, it's good enough for occasional laptop replacement duty.
Would I use it as my only PC - no way. But for some tasks it's good enough. If I'm on a weekend away, I won't take my iBook. I'll take my accesorised Pocket PC. I can listen to some music tap away on whatever article I'm writing at the time, surf the web, etc.
The Pocket PC does offer considerable convenience and not just a quick start up time. If you want to quickly read through recent email or check the movie guide on the web while you're on your way to the theatre, a Pocket PC can do it.
The guy who wrote the article missed the point. Rapid access to data while on the go is the vertical application.
My experience is that you can no less replace a laptop with a PDA as you can replace your car with a bicycle. Sure, both can help you move, but they have different advantages and disadvantages. Neither is better than the other; they're just different.
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Get your Pocket Mojo. Anthony Caruana is the Mojo master.
Obviously, this is a writer who never leaves his desk! I am up and down from my desk all day long. I have a laptop there, but am only at my desk 1/3 of the day. Am I supposed to run back to my desk everytime I need to check my calendar or make a phonecall?
The most important thing that my PDA replaces is all the little sticky notes that I used to have to carry around.
Another thing the author of the rant should keep in mind is that not all of us are corporate dudes with big tech budgets. I, for one, am a poor student at the University of Waterloo.
Don't have much money because I'm paying tuition... bought a 386 back in high school, and slowly upgraded it to an Athlon 1.2 Ghz. Old parts still abound, but it is the cheapest way I can run current applications.
I used to own a laptop too... this Pentium 133 that I owned two years ago. It took forever to boot Win98, battery life was like 1.5 hours, and I really just wanted to take notes in class and check email. I got frustrated, sold the laptop to a dude for $200, and used the same money to buy a used Cassiopeia E-125. Now, for the same cost as the laptop, I had a 200 MHz processor and 8 hour battery life - in a smaller package! Now I have an Axim X5 with a foldable keyboard and a Wifi card (we have APs all over campus).
My spending choice is simple: either get a laptop, or build a desktop with the same specs, and use some of the left-over $$$ for a Pocket PC. Between these two choices, I figure the at-home scenario doesn't make much of a difference (laptop or desktop with the same specs? I'd take the desktop; the screen is probably bigger & brighter, the keyboard is full-size, there's more expandability, etc.) So that just leaves the away-from-home scenario. With my X5, I can start typing notes pretty much when the prof starts talking, and keep typing those notes until he or she stops. Not so with the laptop... boot time and battery life make it impractical for use in a full day of classes.
While some might think "this is a Poli-Sci student and not an end-user," think again. I'm also in a digital arts communication specialization, and do frequent raster/vector graphics and video editing. But am I willing to spend over a grand to be able to do this out in the park on the grass for a few hours? No thanks, I'll do that at home with dirt-cheap PC parts. As for on campus, I'll keep doing what I see everybody doing with their laptops - taking notes & checking email. Only I'll start faster, go longer, and spend less money.
At the beginning there was Palm and Psions, later came pocket pc, I have use them all and they where all good at the time, but times moves on and so should we. Laptops have become tablet pc and now are becoming handtops. Phones are becoming smaller, more powerfull, and are now even replacing cameras.
A handtop will give you the power of Windows XPPro in the palm of your hands. A smatphone will give you instant comunication with your contact list through voice, SMS, MMS, Push to Talk, and even Email. You can take pictures and record voice notes, you can even use small third party applications if you buy a Symbian OS phone. All this without compromising size.
A Handtop+smartphone combination will replace both the laptop and the Pocket Pc. See OQO, Flipstar or even the Flybook and tell me you can not carry those arounds.
To me the perfect combination, for now, is:
Flybook + Nokia 6630 + 40GB IPOD. All these will fit in my A5 size TUMS leather bag, which I need to carry either way. And they all sync perfectly with my Dual 2.5GHz, Power PC G5 at the office. They all are the best at what they do. I do not have time for compromises.
Re: InfoWorld: "I know laptops, and you, PDA, are no laptop"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janak Parekh
...And 'convenient' simply refers to the fact that you don't have to sit through a laptop's boot time.
actually, every macintosh powerbook and ibook has a "sleep" mode. just close the lid and it goes to sleep. open the lid, and it comes back in a fraction of a second. no "restoring system status" thingie like with windows, where it loads ram data back from a temporary storage file on the hard drive.
now all i have to work on is how to walk down the street and operate the mac with just one hand.
might need to start lifting some weights to prepare ...
The only things listed that PPC/Palm can do comfortably for the MAJORITY of users are the calendar, address book, human reminder & calculator functions. Everything else is just a stretch and requires patience.
Well I am quite pleased to see that I do not seem to fit into your definition of the MAJORITY - these are the functions I use my PPC for least. In fact I do not really use it much at all for any of these functions.
On top of that for the first six months I was living in Ireland my Jornada, a stowaway keyboard and a CF modem were not just my laptop replacement but my desktop replacement!
I guess that just goes to show that everybody's usage patterns are different
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...waiting for the arrival of my Axim x50v...But I still love my Newtons!
I'm also in a digital arts communication specialization, and do frequent raster/vector graphics and video editing. But am I willing to spend over a grand to be able to do this out in the park on the grass for a few hours? No thanks, I'll do that at home with dirt-cheap PC parts. As for on campus, I'll keep doing what I see everybody doing with their laptops - taking notes & checking email. Only I'll start faster, go longer, and spend less money.
Welcome Bcries. Nice, thoughtful post there. In the end, as most folk here are saying is that PDAs and laptops have their uses and roles. Which you use most depends on what you do and how you do it. <shrug> Fancy that eh? :wink:
Personally I like carrying my PDA just about everywhere and don't need the extra functionality of a laptop. However, it's obvious that the author of this article is just out to get a reaction. One man's meat..........
My experience is very similar to Bcries. I am also a poor uni student, however I found it cheaper to buy a second hand iBook than a new PDA (they are actually about the same, however you have to factor in the PDA keyboard). What I am looking for atm is a small basic PDA to use as an MP3 player and basic PDA functions (contacts, calendar, note taking etc), iPaq 1940 would be ideal - but as I said I am a poor uni student. The iBook is fast, small and decent battery life, the only difference is starting time is the extra time is takes to get it out of my bag
I hardly see the point of the high end PDA's (4700, A730 etc), the extra uses that devices like that have are as the article pointed out, suited for nothing much except for vertical market applications. But don't get me wrong, if I had the cash I would get myself one as soon as they come out
I hardly see the point of the high end PDA's (4700, A730 etc), ..........But don't get me wrong, if I had the cash I would get myself one as soon as they come out
:huh: OK Chucky. :lol:
So, high end PDAs. Pointless but you want one anyway? Suits the manufactures! :wink:
Budget?
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