i sort of realized that a PDA is, for me, basically just a detached outlook device. the only extra things i do with them is read ebooks.
so even though i won 2 pocketpcs right here on PPCT, i reverted back to my p900 smartphone since it does all those basics i need. even the occasional email and webbrowsing is possible, which is simpler with an all-in-one device.
i'm not in uni anymore, but if i were, i'd probably try and afford a laptop since i could write along in class, and pretty much have all my work, assignements and class notes with me. when i drive home to visit my parents, i can just set up camp in the garden and write essays etc. which is pretty much not possible on a pda. of course i could write the basic text on it, then transfer to a pc and format to fit the "design"-needs of my perfesser. but it's just too small for me.
it also depends on the type of studies you do. some require more writing-along than others.
on the other hand, having a calendar and adress book with me all the time that's always up-to-date is also very important. i actually don't know what i'd to if i had like 1000 to spend and needed to decide between a laptop and a pda. i know one thing for certain, i'd never go back to 2 devices (cellphone and pda), i have switched camps and enjoy myself in the all-in-one arena.
i actually started this post to maybe offer some decision-making help to others, but i realized it's not possible. all i know is that pdas and laptops are not alternatives, really. they're a symbiotic pair that work best when used together.
(in case you're wondering what i did with 2 pdas:
one was for my girlfriend [xdaII] from the start, the second [ipaq 4315] i gave to my brother as a b-day present. he's at university, and he's thrilled. he's finally able to organize his schedule, keep track of all his contacts and even read the occasional ebook. oh, and since his uni has wireless LAN, he's able to survive even the most boring of classes )
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.
Re: InfoWorld: "I know laptops, and you, PDA, are no laptop"
Quote:
Originally Posted by dMores
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.
Just to correct you. Windows does also have this feature, it´s called Standby. Mine takes appr. 1 sec. to restore. The one you´re reffering to is called hibernating. The difference is that standby keeps power on the ram, while hibernating stores the ram on the HD.
aha. ok. maybe the 3 XP laptops i have in my vicinity (kolleagues' and girlfriend's) aren't set up properly, because they take 10-15 seconds to wake up from hibernation.
yes, sleep mode is the power-consuming one.
thanks, will look into sleep mode for gf's laptop, she complains about the boot time
please, lets be real. it DOES NOT perform more than half those things half as well as the standalone counterpart (i.e. - MP3 player/iPod, sketchpad/pencil & pad, console emulator/GBA)
Well of COURSE it doesn't perform those functions as well as a dedicated unit. But it does perform them well enough for the overwhelming majority of the PPC users. And that's the beauty of the PPC, it's versatility.
Brad, you hit the nail right on the head. I know, because I made the same mistake with my Axim. Thought the dual slots, and an external keyboard would turn it into a laptop replacement. It didn't and never will, unless your laptop needs are really really basic.
Only it fits in your pocket, so it's exactly what you will lose
I love this...it's like he's grasping at straws so early in his article, as if he's already run out of points to talk about. What about phones, keys, or even something as mundane as a cigarette lighter?! They're all too small and fit in your pocket -- lets integrate them into the laptop so you won't lose it!
Quote:
It doesn't hold anything new, but only provides a more convenient way of accessing information already contained on your laptop.... A PDA just means he or she can leave it in the hotel or at his or her temporary desk at the branch office instead of carrying it around.
And that's not useful because....? :?
Quote:
Meanwhile, can a PDA really take the place of laptop? Not in my world. Can you run Visio or a sexy PowerPoint off your PDA? Can you open a 5MB Excel workbook loaded with macros and formulas and do some real work instead of simply gouging your eyes out at the small screen space? Nope, nope, and just a little more nope. You need a mobile PC for these sorts of tasks, and PDAs aren't it. So to increase sales, PDA makers are tacking on anything small and easy to make the little kumquats more appealing. But how good or even useful are these new features?
Lets rewrite that in a PDA-oriented view:
Meanwhile, can a laptop really take the place of a PPC? Not in my world. Can you walk down the street and run a sexy WiFi scanner on your laptop? Can you open an ebook or acrobat loaded with critical documents to do some real work, instead of juggling the laptop and trying to find space to stand in the subway? Nope, nope, and just a little more nope. You need a more mobile device for these sort of tasks, and laptops aren't it. So to increase sales laptop makers are tacking on anything small and easy to make the little kumquats more appealing. But how good or even useful are these new features? (Read: Sony U50/70)
Someone should transpose his entire article and name it, "I know PDAs, and you, laptop, are no PDA" :mrgreen:. Or someone should email the guy and point him to this thread. He needs to be edumacated :lol:
As several people have mentioned, there is little sense comparing a PPC to a laptop. Kind of like the ridiculous exercise of comparing a laptop to a desktop 15 years ago. But technology tends to mature and devices tend to grow to maiximize their potential.
I would not want to try to indefinitely replace my notebook with my PPC as there are many tasks the PPC simply cannot manage, at least in this stage of its development. What I find to be true, though, is that trips I can manage with the PPC alone are becoming longer. I have a Toshiba e805 and find that I can be away from my notebook for several days most of the time. PPC software is becoming more capable of allowing me to maintain routine tasks. PlanMaker and TextMaker are very acceptable substitutes for Excel and Word. NetFront browser allows me to access most sites I require. SprintDB lets me take along critical Access data and even synchronize changes when I return to my desk. Landscape mode display and an IR keyboard make text and data entry an almost painless process. And I can connect wirelessly for email. I can listen to music on the plane or train and have several books along for the ride as well. Using ClearVue apps, I can review and print most files sent to me for comment, including PDF, which is my company's preferred cross-platform format.
I used to take a 12-pound briefcase on every trip holding notebook and needed accessories. Most of the time now it's a 3 pound guide bag or a little extra space taken up in my regular briefcase.
People use PPC's for what suits them. No multi-function device ever performs as well as the several dedicated devices it replaces. There are always trade-offs. People have to decide if the trade-offs are acceptable to them. For me, the convenience of packing one light, compact device and a few accessories is a very important consideration. This Toshiba does, in fact, often function as a laptop substitute for me and fills my needs quite well much of the time. There are still times when my laptop must travel with me, but it is more often sitting on the desk waiting for me to return. It is typically my work-completion machine where my PPC is becoming more and more my work-initiating machine.
Like every other technology, the PPC suits some and doesn't suit others. That doesn't make it either a panacea or a lost cause. That makes it a typical tool. Use it or use something else; it's your choice. For me, the PPC platform has been a very productive choice and has grown far beyond being a PDA.
Uh, have you folks considered *where* the column originated?
Infoworld, like Computerworld, Information Week, eWeek, and to a lesser degree CNET/ZDNET are all IT-centric publications run by IT/Datacenter types who, as a rule, *don't like computers*.
Of *any* kind.
Of course, the author sees no value in PDAs, he lives in the fabled glass house!
Just consider his opening sentence: he was setting up an assessment for a corporation and he was telling them it would cost $13,000 to properly support and integrate a handful of PDAs.
Stop and think about that.
Thousands of dollars per PDA.
Typical of centralized IT-thinking, though.
After all, *standards* come before productivity and one size fits all.
By their standards, PDAs are a failure *precisely* because they are PDAs.
They dont run x86 cpus, they can't be remotely-managed, they don't have standard screens or keyboards, and, above all; you can't touch-type on them!
As for those advocating the palm-top XP boxes? Think again.
IT will also disallow them.
Just as they disallow full-size Tablet PCs.
For the same reasons; screen size, keyboard, non-standard OS-image, applications...
To these folks, *any* PC mutation means more work for *them*; a palmtop or table PC is another standard image configuration that needs supporting. Another hardware configuration to be maintain.
It is, in most cases, a *doubling* of their "already unbearable" workload.
They *might* condescend to maintaining *two* standard configurations--one for desktops and one for laptops--but they won't like it. Three? Four? "Get thee from here, satan!"
Going back to the original scenario:
This corporate executive found a potentially useful tool for his day to day productivity and was willing to invest a couple thousand dollars to equip his staff with them.
So how does the IT crew react?
"Yes, boss; we'll help you be more productive."?
Nope.
They throw a hissy fit.
How dare that technical illiterate pick out his own tools!
How dare he thell them what they should support or not?
They are the lords of computing!
They specify what gets used and how.
They are the tail that wags the dog.
So, what do they do?
They present a business case that inflates the cost of the PDA to the cost of a laptop and then make the non-sequitur argument that if it costs as much as a laptop it should do what a laptop does.
Since a PDA is no laptop, it can't do what a laptop does the way the laptop does it; ergo, it is a failure and the executive who wanted the PDA is an idiot.
Yell loud enough and most managers won't even catch on to the strawman gambit they're being presented with; they'll be too dazzled by the smoke and mirrors.
Simple reality: PDAs are end-user devices; they make the life of the end-user easier and they make the end-user more productive. The same is true for TabletPCs and sub-notebooks and the Palmtop PCs.
But to IT they mean more diversity; more work.
So, of course, they hate them!
No, duh!
Now, if that nameless exec has any brains, he'll take the columnist's, report, nod, say "Thank you." And toss the report into the circular file.
And then he'll have one of his AA's buy a couple of books and training videos on how to set-up and manage PDAs and go merrily on his own way.
Every time you hear IT folks whining about out-sourcing, bear in mind that the only reason an in-house operation *can* be outsourced is when it has so standardized and simplified its corporate support to the level where an outsider can walk in, with no knowledge of the day-to-day business of the company, and provide the exact same generic services.
In other words; they have taken the added-value out of their jobs.
They have put *themselves* out of business.
That is IT-think for you.
Things have to be taken within context, guys.
And IT types just don't like complexity.
They don't care about end-user productivity.
And they don't care about saving money.
They do care about *their* workload.
Because what they do is *difficult* and it's *important*.
What some stupid executive who signs their paycheck does is both easy and trivial.
So, if he needs to take some meeting notes, let him bring out the corporate standard 9 pound laptop running Win2K (XP is still in beta-testing, don't you know?) and type it in.
How dare he suggest he can identify a useful tool on his own!
What?
Oh, yes; I've been there, done that.
Now I know better.
I no longer go to central IT. ;-)
please, lets be real. it DOES NOT perform more than half those things half as well as the standalone counterpart (i.e. - MP3 player/iPod, sketchpad/pencil & pad, console emulator/GBA)
Perhaps the term PDA or Pocket PC should be changed to Pocket GPC; General Purpose Computer.
I know a guy who is still using a Jornada 568 with a camera and keyboard. that's all he carries on the road. He actually works with the production and fielding branch of the Black Hawk helicopter Program Management Office. He hated his laptop and when he saw my Jornada a couple of years ago he went out and bought one because his boss would not. He has replaced his notebook with his PDA. I'm not even sure he even has a notebook any more.
Now if I could only get his boss to contract me for some custom code
If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a thousand…OK maybe just 50 times. A PDA will NEVER take the place of a laptop.
1. The screen is too small.
2. The device doesn’t run standard Windows applications. (I still get people who come to me and ask how they install their copy of X windows software on the Pocket PC after they purchase it. The PC part gets the average user somewhat confused.
3. You need to carry around at minimum a keyboard to get any real work done. But in reality you should be carrying around a Mouse (If it works.), keyboard, and a spare battery and possibly a power block.
PDA’s are wonderful things. They are NOT. Repeat NOT laptop replacements unless you are some uber geek willing to settle for such above limitations. I can tell you that the majority of the work world will not settle for such limitations.
Now take the above items and flip them. A laptop isn’t a good substitute for a PDA because.
1. The screen is too big.
2. The programs are too bloated.
3. The device overall is too large to carry around easily. (Try whipping out your tablet PC or subnotebook next time you are at the grocery store to mark down the costs you just incurred and see how pissed off the people behind you get.)
4. In the real world instant on is a necessity not an option with PDA’s. PDA’s were never intended to be used long term. Turn on, check an appointment, jot a note, maybe play a game, turn off. Yes obviously there are exceptions to this. There are power users in the audience who spend hours browsing the net on their PDA but I’m talking for the majority of the users out there. They are devices designed around an on the go world to be used day to day throughout one’s life. Laptops on the other hand were designed to be turned on to do work. Laptops had suspend mode slapped on them because it makes the device easier to start up. But even then most resume from suspend mode laptops, even the latest and greatest take at minimum 1-2 seconds to start up with longer times the older the devices get. A good resume on a laptop is a godsend but its man function is to be faster then simply cold booting a laptop. Once up a user on a laptop is, generally, there for a while. Instant on and instant off are after thought addons to the laptop. They work but not nearly as well as a PDA and that’s because they were never intended to function like a PDA.
I could go into a similar comparison to a laptop vs. a desktops. A debate that has all but died over the years. Why has it died? Because people now understand that laptops have their places as do desktops. People have yet to get that PDA’s have their places as does the laptop. A fact that is completely missed by Mr. Rist.
I personally would never give up my Pocket PC, nor would I give up my laptop. Trying to have one device take the place of the other is like putting a round peg in a triangle hole and vis versa. These devices compliment each other in their capabilities not compete. Only the fanatical fans of each device make it out to be a competition. In the end I do believe that the PDA will die. OK maybe die is too strong of a word. More like transform into a hybrid device that runs an OS more like its desktop brethren then the Pocket PC OS. The OQO is the first step in this change but when it comes out it will still be too bulky, chunky, and slow for many. (Again the OQO is trying to slap a laptop into the PDA segment and while many will bite many others who use a PDA will not if for no other reason then the price. More will follow in the next few years and we will probably see a new term coined for whatever the industry standardizes on. (Palmtop anyone?) I think the reason why the PDA have been an unstable industry the last couple of years is because its in flux. It’s changing into something and that dust from the construction has yet to settle and it probably won’t for at least another few years until MS gets its head out of its butt and really updates the OS. Right now the OS is what’s holding back new and innovative hardware designs. It lacks a number of functionality aspects that its *top kin have. When the dust does settle we are going to have devices that fit in out pockets that are instant on that run Windows Longhorn embedded or whatever the next slimmed down version of Windows MS releases is.
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PDA History: Palm Pilot 5000 -> Apple Newton 2100 -> Casio E-11 -> iPaq 3650 (64MB Upgrade) -> iPaq 3700 -> Casio EM-500 -> HP Jornada 568 -> HP iPaq hx4705 www.spreadfirefox.com
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Re: InfoWorld: "I know laptops, and you, PDA, are no laptop"
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