Hi all
Would like your feedback. With all the new electronic marvels available to us like lap tops, cell phones and such, do any of you use a PDA. If so, does it really pay to get one? How do you incorporate it into your daily life? What type of program do you use, or do you use the ones that come with them. What brands, models, would you recommend? Thanks in advance.
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Replies
I live and die by my PDA. I have a Compaq iPaq 1910 and I love it. I choose the 1910 because it is the smallest and lightest of the iPaq's. They make several larger more powerful versions if you need to surf the net or other hard core computing tasks, but if you want something that is simple then I highly recommend it. It fits in a shirt pocket which I found is very handy in comparison to wearing it on your side like a cell phone. Here are some thoughts about what it does and how I use it.
-I use it carry all of my contact information. By its very nature it has the ability to sync with my computer. So any information that I have in Outlook (The program that comes with Microsoft Office that handles my calendar, address book, and email) can be synced with my PDA. This is a huge advantage to me since I already have the information in the computer I don't have to retype it into the PDA.
-It has the ability to add additional storage to it. The PDA that I have has the ability to add more external memory in the form of SD Card (Secure Digital Card). The size of the card is dependant on the size of your wallet. I have a 64 MB card in mine and it provides me with plenty of extra storage.
-It also has voice record functionality. Located on the side of the PDA is a record button that you can press that begins a digital audio recording so you can make memos to yourself. I find this very handy when I am driving and can't write things down.
-It uses handwriting recognition. You don't have to learn a special alphabet for the PDA to understand your written input. The 1910 gives you three options to enter data: 1) Palm Alphabet 2) Natural print 3) A on-screen keyboard.
-It runs the Pocket PC operating system. This means that it looks and feels just like a mini version of Windows. So if you understand how Windows works, then you have already learned Pocket PC.
-Any Word or Excel document that I have on my computer can be transfer to the PDA without any special software. Palm handhelds require additional software to transfer these same documents.
-It has an infrared port so you can communicate with other people's hand-helds or cell phones. Great way to exchange contact information.
-It has its on internal battery that gets recharged when you sync it with your computer. I have gotten myself into the habit of plugging it in when I get home to my computer and picking back up when I leave in the morning. I use mine pretty hard and have never run out of battery doing normal activities.
-It has its own internal speaker so you can hear audio play back.
-It also can serve as an MP3 player so you can take your music with you.
If you have any further questions let me know! :-)
Brian
Brian,
Very informative post. I have an old PDA, and only use it as a phone/address book.
Thanks,
darcy
PS are you new here?
Darcey,
Yes, I have been getting FH, FW for years and it never struck me to check out the website until my father got me the CD versions of the magazines which had a link to the site and the forums.
Brian
I've been looking at the Handspring Treo 600 a phone/pda in one, as an on site builder I don't want two devices in my pocket, the Treo seems to do everything and probably more than I need. Any comments would be a help.
Cheers Johnhttp://www.johnwalkerbuilders.com
Beesley;
Are you sure your not a salesmen for Compac. LOL.. Thanks for all that info. You covered just about all my questions. Do you have any special construction programs in yours? I saw one that you can buy on line that will even do stair layouts. Did you purchase a durable hard case too? How much was the compac? I looked into the Palm Tungsten T unit. The price is about $200.00 here and on line. That is about what I want to spend. Can you generate a purchase order or similar list on it and print it out from your pc? Do you keep track of your daily expenses too, if so, on what..a spreadsheet? Thanks again ..Neil
Sorry..Correction to the one I'm looking at.. Tungsten T palm unit
"It has an infrared port so you can communicate with other people's hand-helds or cell phones. Great way to exchange contact information."
I was in a meeting with three other people. They all had PDA's. I did not. I handed out my buisness card which got a mixed reaction. At the end of the meeting the 3 PDA'ers beamed each others contact information to each other. It took about 15 minutes for them to get it to work.
There is a learning curve to things, I will agree. Once you "beam" a few times you will get the hang of it. ;-)
Brian
I find PDA's to be a pain. I went back to a paper calender and notebook. Both PDA's and the ole'fashion paper method will hold as much detail as you want to enter, but I find it easier to get the "quick scan and 30k foot view" with paper. The key for me was to figure out a way to keep it all in one notebook at a time.
I'm no luddite. I use a laptop for emails, contacts, documents, spreadsheets, etc.
I do, however, miss having all my contact info handy. My solution to that will be a new phone that holds more numbers. The $hitty one I have now only holds 99 numbers.
Just another opinion.
geezzzz and here I thought I was behind the times for using a pencil rather than a pen.
The times they are a changin (hense a pencil with an eraser)
andy
My life is my practice!
http://CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
I wanted to get an Ipac, but was given the Palm. While it is useful, it is a pain to enter. I can write much faster. And I would prefer to do this sort of thing driving, so the Ipac was the only solution. I use it for cantact info, as it's much easier to look up a guy who you haven't called in a while, and can't remember his last (or first) name. Serchable databases are cool!
So, I use a day calender, (NO batteries!) for record keeping, and my Palm for long term year to year address keeping.
That said, If I had the Ipac, I might be more aggressive about it's use.
Jake GulickJake Gulick
[email protected]
CarriageHouse Design
Black Rock, CT
Kyocera 7135 Phone / PDA Combo unit here & I love it !
All my contact, budget, sheduling & Etc. spreadsheets (Excel) are automatically synced from my desktop to my phone with one button on the interface / charger cradle.
Tried 3-4 different software packages (office suites) and settled on Iambic Office. The main bonus with the Iambic is when I look up a phone number (I use an excel spreadsheet) you just highlight the # and press send. Aside from that it is the best cell phone I have ever used !
It actually has the capacity to allow me to make small drawings with the stylus and either fax or email them.
"With all the new electronic marvels available to us like lap tops, cell phones and such, do any of you use a PDA. If so, does it really pay to get one?"
Neil,
My wife just started a new job, upper management level, very big company. They provide her with literally all the "tools" she needs to do here job. PDA was NOT one of them. instead they gave her a tiny tiny notebook PC as powerful as a desktop, with built-in wireless. It measures 3/4" thick, about 11"x9" square. At her desk is a "docking station" with a large LCD flat panel, wireless keyboard and mouse, and a USB DVD R/W. If she has to go somewhere, she just lifts it out of the dock and takes it with her. Very slick. On it's own, the screen is tiny and the keyboard small, but way better than a PDA. Neat for surfing the net though, if you have a wireless network at home, or as many places do "in the area."
Jon
That notebook is slightly more than the $200 budget he was shooting at.
The ones our execs at work use are around $1800 to $2000 with the docking station, but without additional software packages. Out IT department furnishes that.
Dave
I did some checking and the Compaq seem pretty good. Most of the stores are out of stock so I guess I'll wait a while. Hot Christmas items this year. Thanks for everyone's input. Any others with their opinions and recommendations are still welcomed. Thanks
"That notebook is slightly more than the $200 budget he was shooting at."
Dave,
True, but just pointing out that PDA's are on the way out. Not yet,.......but in time.
Jon
Jon
I'm afraid I have to disagree with your notion that PDA's are on the way out. I am assuming that you feel that the mini laptop / docking station is the wave of the future for current PDA users. While this scenario may work great for your wife and others, I definitely don't think it works for everyone. It really depends on what you do for a living and where you do it, as well as what you use the PDA for. Two of my best friends are in the computer business and are happily PDA free. They both use laptops with midsize screens with no docking stations. As far as the size of the keyboard, one says she just got used to it, and to be honest, the other uses a desktop at the office and he leaves the laptop in the bag. They both use some sort of scheduling software (Outlook and Goldmine), and both are almost always tethered to the office network. Their work requires the use of a computer all of the time. When they leave their offices for meetings, the laptop goes with every time.
For me, I have a laptop with a docking station at the office. It is a beautiful 15" Dell. It is not nearly as portable as your wife's little box. But, I don't care. My field estimating work doesn't require that I take the laptop into brutal field conditions. My field meetings don't require the need of a big (or small) laptop because I don't need to run spreadsheets out in the field. What I do need is a source of information like a contact list for phone numbers and addresses, a daily planner so that I can make scheduling adjustments anywhere, and a hot list of what I need to do everyday. There is no way I would be interested in lugging around your wife's laptop to do these functions which can be done with a device which fits in my shirt pocket. Tonight at Cub Scouts with my son I scheduled 3 different events for the two us in the next two months with my PDA. Does your wife go out to her car for her laptop in a situation like this ? Or resort to scraps of paper and say "I'll have to get back to you ".
I think that you are wrong that PDA's are a dying product. Way wrong. I think that the Treo 600 PDA / Phone is the wave of the future. I think that people are tired of having a phone and a PDA and this is a perfect way to marry the two. You can pick up one of these devices for $400 now, and this is just the beginning. The prices will keep dropping and the units will keep getting more powerful. The next big step will be the increase in wireless data connectivity speeds for cellular. This is going to make the handheld device far more powerful.
Even after all of this, do I think that people like my two friends will have PDA's ? Probably not. Because they still need their laptop for all of their business and they are content using the stored numbers on their cell phone memories to call associates.
It sure puts a smile on my face when they ask me for a friend's phone number or a restaurant recommendation because they know I have an answer in about 5 seconds............
carpenter in transition
After all the talk and research I am going to buy/rent a Treo600, down here in Oz they cost $1299.00! what with technology changing so quickly I thought a rent where I can upgrade is the way to go, and the whole amount is tax deductible.
cheers Johnhttp://www.johnwalkerbuilders.com
I have an older (~2yrs) Casio Cassiopeia E-115. It runs the Pocket PC system, so it is very similiar to window on a laptop/desktop. Am able to synch up with and run # of programs I have on my desktop ( Word, Excel, Quicken, etc.)
What do I use it for? Keep all my contacts info (names, phone#'s, etc), schedules and appointments. Works great for that. I also have a number of excel files that I keep on it. Also have a program called ListPro that I downloaded from the web (handango.com) that I use for making lists and 'to do' files. Having tried yet, but I would like to try and make a task/material/etc. list with it for the different construction jobs. Tried for a bit to set something up to track time spent on each
Would be nice to find some construction related software that I like, but I havent looked to hard.
I think the draw backs to the Palms/Pocket PC's are the screen sizes and inputting info into the machine. The screens are small. Look at the viewable screen size on the PDA's your looking at. I would go with the largest you can get. I am able to switch to a landscape view on mine to view more in the horizontal. It can be a pain sometimes to input info in. Its not as fast as writing ( systems may have improved since I got mine). I have seen some after market stuff that basically looks like a small binder/planner book, your PDA slips into one side, other side has a pad of paper. Whatever you write onto the paper pad is transferred to your PDA. Have no idea how well they work. Think they were ~$90- $100 at Circuit City.
Mine has been pretty durable ( dogs run around with it, fallen a few times), but I try not to abuse it. Since mine is older, its also bigger than the new ones ( like twice the thickness and weight), dont know if this has played a part. I keep mine in the case that came with it ( leather with hard panel on one side). Have thought about getting a hard case for it.
Sorry for the epic tale, hope this helps.
M2akita
In contrast to the rest of the posters, I just got my new Palm Tungsten T2 to replace my old M105 - because my eyes had changed and I could not see the thing: contrast problems.
I DON'T like the Graffiti thing, but normally I use notes on the day timer and always carry a paper diary too.
At night I get into the desktop and write whatever I need to, and transfer back and forth to the Palm and the paper.
I might have gone to the Compaq but nobody could tell em with certainty if I would loose all the info in the Palm files.
I LIKE the fact I can alarm myself for appointments, Bluetooth to my phone and back up to the computer. I have lap tops, but they are not on an inverter, so I don't use them in the car for quotes (yet)
Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the Handyman
Vancouver, Canada
You folks ever try Punchlist software for the PDA by Bosch? Interesting app for running a project.
I upgraded my PDA from an antique green screen Palm to the Garmin iQue 3600. After four months: Like it a lot.
It has a great color screen, full PDA features, and a GPS plus street maps for the whole US of A (not all loaded at once. It will navigate you to any address in your address book, complete with voice prompts and closeup maps of each turn.
Yesterday we had to send a truck into LA for a shipment of tile. Not a problem. Enter address and ask for a route, then start driving.
I looked for that name in the Bosch web site and could not find it. Could you please give me a reference?Quality repairs for your home.
Aaron the HandymanVancouver, Canada
Sure can.
Notice that Bosch has it under the punchlist name, hence your problem. Google on punchlist software and you will find a bunch of stuff.
http://www.punchlist.com/
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000T4N5E/002-9903324-4228058?v=glance
http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20000107_hmbuilding.htm
I have been using the Punch list program since 98 we do mainly townhomes so there our many addresses to keep track of. I have it loaded on my lap top & an $80. palm. Works great for me less paper work . If you need more info on it let me know!
Yes, I would appreciate a review of Punchlist from someone who has Hands On - and it sounds like you have a lot of time on it.
We have a new Super who will probably become VP:Construction and he seems receptive to ideas. Perhaps we can give it a try. We do need a better way to track details and communicate same.
I have tried to read all the posts thoroughly but I did not see anyone talk about whether their PDA had map software installed. Will be needing that AND I would like to have capability to have a PERT style scheduling software on it (I use Fast Track by AEC and LOVE it on my desktop and laptop).
Does anyone here use GPS systems for their jobs? Any reviews?
I have an "older" Ipaq with the Navman GPS installed... it has some idiosyncracies but...I loveeeeeeee it. Quite accurate, amazingly sophisticated and a very good value. http://www.navman.com BTW, if you buy it, it comes with a great windshield mount which unfortunately doesn't work at all in the winter. Buy a RAM brand PDA mount. Snazzy, padded, very heavy (lead filled) ball and socket set up that sits very stably on your dashboard.
I got a Sony Clie as a gift one time. Didn't really want it, and never thought I'd use it. But I did start playing with it, and shortly discovered how useful it was. No more notes on several pieces of paper all around the house, truck, toolbox, etc. I can make lists in the PDA, and give each one a category, like groceries, hardware store, Christmas lists, projects, and anything else you want. It's easy to figure out.
Then I transferred all my contacts to the PDA. Piece of cake to import/export from any database, contact manager program, spreadsheet...
Now I use it for my calendar and appointments too. I have tried many many times in my previous life as an engineering manager in the corporate world to have a schedule, either paper or on the computer. Tried all the daytimers and desk calendars, but was never successful at keeping up on it, or had too many calendars in the wrong place. So now I put everything in the PDA, it's in one spot, and I have it with me most of the time. Personal, business, everything. It's small and easy to carry around.
Unfortunately, I left that one on the top of the car one day and drove away. Heard a thump. looked back and saw the little thing sliding along the highway behind me. Went back for it, but I think a semi must have nailed the thing. It was even more compact than before.
No great loss, I figured. It was a free gift. I lived without it before. But, I just had to buy one within a couple of weeks, because nothing was organized. So I bought another Sony Clie, but a little better, with a color screen, and a hard plastic flip cover, which I think is a great feature. The old one would turn on when I inadvertently pushed a button when the thing was in my shirt pocket and I'd lean on something. Really annoying problem that I don't have anymore. The plastic cover really protects the screen too, and I don't feel it's a hassle to open the thing when I want to use it.
Didn't lose any data, since I synched with the desktop computer the day before I left the first one on the car roof. Setting the new one up to use the existing desktop software was no problem.
There are basically 2 operating platforms, (kind of like Windows vs. Mac), but it's PocketPC vs. Palm for the PDA operating system. I like the Palm OS, since it comes on instantly, has plenty of 3rd party apps, plenty of support, and can be had in a broad price range of PDAs.
Sure it would be nice to have a cell phone, PDA, voice recorder, and digital camera all rolled into one for about $200, but we ain't there yet. I kept my old cell phone, I have a digital camera, and I just bought a little pouch for the digital camera that I put the PDA in when I go on jobs, so I have everything, it is all protected, and easy to get to.
I like it so much I bought my wife a basic level Palm m105 off the internet. No color screen or bells and whistles, but she likes it and uses it. I got a memory stick rom Santa, and now I can use the PDA as an MP3 player. Could be useful on those boring jobs when you're all alone.;
Long winded, but I hope it helped.
BTW, beaming your electronic business card consists of pulling up your name in the address book and holding down a button for about 5 seconds. Not too difficult, and actually easier than trying to get a paper business card out of the holder wallet when you have too many jammed in there.
Good luck.
I have had 3, all on the Palm platform. The latest is a Sony Clie NX73. This unit has an amazing color screen that rivals a laptop. It's important to remember that these things are not laptops and while you can look at Excel and Word files, the screens are very small, so this isn't really all that practical.
The benefit to a PDA is the multiple databases (address book, calender, to do lists) that exist on a computer and in your PDA as well as being safely backed up on a floppy. If you lose your PDA, you just get a new one, and Hot Sync it. Bingo ! all your data is back again. Lose your Day-Timer and you are screwed ! Another great benefit is the ability to search the PDA for a piece of info just like you can search a computer. It takes only 2 seconds.
I must say that I don't know much about the Windows CE based OS, but I haven't heard much good about it. I have always owned Palm products and have been happy. There are tons of aftermarket software pieces for Palms. Out of all 3 devices I have had, Palm, Handspring and Sony, the Sony is by far the best quality of them all with its magnesium case. Just amazing.
carpenter in transition
I purchased the ipaq 1945 model. Pretty cool. I have a lot to learn using it. My main thing I want to use it for is a spread sheet, besides appointments and contact info. This has a voice recorder. Just wish it came with a manual. Working off the disc is frustrating.
I`ve got a Palm Vx (somewhat oldschool).....use it every day. All important info always at hand....while an electronic device is not necessary for this, it sure beats having to make sure you`ve got the various handwritten versions with you at all times.
I`m looking to purchase an MP3 player in the not so distant future and the Palm Zire 71 has such ability as well as a digital camera. The camera would replace the Polaroid I currently haul around for on the job snapshots. Its listed at $249 currently which is less than what I paid for the Palm I have now....seriously considering the upgrade.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"
I like the Palm Zire 71. One of the owners of my company has one and it takes a very decent photo for it's compact size. He uses it a lot on site visits, punch list checks and even for photographing some of our architectural models from perspectives where the large digital won't fit.
My wife bought me the original Palm Zire for my anniversary last month and I'm already wondering how I managed without a PDA all those years. So far the only accessory programs I've added are a construction master style calculator and a Bible reader but those alone have made it worth the price of admission. I have several versions of calculators and Bibles scattered all over the place and can usually put my hand on a non-PDA version of both pretty quickly but it's really nice to have those resources in the palm of my hand no matter where I'm at.
I would like to find the Thomas J. Glover pocket reference in a PDA software version and all the code books of the trade - particularly the IBC. Now that would make it sure enough indispensable!Kevin Halliburton
"I believe that architecture is a pragmatic art. To become art it must be built on a foundation of necessity." - I.M. Pei -
Not familiar enough with the Zire yet to know whether or not it would be an add-on app., but I`ve got "Documents To Go" which translates Excel, Word and several others to Palm format. Perhaps not indespensible, but nice not to have to have paper copies of every work order change.J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
"DO IT RIGHT, DO IT ONCE"