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Am getting a delayed Xmas present next week – a Handspring Visor Platinum PDA, which I can use with my Mac desktop and G3 laptop. So, I’m naturally curious what some of you use PDAs like the Palms and others for besides appts. and address books.
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Sonny, my wife and I both have Palms and have used them for several years. She has the nice color one and I have a monochrome one. I don't know what's available for the Visor but there are scads of applications available for the Palm off the 'net. My wife is a computer tech with the school district and has a time reporter app that she uses to bill her time for each school and project. The databases available are great for keeping track of inventory - she sews and keeps track of her 600+ patterns on her Palm as well as her 200+ collection of cookie cutters. There is a grocery shopping app called Handy Shopper that comes in , well, handy! You can sort according to what items you want to get at each of several stores. She also has a fold-up full-size keyboard that she attaches to the Palm to take notes at meetings.
Before I took early retirement from a major railroad, I was a mechanical manager. I mostly used my Palm for all the functions one would use a planner for - mine replaced a Franklin Monarch planner - with the additional, invaluable, ability to 'search and find' information with a keyword or even just part of a word. For example, I had a derailment at Lynndyl, UT, several years ago. If I type in "lyn" everything starting with those letters comes up. I choose the correct one, 12-23-97, and see that I was notified at 6:00 A.M. (also show I had a locomotive derailed at Helper, UT that day). There were 5 cars derailed by impact switching, the car numbers and estimated damages are listed as well as the names of the rerailing crew and their time. I show what time each car was rerailed and note that we swung by Helper on the wat back to Salt Lake to take care of that locomotive. Try that with a paper-based planner!! I also used the Palm to keep track of expenses for my expense account. I would imagine that there are construction-type applications for the Palm on the net.
Sonny, I think these PDA's can be the greatest thing since sliced bread for people who need to keep track of their time (I forgot to mention that there is an alarm function to remind you of appointments and special events) and need databases and spreadsheets at hand.
*Don, Tom uses the cheaper Palm for appointments and address book. The Handspring Visor Platinum (www.handspring.com) is getting more popular tht the Palms because of their "Springboards". For example, I can buy an acessory (very small) and lug it inot the top of the Visor and it becomes a digital recorder, another one is a digital camera, although it's only 320x240 pixels and other "Springboards. Handsprings use the same software as Palms, but comes set up for Macs as opposed to having to buy additional software like for Palms to operate in Mac format.My main use for it will be the new business - a home inspection type of business. I hope to be able to install work sheet forms to be checked off on the PDA while performing the inspections. I figure the Visor can be hung off a leather pouch on one's belt so the inspector will have both hands free.I get it next Tues or Wed so I'm typically anxious like a kid waiting for a new toy.
*Sonny, I also have been using a Palm for about 3 years. I use a software program call Punch List. (www.Punchlist.com) This is one tool I could not live without. One word of caution The screens break Very easy, I would not put mine on a belt loop. (this from somebody who has broken more then 1 screen) Good Luck !
*G....I was sent the Punch list demo....How do you like the program?...Are they updating the software yearly?near the stream,aj
*A.J. Punch List updates a few times a year. They sent me a few new issues but I like the older 2.0 software had everything I need for tracking the Subs & Slugs, as long as they have a fax to send them Nasty Grams. The new stuff was a bit to much for me. Down to my last 20 units hope to finish the project by June. Also doing a 2000sg. ft. walk-out behind the house that I live in just for kicks. dried -in & looking to start Brick & shingles next week if the weather holds. Happy New Year !
*I have the Palm IIIxe. Don't know how I ever lived without it (isn't that like any other tool, though?). I've replaced the scraps of wood and paper lists with this thing. Memo for shopping lists, punch lists, and instructions; to-do list for specfic daily tasks. I replaced the standard lid with a recorder lid, which helps a lot (since I get a lot of ideas about what needs to be done while driving). I've also replaced my vehicle mileage log with a download called "trip" to record all my vehicle expenses. One question, though; is it worth it to spend the 2 C-notes on Punchlist? I generally did this in the past on paper, but is it more of a project management software, or is it just a list of thing to take care of?
*Jason, The 2 large ones for Punch List was worth it for me. We do from 100 to 250 Townhouses a year.Its a good system for keeping Tabs on the Subs. My hand writting is not the best so this prints up a very nice fax. If I was only doing one or two projects a year the $200 may be in question.
*OK guys, you just cost me Money! At least tell me which of the Palms is best for what. That's the least you can do after selling me on the thing.By the way, how can I do quick job of typing and printing off one of those midgets?
*Fred, you can check out Handspring and what they call, "Springboards". You an also go to the web site below it to check out the message boards for Handspring.http://www.handspring.com/http://www.visorvillage.com/boards/
*Thanks Sonny. I checked it out, wonder why they are so much cheaper, and apparently better than Palm? Haven't seen the Visor in the stores either.Still not clear on just how I would say scan in a form, complete it via a keyboard and then print it. I seem to have seen something, somewhere where this was possible with the Palm.By the way, how is kicking the drug habit coming?
*Fred, I am supposed to get my Visor Platinum today - it was delayed. Anyway, any questions I have will be directed to that Visor Village site. I also bought a book, Handspring Visor for Dummies - sold in most book stores. ISBN#0-7645-0724-9.One of the things I like about the Visor is the digital recorder "springboard" which is small and snaps into the top of the Visor. Nice for taking notes while driving or at a customer's house. Most stores don't sell the Handsprings altoug a few people on the Village site said Best Buy sells it. I'm also going to buy a service contract for it - about $60 for three years - cheap since it covers looses, breakage from dropping it, and theft.All Palm software will work on Handsprings since they use the same operating system.
*Fred, just looked up "printing" in the Visor for Dummies book. It will print and they sugges a Canon BJC-50 battery operated printer for use away. This printer has an IR port, as does the Visor, or you ca use a cable. The book also says the BJC-50 can be connedted to your regular computer via a cable and use it just like any other printer. Nice a a back up if needed. The printer is about the size of a carton of smokes and apparently since the book was written, Canon came out with another portable printer - the BJC-85 - $300 in color and B&W. Nice for me for printing Invoices at the spot for small jobs. No more sending Invoices and waiting for a check, and more professional than hand written ones.
*FredB, I got a Palm IIIxe as a gift (after talking about it for six months), and I beleive (since I do the bills), it came out to about $225. As for writing on it; I got a game called Giraffe, which teaches you how to correctly write in the Graffitti letters. As you can imagine, I've spent some time trying to learn (okay, I was trying to beat the high score), how to correctly put in the letters. After a week or so, I'm good enough that I can read my own writing. As for printing, I don't have any problem printing from the Palm desktop application. My brother got me a new cover with a voice recorder, which at first I thought was a waste of money, but upon getting home, I'm finding myself with many, many messages I've dictated to myself that in the past I would have swerved around in the truck trying to write down on an old MacDonald's bag. Can't wait to get one of the Palm (actually I think they're made by Kodak), digital cameras that connects to thist thing. Cheers for now. Jason
*Jason, my wife has the Palm digital camera (it IS made by Kodak). It takes very good color pictures, especially considering the size of the unit, comparable, I think, to Polaroid photos. Number of photos seems to be memory dependant - she has many applications loaded on the Palm and available memory tends to float between 14 to 20 photos. They print out quite nicely on her HP990Cse. Make good screen savers, too!
*Thanks, for all the info guys. I finally received my Visor today. Am starting to learn it's operation and will play with it this week end. Found out tonight a company came out with a full fledged word processor for PDAs what till sync (?) with MS Word. Here's the scoop on it - $30 until 1/31/01 http://www.palmblvd.com/articles/2001/1/2001-1-4-High-Powered-PalmOS.html
*OK! Looked up the links and did some web research also. It seems the Visor and the Palm are the two biggies for now. The opinion seems to be that newer PDA's will be even more robust and may leave these behind. But, for me, they are so cheap that who cares?From the eopinion articles and the other research it seems that the Palm is still the superior product when compared to the Visor. Especially for email, scanning in/completing/and printing forms. Is this an accurate perception?Keep giving feedback please. I am in the midst of buying but am still a bit confused.
*Well Sonny, you've had the little toy for awhile now. What do you think of it? How does it do related to the Palm? Tried the keyboard? Email through the available modem?I've looked up the links you gave. But, I'd like your first hand opinion.
*Have the Palm V currently. Most of us here at work (no longer in the remodeling field - try IT Consulting...) have Visors or Palms or other, and it appears that the Palms win out in popularity, and seem more rugged. But the Visors currently have more bells and whistles for the techy geek crowd (lots of those around here). Among other software downloads, I use PocketQuicken in my Palm to track expenses when on the run, then just snyc it with my computers at home and work and it dumps into Quicken for me. Not bad. I have had to return the Palm several times in the last 1.5 yrs, but have always had excellent service and recommend Palms w/o reservation. Punchlist sounds great - to save money and be unethical find a bootleg copy. Good luck.
*Fred, have been battling a rotten cold for over a week. (It's been winning) We've all had that kind before - headaches, running nose, coughing and generally feeling lousy. Fortunately, Andrew has been able to keep up with the work so I've been spending most of my time on the sofa watching TV, dozing off an on and feeling like I'm retired - Yech! Anyway, so I haven't done anything with the Visor other than the first couple of days installing my address book info and scheduling. Decided not to buy the email service since I have no reason to read my email during those days I'm not home.When I'm over this cold and start playing with it again, I'll let you know how I like it. Meanwhile, pass the Nyquil !
*Sorry to hear about your cold Sonny. Hope by now you are over it and back to your normal self.Well I did the deed. I bought a Palm Vx, Keyboard and Modem. Boy the case for the Vx is cheesy. Guess I'll have to find another somewhere. In the meantime, if the ads aren't too full of hot air I've got a great tool. So, far I've used it just enough to be impressed. Haven't got the software or installed it yet so haven't used the modem yet.Now to figure out how to use all of this. Any tips Sonny? Or, anyone else?
*Sonny, you seem to be the only guy around with the same set-up as me (powerbook and handspring visor). I've been wondering how your well your computers have been working together. I've been searching out the data bases for compatability between the mac & palm platforms. If you have been doing the same you know the desktops are not always available for the mac (but we should be use to that, right) but some of the best are (HanDBase). Have you found anything in particular that's caught your favor?Sean.
*Sean, I just read about File Maker coming out with a product for Palms and Mac users. Will try to find it again and post it here. Since I'll shortly be working for my sons in a different capacity than now, I'll need it. Hve you checked the site below:www.palmblvd.com/boards/Mac/
*i Most stores don't sell the Handsprings altoug a few people on the Village site said Best Buy sells it.Actually, you can find the Visors at Target, Best Buy, CompUSA, and, I believe, Walmart.A few of you were asking about Mac Databases that work with the Palm. As someone mentioned, Filemaker Pro is probably the most robust (albeit expensive) solution. Filemaker works on Macs or PCs and now has a Palm version as well:http://www.filemaker.com/products/mbl_home.htmlSome also mentioned the PalmPIX camera for Palms. The Handspring Visors have an equivalent called the Eyemodule:http://www.eyemodule.com/splash.aspThey just came out with the Eyemodule 2 Which supports 640x480 resolution.A good site for Visor info is VisorCentral:http://www.visorcentral.comWhatever you do, BUY A GOOD CASE! I can't stress that enough ;o)
*My friend and last customer just bought an Ipac. Seems to be much better than the Palm types.near the stream,aj
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Am getting a delayed Xmas present next week - a Handspring Visor Platinum PDA, which I can use with my Mac desktop and G3 laptop. So, I'm naturally curious what some of you use PDAs like the Palms and others for besides appts. and address books.