When it came to the concept of time, I used to be one of the most anal-retentive people I knew. I knew where I was supposed to be exactly when I was supposed to be there. I knew where other people were supposed to be and exactly when they were supposed to be there as well, and I made sure they knew it. I admit, I have gotten a bit more laid back when it comes to that, but I still do hold rather tightly to time. The problem is that I hate pen and paper exercises like notebooks and to-do lists. Paper bad, computer good. As such, I need a computer that will do what I want with regard to scheduling and whatnot.
First thing I made sure I had was a good organizer on the computer, in this case I use Outlook 2000. Its rather good with keeping track of appointments, contacts, and to-dos, and displaying them in nearly any format you desire. I used this for a few months, and even had it shared with some friends, so they would know where I was, as this was part of the purpose of keeping myself organized. The sharing feature works relatively well, although I noted some bugs sharing with a few people.
But then I realized that it wasn’t enough…I wanted more. And so I bought my Palm V. For those of you who don’t know, the Palm V is part of the series of Palm Computing devices developed by 3Com. They are about the size of a small handheld notepad (fits in the palm of your hand; hence the name), and utilize a nifty touch screen for the interface, which is the Palm OS, also developed by 3Com. The idea behind the Palm is that it allows one to stay organized, on the go, by providing integrated datebook, memo pad, to-do lists, and contact/address book functions, all in one unit. On top of this, because you can connect it to your computer, you can keep the Palm and PC synchronized, as well as add different programs to the Palm.
Over the past week, I realized that that wasn’t enough, either…I wanted more. The nerd side of me just took over when I started mass downloading new programs, like the program to keep my movie show times updated, and the one for my assignments and grades in all my classes, and minesweeper. Never shall I be satisfied. The Palm is rather addictive with all the possibilities.
As for the input methods, I have mixed feelings towards the Graffiti writing system. It utilizes a single stroke per letter, and is relatively intuitive, but is sometimes annoying in that it doesn’t recognize what I want it to, and I hate going back to correct things.
The screen is large enough to read comfortably, and the backlight is great. But the best thing of all that I have noticed with this is the Lithium Ion battery that recharges in the synchronization cradle. It holds a charge for quite a long time, a few days of normal usage, and recharges whenever I synchronize the thing with my PC.
Yes, another great feature is the infrared port. I was successful using it at about 6 feet from my television to turn the TV on (I didn’t have another Palm to test it with), although I figure it should work at slightly larger distances with another Palm.
As a general conclusion, I figure that the Palm is a good tool for anyone who really needs to be organized on the go, but I would scarce suggest it for anyone just looking to play around, as although it is a fun toy, its usage as merely a toy is limited, whereas as an organizer it will continue in its usefulness indefinitely. Another consideration is the currently hefty price, even for some older models. In any case, I like it, and I’m tired right now, so I’ll set the alarm on my Palm to wake me up in the morning, when I shall get off the floor and go to work again.
