Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

BTW, did "taking down every idea" ever pay off?

I'm an HSVD man, still, as I write this. It suits me fine for all purposes, but I wear it on a side-holster (sorry, in NYC you AUTOMATICALLY get 1 yr. in jail if you're "just a citizen" & are "caught w/a gun" -- but it's okay if you wear blue, even if you're insane!), which believe it or not in 2001, still gives you the "strange air of the geek" connotation in most circles.

But minimizing size (tho not to M100-screen size!:eek is prob. just another way to "capture another segment of the mkt." -- the 'ol "create a need, then fill it" syndrome. I bet if the Palm V never came out, most people wouldn't have missed it, b/c they wouldn't've considered it poss. But once it's THERE, OH MY GOD!

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

BTW, I just bought my 1st MM card (for a digicam) ... and YES, some things can be TOO small!
I dropped it once, and was lucky enough to find it, but would not like to repeat that scenario again -- it's like being "aware enough" to "catch" a fluttering stamp that's fallen out of your wallet when it makes a "loud enough sound" as it hits the ground for you to NOTICE!

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 32

quote:

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Originally posted by bkbk
BTW, did "taking down every idea" ever pay off?

---

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The goal is to overcome the deliberate nature of the process.

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Prison
Posts: 421

quote:

---

Originally posted by bkbk
BTW, did "taking down every idea" ever pay off?

I'm an HSVD man, still, as I write this. It suits me fine for all purposes, but I wear it on a side-holster (sorry, in NYC you AUTOMATICALLY get 1 yr. in jail if you're "just a citizen" & are "caught w/a gun" -- but it's okay if you wear blue, even if you're insane!), which believe it or not in 2001, still gives you the "strange air of the geek" connotation in most circles.

But minimizing size (tho not to M100-screen size!:eek is prob. just another way to "capture another segment of the mkt." -- the 'ol "create a need, then fill it" syndrome. I bet if the Palm V never came out, most people wouldn't have missed it, b/c they wouldn't've considered it poss. But once it's THERE, OH MY GOD!

---

I too, wondered why on earth someone would pay nearly 4 times what I paid for my IIIxe to simply get a thinner Palm. Of course, now the price is so low, it's almost hard to say no! But you have to keep in mind, it's the goodies that sell tech-stuff. Practically everyone I know of has a cell phone with a faceplate!

But I do think it did broaden the PDA interest. Like I said, before. Nobody thinks you're a geek if they see you with an M505! The same thing was probably true with the V series back then.

----

New York seems like it's your kind of place, bkbk.

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<b><font size=1 color=teal>"Sorry about the whole thing about losing your life savings, but that Palmpilot is property of Enron, so please give it back"

Registered: Oct 1999
Location: Metro Station, Hollywood and Highland
Posts: 1018

For purse-toting women, size is probably a non-issue. But for men, wearability options are limited. First of all, it's wrong to compare the size of PDAs to notebooks, paper day planners and clipboards; they can only be compared to themselves. Otherwise you might as well be comparing cell phones to wall phones.

When you're talking about handheld computers that allegedly fit in your pocket, every millimeter matters. As much as I love the Prism, it pushes the limits of how much bulk I feel comfortable carrying. In all honesty, I have to say that I don't feel entirely comfortable carrying it (I'll try putting it in my back pocket once I get the FlipCover). I don't even use a case, because that extra thickness would be unbearable. No one complains about cell phones and pagers because they're not wide. On the other hand, people have complained about the VisorPhone being the "wrong" form factor, and I'd be willing to bet that it's the width of the Visor that makes it unacceptable. Width matters more than thickness, as Compaq proved when it released the ultra-thin Aero, which the company believed would put it in the same league as the Palm V series. Unfortunately, what the Aero lost in thickness, it gained in width.

Natually, PDAs have to be minimally wide to display more information than a cell phone, but when you start reducing the size of the screen proportionately, as in the m100/105, you get closer to a device that's truly pocketable. Pocketability/wearability matters to many people more than what we techies call "function." My personal handheld computing needs demand more versatility and performance than the m505 can offer, but I do regret the tradeoff in size.

With handhelds, the bottom line is: if it's not comfortable to carry, it's uncomfortable. I have several ways to carry the Prism in colder weather, but I'm in Southern California. In warm weather, I yet to find a truly satisfying way to carry the Prism, aside from wearing cargo pants. When will clothing manufacturers start considering pockets for PDAs?

Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Prison
Posts: 421

They do make PDA-user clothing!

They do make PDA-compatable clothing.

Old Navy Geekware

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<b><font size=1 color=teal>"Sorry about the whole thing about losing your life savings, but that Palmpilot is property of Enron, so please give it back"

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

quote:

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Originally posted by Gameboy70
Otherwise you might as well be comparing cell phones to wall phones.

---

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 16

My two cents: I'm already too big to hit any buttons on the screen with my fingers (including those on the calculator), though I can at least get the hard-buttons. If they make them any smaller <cough>m105</cough> I'll lose them, break them, and certainly not be able to do anything without a stylus.

'Course, I suppose I'm of above average size (6'5") and wear extra long pants with enormous pockets, so no wonder my VDX fits so nicely! :-)

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Reynoldsburg, Ohio
Posts: 2

This is my first post, so I hope I don't step on any toes. I just recently bought a Visor Platinum, my first Palm OS PDA. For the last 5 years I have carried a Psion 3a/3c/3mx. It is longer, thicker and much heavier than my VPL. I changed because the SIBO OS's incompatibility with everything, lack of support, high cost of repairs ($150 a shot) and size/weight.

I am more than satisfied with the weight and size of the Visor.

I am also very happy with the overall function of the unit.

Believe me, if you've come from where I've been the Visor Platinum size is fine. Frankly, if the screen was any smaller, it would almost be useless.

Dean, Visor Newbie

Registered: Mar 2001
Location:
Posts: 32

quote:

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Originally posted by cbiffle
'Course, I suppose I'm of above average size (6'5") and wear extra long pants with enormous pockets, so no wonder my VDX fits so nicely! :-)

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The goal is to overcome the deliberate nature of the process.

Registered: Mar 2000
Location: NC, Indiana
Posts: 465

I think form factor is important. I never carried around a pad of paper, but I enjoy having the note-taking ability of a PDA. However, my VDX is too bulky to carry around in a shirt pocket or pants pocket. What I need is something with a smaller form factor. If I had known what I know now I probably would not had bought my VDX, but the Edge sure looks tasty!

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-Vincent

Registered: May 2001
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 101

Well, being a lady...
I can easily toss my VPL into my purse, or into my messenger bag (if I'm headed to class). But on those gorgeous days, when I would carry rather tiny handbags, practically all I can carry is my VPL. As opposed to my VPL, cell phone, wallet, and checkbook. I suppose in these cases, a Vx would be perfect, but no expandability, and I don't have money to buy an m505. Besides I suppose the VPL is faster than the m505. So I'm sticking with my VPL.

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Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

quote:

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Originally posted by PastaGrrrl
Well, being a lady... <snip>

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....That's not what I've heard. But let's not get into that now. (j/k )
Yeah, I think the ladies have the guys beat when it comes to carrying stuff -- they can carry bags that are 2x or 3x their size, and nobody bats an eye!

On the other hand, there's that famous saying:
"Man is the measure of all things."
(But I forgot who said it -- maybe back in Elizabethan times, y'know; when guys used to have to play ladies in stage productions?)
PC today, tho, would be: "People are the measure of all things," of course.

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: May 2001
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 101

You're lucky I have a good sense of humor.

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P.S. I feel at home with geeks like you.

Registered: Mar 2001
Location: Out of my skull, back in five minutes
Posts: 1435

quote:

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Originally posted by bkbk
On the other hand, there's that famous saying:
"Man is the measure of all things."
(But I forgot who said it -- maybe back in Elizabethan times, y'know; when guys used to have to play ladies in stage productions?)
PC today, tho, would be: "People are the measure of all things," of course.

---

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Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

quote:

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Originally posted by PastaGrrrl
You're lucky I have a good sense of humor.

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Jeez, I was counting on it. Glad I could.

Ancient Greeks, eh? Gee, I should have gotten that one. Can't sneak anything by this board, eh? Any chance the Bard used it in one of his works? Seems like he's "tainted proper quotesmanship" by using so many famous lines from before his time -- then adding into the mix many of his own creation....
Boy, if I ever meet him in person, I'm sure gonna give him a piece of my quotes....

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

But the REAL post I came here to make today is....
It's NOT about size -- it's about WEIGHT!!!
I was hangin' w/my lady today -- AND my sister. THESE are the "2 newbies" you may have seen me write about I'm trying to intro. into the PDA / Palm / HS world -- and I thought that was in pretty much the right order!
But no!
BOTH of them "complained" to me today ("whined" is more like it ) that "PDAs are too heavy!"
I had to be politically correct, so I couldn't say: WITH ALL THE OTHER CRAP YOU GUYS CARRY IN THOSE PURSES / HANDBAGS? (But I can say it here, because so far, they don't know about this board. If they ever figure out I'm bkbk, I'm dead meat, of course. Maybe time to change the ol' User Profile, eh? )
Anyways, I could hardly believe it.
I may have to junk the HSVD and Palm III I just passed them (respectively, and I'm not telling who got the 8Mb & who's stuck w/2Mb ) and get them a couple of V's / Vx's / M5xx's....
Whaddddamigonnnnnadooooo?

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: Jun 2001
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 3

Just get 'em the new Palms! I carry my palm(s) in my purse and it reall weighs 'em down! I got the m500 just to deal with this, but the 4 ounces still feels like too much!

BTW: YOu should get the girl with the III something better!

-Pepper

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Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

I'm seriously thinking about the new Palms. But I wanted to start newbies (yes, even full adults) on low-end units -- just in case they dropped 'em, lost 'em, had 'em stolen, etc. (NOT that it couldn't happen to ME, too! But sort of like the ol' saying: "A man who had his bicycle stolen will never have that fate w/his car," or whatever it is.)
But the other side of it is my lady's still not fluent in English -- so the mostly text-based Palm OS (anyone know of something like THE VISUAL DICTIONARY for the Palm OS, or the like?) still has pretty limited utility for her.
I doubt PktPC would be much better, tho.
I can't think of a whole lot of "visual-tutorial" apps (w/or w/out audio) for that, either.
Hey, I think I've discovered a whole new mkt. for some SW dev!
Lots of ppl. learning English every day, y'know....

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein

Registered: Jun 2000
Location:
Posts: 594

BTW, I just got a Prism -- and they're AMAZINGLY SMALL. To me, anyway. And I just carried a VDX for the past yr. or so. Maybe it was everybody always calling it a "brick" -- but I'm astonished at how much it's NOT. To me, anyway.
I do think that by & large (incl. up to today, if you haven't heard all the PDA news) we are kinda spoiled....

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"Great Spirits Have Always Encountered Violent Opposition From Mediocre Minds." -- Albert Einstein