Chances are you don't know about the latest PDAs

[IAMBIC]

In this thread Will Books ever be “a thing of the past”?, elfkin477 points out:

Even well-educated people (all my coworkers have college degrees and most questions have been from them) largely have no idea what PDAs are, or what they do; the majority of people who actually know what they are seem surprised that I can do more with it than keep track of dates, and I haven’t met a person yet who wasn’t shocked I use mine as an e-reader. And I don’t just mean older people, but other people in their 20s have had the same questions.

Cell phones, MP3 players, people know all about them. PDAs, not so much. Hell, until a friend convinced me last year I might get some use out of one, I didn’t know anything much about them either.

And Bryan Eckers replied:

Well, let’s be fair, the gizmos have advanced hugely just in the last five years and unless you make a point of reading trade magazines (and maybe even then), you can still be surprised and impressed when you learn about the features of new device.

So … for those who don’t know, I’ll describe the features of the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that I use, a Treo 650 (including some optional features):

I track all the contact information for my business and personal contacts: For each person or company I can store six phone numbers, two email addresses, two mailing addresses, two websites, birthday, anniversary, a photo, and unlimited notes. I have about 400 entries. I track all my appointments and tasks, including repeating tasks.

All this info is password-protected and encrypted on the device so that if I lose it, they cannot access sensitive. (For the techies, the encryption that I use is Blowfish-128.) Also, each day the entire contents are backed up to an encrypted memory card that holds more information than a CD.

It synchronizes with MS Outlook, which means that I always have another copy of my data in case I lose my PDA, it crashes, or I buy a new one. (Also, I regularly backup my hard drive to DVD.)

The device is also a cell phone, with four bands, meaning that I can use it anywhere in the world that has cellular service. The unit has a speakerphone for handsfree operation and a Wireless headset. Also, the phone will communicate (without wires) with car so that, as soon as I enter my car, I have handsfree operation through my car’s stereo system and microphone.

It also has:
A backlit keyboard and a stylus for input and editing.
A built-in MP3 player with room for 100 songs on the memory card.
A digital camera (with video and audio)
Digital albums
Email (I can access my personal and business email accounts from anywhere there is cellular service.)
Excel and Word editor
SMS and MMS messaging
Web browser
Financial and scientific calculators
e-Book reader (see selection at www.ereader.com)
Audio-book player (see selection at www.audible.com)
Movie database, with new releases and new DVDs updated weekly (see www.moviementor.com)
Offline news reader (see www.avantgo.com)
English dictionary with 400,000 definitions (see http://www.pocketsensei.com/n_features.htm)
Additional encryption for sensitive data like passwords and account numbers (SplashID Blog)
Full-featured relational database, with MS Access synchronization, whatever that means … (DataViz, Inc.)

Also available:
Street maps (www.mapopolis.com)
DVD player
Dictionaries for many languages
Multi-language translation dictionaries
Worldbook Encyclopedia
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Worldbook Almanac
Medical Dictionaries
Handbook of prescription drugs
Full text of Bible in various translations
Software for tracking various sports
Thousands of games

There you go. And now you know.

[Shalmanese]

You can also play videos on it (Kinoma).

I know some people who have set up their computers to automatically record the midnight news and dump it on their PDA which they watch when going to work in the morning. I would do the same if I thought broadcast news was worth watching :(.

[Dragwyr]

I have a Palm Tungsten T3 with a 256 MB SD card. This PDA holds my life. There is not a single day when I don’t use it for something. Datebook, Address book, To-Do list, memos, Games, Digital audio player, customized databases, and Alarm Clock are just some of what this amazing piece of gagetry does for me.

[cwthree]

@IAMBIC

All this info is password-protected and encrypted on the device so that if I lose it, they cannot access sensitive. (For the techies, the encryption that I use is Blowfish-128.) Also, each day the entire contents are backed up to an encrypted memory card that holds more information than a CD.

Tell us more about this, please. Is this built into the PalmOS that’s burned into the Treo 650, or is this an add-on?

[Paul_in_Qatar]

I have a (checking) Tungstun T5. A few months ago, it was fairly top-of-the-line. I wanted to use it to read e-books. It is plugged into my computer unused.

The documentation is really poor, the interface with a Mac is gruesome. There is no place on the net that is welcoming of newbies with questions.

Anyone want the thing? Stop by, I will be home all day today.

[bouv]

I just got myself an Audiovox Thera. It’s an older PDA/Phone combo, but it was cheap! ($150.) It runs PocketPC, which I like, cause it syncs easily with XP and there’s a ton of freeware for it.

I have contact info in there (still building up the database,) some games (gettin’ more), and play videos and MP3’s on it (I bought a 1 gig SD card with it.)

It’s only downside? No built in WiFi or Bluetooth. I can get WiFi, but since it was made before SDIO was standarized, I have to get a Toshiba brand WiFi SDIO card. Also, I tried once to get my phone plance switched over, but there was some problem and the tech person on the phone couldn’t do it. I’m going to try again, though, as they didn’t exhaust all options but I had to run.

[larsenmtl]

I also have a Treo 650. I mostly use it to impress my friends by playing porn AVIs using http://www.mmplayer.com/.

Oh yea, It’s also a nice phone, organizer, etc…

Seriously, the palm platform has come a long way with some really nice apps. Using http://www.mergic.com/ to hit up my work network and controlling my desktop pc with http://palmvnc2.free.fr/ is just freaking sweet. The only thing it sorely lacks is a voice recorder.

[scr4]

@Shalmanese

I know some people who have set up their computers to automatically record the midnight news and dump it on their PDA which they watch when going to work in the morning. I would do the same if I thought broadcast news was worth watching :(.

I don’t think I can do that on my Treo 600 - perhaps time to upgrade. Can you transfer a podcast automatically to your Treo? I currently use an iPod for this, but I don’t always remember to bring it home. (There’s some good content available as podcast - I regularly listen to The Rachel Maddow Show which is the early-morning 1-hour news program on Air America Radio. Strong liberal bias, obviously.)

[Shalmanese]

If you have a card reader for your computer, just stick the external memory card in and it will be mapped as a drive. Set your aggregator to automatically download into the card and you can just pull it out in the morning and everything will be on there.

[Seven]

I have an older Sony Clie SJ33. It plays mps, is full of software to manage my daily life, and has a very nice screen.

I keep a few phone numbers in it and my checkbook register. Every now and then I play Yahzee on it.

[Cisco]

@IAMBIC

I’ll describe the features of the PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) that I use, a Treo 650 (including some optional features):

Jeez, do you work for Sprint? I’m up for contract renewal in August and I think you just sold me my next phone.

[Mangetout]

I’ve got a Treo 600 (I’m currently looking to upgrade to the 650). If you want to watch mobile video, and you’re prepared to do the ripping and encoding for yourself (easy, if you know how - lots of details available at videohelp.com), then it can be done completely for free and played using TCPMP

[Mangetout]

@larsenmtl

The only thing it sorely lacks is a voice recorder.

Check out SoundRec - it records straight to .wav, straight onto the removable card (if the card has a sufficient transfer rate capability).

I worked on a music track with a voiceover for a recent amateur musical production - I had borrowed a professional minidisc recorder for the job, but couldn’t get it to work at the recording session - in desparation, I provisionally recorded the voice material on my Treo using SoundRec (just so I’d have something to work with - thinking I would replace it with the proper material before mixing down). The quality of the recording was so good that I used the Treo-recorded material in the final production.

[IAMBIC]

@larsenmtl

The only thing it sorely lacks is a voice recorder.

Check out mVoice for Treo

@cwthree

Tell us more about this, please. Is this built into the PalmOS that’s burned into the Treo 650, or is this an add-on?

It is an add-on: TealLock

[chrisk]

I’m probably not going to buy it anytime soon, but I was quite interested to hear about palmOne’s new LifeDrive organizer. Palmpilot with a 4 gig hard drive built in.

Swwweeeeet!!!

[China_Guy]

I have an O2 that’s now 18 months old. Pocket PC/phone on microsoft. It’s pretty cool. Oh ya, i think the OP forgot to mention camera as well (although I wish it didn’t come with the camera, but I got it so might as well mention it). It’s my life.

Prior to the phone/PDA combo, I never used a PDA as the inconvenience of an extra device wasn’t worth it. Convergence is cool.