Kimberly writes...
Gadgets engender fickleness. I’m usually not a waffler. I don’t go for the flip flop. Gadgets however will be my undoing - psychic and financial. Manufacturers always have something new. True, there have always been new products, but gadgets have upped the ante on planned obsolescence.
My latest episode of trifling behavior would be my defection from mobile and PDA to smartphone. It may be too early to tell, but at this very moment, the smartphone is winning me over.
Option 1: Mobile/Cell Phone + PDA
When the Palm Pilot (later the “pilot” was dropped in a trademark infringement lawsuit) first emerged in 1996, I’d just entered my list-making phase. Post-university, and with more obligations such as work, grad school, producing a zine, and a social life, there were half-finished legal pads with lists littering my hovel. Simple in its design, the Palm’s datebook, address book, notepad, and to-do lists were all I needed to feel on top of things.
My love of PDAs fell by the wayside for ten years when I discovered Filofax. I felt quaint writing things down in a Filofax. All those pages and dividers---a stationer’s dream. However, my first mobile phone (fondly called “Mojombo” in honour of its hefty size) brought me back to gadgets and keeping track with technology. Alas, after a low-rent Sony Ericsson, the disco-friendly Motorola v80, the dependable Sony K750i and the slick Motorola Red, I’ve yet to meet a mobile phone diary with enough functionality. And tasks lists were non-existent. I was nothing without task lists. I could not live by phone alone.
After a misadventure with an HP iPAQ and its Windows format, I fled back to the Palm. The Palm TX didn’t constantly crash like the iPAQ. Palm still had all the features I knew and loved, but the contacts, task lists, notepad, and calendar weren’t fully integrated. Switching back and forth between programmes wasn’t going to sit well with me. Luckily, there’re lots of small companies out there creating Palm OS-friendly software, such as Iambic’s Agendus. One screen and you can see your day’s meetings, tasks, calls, and downloaded weather reports. Mobile and PDA were like peanut butter & jelly, like Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson: muy simpatico.
Option 2: Smartphone
Apple’s announcement of the iPhone sent me into a smartphone frenzy. Could I wait for the iPhone? No. Quarter-whenever was too long for me to have my mobile and my Palm rattling around my bag. A few days of research later and I settled on the Qtek 9100. I know it’s not the top-of-the-line smartphone, but it had key features the others didn’t: Wi-Fi and a QWERTY keyboard. I’ve got no intention of buying an expensive data package from my mobile provider and wanted to be able to access my email when and where I can pick up a wireless connection - namely, in bed. The smartphone’s a bit bulky, but this can vary depending on whether the keyboard slides out or sits on the face of the phone. Also, maybe I’m just thick but using the keyboard and walking are more of a challenge than with a regular mobile. I’m also back to the Windows OS, but Iambic just released Agendus for Windows Mobile so I’m a happy camper.
Verdict:
As with all gadgetry the verdict on mobile+PDA versus smartphone is based on personal preference. Here are three things to consider…
How much are you willing to spend? Smartphones are pricey (£350 and up) when compared to getting a phone upgrade from your mobile provider. And with a free upgrade every 12-18 months in the UK, you can easily stay up on the newest styles and features. There are all kinds of cheap organizers out there, but Palm’s Z22 under £80 is a nice, entry-level unit with a colour screen. It doesn’t have a lot of memory, but it’s Mac and PC compatible for syncing your data.
High maintenance or low maintenance? Not you, the phone. Keeping contacts current on your mobile is a fairly easy process of deleting those people you’ll never call again. You can also spend time backing up your information by Bluetoothing from your mobile to PDA. On the other hand, depending on your computing platform, syncing a smartphone with a computer is a snap. That said, if you’re not one for regular syncing and backing up, which would you rather lose? All your data on a smartphone or 50% of your data by losing either your phone or PDA?
Junk in the trunk? The New York Times recently ran an article about how these crazy-large totes we carry are causing all sorts of back pain. While several gadgets might be a drop in the ol’ bucket, if you insist on carrying around a picnic basket for a purse, you might consider the all-in-one smartphone.
Last week I realized I couldn’t check my calendar and continue a phone conversation because it was all one gadget. I may have to invest in a Bluetooth headset, but for now I’m sticking with the smartphone. Now that I’ve gone smartphone, I can’t forsee going back. But, then, I’m a shady gadget waffler, aren’t I?
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