Palm is more useable
Dec 21 '99
The Palm environment was designed to be an application engine, it is simple, fast, and reliable. Everyone is always amazed at how easy it is to become proficient at using the Palm, its design shows a great focus on speed of data access and ease of use. Really that’s what handhelds are about. Your PDA isn't going to displace your PC, most people use them for the calendar, address book, notes, email, and expenses. When I'm driving and I need a phone number I can easily press one button, start to write the name, the name will appear in the list, I tap on it and that’s it! Compare that to turning on the CE device, going to the Start Button, programs, Addresses, then going though the list. I have found CE's interface cluttered and inconsistent, while Palm is clean and very consistent. Text input is far easier on the Palm - perhaps faster too. It does take a day to learn, but the provided program makes it easy and dare I say fun. CE has a hard time knowing if you are trying to enter text or do other things on the screen, you will find yourself changing typing modes frequently (its infuriating). The Windows interface was never designed for handhelds and it shows.
For most people the data in their handheld is the most important things they need to know, thus you will want your handheld close wherever you go. The Palm V (and Vx) are very small and light - you won't even notice them in a pocket or purse. Even the smallest CE devices are bulky at best, unwieldy at worst. The Palm V measures its battery life in weeks between charges, the CE devices in hours or days.
Palm devices interface well with many different Operating systems and Personal Information Managers. Palm Desktop (the provided PIM on the Mac and PC) is very clear, easy to use, and has a nice feature set. CE is only designed to work with Windows Machines and a limited number of Personal Information Managers - the data sync is slow and many times doesn't work quite as expected (but what Microsoft product does?).
Although CE devices have some impressive stats and features - high MHZ, tons of memory, color screens - none of those really add to the user experience. Palm Devices are actually faster because of lower overhead, they make better use of memory, and the screens on the new machines are very clear. If you want a tool get a Palm, if you want a toy get CE.
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Epinions.com ID:
kevinselkowitz
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Location: Redmond, WA
Reviews written: 6
Trusted by: 1 member
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