Pros: Compact organizer I can easily carry just about anywhere
Cons: Price, susceptibility to electrostatics, battery life
The Bottom Line: For organization purposes, a cheaper model would probably suffice, but since I didn't pay for it.... Nice bright screen with color, plenty of memory space, good backup scheme.
I asked for $150 to $200 PDA from my secretary and this $400 Palm m515 is what I received. (I think the secretary likes me.) I couldn’t complain.
I use it for organization, mainly. Rather than carrying around a thick notebook, I envisioned this idea of carrying just the Palm, right in my pocket. I have over 1,000 phone numbers or addresses (over two years of usage) and I use the calendar feature regularly so that I don’t forget to do things. A lot of information is stored in the “memo pads,” such as credit card info, important dates, driving directions, my health records, things like those (I like the feature of masking secret records so that others cannot see/access them without my password). I DO NOT use the PDA for reading e-mails, reading news, nor playing games.
BATTERY. I don’t keep the PDA on for more than a minute at a time, roughly speaking. The PDA gets me through about two weeks before it needs to be recharged. But I wonder about going out of the country for more than two weeks; I guess I’ll have to carry my cradle (or charging stand) with me. (A month would've been great.) If I do make those kinds of travel, I am thinking about conserving the battery by down grading the back light to “low” the screen will be dark . . . but hey. . . my wife used to have an older Palm that ALWAYS had dark screen like that. It’s comforting to know that the device keeps the data for about a week, even after battery drains.
MEMORY SPACE. With 16MB, it’s plenty for me. With over 1,000 phone/address info, and other data, I have not even reached 5% of the memory space. I used to hear that, probably still true, if I use up 80% or more of the memory space, the chance of malfunction on this type of computer devices will increase dramatically.
DATA INPUT. I learned to use the graffiti alphabet, because most letters/numbers are written the same; I only needed to learn a few unique characters. Sometimes PDA accepts my letters/numbers as different characters, which would require me to back space and re-enter. For one thing, I don’t like to tap on those on-screen keypads, one stylus-tap at a time. For large amount of data input, I use my PC keypad and enter into the PC – and then, HotSync to my handheld.
BACKUP. It’s really assuring to know that I have HotSynced backup of all my handheld in my PC. But just in case, both of them may not be available or not function, simultaneously, I’ve printed out a hardcopy as an “indestructible” backup (I intend to print out once a year or so.). There is a catch: those masked secret info do not print (At least I don’t know how, unless I remove the password from each entry before printing.).
I have this “nightmare” of either losing my PDA or end up with defunct unit some years later. Will I be able to at least buy an inexpensive Palm to retrieve all my data? Or, will technology move on so fast that I will lose all the data forever – and mandate starting all over again with a new gadget? I can’t seem to turn this nightmare off.
CASE. I like to travel light, so, I initially never even thought about getting a case (other than the single flap that covers the front face that Palm provided). Once I dropped it on a concrete floor. Then, it wouldn’t HotSync. Palm let me swap with a refurbished unit. About two weeks ago, I left my PDA in my car for a few days when night time temperature dropped below 30 deg F. Then, I couldn’t even turn the unit on. I was able to revive it in the cradle, but, I lost all my data and all my setup (time, password, etc.). I HotSynced and got most of my data back. Palm rep first told me a “software glitch.” Another rep revised the analysis, after I questioned the first one, to “electrostatics.” For last one week, I made sure my PDA was not expose to cold environment. Then, another lockup. This time I couldn’t HotSync it; so, I did the “soft reset.” Luckily, all data were still in the unit. Yes, I am concluding that it is likely electrostatics is the culprit. To avoid this “common problem” (Palm reps seem to know this problem very well), I need to get a case that completely wraps around my PDA, or, carry the PDA in a briefcase (not in the pocket). If I sold Palm, I would include a case, rather than the mere front-panel flap, just to avoid this electrostatics problem – and alleviate many Palm users becoming unhappy.
After two years, I am addicted to the PDA. I can't imagine my life without it. PLEASE let it last next 20 years. Well, 10 years???
[Update] My refurbished PDA had PhotoBase application that I did not have in my original version. PhotoBase was taking up a lot of memory space, and, because I don't keep any picture in my PDA, I've decided to delete the application. BE CAREFUL! I am not 100% sure but I've discovered that deleting any application without getting rid of all associated sub-files may cause HotSync problems. In hindsight, there was no easy solution but to clean out my PDA and reload everything back in, after "debugging" the unit. That was pretty tough thing to do when my PDA would not HotSync with my PC; I was lucky to find a PDA in my organization that no one was using. I've dealt with five different Palm representatives and about 40 hours of effort in the last three weeks or so. As I had imagined earlier, this PDA is great when it's working. But when it doesn't work, my life is upside down.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 400 Recommended for: Business Executives - Powerful and Professional
Palm organization and style at an affordable price Easy to learn and use--even if you've never used a handheld before Mini-USB connector allows easy t...More at Amazon Marketplace
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