need help from tech wizards - Palm, ipaq, options

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  1. #1

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    need help from tech wizards - Palm, ipaq, options

    Hi, am looking for some help/ opinions/ advice. . .

    i've been using a Palm since 2000 and have ben sooo happy with their o/s. i use it like semi-diary/ journal in addition to the usual appointments, contacts, notes, etc. My last Palm - a Zire 71 - seemed to be dying so i panicked and got an ipaq 121 because i was told the palm o/s would become outdated pretty soon.

    I hate the ipaq. i cannot store all my data on it - i only sync 6 months worth each time. it only has my calendar (6 months) and contacts. if i try syncing anything else, it hangs or takes ages (we've kept it syncing overnight and still did not get it done!). My hubby says i have too much info - which i do - but if the ipaq has so much available memory, why can't it store my info? since yesterday, it just won't sync. My info is on my Microsoft outlook calendar but nothing is on the ipaq. Hubby tries a soft reset and followed some steps off the internet but to no avail!

    I have a few questions :

    1- for someone like me, who uses her PDA as a semi-diary and has lots of data to store (i want to keep all my info from 2000) - what's a good PDA to use? or must i get a smartphone because PDA's are also becoming obsolete?

    2- if all my info is now on Microsoft outlook, is there a way i can get it all coppied into a Palm Desktop software, buy a new Palm and sync it to the handheld?

    3- if i get a Palm with Windows Mobile o/s, can i easily just sync what i have in my Microsoft outlook now to the new handheld/ smartphone ( i think all of Palm's Windows o/s is on smartphones, not PDA's?)

    I hope someone out there is familiar with all this. I am lost without an organizer. . .

    Thanks.


  2. #2

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    I ran a Palm TX until the battery started dying last week. This morning I switched to an even older Palm T3 which has been sitting around for five or so years.

    1. Can't comment on capacity. You don't need to get a smartphone if you don't want one. I'd say there is a good argument for keeping the devices separate, and keeping a PDA that works well as a PDA, and a phone that works well as a phone.

    2. Palm devices with the Palm OS sync fine with Outlook (calendar, tasks, memos, contacts, etc). I use the HotSync app- I've never bothered using Palm Desktop to do this.

    3. Didn't understand your question. However, I have *never* heard anyone praise Windows Mobile. None of my tech friends go anywhere near it, and my brief experiences with it have been frustrating. I'd sooner recommend an iPhone as the user interface isn't shite.

    In a nutshell- if you liked the Palms, consider just getting an old one from Ebay, or buying a TX. If you want something that looks fancier, consider an iPhone.

    Last edited by jgl; 02-09-2009 at 10:45 AM.

  3. #3

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    Blackberry Bold or Curve would be a suitable and terrific upgrade into 2009 era technology.


  4. #4

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    I would disagree with that recommendation. I ran a Bold for about six months and the only thing it was good at was email. The daily reboots that took 5 minutes was the most annoying thing about it. On top of that:

    It's a bit crap because

    • For fast nagivation a Blackberry relies on a trackball instead of dedicated hot buttons and a touchscreen. A dedicated PDA like a Palm is far faster to navigate. I found even an iPhone (with big virtual shortcut buttons) easier to use as a PDA than a Blackberry.
    • The screen too small to easily display a calendar because the dedicated keyboard takes up half of the device (the dedicated keyboard makes it good for email though). Using the calendar on the Bold was an excercise in frustration as I could only comfortably view part of one day at one time. The weekly view was useless.
    • The main point of a BB is the email functionality, and the OP hasn't indicated any interest in mobile mail. And if she did enable mobile mail, it'd cost an arm and a leg.
    Last edited by jgl; 02-09-2009 at 11:28 AM.

  5. #5

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    Hi, twism and jgl, thanks for your replies and jgl, you are right. I have no interest in getting or answering emails while out. i do that at home.

    I really need a good organizer - easy to see, edit and navigate calendar, contacts, some notes. But i need one that can accomodate all my data from 2000.

    may i ask more -

    1- so even without the palm desktop program, you are able to hotsycn your ms outlook to your palm? i have the Palm desktop and windows mobile and MS outlook on my PC. do i need to uninstall anything if i want to sync all my info from MS outlook calendar to a new (or old) Palm?

    2- what happens when the palm PDAs become obsolete? they are already very hard to find in HK. i have to order one from my computer guy and he'll order it in turn from wherever he gets stock.

    3- do you know how i can save my MS outlook calendar for backup like on a CD - is it correct to export and save a .pst file ?

    Thanks for the help and sorry for so many questions!


  6. #6

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    1. What do you mean by "you are able to hotsycn your ms outlook to your palm"? Pulling up the Hotsync settings on my desktop I can sync the following Outlook areas:
    Memos
    Calendar
    Contacts
    Tasks
    (There is no option to sync emails)
    I managed to use the same piece of software to synch both my TX and the T3, I can't say for whatever device you have though.

    2. The Palm PDAs are *already* obsolete I believe that the TX was released aroudn 2005, so we're talking ancient by modern tech standards. However, I did find TXs available in the computer centre across from Ikea in CWB. One store carrys them. If a TX breaks, I have no idea what the service centres are like. But if you sync your data into Outlook, you always have an easy migration path to another device (whether it is Palm or something else).

    3. Google knows everything. Try Googling "how i can save my MS outlook calendar for backup" and the first hit looks like it explains how to do it.


  7. #7

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    Thanks so much. Forgot about Google! How could I? ! ! !


  8. #8

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    I dont know what's appropriate for you. You essentially want a paper phone book to carry around in digital form. Seems to me your Palm is desinged for that purpose. But as far as BB v. HTC hands down BB is the winner: blackberry vs HTC - BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com


  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by TWISM:
    But as far as BB v. HTC hands down BB is the winner: blackberry vs HTC - BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com

    And that is relevant... how? Nobody mentioned HTC at all, or are you somehow confused that a Palm TX is an HTC?

    And if we are talking about HTCs as a relevant option, the link you posted doesn't even substantiate your claim that one brand is better than the other. But that's okay, as the OP isn't thinking about HTC anyway.

    Do you even have any experience with the Bold or the new Curve, or are you just mentioning shiny new devices that have caught your eye in shop windows?
    Last edited by jgl; 02-09-2009 at 03:07 PM.

  10. #10

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    To the OP: There is one Palm device which could function as a good PDA and won't be obsolete. The Palm Pre is very new. Reasonable sized screen, dedicated slide-out keyboard.

    The caveats:

    • It may be impossible to find in Hong Kong. I've not seen any locally.
    • It runs a completely new OS which looks more like a slick iPhone interface, so if you know the old Palm OS works for you, you're taking a punt into the unknown.
    • Keyboard, whilst dedicated, is a bit cheap-feeling.


    Still, this is the closest I've seen to a smartphone with good, well thought out, PDA functions.
    Last edited by jgl; 02-09-2009 at 06:56 PM.

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