h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello readers,

I've been thinking recently why I prefer Palm devices over Pocket PC devices (at 2am while watching chuck norris' total gym ads, due to a sleep-in that particular day). The main reason, I thought, was that Palm seems to be able to do the 'basics' better. I don't have too much experience with PPC devices, but I doubt you'd be able to do as much with a PPC device as you would with a Palm device, most likely because of the large userbase and software 'trove' Palm already has. Palm has a long list of software because of its popularity (thats what im trying to explain in this journal entry, so its hard not to 'jump ahead' and make assumptions), so if new users are looking for tasks a type of PDA can do, Palm is usually the best choice. It's a bit like a snowball effect- when the first PalmPilots were around, there wasnt all that much software for them (at least compared to now), and their main purpose was (and still is, but it's more open) as a diary, address book, to-do list, and somewhere to write notes. Then people wrote software for it, which attracted more users, who also wrote software for it, etc etc. The solid concept of PDAs are still the same, but due to the amount of software, it attracts more users that use it for different purposes.
My next point- purposes. The general purpose of my Palm is to 'keep track of my life', if there is such a purpose. It's a a schedule/calender: That helps me keep track of what I have to do on particular days, and this includes other software that helps me keep track of birthdays; an address book: I don't like to keep all my addresses in one particular place, eg an address book of a mail program, and the only other portable alternative is a paper address book. Theres an bad excuse for an address book in every diary i've had, but since you need to get a new diary every year, copying them from one year to the next isnt something I want to do; To-do lists: Not that I do much work ( ), but it's nice to have a repository for all the stuff I should be doing; a memo pad: For keeping track of short texts. Just think of it as a digital representation of those small pocket-sized paper memo pads; A 'scribble pad': Not to be confused with the memo pad, but I use this to scribble down notes and ideas at short notice. Turn on palm, write stuff quickly on screen, turn off.
Palm does all these tasks, and does them well. This is what I consider, a proper definition of an 'organiser', but I think microsoft don't realise this, and wander off on relatively purposeless purpose, such as watching videos. I mean, seriously, who really wants to watch a few videos on their 300x200 screen? They can't be too long due to the storage capability of portable media thesedays, and is it just my opinion, that I'd rather wait until I got home and watch video clips on a fully multimedia capable computer with a 19" screen? I think that microsoft should get the basics right first, because if you started a poll for PDA users, and asked them what their main purpose for their PDA was, the most popular purpose wouldn't be to play videos, or as a GPS tracker, or as something microsoft thought would be a great addition for a PDA, it'd be those 4 or 5 purposes I outlined earlier. Now please don't get me wrong- there isn't anything wrong with turning your Palm into a GPS, or watching videos, but most people would agree that it's better if you start with the essentials, then users can add what they want to it. This is the reason you'd find a lot of hardware addons for Palm devices- Developers start with the basics and people are free to add what they wish, which creates a market for Palm addons. I think microsoft just assume that people WANT their stuff carried with them.
WHICH incidently leads me to my next thought (this is turning out like a stream of consciousness isnt it ), portability. Toshiba make some light PPC devices, but the overall statistics show that most Palm devices are lighter and smaller. While not much of a consideration for people like me who usually just dump their PDA in their backpack, but to people wanting to carry theirs in their inside coat pocket, weight and aesthetics are a serious consideration. I'm not too sure about this, but i'd think Palm devices are easier to carry than a PPC device.
A serious consideration of most users is battery life. While i've heard PPC devices typically last 1 or 2 days, my PDA lasts for 2 or 3 weeks before I need to 'charge up'. I like the idea of being able to turn it on whenever you want, because you don't have to worry about running out of battery. PPC devices have fast processors in them, which also use a lot more power than usual Palm Motorola 33Mhz processors. While fast processors are good for word processing, videos, and music, my previous point was to start with the basics. You can check your schedule, make notes, and look through the address book with ease with the slower processors found in Palm devices, without having to wait long times for anything to load. Theres no question that in future all devices are going to have fast processors, but at this point in time, most applications and needs run just as well on a 33Mhz processor than the 200Mhz devices.

Wow, what a long journal. If you've been bothered reading this, then i'd like to know what YOU do with YOUR PDA. Correct me on anything, flame me if you really feel like it, tell me your opinions on what's important to YOU for your PDA. I don't pretend to think that everything written here is correct, or fully backed up, but their my opinions, and I like to know what everyone else's opinions are too.