I got my first Palm Pilot within weeks of its release in 1998. I had religiously used paper planners, Daytimer and then Franklin Planner, since 1984. I kept track of much of my business on my computer and in my paper planner. I didn't like having to double-enter everything. I abortively tried a Sharp pda which had computer backup for a while but went back to paper because I still had to double-enter everything. Franklin planner offered some improvement with their software which allowed me to keep track of my appointments on the computer and then print out pages I could carry in my looseleaf planner. But I still carried my planner with me and appointments and entries written in the field, where I did most of my work, still had to be copied and manually entered into the computer. Franklin then came out with a revision of their software which would synchronize with the new Palm III and anything entered on your Palm would synchronize onto your computer and vice-versa. I didn't know if it would work for me and, feeling I had been stung with the useless and somewhat expensive Sharp PDA purcase, I was careful to buy the $400 Palm-Pilot from a retailer with a 30 day return policy so I would have a month to see how it fit into my busy world. I bought the Palm III and within a couple of days I knew I was home. I used it for appointments, to-do lists, reminders (via a great reminder program called bugme). Finally I could organize and track a great deal of information with an outlining program called Brainforest.
In 2002 I upgraded to a Palm TungstenT. In the process of exploring software available for the new model, I discovered Palm Reader and e-books for my palm.
Through my careers as student, photographer/writer and then Realtor, I had read avidly, always keeping a book with me in my camera bag, backpack or briefcase. I read when I had time to pass waiting for a class, an appointment or for the right light for a photograph. When I had entered retail, carrying a book did not lend itself to my movements and I had gotten out of the habit of reading. Imagine my delight when I found that I could download books right into the Palm that I always carried on my belt and open it with a flick of my wrist to just the page I had left off in my reading. I could read while waiting in line at the grocery or dmv, while waiting for a movie or during a lunch break. I began my recaptured pleasure by re-reading Tolkien's Lord of the Rings in anticipation of the release of the first of the films.
One of the nicest features of the Palm Reader is that it integrates a dictionary and, as I read, I need only touch a word on the screen to lookup its meaning, derivation and correct pronunciation.
Because the Tungsten-T also had an earphone jack and played sound files, I could download audio-books from audible.com and play them during activities like driving which precluded visual reading.
Since I have waxed on this long about this, my most useful possession, I will complete my account of my most used applications by saying that Documents to Go lets me use Excel spreadsheets and write Microsoft Word files on the go and that I also have mapopolis which allows me to download and display roadmaps and even lets me connect a GPS receiver so I can track my location on those maps. I have used this now on vacations to Sequoia and to Sedona, Arizona and found it invaluable. Though I am sure there are those who qualify much more as "power-users" of their PDAs, I have gotten so much use from mine, have had so much information archived and readily at my fingertips that I easily regard it as the most useful purchase I have ever made.
Posted by apopheniac at November 15, 2003 10:16 PM