.KEYWORD techskeptic
.FLYINGHEAD TECHNOLOGY SKEPTIC
.TITLE A guide to choosing the Palm device that’s right for you
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY There are lots of new products this month, some from Palm and some from Handspring, the intriguing new upstart. But which device should you buy? We’re pleased to introduce a new Technology Skeptic column by Kevin Quin. In it, Kevin helps our less technically inclined readers choose among the new devices. But even if you’re more of a technology expert, Kevin’s article’s a very useful and informative read.
.AUTHOR Kevin Quin
.EDNOTE There are lots of new products this month, some from Palm and some from Handspring, the intriguing new upstart. But which device should you buy? We’re pleased to introduce a new Technology Skeptic column by Kevin Quin. In it, Kevin helps our less technically inclined readers choose among the new devices. But even if you’re more of a technology expert, Kevin’s article’s a very useful and informative read.
I look at technology with a jaundiced eye. I’ve been burned too many times before. Yet, I’m writing a column in a technical magazine. This is from a non-technical point of view, of course.
Well, how about if I take a few questions from the audience?
.H1 Should I get a personal digital assistant (PDA)?
Maybe. If you don’t often go into your address book or calendar and make changes — and especially if you don’t even have an address book and calendar — you may not be able justify this much money on an electronic organizer.
Wait until they drop to $50 (and they will!). But if you think you can benefit from an organizing tool, if you’re a "detail" person, if you’re disorganized, then your life really would be a lot easier with a solid, dependable PDA.
Most of us non-tech PDA users fell into one of two categories. Some, like me, were so disorganized that we were grabbing at straws. We’re still disorganized, but now our disorganization knows bounds. The others were compulsive organizers. PDA users are the Frankenstein monsters of compulsive organizers.
.H1 Okay, I’m sold. So what PDA should I get?
Probably 3Com’s Palm IIIe, which you can see in Figure A. I recommend Palm units over the non-Palm devices because of their stability and ease of use. By stability, I mean that they are well established and heavily supported by the manufacturer. The few quirks in the devices are well-known and easy to deal with. There are also thousands of add-on programs written by private developers. As a non-techie, you will probably use no more than half a dozen of those add-ons, but that’s six more than you’ll find for most other PDAs.
.FIG A I recommend the Palm IIIe because of its price and improved screen.
Of 3Com’s devices, I lean toward the Palm IIIe because of its price (now $179) and much improved screen. The other current 3Com devices, the Palm IIIx and Palm V, offer features — and price tags — that you don’t really need. The older PalmPilots and the Palm III have a rather grainy, low contrast screen, which is a pain to read in some lighting conditions.
Now there’s a new choice. The jazzy Palm IIIe Special Edition, with an iMac-inspired see-through case to pair up with optional fruity covers, was a bit tougher to find, but for at least a while it’ll be available to consumers.
.H1 What about non-Palm organizers?
There are definitely other choices out there, and not all of them are bad. Although I prefer Palm devices, one of the others may be for you. I hear the Palm-centric gadget geeks in the crowd muttering mutinously, but it’s true. And it’s a good thing for all of us, because competition helps bring prices down.
The option you’re probably aware of is the stable of palm-sized PCs running Microsoft’s Windows CE operating system. One of these, Casio’s E-100, shown in Figure B, has a bright, crisp color screen that is truly a thing of beauty. Okay, it costs $450-plus, but it puts the Palm’s dim little black-on-green screen to shame.
.FIG B The Casio E-100 may cost a lot, but its color screen puts the Palm’s black-on-green screen to shame.
But beautiful or not, these things are not for you, and that’s the real shame. The Windows CE units all suffer from one insurmountable defect: they use Windows CE. I’m not a Palm zealot, and I really wanted to like the Windows CE units when they came out. 3Com certainly needs the competition.
Unfortunately, the Windows CE operating system is just too burdensome for a tiny PDA. The screen is cluttered and confusing, the "Start" button makes no sense, and the hard buttons don’t seem to do what you expect. If you want proof, drop by your local retailer and compare them side by side. Even some hardcore technical people have decided that the Windows CE machines are too hard to use.
Microsoft is said to be working on a new, simpler version of Windows CE. When this unit shows up, you can consider it. But I wouldn’t wait that long.
.H1 Then what about some of the lower end units?
The best known and most widely available of these are the Casio Pocket Viewer and the Royal DaVinci. Both are generally similar to Palm devices in layout and use. Although neither one is up to the level of the Palm devices, a non-technical user should seriously consider these.
The Pocket Viewer is designed to run with Microsoft Outlook. Figure C shows you what the Pocket Viewer looks like. Although the list price is $180, Internet pricing is in free fall. I’ve seen it as low as $75. At that price, you have to ask yourself some hard questions about whether a Palm device is worth an extra hundred bucks. If you already use Outlook, you might decide that it’s not.
.FIG C Casio’s Pocket Viewer is designed to run with Microsoft Outlook.
The Royal DaVinci, shown in Figure D, now has an ample 2MB of memory and costs only $100. It’s clearly aimed at us regular folks because you can find it at discount stores like Target. With calendar, address book, lists and memo pad functions, it’s the most Palm-like of the alternatives.
.FIGPAIR D Perhaps the Royal DaVinci is a little too Palm-like.
Perhaps it’s a little too Palm-like. In August, 3Com/Palm Computing obtained a court order preventing new shipments of the DaVinci, claiming the designers had copied the Palm operating system code. The judge noted that even some of the typos are the same. Although Royal says it will excise the Palm code and continue the DaVinci, I’m doubtful. The existing DaVincis might wind up orphans with no tech support.
Neither the DaVinci nor the Pocket Viewer are of the same caliber as the Palm devices. The main complaint about both is that their screens are even harder to read than the original PalmPilot. Equally important, Palm’s huge installed base, now five million units, means that a large, well-trained staff is supporting those devices. But you should still consider both alternative units if for no other reason than cost.
If you take one of them home, test it out thoroughly with your PC. Like the Palm devices, these units back up your data on your PC. And sooner or later, every electronic organizer loses its memory. It’s happened to me several times. But it’s no real problem — you just drop it in the cradle and it retrieves your data from the PC. A lot of the Palm alternatives have been criticized for PC synchronization problems, and this is an area that you never want to have trouble in. That backup is your lifeline.
Also check out the tech support. I’ve spent a fair amount of time talking with tech support over the last two and a half years, and you should expect to do the same. See how long it takes someone to pick up the phone and how well they know the product.
All that said, if one of these alternatives fits the bill for you, runs well, and has good tech support, you should seriously question whether a Palm device is worth an extra hundred bucks. If not, buy the cheaper one. While I think the Palm devices are clearly better, only you know how much is in your wallet.
.H1 What about those little clamshell-type organizers with little keys and screens that have been around for ten years?
Okay, even I draw the line somewhere. They’re just that — little organizers with little memories, little screens, and little keys. Almost anyone compulsive enough to have struggled with one of those has long since replaced it with a real PDA.
.H1 Are there any other low end units?
Maybe. Fuga makes a unit called the eDiary for $150. VTech calls its $199 device the Helio. While both of these units have generated a tiny bit of positive press buzz, they can only be purchased on the Internet. I wouldn’t do that with unknowns like these. And at those prices, why bother? Get a Palm IIIe.
.H1 Maybe I should wait and get the Visor, the new unit from Handspring. Time Magazine says its the coolest thing since bubblegum!
I’m sure Handspring appreciates your enthusiasm, but I would stick with Palm Computing until Handspring proves itself. After all, Palm has sold five million Palm PDAs. How many has Handspring sold so far? Zero.
So you see my point. Handspring says that the Visor, which was officially announced on September 14, should begin shipping around the end of October. But the Palm IIIe is already here, as are millions of other Palm devices. More important, 3Com has developed and maintained the intensive, trained support system needed to keep all those users happy.
.FIGPAIR E I’m betting that the Visor will be a good PDA.
To be fair, I’m betting the Visor, illustrated in Figure E, will be a good PDA. It uses the Palm operating system, so I know that as an electronic organizer, it’s going to work very well. It also uses a USB cradle (don’t ask, just plug it in) to back up your data to your PC. This should be much faster than the serial cradles currently used in 3Com’s Palm devices. The USB cradle can only be used with Windows 98, however. Those of us still running Windows95 have to pay an extra $20 to get a serial cradle and live with the slower backup rate. [We’ve also experienced general USB problems with Windows NT, so you might need to use care if you’re an NT user. — DG]
.H1 But the price is right. $179 for the 2MB Visor with a USB cradle.
It sure is. But so is the newly, competitively priced Palm IIIe (which is also $179). Skip the cradle-less $150 Visor Solo. Bad things happen to people who don’t back up their data! Although Handspring doesn’t have the track record of Palm Computing, it’s owned by the people who invented the PalmPilot and later left Palm. Given their history, the risk of buying from Handspring is probably pretty low. But for now, all other things being equal, you should stick with the known quantity, Palm Computing — at least that’s my opinion, which I’ve been reminded does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the publishers.
.H1 But hey, what about those swoopy new Springboard modules? Aren’t you all jazzed up about those?
Not really, and at least for now, I don’t think that many of us non-techie types will be.
Handspring’s innovation to the Palm concept isn’t in the software, it’s in the hardware. Each unit includes a slot in the back, dubbed the Springboard, that allows users to easily plug in an accessory module. Pagers, cell phones, and game cartridges all go in with no muss, no fuss.
But why? Jeff Hawkins, one of Handspring’s founders and the inventor of the PalmPilot, says that everywhere he turns, Palm users tell him they "want to have more software, add a GPS, take digital pictures, and especially add wireless communications."
Jeff and I are obviously hanging with different crowds. I’ve yet to even lay eyes upon a GPS unit, a digital camera, or a wireless modem. I’ve certainly never used any of them. Have you? If so, you’ve probably wandered into the wrong column. I don’t even carry a pager or a cell phone.
I think that regular folks like us are looking for things to make our lives simpler. Like a Palm device. Now all my "written down stuff" is in one place. I’m skeptical that a cell phone makes my life simpler. I know that a pager doesn’t. An MP3 player? Don’t make me laugh.
I realize that I may be in a shrinking minority on the cell phone bit. I see way more cellular phones than Palm devices, that’s for sure. But even for those who tote more hardware than me, it’s still not obvious how kludging these things onto a PDA brings much benefit.
Another concern with the Springboard concept is Handspring’s implicit suggestion that products that are essentially software — like games, maps, and books — are better implemented as hardware. You can download software from the Internet, with no manufacturing, shipping or handling costs. When you stuff it into a module, somebody has to build the module — Handspring figures $6-8 for that alone — store it in a warehouse, and then ship it. That’s a waste of money. To be sure, Handspring is right when they say that the module approach makes installation and removal easier than loading from the Internet. But the way to overcome that hurdle isn’t to imprison software inside hardware, it’s to develop a technique that allows one-button installation of Palm-compatible software from the Internet.
.H1 You’re sounding like a techie.
Oh, no. Shoot me now!
To be fair, for those who do carry a lot of hardware, Springboard might not be a bad idea. And some day, that might be all of us. Look at all the Walkmans out there. Who knows? We could all be gearheads with pocket protectors in ten years.
.H1 So what’s the bottom line?
The bottom line is that as a non-techie, you should not be leading the charge in adopting an unproven device, even one from Handspring. Palm Computing is stable and established, and most of the other devices are anything but. I know, I know, that’s how Microsoft became a monopolist. But if somebody is to prevent Palm from acquiring that position in the PDA business, let the engineers do it. You and I would just be cannon fodder.
So buy a Palm IIIe. It’s here, and it does what you need. And if you can’t live with that, get a pocket protector. Maybe somebody at Handspring will mistake you for a rich techno-geek and ship you a test model of their next-generation Palm organizer, complete with modules.
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For information about the Palm IIIe, check http://palm.3com.com/products/palmiiie/index.html
To check out Handspring’s Visor, see http://www.handspring.com
Information on the Casio Pocket Viewer can be found at http://www.casio.com/hotnewproducts/index.cfm?ptype=3
Information on Royal’s DaVinci can be found at http://www.royal.com/davinci/
Fuga’s Fuga EDiary is sold at http://www.fuga.com/
VTech’s Helio is on view at http://www.vtech.com/products/hc/helio/index.htm
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO Assuming the engineers haven’t gotten him, Kevin Quin lives and blasphemes against technology, in Washington, D.C.
.DISCUSS http://powerboards.zatz.com/cgi-bin/webx?13@@.ee6d81a
