By Kevin Quin
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?
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.
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.
FIGURE 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.
