.FLYINGHEAD PRODUCT REVIEW
.TITLE The Franklin Electronic ROLODEX, an inexpensive and very functional PDA substitute
.AUTHOR Jason Giacchino
.SUMMARY Can a modern technophile and user of laptops, Tablet PCs, and high-end handhelds gain any benefit from the simplicity of an ordinary digital organizer? Read on to find out as author Jason Giacchino reviews the Franklin Rolodex PDA.
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What a modern day paradox organization can be. I came to this conclusion firsthand by juggling files and reminders across several pieces of hardware of varying sizes and operating system compatibilities: PDAs, tablets, notebooks, and desktops. It doesn’t take long to require an organizer for all of one’s organizers! And although quick to get carried away by the latest and greatest of electronic trends myself, I find a recurring question in my inbox that warrants some serious consideration: what about your basic organizer?
A user-friendly interface on top of a functional OS, nothing fancy; no MP3 playback, no full color LCD, no WiFi, Bluetooth or infrared, no built-in digital camera, not another jack-of-all-trades cell phone. Apparently the "latest and greatest" line of thinking causes the press to often overlook the practicality and budget-friendly nature of a true electronic organizer. Manufacturers such as Royal and Franklin haven’t abandoned such devices in favor of feature-rich, ultra expensive technological terrors, instead choosing to keep a healthy lineup of electronic organization tools that deserve a closer look.
Naturally at the root of any mobile computing device exists the potential for organization, but constant advancements in technology and portability equal handhelds capable of so much more. This brings to mind the question, "Can too much of a good thing ever really be too much?"
.BREAK_EMAIL To learn the answer, you’ll have to read the rest of Jason’s article by clicking here.
For the sake of simplicity, that answer is, "Yes." Although it’s nice to be able to watch movies, listen to music, send email, and surf the Net from the middle seat on the bus, sometimes the temptation of so much entertainment can distract from the practicality of truly using a handheld device for organization; as a means to simplify. Fortunately, electronic organizers are tools designed with simplicity of operation in the forefront, applets that favor function over form, and a host of handy functions that are often reduced or removed entirely on higher end units.
If you’ve ever considered a PDA but rejected the notion in favor of the simplicity and reliability of the traditional pen and paper method of keeping yourself on track, read on. I took a step away from the clutter on my work desk that disguises itself as a means to simplify my agenda, and devoted several weeks of use to Franklin’s ROLODEX RT-8214 touch-screen handheld organizer in Figure A, and what I discovered may surprise even the most savvy of mobile computing devotees.
.FIGPAIR A What could the ROLODEX RT-8214 do that my Tablet PC can’t?
Back in college marketing, we learned that for any manufacturer, the most effective positioning of a product’s brand name is when the name actually becomes used to identify the product. Some examples: the name Kleenex when referring to tissues, a Xerox instead of a photocopy, Jell-O instead of gelatin snacks, or a Band-Aide rather than an adhesive bandage. To many, the name ROLODEX can be substituted for any number of products involving a small box of alphabetically tabbed flash cards that generally resides on a desk, and is used for quickly looking up numbers/addresses etc. Primitive by today’s standards of technology for certain, but effective nonetheless. Today that brand name tends to represent a much more varied market segment, including a series of electronic organizers in conjunction with the Franklin brand.
Physically, the unit was quite pleasing and familiarly laid out. At merely 3 x 4.5 inches and 1/2-inch thick, the RT 8214 is more streamlined and slimmer than most dedicated PDA’s. Weighing in at 5 ounces with batteries, the hardware feels stable and well constructed, albeit feather-light in the palm. Franklin clearly put some R&D into the aesthetics of the hardware as well, with concaved sides that seem tailor fitted to the curvature of the hand. This, coupled with a convenient thumb-operated dial makes most navigation tasks a breeze.
The unit also comes equipped with five convenient hot-keys positioned across the lower front panel of the organizer, just below the screen. Made of a sturdy, soft-rubber compound, they’re responsive to the fingers, but especially receptive to stabs with the stylus. From left to right they are: Contacts, Calendar, Calculator, Scheduler, and Memo.
A majority of data input is done via the virtual, touch-sensitive keyboard and included stylus, although the said hotkeys and thumb dial do serve specific purposes in terms of making one’s way through the proprietary operating system’s menus. In addition, the unit runs on 3 CR-2032 Lithium batteries which are included in the package. Although a rechargeable lithium ion would be convenient, I suppose this factors into the unit’s ability to retail for so little (a mere $34.95 list price).
Internal memory is quite abundant for a digital organizer at 2MB, 1.9 of which are available to the user. Initial power-up requires a system reset to access the OS, which is broken down into three basic categories, System Setup, Basic Programs, and Extra Programs. These can be accessed any time with a tap of the stylus on the MENU icon on the lower right portion of the screen. System Setup allows for control over the system’s settings including the key tone toggle, display contrast adjustments, time format, date format, and file password protection (known as File Lock).
Basic Programs refers to the pre-installed applets including Home Time, World Time, Daily alarm settings, PC synchronization, and contact file. Most interesting is the Extra Programs section, which include an Internet manager, an expense manager, a thorough carbohydrate listing, and a blank spot which allows an application from the enclosed mini-CD to be downloaded onto the PDA. It’s unfortunate the system can only toggle one downloaded application program at a time, as these are some of the most useful programs available on any unit.
Included is a US Spell Checker, a complete Thesaurus, a currency/metric converter, and translators that can operate on a word for word basis, or entire phrases, in German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Netherlands. Through the included USB sync cable and Desktop Manager CD-ROM, I was able to quickly download the applications to the unit from a Dell Inspiron 1150 and found them each to be wonderfully complete and very user friendly.
My only complaint is that installing a new application overwrites the old so the user must decide while synchronized exactly which program he/she intends to use until the next sync session. A tragedy considering how useful each one turned out to be.
The Contact File represented, in my case anyway, the most useful Basic Program application in terms of true organization. I’m not the kind of person who tends to rely on alarms or distant calendar scheduling (although it’s nice to know they’re there) but I do, however, tend to carry endless scraps of paper in my pockets with important phone numbers, friend’s addresses, and other critical memos. This is where the RT-8214 proved its heart as an organizer, by mimicking a true paper based ROLODEX filing system right into the monochrome screen.
In Contact mode, the upper portion of the screen is set up with rows of alphabetical tabs, shown in Figure B, that allow for some seriously fast and convenient contact retrieval with the thumb dial.
.FIGPAIR B The virtual ROLODEX system and thumb dial make contact retrieval a snap.
The virtual keyboard does allow alphabetic and numeric searches with a tap of the stylus, but the thumb dial and tab system makes navigation extremely natural. As far as inputting data is concerned, the unit is dependent upon the on-screen keyboard and stylus combination shown in Figure C.
.FIGPAIR C A majority of data entry is performed with the on-screen keyboard and stylus.
Fortunately, the touch-screen is quite responsive and has actually helped me in appreciating on-screen keyboards in general, as I’ve often overlooked them in favor of thumb-boards or handwriting recognition systems. Since this is the user’s only option for entering data, it has provided an opportunity for me to become increasingly swift at tapping characters with the stylus. The keyboard itself is quite complete in QWERTY format with the numeric row first. It does have included symbols (, . -), but unfortunately is missing the @ symbol, which would be beneficial considering it does offer an email slot in the contact file in addition to an Internet manager tool.
So, after having conducted my experiment in electronic organization, I’m sure you’re wondering what kind of conclusions I’ve drawn from devoting some time to the RT-8214 while forsaking units that cost, in some cases, nearly 100 times as much. Well for starters I was quite impressed with how much value Franklin packs into the $34.95 package shown in Figure D.
.FIGPAIR D Franklin loads up the goodies with the ROLODEX RT-8214.
I enjoy hardware testing, and this unit provided a full afternoon’s worth of exploration in an effort to really understand the range of abilities it comes packed with, although beginners should be able to pick up its basic functions almost immediately. The thumb dial and virtual tab system are amazingly convenient, and labeled hotkeys, a built-in stylus holder, and flip back screen protector are bonuses as well. The unit even comes equipped with a backlight feature in which the 6-line display including the on-screen keyboard becomes illuminated in an iridescent blue that proved effective not only in low light, but no light conditions.
What impressed me most, however, were the applications that came installed on the included mini-CD-ROM. The Thesaurus was especially impressive as well as the language translating applications. The pre-installed carb list was practical as well, offering a plethora of useful data about the foods we eat, including carbohydrate and protein data. And searching the database is as easy as tapping the first letter of the food you with the stylus. Although I’m a pretty decent budget manager on my own, the included expense manager appears quite useful as well.
Most useful however, was the ability to finally let go of the torn scraps of paper I have littered around the office, in my pockets, and in the console of my car. Ironically, one sticky note actually got removed from the very border of my desktop’s monitor once inputted into the PDA. It seems odd not to search all of my usual favorite hiding places when needing an address or a phone number, in fact, such effective organization is going to take time to get used to I’m sure.
My only minor complaints are the lack of rechargeable power supply, or even an AC adapter for that matter, and the fact that all of the wonderful applications included on the CD can’t be downloaded into the unit together. However, these complaints are nullified by the extremely affordable nature of the unit and the fact that it’s so portable.
As I had theorized, users of high end PDA’s, notebooks, and Tablet PC’s can indeed benefit from an electronic organizer such as the Franklin ROLODEX RT-8214, simply because it never allows the user to forget its intention of simplification and organization. Everything the PDA does and is capable of maintains the theme of function over form, of practicality over entertainment. And although some may consider that a disadvantage, at the end of the day it’s comforting to know that your battery life hasn’t been exhausting by game playing or music listening, and that all of your important information is exactly where you left it.
Special thanks to Christian Barbato for making this review possible and Jack Giacchino for providing the photographs.
.RATING 4
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.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on the Franklin ROLODEX RT-8214, visit http://www.franklin.com/estore/details.aspx?ID=RT-8214.
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