Software, Computers, Video Games and D&D UtilitiesGeneral discussion on computer software and hardware, PC and console games, and RPG utilities such as eTools, PC GEN, etc.
I apologize in advance for the length of this post.
Sometime soon, I'm going to have to "upgrade" some of my current electronics, like my 7 year old Macs.
However, what I need help with is this: I own a Palm Tungsten E2- a PDA about the size of a human hand- that has a thumbprint-sized dead spot on its screen. Its not completely inactive, it just will not accept data accurately- try to draw a straight line in it, and it gives you zig-zags and spiderwebs.
This also makes it impossible to recalibrate the touchscreen. One of the calibration dots is in the zone. Ditto some of the letters in the on-screen keyboard.
I'd like to get a new one if I could...
...but as it turns out, technology has progressed since I purchased my E2 back in 2005! (GASP!)
Today, PDAs are seemingly extinct- they're as rare as pregnant pandas. They've been supplanted by smartphones.
This is all well and good, but smartphones don't meet my needs:
1) They're expensive. A contract for a smartphone costs as much annually as my one-time purchase of a PDA, in addition to the underlying phone contract. This is largely to support things I don't need- portable & remote access of email and the internet, GPS, and so forth.
2) They don't do what I need them to the way I need them to. My E2 is primarily used 3 ways:
a) I have a nearly complete backup to my phone's contact list...and its got more datafields to boot, like birthdays, anniversaries, etc;
b) its notepad is full of text files containing PCs, campaign ideas, shopping lists for groceries, instruments, CDs and the like, short-story ideas, and an illustrated list of chords I've developed for Robert Fripp's New Standard Tuning- something I could turn into a book.
c) an electronic sketchpad. I design jewelry, and I'd hoped to use my E2 to replace my pencil & paper for those designs. I could just sketch something out- the resolution and control is sufficient to the task- and I could use its memory card or Bluetooth it to my main jeweler's electronics. But with that "Dead Zone," I can't do that any more.
The smartphones, in contrast, have tiny screens- my E2's screen is bigger than many of the phones themselves. And most no longer use a stylus- essential for the pinpoint control for a decent sketch.
Laptops and notebook computers, OTOH, while capable of doing all of the above, will not fit in a pocket.
So...what is out there? Is there anything out there?
So far, nearly all of the ones I've found are technically considered smartphones- the iPhones, Blackberrys and so forth- which means the $30/month dataplans, smaller screens, and don't use a stylus anymore (which I need for fine control).
The Palm E2 I own was discontinued in 05- though I can find refurbished ones- and the Z22 (which I've seen reviewed as late as 08) isn't even seen on Palm's site. The only thing I can see that might be a true, pure PDA are Centros...which could fit on the screen of my E2. Great for portability, but if its capable of supporting a stylus for sketching, that's a bit small. The higher end Treo suffers similarly.
The HPs I've seen don't seem to use a stylus either.
Palm is gasping for breathe. The Pre is its last best ditch for survival. However, its dedicated pdas are gone. They don't make them anymore as of May.
However, dedicated PDA aren't dead, you just have to branch out to Windows Mobile.
My work purchased a Palm T|X for me a few years ago. I never could get the graphiti 2 to work right. At my best I was *much* slower than ordinary handwriting.
I love tech, but if I write slower than handwriting, I should just use a pad and pen.
I have thought about a smart phone, but meh.
Almost all meetings I have my laptop for notes anyway. Sometimes it gets inconvenient when I have to charge it all the time, etc.
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Yeah, Graphiti 2 is slower, but it does have the advantage of your being able to broadcast your note to someone with a Bluetooth device if you want to share it.
I'm not a big fan of Bluetooth either. I don't own a headset for my phone, and the only car I've set up for hands-free is my Mom's...and that's only for her phone.
But for this particular purpose- essentially e-mailing a design without paying for a ISP contract, looking for a WiFi network, or simply using a drive or direct connection of some kind- its quite effective.
And since I use my PDA as a backup contacts database, using Bluetooth to reload a phone or similar device is pretty fast.
I'm a Mac dude, and as a result I so want to use an iPhone or iTouch, but unless I miss my guess, they're really not for use with a stylus for sketching, etc.
I've heard rumors that there may be a Mac "pad computer" (or whatever they call those things) coming out soon, which, while bigger than I really want, might be my best option overall.
Sometimes, it sucks to have tech needs & preferences that are at odds with the march of technology companies' product lines.
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