So I've got a PDA. Now what?

January 14, 2005 11:12 AM

So I've got a PDA. Now what? (more inside)

What I mean is: How does one get into the habit of relying on it. Beyond putting in your contact numbers, etc. do you have any tips for its use? Any good sites on utilizing (getting organized) with one's PDA? Recommended apps are good too.

I've got an Axim X3 (pocket pc) with a wireless card and also a 512MB card, if it matters

posted by spock to Computers & Internet (21 answers total)

I am in the exact. and I meant EXACT same boat. Do tell.
posted by glenwood at 11:19 AM on January 14, 2005

Dude, don't you think you should have considered the "now what?" before you purchased the product?
posted by xmutex at 12:18 PM on January 14, 2005

How do you know we purchased the product? Mine came as part of a package deal with Dell. Thanks very much for the help, though!
posted by glenwood at 12:30 PM on January 14, 2005

Same boat here. And yeah, xmutex, you are totally right. I am thinking I should have just bought a paper calendar for 1/50 of the price.
posted by matildaben at 12:34 PM on January 14, 2005

xmutex apparently missed the note below each comment box on ask.mefi:

"Ask MetaFilter is as useful as you make it. Please limit comments to answers or help in finding an answer. Wisecracks don't help people find answers. Thanks."

You gotta love people that apparently have no capacity for considering possibilities other than the first one that comes to their mind. (Mine came for $1 with a server purchase, too).
posted by spock at 12:36 PM on January 14, 2005

Y'all may want to upgrade to a tablet-style PDA with a nice stylus.
posted by The White Hat at 12:39 PM on January 14, 2005

My apologies. I am acting out again. Just had a double shot latte and I cannot control myself at present.
posted by xmutex at 12:39 PM on January 14, 2005

LOL. Apology accepted, xmutex.
been there, done that!
posted by spock at 12:42 PM on January 14, 2005

I've always tried to get into PDA's but found I never could. About as digital as I go is a voice recorder for the car. I find cheap pocket notebooks and some sticky notes of different sizes and colors does the job.

However, I'd suggest reading a few Project Gutenberg novels on it, that gets you used to the screen and the device.
posted by sled at 12:53 PM on January 14, 2005

To be useful, a PDA must be with you at all times, so that you use it instead of a scrap of paper or something else that's handier.
posted by mcwetboy at 12:55 PM on January 14, 2005

I find that Vindigo is quite indispensable to me (I have it for my PDA). A description of the application and service from the website:

Vindigo is a city guide that offers extensive entertainment options, including restaurant reviews, shopping, bars, and museums. Everyday services, such as locations of the closest ATMs, and gas stations, are found with ease. This local information is integrated with color maps and directions from nationally-known brands, including The Washington Post and The LA Times.

• Vindigo turns your phone into a personal navigator.
• Tell Vindigo where you are and what you're looking for and it can tell you about thousands of places to eat, shop, and play.
• Vindigo knows about great restaurants, stores, museums, bars near you, about movies and music events playing in your city (complete with reviews and showtimes) even the locations of ATMs, road service assistance and the nearest bathroom.
• Comprehensive dining, shopping, services, movie, and nightlife content for all major U.S. metropolitan areas.
• Reviews from brand-name content partners. View listings by distance, name, cost and rating where applicable.
• Door-to-door driving directions and rich, detailed maps.

posted by gigglesticks at 12:59 PM on January 14, 2005

I have an Axim. I love it. I'm more of a recreational user than a business user though (I have some family numbers in the contacts and some reminders in the calendar, but that's it).

I use my Axim for:
MP3 Player in the Car
Video Player
Games
Internet Access

Can also be used for:
Multi-function remote control

Some starter links: Aximsite, DVD to Pocket PC, Handango. Feel free to e-mail (in profile) for more.
posted by Otis at 1:01 PM on January 14, 2005

I got an ipaq about 9 months ago and have grown pretty attached to it. The things that I tend to use the most on it are a checkbook program (I use my debit card a ton, so it's really nice to not have to sort through all of the receipts when I get home), a nintendo emulator, and MS Reader. Reading ebooks on it isn't as annoying as it seems once you get used to it. Plus you feel like you are reading really fast since you can finish about 3 or 4 of those small pages in a minute.
I'm one of those people that make a schedule for the next day every evening so the task list and notes are pretty handy for that. I've also found it pretty handy for tracking workouts.
There really isn't much I do on it that I couldn't do with a small notebook, but it is really nice to have while riding the bus, waiting at the doctor's office, etc.
posted by ttrendel at 1:42 PM on January 14, 2005

The only reason my PDA is as useful to me as it is because of the ability to sync it with my calendar and contacts in Outlook. This way I have the same info on my PDA, home desktop and work desktop. Otherwise I use it for little else other than short emails.
posted by Carbolic at 1:43 PM on January 14, 2005

I have found that the only way I can consistently make my PDA an integral part of my daily routine is to rely heavily on the basic PIM apps: the calendar, contacts and to-do list. Beyond that, using the built-in MP3 player on my walks to and from work ensures that it is always with me. Games and other applications are fun but won't contribute to the long-term dependency you want to have (to justify its expense, for those of us who actually got duped into shelling out for these things).

I have a Palm-based Tapwave Zodiac and use a third-party app (ShadowPlan) to set up my to-do's according to a personal system that is loosely based on the GtD paradigm. This system justifies the purchase of an electronic organizer for me
posted by RibaldOne at 2:04 PM on January 14, 2005

The first PDA I actually carried with me all the time was my Treo, since it was my phone as well. I could just never get into the habit before that.
posted by bshort at 2:04 PM on January 14, 2005

If you are a guy, then you have pants pockets, and from now on, one of them must be occupied by your PDA. This thing goes with you to meetings, to restaurants, to dates. It is your new best friend. It will tell you things you need to know; it will play games with you; it will demand nothing of you except an occasional charge, which you will give it while you are sleeping (the PDA will now sit at your bedside).
posted by profwhat at 2:07 PM on January 14, 2005

In order for a PDA to be useful you have to take it everywhere. This means that anything that gets in the way of your putting it in your pocket and taking it with you--like a case--is something you can't use. And you should develop (as RibaldOne mentions) the habit of using the PIM apps in a sensible way. Reading Getting Things Done will not only make you totally 'in' with bloggers the world over, but will help in this regard.

I used a Palm for a long time with great success, based on carrying it with me everywhere and having a system. (Now I use an index card wallet from Levenger which works pretty well too.)
posted by josh at 3:31 PM on January 14, 2005

I'm onto my third PDA. This one appears to be a keeper because it has a wireless network adapter and I have a wireless network at home. I don't use it for contacts or diary, but I do use it for wandering around the house checking stuff on the 'Net.

My mobile phone carries my contacts, et al. As it happens, my PDA also has Bluetooth, as does the phone. So, if I don't mind the bills, I can connect a 320x240 screen to the Internet wherever I am. However, mostly I just use Opera for the Series 60.
posted by krisjohn at 3:42 PM on January 14, 2005

My Palms (IIIx, Vx, and now m500) and I have been inseparable for six years or so. Here's what I use it for:

• Calendar (DateBk5)
• Contacts (PopUpNames)
• To-do list (DateBk5)
• Shopping list (HandyShopper)
• Passwords (Strip)
• Notes (Pedit)
• Alarm Clock/Timer (BigClock)
• Calculator (NeoCal)
• News (AvantGo)
• Tetris (BlockParty)

I don't know how I'd survive without it. But it might be that my life is more complicated (right now I have 209 tasks and 735 contacts). What do you use to perform these tasks now? Can you see how a PDA would make them easier/more convenient?

I previously used a Day-Timer 8.5"x5.5" system. A smaller system would not have allowed me to record the amount of stuff I needed, but it was still quite cumbersome. I found myself taking my backpack with me places JUST so I'd have the Day-Timer. Now I don't have to do that, and it's more efficient, having search and automatically reminding me in advance of events instead of having to write them in multiple times.

YMMV.
posted by grouse at 4:24 PM on January 14, 2005

The most powerful feature of a PDA is synchronization. I sync all my contact, task, and schedule information with Outlook which I then sync to the web with Intellisync for Yahoo. Three times redundancy--trumps paper hands down.
posted by Asef Jil at 7:52 PM on January 14, 2005