Bye Zire, hello Nano?

March 18, 2007 9:08 PM

I'm considering retiring my Palm Zire and using my iPod Nano for my portable calendar. Anyone else try this with success?

I love my Zire, but I don't use it often. When I use it, it's for the calendar (synched with my Outlook calendar) and for SplashShopper (grocery list). I enter all calendar items on my laptop, so I don't utilize it for entering information. And I can forsake SplashShopper for paper and pen.

I noticed that my iPod will hold my Outlook calendar, and played around with the feature. It's going to take some practice on my end getting the synch to work as I want it to (my calendar is on an Exchange system), and the look of the calendar is not nearly as friendly as my Zire's. But for the sake of efficiency and money (I've got an interested party in my Zire), I'm considering using just the Nano for my calendar.

Anyone do this and like it? If so, any tips or tricks to pass along? Any recommend against it?

Thanks!

posted by lucyleaf to technology (9 comments total)

I have thought about trying this. You might want to consider using a PocketMod along with it for entering new data.
posted by 4ster at 9:34 PM on March 18, 2007

I used to do this with my video Ipod, but recent updates of Itunes don't seem to want to sync with my Outlook 2003 calendar. (Contacts still work fine.) Anyone else have this happen?
posted by gottabefunky at 10:09 PM on March 18, 2007

Just a thought but what if you pull out an iPod during an important meeting to check your appointments? You might get some funny looks. At least if you pull out a Zire you'll be considered professional because that is, after all, a business tool.

Actually, being seen to be constantly referencing your iPod might give the wrong impression no matter where you are... A little like people who have got their first/a new mobile phone, and are infatuated with it.
posted by humblepigeon at 1:49 AM on March 19, 2007

The PocketMod is an interesting suggestion, 4ster. It looks cool.

Gottabefunky, I haven't had many problems synching, but then I don't have a video iPod. I have to make sure Outlook is closed, but then I have to log back in. It seems to be touchy.

I'm not so worried about how it'll look at work, humblepigeon. I can work around that in a big meeting, and in my immediate group, my coworkers will probably think it's cool.

I do worry about battery life, though. I left my iPod in my bag for a couple of weeks without turning it on, and the battery still ran down.
posted by lucyleaf at 6:50 AM on March 19, 2007

You're overthinking this (by posting). Try it for two weeks. If you like it, continue.
posted by mendel at 6:59 AM on March 19, 2007

I do this. Used to have a Zaurus, never really used it to its full potential. Carried around a little pocket notebook for a while, like the PocketMod but less organized. Now I use a Nano. I even use the To Do List as my shopping list (I'm a Mac user, so I'm referring to the iCal To Do List -- I assume you can do the same with Outlook on Windows, though). Works great for me, though admittedly I don't have the sort of job where I spend a lot of time in business meetings, and thus don't have to worry about what humblepigeon describes. I might look a little weird scrolling through my shopping list in the supermarket, but generally I also have my headphones in while I'm shopping, so people probably just think I'm searching for a favorite song.
posted by Acetylene at 7:27 AM on March 19, 2007

I tried this, and quickly got irritated with the interface. While it's great for scrolling through songs or playlists, it's dog-slow for picking out a day on the eensy-weensy calendar screen. Plus, there's no way to add a new event on the spot, although the PocketMod thing might work for you. Then again, it kinda defeats the purpose of having a portable calendar if you can't add to it right then and there, in my opinion.

I ended up with a Palm Treo680, and while it's bulky and a little dated OS-wise, it works for me. It also had the added advantage of removing one extra device (my cell phone) from my already bulging pockets.
posted by 40 Watt at 9:00 AM on March 19, 2007

If you end up using your ipod I suggest getting a case for it. My wonderful wife gave me a Slappa case to protect mine from droppage. I'm always dropping the damn thing!
posted by spakto at 11:15 AM on March 19, 2007

Just a follow-up here to say that I've been doing this for what, 2 weeks now, and it works fine. I've even found out how to get my Google calendar stuff on there too, so I'm a happy camper.
posted by lucyleaf at 2:03 PM on April 2, 2007