Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Izzy is dying

Izzy is my Tungsten E PDA and she is begging me to please replace her. She is now resisting turning on and off - I know she's tired...I use her all day long. We've been together for a long time, and she's been great, but really wants me to replace her soon...or she's just going to up and quit in the middle of the morning. She'd really just prefer comfort measures as she's made it clear she's a DNR.

So, at her request...I'm asking all of you, what handheld do you use and love? I've always used the Palm OS, but I guess I'm open to looking at the Windows CE platform as well.

Izzy and I look forward to your responses.

Rainy,
I had an issue along time ago with parts of Norton not liking to let go or turn off and so it took longer and longer for my laptop to turn off. I can't remember the actual tech explaination but sure enough it really was something with it that likes to stay in process. I know this sounds vague and not very reassuring but it was real.

Perhaps you have some bloated program that is "hanging on" there as you click off and it is keeping you from getting a nice quick clean "off". Hope this helps....
Paul

Paul,

I think she is referring to a PDA like a Palm Pilot or Pocket PC.

Izzy is only a name for a PDA not a computer. <G>

Barbara,

I had three Palms, which all bit the dust within a year. I had much better luck with my PocketPC. But, I must confess now with all of the Internet programs such as Lexi-Comp and having computers in every room, I found I used them less and less.

I can't give you my opinion (wow that's a first!)on one, but it seems as if everything is moving to an all-in-one type approach with a phone and a PDA. I put a similar question in Experts-Exchange, and the answer I kept getting was the Motorola Q. I am still having a hard time thinking of using a phone which does not have a good form factor, but it seems as though it is inevitable.

Yeah,
But still couldn't such a device have some sort of a program that has become bloated or corupted and so now it doesn't want to allow itself to be terminated at the end of a session? Not that such a device might not be fragile and just not last too long also....

Imagine carrying around a PC on your belt for two years. I would imagine the little mobo is about fried by now. You're lucky to get two to three years out of these things.

Bert, you are right...I am talking about a PDA - Palm Tungsten E. I've had it about 3 years and it's worked great. I only named her because I was calling her my brain. I use epocrates extensively (I love having formularies available - saves me so much time) and feel lost without it. Prior to this one, I had a Sony Clie...my all time favorite, but they are no longer made. I had dropped and shattered mine one to many times.

I've been getting the same answer as well....get a smart phone or a blackberry. While I love gadgets and am a fairly early adopter...I just can't see having a cell phone in an exam room with me (I'm almost like the cell phone police...telling everyone to turn them off when they are in the exam room. I've been known to gently take them out of the hands of teens & adults and place them on the counter (turned off) until the visit is complete!).

Paul - with the Palm OS...I have to say, it's the most "unbloated" thing I have (Nothing like windows!). In this case, it's actually the on/off button that seems to be weird...not a program hanging it up.

I've had both Palm and Windows Mobile and as far as using the PDA itself and software available I MUCH preferred the Palm. However, we use tablet pcs and when we switched to the Phone/Palm combo had real big problems with syncing...Palm refused to help saying that they did not and would not support the Tablet PC operating system. So we've switched to the Windows PDA/Phones...they work great and have fewer syncing issues....HOWEVER....they are slower and really eat up memory fast. We have the ATT 8525 which is made by Samsung. It is an excellent phone and PDA which I can highly recommend. Although Palm now makes a TREO that is Windows operating system, I refuse to buy it because of their lack of support of their product with a MAJOR operating system. I'm sure they are crying in their beer as we speak. Not. Glenda

Rainy, you liked the Clie?? Wow, I had my sister Dr.C get one and I consider it the worst thing I've ever told someone to get. I still appologize to her. Maybe yours didn't have the goofy on/off switch placed so that it was always being turned on accidentally. They stopped making Clies soon after we bought this one, but at the time all of the literature said it was the best one.

I have a Palm Zire but it doesn't have internet access. I don't know but its been said, Blackberry is made of lead...sorry, couldn't resist. No, I heard Blackberry is better if you email alot and want PDA functions second (or third). I dont know but I've been told, Treo is made-a-gold. Okay, I dont have one of these either but I been told its a better balance, and has good PDA functionality as well as internet/email. But all my information is 4th hand (in other words, useless).

Oh, I didnt read that Palm lack-of-support post before I responded. ooooooooh. I guess I'd avoid them like the plague.

rainy,

It's funny that you say that about cell phones. I certainly understand where you are coming from, but I guess I am 180 degrees the other way around. I figure everyone has them, why not let them use them. I am amazed that so many spouses call though to find out what's wrong with their kid, and the mother just says, "I am with the doctor, gotta go." It's too bad, the father (or mother) doesn't reach a service which just says, "he has a cold."

But, I don't know how many times I have driven through a Dunkin' Donuts drive through only to get a call from the hospital or another doctor, and I am talking into the cell while paying for and getting my order. I know they are probably feeling the same way. But, I do understand.

I guess it depends whether you want a phone that's a PDA or a PDA that's a phone. I have heard many good things about the Blackberry and Treo. As above I like the Motorola Q but still need to get used to the functionality. I didn't think I would like the iPhone, but my cousin came up -- he's definitely a gadgeteer, and I must say, "it's pretty cool." I just wish Apple would break down and make an iPhone and an iPhone Business. I really don't need U tube, etc. I keep hearing to wait for version 2, but I have no idea when that would be.

And, I must say I definitely preferred the HP iPAQ over the three Palms that all broke within a year. Good luck

Rainy,

I have had at least 5 Palm PDA's (love toys) - currently use a Tunsten TX - works great, particularly for Epocrates. I have looked into lots of different units - Palm OS certainly is the least cumbersome OS, I personally think if you want internet access and such - get a computer, PDA's seem to get more and more slower, cumbersome when you try to use them as a computer or online. Living near you I also know how poorly Blackberries and digital access really are here - the service is very expensive (in the 50.00 per month range without the cell phone calls included) and spotty. You can use the TX for Wifi - I find this most useful to look at yahoo, etc. when I am bored.

I did note that in one of my Palm PDA's I had a problem with it turning off - would stay on until the battery went dead and then had to recharge - the power switch was actually a little sticky and being an old tech nerd I resorted to the standard fix and blew air around the power switch (could use compressed or just blow air really hard) and this solved the problem - I still have that one, but do not rely on it day to day as it was one of the more limited palms (color camera which was neat, but not as much memory).

Take care.

Yes, I really loved my Clie. Worked great. Perhaps I was just lucky. I just kept dropping it. I had to have it repaired at least three times (shattered the screen) and the forth time...I just gave up.

I've dropped my Tungsten several times, but it also lives in a hard case and it's never broken or given me a headache. Until now.

Since most of you are talking about a phone/pda combo...can you turn off the cell phone while using the pda? I really HATE cell phones in the exam room.

Having not used a windows plateform with a PDA, I really can't comment on that OS, but I have to say...I really like the Palm OS.

Thanks!

I have used both PALM OS and Windows PC. From my perspective PALM OS is a much better operating system. Windows PC freezes and crashes (probably trips over its cumbersome bells and whistles that I never use). The phone/handheld has the capacity of turning off the cell phone when you don't want it to be used. Most of the Pocket PCs come with a button for "In-flight mode" which will not allow the phone to be active. The downfall of the phone/PDA is that you will probably need to switch PDA with your phone service. The only benefit is that you don't have to fumble to two pieces of equiptment. Hope that's helpful.