From: Henry Stukenborg (hjstukenborg_at_mac.com)
Date: Tue Jan 27 2004 - 06:50:46 PST
Ray,
> I have had a difficult time syncing to OS X. I get duplicate
> ToDos, Calls don't get transferred, etc. So I was thinking
> about getting a Palm, with Bluetooth. I have to use a Palm
> for some prescription databases anyway, so I was looking for
> any advice from one's here who may also have a Palm.
>
> Mind you I love my Newton. For notes and linking, it is
> invaluable (does anything link like this on the Palm?). But I
> am feeling stifled and have only so much time to be hacking
> it to get it to work.
I've been in the same position - I love my Newton, but the difficulty in
getting it synch reliably (especially since I've had to move to a PC for
work) with my desktop app has put me into a bind. I've recently bought a
Palm Tungsten T3, which is both a like/hate relationship. I really like the
size (I do really carry it everywhere), the bright color screen, speed and
the sheer volume of software available (the ability to read/edit Office docs
and view PDFs is VERY nice). Oh, the other thing I love is the voice
recorder - it's so much easier to just press the side button and start
talking than the Newton's more pen-based requirements (ok, I'm sure someone
can help me out there with an quick alternative activation option).
Now for the hate part - Palm OS. I've become so spoiled with out things work
on the Newton that the Palm OS Graffiti drives me insane. The 'texture' is
so different - whereas the Newton feels so...well, intelligently done that
by comparison, Palm OS 5 feels pretty brain-dead. I go crazy trying to
highlight and drag text around (old Newton habit). It's bad enough I'm sorta
forced to use Outlook for email/contacts, etc. (can someone explain to me
how the #1 email client on Windows won't allow you to select text in a
message and just grab that portion for the reply?), now I feel the need to
migrate to the Palm for synchronization and software.
I'm still considering whether to return the Palm or trudge through it;
however, I'm afraid I'm just going to run into more subtle issues. For
example, it just hit me yesterday that there's no built-in facility for
printing in Palm OS. Something that's been in the Newton since day 1. I
believe the main issue is philosophical - the Newton was always designed to
be a kind of self-contained computer with syncing capabilities, whereas the
Palm is and always will be merely an extension of your desktop (despite
those who say it can be a 'laptop replacement').
Hopefully Grant, Jon, Woo, or the others can offer some words of wisdom for
those of us in this quandary...
(sniff)
I really don't want to give up my Newton...
-- Henry Stukenborg -- This is the NewtonTalk list - http://www.newtontalk.net/ for all inquiries List FAQ/Etiquette/Terms: http://www.newtontalk.net/faq.html Official Newton FAQ: http://www.chuma.org/newton/faq/
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Tue Jan 27 2004 - 10:00:04 PST