[NTLK] Recent Observations - Palm OS and Newton OS

From: David M. Ensteness (denstene_at_mac.com)
Date: Thu Sep 09 2004 - 07:20:35 PDT


Recently the WAN Administrator I share an office with took another job.
As he has started cleaning up things he started asking me if I wanted
this or that which he had but belonged to our company. One such item
was a Handspring Visor. I do not know a lot of Palm OS devices when it
comes to specifics and I can not find any model number on the device.
All that said, I have some things to share.

First a couple notes about me and what I am used to using:

I'm a network administrator in a primarily Mac OS X environment but
there are also many Windows clients [Win2K and 98 SE] and a couple UNIX
systems.
I am a Newton user, I own several and primarily use a 2100.
I own a 4th Generation iPod 40GB which I do keep contacts and calendars
on.
I use iCal and AddressBook on 10.3.x based Macs.
I seldom use Windows boxes but they are always Win2K or XP Pro.
I use .Mac and iSync to sync devices and computers.
The Visor runs Palm OS 3.5.3.
This is my first experience with a Palm OS device.

At first glance the Visor seemed kinda neat. Its very thin, and the
footprint is just a bit bigger than my iPod. It seemed like it could be
very elegant. I flipped it open and popped out the stylus. The size is
really nice to carry.

As far as the actual functionality of the Visor, it seems really,
really lacking to me. Its a date book, and its an address book, but I
consider the data entry painful on the Visor itself. The syncing is
straight forward and quick. It really makes me feel that a module for
iSync that would allow for my Newton to sync directly over ethernet
rather than using another application would be choice. But entering
data in Graffiti or with the onscreen keyboard is a real bear in my
opinion.

This particular Palm device does not have an expansion slot or
bluetooth of anything fancy, its pretty stock and it connects to a
computer via a USB docking station.

I guess what really gets me is data entry. Which brings me to several
comparisons. My iPod carries my contacts and calendars on it. I can not
modify any of that info on the iPod without a Mac. This Visor seems to
me to be an iPod that doesn't play music. Sure I can enter new info,
but I do not want to. The data entry ability of the Visor is the same
as my OMP, in fact the OMP's HWR seems to be about as good as my
ability to write in Graffiti so I think the comparison is pretty good.
If I were an OMP user I would definitely move to a Palm OS device, same
functionality, much smaller.

Another data entry problem I have is more interface driven. As I count
them there are 3-5 steps to enter in a new calendar event on this
Visor.

Required
1. Turn on and open the calendar application.
2. Select new, choose the event type, and enter the event's time.
3. Enter the title for the event back in the calendar view screen

Optional
4. Select Details to change any settings for the date of the event, any
alarms, repeating status, etc.
5. Select Note and enter in any notes about the event.

I see several problems with this approach. First, this is more steps
than is required by the other calendar applications I use. The Newton
can accomplish the first 3 steps in one with the Assist feature. If you
choose not to use Assist, you can open your calendar application and
enter steps 2-4 all on one screen, adding notes [step 5] being its own
step that means that the maximum number of steps for this same task on
the Newton is 3 and the minimum is 1 [unless you count confirming an
appointment made with the Assist feature as a second step, but note
that you do not have to open the calendar application when using Assist
so basically you do away with step 1 from above].

Its not just the Newton either. Once iCal is open creating a new
calendar event is only one step for a maximum of 2 because all of your
data entry is done via tab accessible fields located in one drawer. I
have not used Palm Desktop's calendar much but at first glance it looks
like an event can be completely configured in one step there also much
like iCal. It has been years since I used Claris Organizer but I recall
the same experience there.

I am generally confused by how cumbersome this simple task is on the
Visor. I feel this way for several reasons. This is by no means a new
Palm OS device, but its not terribly old and is much newer than my
MP2100. Why does the functionality seem to be the same level as the 11
year old OMP? Also, if Palm got it write in their desktop calendar
application, Apple got it right in theirs, MS I believe has that same
functionality in theirs ... obviously there is evidence that you could
make entering in a calendar event easier.

Another thing that stuns me is that entering in a contact entry is not
as cumbersome. The default contact list view has a built in search, and
although Graffiti sucks in comparison to HWR this feature is quite
helpful. Creating a new contact entry brings up a window where I can
enter in about 90% of what people want to. Filing the entry in a
certain category is in another window which is similar to filing a name
card on the Newton so that seems to be about equal functionality. The
same with AddressBook on Mac OS X, you create the card and then you can
add it to a group afterwards.

If Palm was able to get it right with contacts why are calendars so
poor?

Another complaint. Adding a contact to a calendar event is bad in my
mind. In Dates, MoreInfo, Dateman, iCal, Entourage, etc ... you
basically attach a contact entry to a calendar entry. On the Visor you
don't do that, you can look up a contact and have their name and number
added to the subject line of the event or to the notes but there is not
a field specifically for who the appointment is with and there is no
linking back to the contact's address book entry. On a desktop computer
this is less of an issue. I can easily open up my contacts program next
to my calendar and seek out the name. However, on a PDA since apps use
the entire screen, navigating between them is a real waste of time when
one application could link back to data in another directly as is the
case with many applications on the Newton.

There are positives about the Palm device though.

Getting information out of the Visor is quick and easy. Syncing the new
data from the Visor to the Mac has its issues but I am using Apple's
iSync not Palm Desktop so that isn't really a complaint about the Visor
or Palm. I can get to a name or an appointment just as fast as I can on
my MP2100. The size is a huge plus, however, I still find myself stuck
on the Newton's size problem. Its big, I do not *like* to carry it. The
Visor fits in the back pocket of my jeans. But why carry the Visor? I
can't take notes on it. I can't slap in a WaveLAN card and send a memo
from a meeting, and I can not move between applications and data as
quickly or effortlessly. So while carrying the Visor is easier it is
also less useful to do so. Making the Newton smaller is an attractive
yet frightful problem. I don't want a smaller screen because I need the
writing surface since I can input large amounts of data to the Newton
easily. With the footprint remaining about the same it makes little
sense to bother thinning the Newton any. Modern ports are always cool
but as has been discussed, networking is really the most important item
and its covered.

I guess I am left concluding that if I was going to use a Palm OS
device I would use my iPod instead, and when I need something serious I
still lug my Newton MP2100. I realize the differences between this Palm
device and newer models running Palm OS 5, and that it addresses many
of my gripes above. However, functionality is still limited by the
ability to enter data and that is not fundamentally solved.

  David

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