Comments on: Use Your Palm in the Rain

Otter Products has just launched a new hardcase for Palm users. The Heavy Armor 2000 is the same rugged Otter box case but with a mylar window that lets the user use their handheld in the most adverse weather conditions. The screen is easily seen through the mylar sheet and data can be input with the stylus. There are versions for Palm m100, m500, III, and V series and Visor Deluxe and Edge. It is available now for $70.

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Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 9:12:19 AM #

Wow... cool! Here I was using a ten cent zip lock bag. Now I can drop 70 bucks and triple the size of the unit. I'll sell some of my Palm stock I bought at $32 per and buy up two. Ha!

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 9:29:11 AM #

1) You paid WAY to much for that ZipLock bag.

2) Your baggie won't be much help if you drop your palm.

3) You've never really tried to write on your palm with it in a baggie, have you? Its almost impossible.

4) From your genaral tone, seems you just like to bitch about everything. Sorry your life hasn't turned out like you wanted it to but its not our problem.

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 9:49:23 AM #

I have to agree with the first poster. A ziplock bag is a good solution. How many situations are there where your typical Palm user absolutely has to write on their Palm in the rain?

OK, maybe you want to view an appointment, the ziplock bag is a good solution.

Create an appointment? Well, my mother taught me when I was little to come in out of the rain.

RE: Or....Get a Real Job

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 9:54:21 AM #

To IMA 9:12:19 and 9:49:23, I know this may come as a surprise to you and some others, but some PDA users have REAL jobs or REAL hobbies which require them to actually GO OUTSIDE in harsh conditions with inclement weather. Law enforcement officers, fire fighters, EMT's, construction workers, boaters, etc., etc., etc., often don't have a choice whether they can "follow mommy's advice" and stay out of the rain or other adverse conditions. The alternative is to purchase a ruggedized PDA as a substantial higher cost. I bet some of the people who think this thing is overpriced or useless would have no qualms about dropping $20 on a game or other useless program.

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 9:58:05 AM #

But this isn't for the typical Palm user. I could see fishermen, construction workers, hikers, archaeologists, bike messengers using this and appreciating this. It's designed for a niche market, not the average user.

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 10:14:48 AM #

On of my good friends owns a bicycle courier company, and they've outfitted all their couriers with Palms and Body Glove cases, with custom Palm software written by a local company.

Out of 6 Palms in Body Glove cases, 2 have had cracked casings, one has water under the LCD, and one no longer powers on (probably water related).

This protector seems like a perfect solution for them.

Moby Dick

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 10:17:27 AM #

Call me Ishmael. How different my life would have been had I invested a mere $70 in Heavy Armor 2000 to protect my Palm. Shortly after my encounter with the Whale, my Palm shorted out in a heavy gale. Although I had protected it with a 10 cent Ziploc baggie, I found I couldn't write well enough to make entries in my journal. My exposed Palm was drenchec by a particularly strong save. Without wireless weather info or GPS I was at the mercy of the unforgiving sea. Don't be a fool. Invest in Heavy Armor 2000.

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 10:28:43 AM #

The preceding message was brought to you by Otter Products.

RE: Or.... first reply poster

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 10:31:24 AM #

Hey all... super to see everyone join together. I was the first person about the zip lock bag. I was meaning to be funny... it's good to see everyone is joining together. So many times on this board everyone is so negative.

Yes, we do use a zip lock back from time to time as we do a lot of outside audits but don't have the room to carry the device in a bigger carrier, it has to fit in our coat pockets.

There is no doubt there is a market for heavy duty protection from dropping a Palm, they bounce well but seldom survive. :-) The bike idea was great if you have handle bar room, the rest of us have to fit our devices in their hip bag.

Keep up the great comments gang!

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 10:43:08 AM #

Guys,

Thanks for "joining together" and putting Mr. ZipLoc in his place. Some people can find a reason to bitch about oxygen.

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 12:16:02 PM #

Zip-loc definitely a good idea. I thought I had the killer solution until now. What I did was have one of those guys who wraps luggage at airports wind a few feet of stretch wrap around my Sony Clie (it should work with Palm brand as well). The trick is to get just the right amount so you can still see through it. To do this I stood on the rotating platform and held my Clie in my hand with my arm extendind. This way I could keep an eye on how much wrap was being applied. Be careful, though, because the first time I tried it my hand and the pda got all wrapped together and I ended up falling off the platform and sustained a nasty groin injury (just one of the hazards of being a geek I guess). Anyway, that's an idea you might want to try if you find yourself at an airport, in the rain, and without a baggie.

RE: Or....

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 1:29:46 PM #

I'm not sure if I'm quite ready to shell out $70 for a Heavy Armor 2000, but I may put it on my Christmas list. It would be perfect to use while kayaking with my Palm along with Walt Bilofsky's superb freeware app., Tide Tool . Considering I've seen a glorified ziploc bag at REI selling $20 for this type of use, $70 may not be too outrageous after all.

Use Your Palm in the Rain

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 6:53:49 PM #

GREAT!!! This will be great when I go on my next PERFECT STORM trip with George Clooney and Marky Mark!!!!!!!

Otterboxes, shirt pockets and generalizations

Spell @ 12/3/2001 10:28:17 AM #

In general, men tend to carry their handhelds in shirt pockets or attached to their belts. This means the biggest danger is a tumble from on high. Meanwhile, women tend to stuff their handhelds into their bags. The danger here is not falling but crushing damage.

I fall into the latter category and I decided it was worth the bulk to house my handheld in an Otterbox. I sometimes wish it were smaller, but I never worry about my handheld getting smashed even when I am being all but crushed on the bus.

Bottom line: The $25 Otterbox has kept my PDA safe through untold dangers for almost 2 years. Money well spent. However, I would not recommend it to one of the shirt-pocket brigade, as the Otterbox is bulky as hell.

Obviously this new Otterbox is designed for folks stuck outdoors -- police, construction, factory workers and field operations folk everywhere -- and not for the shirt-pocket brigade. There is a lot of portable enterprise software out there for these types of applications, and I can see how ruggedization of the handhelds running them would be a fine thing. Yes, it would be stupid to buy it so you could read Salon in the rain. This does not make it a dumb idea, just a dumb idea for /you/.

RE: Otterboxes, shirt pockets and generalizations

I.M. Anonymous @ 12/3/2001 2:54:35 PM #

This new Otterbox is a fantastic product. A friend has the original Otterbox and it's obviously very protective, though somewhat inconvenient to use. But, a work-through Armor2000 would be great for field researchers, archaeologists, fish and game wardens, biologists, etc. Might even be usable while snorkeling! Even if it's $70, it'd be worth having to protect (and still use) a $300 Palm, Visor, or Sony. Wish their web site had more details.

The Aquapac can provide waterproof protection, but the Armor2000 provides even more. It's not for everybody, but for those who would need something like it, invaluable.